The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-01-16


falling, remain too high. Some of
the stores are reported to have
marked down prices since the mail
order catalogs came out, but this is
merely heresay, as none of these
stores have vet committed them
selves by advertising prices in
black and white in the local news
paper. Some firms try to inveigle
a customer into their "parlOrs" by
using the stentorion voice of the
radio operator at the Wolf Point
station: radio conversations are
not printed, is one reason and an
other and principle reason, it fur i
nishes the alleged business men a
chance to spend money out Of !
town. If there is any one thing
that brings sunshine into other
wisegloomy days for the Plenty |
wood merchant it is the opportun-
ity to spend his money out of the |
town. Any day he can refuse pa
tronage to some one here who is
trying to make living here, he
counts as a "red letter" day in his
uneventful career.
Plentywood has a bakery. 1t is
a good bakery. 100 per cent sup
port would make it a better bak-
cry. But Plentywood merchants
prefer to sell bread and cake i'm
ported from Williston and Minot,
because they just can't stand it to
patronize any business in Plenty
wood. Plentywood has a mill that
makes as good flour as can be had
anywhere-makes it out of the
fine Sheridan county high protein
No. l hard wheat, rich in protein
and mineral salts-but our mer-
chants refuse to handle it, and in
stead pack an inferior grade of
flour milled some other place pay
ing freight on the wheat out and
the flour in, rather than sell Plen-
tywood flour because they think
thy can make a nickel more by
this policy, and of course to build
mill in our own midst would
build Plentywood a thing they do
not want to do. Plentywood has
print shops. These print shops pay
taxes, they employ help, these en-
ployees live in Plentywood, own
houses in Plentywood, attend the
shows in Plentywood, buy their
groceries in Plentywood, patronize
the Plentywood Drug Stores, con-
fectioneries, pool halls, and boot
leggers; send their children to
Plentywood schools, and are part
of the town. However, half of the
printing is sent out of town. The
official paper of the county is al
Medicine Lake because PlentywoOC
businessmen vote at every oppor
tunity for Medicine Lake. The pa
per that has the printing contract
"scalps" the most of it and sub
lets the work to Great Falls print
ers, not having the facilities to d.
the work. Merchants have their ad
vertising dodgers printed Othe
places their letterheads, their en-
velopes, and send away becaus
they think they can get better il
St. Paul or can save thin dime
Even the public schools of Plenty
, wood persues the policy of neve
buying anything in Plentywood,
can buy from an agent. In tn
spring a class graduates each veal
Several hundred dollars worth Q
i cards and invitations are require
these are always bought from a
= agent at higher prices than the Il
2 cal shops can furnish them for.
: Of course, the fact that the pc
: pers furnish the schools five c
six hundred dollars in free public
: ty each season, to set up which
S pays out cold cash, and buys papt
:, to print it on, never disturbs tn
v school teachers at all. 1t will /
= the same this year as usual. "
= will dig up to help pay their wag'
and they will send out every din
3 possible. Of course this is becau'
5, of ignorance-no one ever eXpec
e either sense or appreciation In
= school marin"
- Besides. the above, Plentywo'
: has a creamery and ice cream ia
e tory and bottling works, viii
% only gets small part of the hor
trade.
t. Most of the meat consumed
3 Plentywood is shipped in.
However, at the Commerce
Club meetings everybody says :
. should trade at home. All m'
* chants think that the farmers a
IF workers should buy in Plentywo
,s (even the merchant who never dc
such a thing if he can avoid i
and pay higher prices than he C
IN buy the same things for at a
n other place.
ct When Plentywood gets prit
re down to the level prevailing otl
b places, when people can come
nv brentwood to trade without p;
ne ing a bonus for the privilege, WI
FL merchants go half way to get
business, when they quit hat
I'll the hand that feeds them then
" farmers of Sheridan county will
III gain flock to Plentywood as Il
We used to, instead of going TO G
ey nora and Williston and sending
orders to catalog houses as Il
,,r are now doing.
There was time when Plen
rs wod hotels were full when tn
70 were crowds on the street ev
ng night and the garages were chu
a a-block on Sunday, but that '
when the Farmer-Laborites W
j, in power and people were gettin
Inc square deal. But Plentywood b
in ness men voted against all
Ill for the benefit of Medicine Il
r,l If Frank French would put up
proposition to move the CT
'ns house to Medicine Lake, Hs
Folks paper, our postmaster
.oJ A. cottonwood ba1ciracc :