The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-07-16

~
transcontinental route, and which
will soon be connected with an air
line serving Alaska. The airline
has made Pasco famous through
the country. 1t is a surprise to
seasoned air travellers to learn that
it's populatio is less than 5000;
some of them had doubtless ex-
pected skyscrapers and double
decked buses there. If air traf-
fic goes on increasing as it has been
doing recently, that suposition may
become a reality.
Anther small town in somewhat
the same position is Bellefonte,
Pennsylvania, which owes much of
its present renown-and some in
crease in business-to the fact that
it is important as stopping place
for mail and passenger planes when
bad flying weather sets in over
the Alleghenies.
I could greatly lengthen this list
of new airline towns. Elko and
Las Vegas, Nevada, and Midland,
Texas, are other pertinent exam
pies. Cheyenne, Wyoming, had an
early history closely identified with
the pony express, but recently our
newest (and almost equally CLAM
orous) means Of communication has
furnished sequel to those from
tier days. Cheyenne is now an air
line division point, with repair
shop, pilots quarters, and SON on. At
the airport plane comes swinging
down from the sky, mail bags are
transferred, and another plane
roars away in cloud of dust. The
weekly drama of the pony express
is revived, in a way, in the speed
and hustle of the skyway service
There can be no doubt that radio
has worked to the advantage of the
small-town business man. Supply
ing an endless variety of entertain
ment for the homeland for the
store as well-it tends to counter
act the lure of city amusements. It
keeps people closer to their own
hearth-stones and to their home
town merchants or neighborhood
shops. And when television comes,
in full power and perfection-as it
surely will some time-this stay-at-
home influence will be enhanced
and intensified immeasurab1y Small
town business will inevitably bene-
fit from such striking transform
alton and forward step as this.
Let us take brief look now at
one of the Invest and most conten-
tious questions that bear upon such
business: Namely, "Can the chain
store successfully invade the small
town." Certainly a vital problem
this one of the survival of the
Independent, who, as President
Hoover as put it, is "the founda-
ton of American business"
OF course, canot begin to
answer such a controversial ques-
ton in the two or three minutes at
my disposal, just want to mention
a few of the things that influence
the situation. A chain store in a
real small town-not suburb, mind
you-lacks some of the character
istics that help to make the
wheels go round in typical chain
store activity. In the nature of
things it connot have so much large
scale requisition, distribution, &C
counting and other city chain store
advantages. Probably that is why
our census figures show that in
towns of less than 10000, the chains
do less than 10 per cent of the
total business. To increase that,
they are up against one of the
great assets of the small town in
dependent, namely, personal rela-
lions and special service.
Take the credit question. The
Independent merchant can take ad-
vantage of the fact that is prob
ably as safe to extend open credit
in the American small town as it
is anywhere on earth. He runs
across very few cases like the one
in which an exasperated merchant
desperate over a bill long due, ac-
costed the debtor with these words
Look here, John, you've been ow.
ing me this bill for a year. Now
I'll meet you halfway. I'm ready
to forget half what you owe." And
John came right back with: Fine!
I'll meet you. TIL forget the other
half"
A pretty weighty factor in de-