Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-15
Small Towns
To Suffer
By Priori+ies
Little Man Is Unable
10 Gel Materials
BY HUGH s. JOHNSON

w There is a great temptation,
in making one of these eXplora-
tory Observation-Disclosures. for
a columnist TO sit right down
after a one-night stand and. on
the basis of a few conversations.
write all about what is going
on in this or that neck OF the
woods. what the people are
thinking about and what are the
prospects for prosperity.
1t is a little bit different in
the case of the present writer
and Waterloo, Ia, where this is
written.
l lived and worked on the
edge OF this state for good
many years. had a business that
depended largely on its custom
and i come from the same corn
fed breed that inhabits these
parts.
In spite of all that 7 don't feel
like shooting too quick in inter-
pretlng Iowa opinion on this be-
wildering situation. II seems 10
be too much bewildered itself
and so am /.
QUT I do want 10 comment on
- something / know about.
Like half a dozen other
smaller cities about which /
have written, in pursuit of my
favorite thesis, Waterloo APP
proaches what / think is an
ideal or goal for American So
cial and economic development.
| mean that il is an industrial
center at the heart of very
rich agricultural district that
gives what our people so badly
need TO weather both the ups
and downs of our stormy eco
nomic sea--a kind Of balance
between farming and manufac-
turing industries.
II offers off-season employ
ment 10 people of both great
groups. II cushions severe
slumps in either. II conserves
something Of our traditional in
stitutions of local Self-govern-
ment in politics and local indie
pendence in economics.
People here are. by that much,
removed from dependence on
distant metropolitan and monop-
oliStic or even international
forces over which they have
little control and for which they
have less responsibility.
IN the main, the relatively
Il small industries in Waterloo
are what are becoming a kind
Of obseSSiOn with me. little
fellows in business because they,
in turn. in my judgment. are the
last bulwark against centraliza-
tion Of both economic and
political power in such great
groupings that control of them
can more easily be seized by
aspiring emperors in both the
political and economic field.
Their preservation. which Is
the preservation of such strong
local community centerS as
Waterloo. should be one Of our
chief concerns if we are 20 pre-
serve what we have cherished
most in America. II was the
chief concern of the trainers of
our form of government.
The occasion for my visit here
is the fiftieth anniversary in the
life of such an independent in
dustry as the kind | have in
mind, the Rath Packing Com
pany. II settled here half a CEN
fury ago in the center of the
corn-hog country with the per-
fectly sound economic idea that
bulk products should be pro-
cessed as close 10 the point of
production as possible.
THIS is no advertising creed,
Il but devotion 10 that idea.
While il has built no top
fight. worldwide or even ma
tion-wide industrial unit, it has
become a very important ele-
ment of strength for the whole
state of Iowa. and 10 Waterloo
10 a greater extent. perhaps.
but in the same direction as the
other examples Of little business
Of both manufacturer and dis
tributor in this well proper
toned community.
All the foregoing leads up 10
my point which l have been
recently emphasizing.
What is going 10 happen 10
these self-contained local COM
mupities If there is no check 10
the headlong rush TO centralize
the billions Of defense orders in
great corporate empires and a
few metropolitan centers and TO
the ill-considered applications
Of priorities i'm materials. power
and transportation. with conse-
quent unemployment and bank
ruptcy of small concerns. with
which TO serve their people.
With every passing develop
ment / am the more convinced
that it is a question of pretty
nearly first magnitude for the
whole country.
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