The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-12-17
Babson Says Nations Storekeepers
Hold Kew To Post Unemployment

boy, Gloucester, Mass, had a real
Main Street where most of tn e
stores are located and it is still
known as Main Street.. Forty
years ago the stores were all Gin
dependents owned by local people
who were the leaders in the church
es and civic organizations of the
community. These former indie
pendent stores nave since nearly
all vanished; both sides of Main
Street are now lined with foreign
chains.
Chain stores have come to stay.
They are as necessary and as i'm
portant a part of the distributing
system as are department stores,
mail order houses and independ-
ents. States Or cities which are.
handicapping the chains by spe-
cial taxes or otherwise are max
ing a huge mistake. The chains
are rendering a real service to
consumers and producers by pro-
viding fresher goods and better
styles, and all at lower prices.
After World War II, when people
may again be obliged to count
their pennies, these chains will be
godsend. But I DO appeal to
the managers Of these chain stores
to make more friends with the
people of their communities by be-
coming more active in their
hurches, civic organizations and
welfare movements.
Investors Have a Responsibility
In the final analysis, the own
ers of big depa1 tmeat stores, mail
order houses, and chains are the
stockholders who read my column,
Therefore, the final responsibility
rests upon us. Let Us not be in
different and rely upon the great
advantages which merchandise Sc
curities always have had. 1t is
true that the chains have no con-
version problem, no troublesome
bond issues and are not tied down
on one location. Merchants do not
require skilled help and hence will
have low postwar labor costs. They
are not tied down tc one kind of
goods, like a manufacturer; but
they can purchase the best goods
wherever they are manufactured
and they can sell them at the low
est prices.
What About Initiation
No one, in the long-rrn, can prof
it from initiation; hut far-sighted
merchants should surely be able
to profit by it for a few years.
While railroads and public utilities
may suffer greatly from initiation,
the merchandise in stores is slowly
rising in value. Hence, along with
good farms, certain oil stocks, etc.,
merchandise securities ought to be
the best initiation hedge. Storekeep-
ers, after the war, should have
another great advantage, namely,
through the ending Of price con-
trolls, rationing, ETC., which is in
evitable. Considering how well the
chains and Independents have got
on during the war, with all these
and other handicaps,
you may quickly visualize what
they can accomplish when these
handicaps are removed.
One more thought: The pessi-
mists today claim that America no
longer has frontiers Of undeveloped
land which have taken care of the
unemployed after previous wars.
This may be true Of new land,
but it is not true of new discov-
cries. The end of the war may
find your city one of the great
frontiers of America due to the
develoment of new products, new
methods and new ideas. 1 hope
that every city in which this col
umn is printed will remember the
famous story by Dr.. Russell H.
Conwell, Acres of Diamonds"
This is a story of a man who
travelled all over the world seek
ing diamonds and finally found one
of the largest deposits in his own
backyard. Every store - whether
an independent or member Of a
chain-can become an acre OF dia-
monds if the owners will keep
awake and observe tn Golden
Rule.