Milford chronicle., 1949-01-21

villages, towns and
..-A--. small cities possi-
rAAAEROON BILE as social and
cultural centers and
property values. In those
days it was not convenient to go
to do the family purchas-
ing.
THE AUTOMOBILE has changed
all of that. Today the tendency of
the people is to buy almost every
thing except food in the larger CEN
ers, whether such centers be but a
few miles or many miles distant.
With a car in every family, with
hard surfaced roads on which it
can roll, it is all to easy to travel to
the larger metropolitan centers to
do the family buying, especially for
such things as clothing, home furn-
ishings ad other items Of consider
able value.
Automobiles without good
roads would not attract much
business away from the home
town stores. It is the people, in
Guiding the merchants, who pro-
vide the hard surfaced high
ways through the taxes they
pay. They are largely RESPONSE
BILE for the decline of the sales
in the home town stores.
TWO PLACES, both of them
small cities, can serve as illustra-
tiOns. One is located but 35 miles
outside Of one of the nations largest
cities. Not only one but several
hard surfaced highways lead from
that small city into the metropoli-
tan center. Now these roads are
being supplemented by a speedway
that will enable the motorist to COW
er the distance between the home
town and the large city in not more
than 40 minutes.
The people of that home town, in.
cluding the merchants, are paying
a considerable portion of the cost
of that speedway which is destined
to take more of the commodity pur.
chasing dollars of home town citi
zens into the near by city.
Even before that speedway is
completed and open for traffic,
30 per cent and more of the dol
lars the people Of that home
town community paid for COM
mOdities, other than food, has
been going to the merchants Of
the metropolitan center.
ANOTHER small city, with whic
! l am somewhat familiar. is locate
about 400 miles from the neare'
metropolitan center, with which
is connected by an excellent haT
surfaced highway, paid for in pal
by the people, including the me
chants, of that small city. In "a;
instance automobiles, operating o,
er good roads, are carrying {
much as 20 per cent of the comm,
dity purchasing dollars of the PEI
pie Of that community into Il
stores Of the big city, 400 mile
away.
ONE POSSIBILITY Of savir
these rural market places lies in Il
merchants, as a group, meeting Il
competition of the large city me
chants by offering the variety, Il
quantity and the quality Of me
chandise that attracts the people
, the home community into the cite
1 II can be done with no one,
: two or three merchants carry.
e ing the load. Together the meF-
= chants can stock agreed lines Of
9 merchandise such as Is found
in the department stores Of the
large cities. Collectively the
hometown stores can constitute
a large department store Of diff
+ feFent units, under different
Ownerships and, while not un-
der one roof, all In convenient
proximity.
n TO MAKE such an idea wo
d calls for close cooperation betwe
= the merchants Of the home tow
d There can be no "dog-in-the-ma
: ger" attitude. When Mrs. Jon
S wishes something not carried
/ one store but to be found in anotht
she would be told where she c
u secure the desired article. Educs
e the home community people to CT
;, slider the home stores as constit
10 ing but one big department sto
Q carrying a full and complete lii
J. If enacted into law the HooV
re committee recommendations wo1
Of save more than three billion dolls
n each year. In "a years that wor
N pay off the national debt.
II u To put our currency on a gold
d sis at about $40 an ounce for gC
e. would stabilize present prices {
to wages and stop the initiation. Pr
umably we have the gold buried
70 Fort Knox.
N Time to economic. The fede
ne government costs $lOO, ,OOO, 900 ej
ne jay.
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