Central District News told readers where their dollars would 'work overtime'

Newspapers.com recently added several Webb City newspapers to their online collection. In addition to editions of the Webb City Sentinel from 1900 to 1964, there are 30 pages of a 1923 newspaper that was called the Central District News, a paper that proclaimed it was devoted to the interests of the economical housewives of the central district of Jasper County.

The following article educated the housewife about the benefits of spending your money in your own hometown, advice that still makes sense today. If you are interested in viewing the Webb City newspapers you can visit the genealogy room on the third floor of the Webb City Public Library.

What is meant by keeping your dollar in your own community?

There is an old saying that trading in your own hometown keeps the dollar circulating at home. It sounds good but isn’t all together true.

The goods you buy of your local merchant have got to be paid for, and about 70 cents of every dollar goes to pay for those goods, so in reality when you spend a dollar at home you keep 30 cents of it in your town.

Is it worth it? Let us see. What becomes of the 30 cents? In the first place a large part of it goes into rent, heat and light. It makes a live producing store, where otherwise it would be an empty building or no building at all.

In the second place another big part goes into wages, it keeps people employed. Cease to support the store and the store will cease to support anyone else.

In the third place it contributes to taxes; it helps to pave and light the streets and run our city and county departments. It supports local enterprises, encourages hometown improvements. On that basis, out of every $1,000, $300 stays right at home, in circulation.

Figure up if you can what the town would lose if everybody sent most of their dollars away. Not a cent of it would come back to anyone.

The point is this, other things being equal, the old hometown is the best place to spend your money. You can’t send it away without interfering with the welfare of the whole community. Think twice before you do!

Your hometown merchants want and need your support.

Central District News, March 7, 1923