Newspaper Page Text
PAGE TWO
AUCTION FOR
FARMERS
(By Reuben Allen Sumner, in
Atlanta Journal)
While glancing through a country
newspaper recently, my eyes fell on
a news item that was quite out of
the ordinary. It wasn’t the way in
which the article was written that at
tracted my attention, though that
•was unusual in itself. It was the
subject of the article that aroused
jny interest.
The news item appeared in The
Eagle, published at Sparks, Ga., an*d
it covered about half a column in
the paper; but it told in a few words
of a plan that I believe, after seeing
It tried, would advance friendship,
good-will, and prosperity in any
community, especially if that com
munity was made up largely of
farmers and country folk. It is a
plan that would help kill Old Man
Depression and bring back more
trade to the small country towns; it
is s, plan that the farmers could pro
fit by; it is a plan that every citizen
of a community should, and I believe
would, like to see tried.
The farmers of Nebraska, Kansas
and lowa have resorted to farm
strikes in an effort to bring back bet
ter economic conditions. Countless
ether projects have been attempted,
but all of them have failed to im
prove the situation. It remained for
a town in Georgia to try a plan that
instead of hurting the merchants or
farmers, is helping both of them.
Perhaps you would like to read
that article. Here it is:
"Big Auction Sale Saturday
"Being Sponsored by the Merchants
“and Business People
“of Sparks.
"Fifty cent* once, fifty cents twice,
fifty cents three-ee times—and the
beautiful cut-glass cuspidor goes to
Richard R. Rowe.
"Do you get a kick out of auction
sales?
"Have you got anything—from a
garden hoe to a graphophone—you’d
like to convert into a little quick
cash?
"Or is there something special,
anywhere up or down the scale, from
a sad-iron to a safety razor or a
kitchen cabinet to a cuckoo clock,
that you want to pick up at a bar
gain?
"If you feel like answering all or
any of these queries affirmatively,
rally round Saturday afternoon about
3 o’clock and be ready for the fun.
Sparks merchants are sponsoring the
acutions (there’ll be one every Sat
urday for a while, it is understood)
solely for the benefit of the public.
You can feel safe in putting up any
thing you want for sale, for if it
doesn’t bring what you think it’s
worth, you can bid it in yourself.
No commission will be charged you.
You get every cent any article you
sell brings and get it cash. The
auctioneer and a building in which to
store your sale goods, if you want to
bring them down town before Satur
day, are furnished you free. Mr. W.
W. Pierce, who is supervising the
stunt and who will be the auctioneer,
can give you any further information
you wish. So gents (ladies invited
also) right this way for the big auc
tion sale!
“Bring six bits cash, and you may
go home with a sackful of odds and
ends that’ll give you a hundred dol
lars’ worth of service. Bring that
old lawn mower and rake, and you
may leave with enough shekels to buy
a month’s rations.
“Bring your old Hoover-cart.
Roosevelt’s in office now and you
won’t need it much longer. Bring
your billy goat—bring your wife.
“Sure, bring her along. Maybe
she likes auctions, too.”
That was the first time I had heard
about an auction tor farmers.
Now, an auction is nothing unus
ual; that is, a conventional auction.
But an auction, free gratis, for the
people of a small country communi
ty is something out of the ordinary,
especially if that auction is sponsor
ed by the business men of a country
town. This is exactly what the mer
chants of Sparks were planning on
doing.
Sparks is a town in Southe Georgia
with a population of about 600.
The town is surrounded by farms and
a large percentage of the business is
done with farmers. The businesss
section is composed of one bank,
one barber shop, one meat market,
one drug store, one hardware store,
two department stores, and four
groccery stores. These business
houses serve the people of Sparks
and nearby farmers.
At 3 o clock Saturday afternoon,
Sparks was a busy town. People hur
ried along the sidewalks. Cars lined
the streets, a thing that hadn’t tak
en place for a long time.
At 3.30 o’clock the auction began.
1 had been wondering what the farm
era would bring to town for this auc
tion, and when I saw the different
articles that were offered for sale I
was rather surprised. It had never
occurred to me that there were so
many things on a farm that could be
turned into a little cash without
causing any serious inconvenience to
the farmer. Everything, from radios
to door hinges, was offered for sale
at this auction and nearly everything
sold. Here is a small list of some of
the things that were sold: Radios,
shotguns, hammers, razors, maga
zines, oranges, potatoes and hams.
For two hours the sale continued,
and during that time I did a little
investigating. I wanted to find out
what the people thought about this
auction. I wanted to find out if they
Believed it would help the town and
the farmers any.
The first man I asked about it,
said: “Boy, it’s the best thing that
ever hit town. Why, this is the big
gest crowd that’s been here in a
mighty long time. This is some
thing that’s free and profitable at
the same time.”
The merchants of Sparks were
pleased with the outcoihe of their
first auction. It had brought folks
to town, and that was what they
wanted; for they had to get people
to town in order to sell them any
thing. They all agreed that the auc
tion had gone over big.
“There’s no doubt in my mind,”
said one merchant, “but that such
auctions will help any town. They
get the people together.”
“I wish that we had started ours
long ago,” said another.
This auction, I believe, owed its
success to the fact that it was some
thing never before tried in this part
of the country. It was something
that almost any man could have
thought of, but which no one did, un
til a merchant in Sparks used his
brain, and—presto!-—an auction for
the farmers.
I interviewed this man who
thought up such an unusual way for
the farmers of the community to
turn some useless article into a little
cash. W. W. Pierce is a big, jovial
fellow, which is one reason that his
auction turned out so well. While
auctioning off an article he kept the
people laughing with his good-humor
ed remarks.
"Mr. Pierce, just how did you
come to think up such a plan?” I
asked.
He laughed and said:
“Way back youoder, when I was a
boy, there used to be a fellow who
auctioned off things that way every
Saturday. He charged a 10 per cent
commission on everything sold. Soon
after he started auctioneering in the
town where I lived, everybody was
coming there to do all their trading.
"I got my idea from that. I fig
ured that if an auction way back
there could bring people to town
when a 10 per cent commission was
charged, that an auction during the
depression with no commission should
do the same thing. The other mer
chants thought so, too, so that’s the
way it all happened.
“I’m pleased with the outcome,”
he added. “I wasn’t expecting the
people to respond much on the first
Saturday, but as you see they have,
and I think they all enjoyed it. I
had only expected to kinda get things
started,'but I know now that the
folks are really with us.”
While seeking opinions, I happen
ed to meet the Methodist minister in
Sparlfs. I was rather dubious about
asking him what he thought of the
auction, for I hesitate to approach a
preacher on any subject. You can
never tell how they stand. But after
a few moments’ deliberation, I tried
this question on him: "What do you
think of the auction they had this
afternoon?”
“It’s a fine thing,” he replied, with
out hesitating a moment, “Such an
auction will promote friendship a
mong the people. I noticed one
thing, too, while they were having
this auction: Everybody seemed to
have forgotten about the depression.
That’s what we have got to do. For
get about the depression and think
of prosperity.”
There is no solution to the farm
problem as a whole. It would take
millions of dollars to effect any per
ceptible nation-wide change in eco
nomic conditions; but a real change
can take place in a small community
where the farmers and the merchants
pull together. It is things like this
auction that will restore confidence
among business men and farmers,
and thereby do a lot to bring back
normal conditions.
Our subscription list is corrected
to date. Look at the label on your
paper, and see if yours is paid. If
not, send in your renewal at once,
as we must comply with the postal
regulations and discontinue all sub
scriptions not paid in advance.
THE JACKSON HERALD, JEFFERSON, GEORGIA
If
You Are An HEIR,
if
You Are The Executor or
Administrator
OF AN
ESTATE
WRITE OR CALL
DOZIER LAND CO.
ATHENS ATLANTA
GEORGIA
GENERAL INSURANCE
STOREY ELLINGTON, Agt.
Represent Standard Companies,
and write all lines, Fire, Tornado,
Life, Auto, Surety Bonds. Shall be
glad to serve you.
CALCIUM ARSENATE
Calcium Arsenate for sale.
See Farmers Warehouse.
HAY
Just received car nice No.
1 Timothy Hay. See me if
in need of feed.
H. I. MOBLEY.
General Insurance,
Jefferson Insurance Agency,
Jefferson, Georgia.
NOTICE
Make your City Tax Returns NOW.
The books close May 31, 1933.
GUY Sf RICKLAND, Clerk.
Qe&rdom,
May 22. 1933
■
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?7?
Want a cook,
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