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ZING pe oye Lest. 1883

EG eee E TRADESMAN COMPANY, PUBLISHERS)

St 4 eS) Creek SS CEERI UNI ONS Meas ALS Pa A eS = DAT

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pre RAPIDS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1931 Number 2473

 

 

 

 

 

Once To Every Man and Nation

Once to every man and nation

Comes the moment to decide,

In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;

Some great cause, God’s new Messiah,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever © ~

*T wixt that darkness and that light.

“Public Reference Library,
Library St

 

Then to side with truth is noble,
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit,
And ’tis prosperous to be just;

Then it is the brave man chooses,
While the coward stands aside

Till the multitude make virtue

Of the faith they had denied.

 

By the light of burning martyrs
Jesus’ bleeding feet I track,

Toiling up new Calvaries ever

With the cross that turns not back;
New occasions teach new duties,
‘Time makes ancient good uncouth;
They must upward still and onward.
Who would keep abreast of truth.

Though the cause of evil prosper,
Yet ‘tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong,

Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow
Keeping watch above His own.

: James Russell Lowell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHY KEEP UP-TO-DATE?

Here’s one answer. Because it is the up-to-date merchant who is suc- |
cessful. No longer is it possible to retain customers if the store equip-
ment is antiquated, the stock unattractive, the shelves disorderly, the
stock untidy.

 

Terrell steel wall and counter shelving will make your store attractive.
Easily erected from standardized parts, with adjustable shelves, Terrell
shelving is lasting, attractive, flexible, sanitary and’ economical.

LET US HELP YOU MODERNIZE YOUR STORE

TERRELL’S EQUIPMENT
COMPANY

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

Here’s our story —
and we've stuck to it

S
We sell to the independent \

jobbers, who sell to inde-
pendent grocers who sell to
independent housewives
who want quality without
paying a premium in price.

If that’s your policy, too, “7
any really good independent
jobber will be glad to take
care of you.

President

PURITY OATS COMPANY
KEOKUK, IOWA

 

 

 

 

MICHIGAN BELL
TELEPHONE CO.

dk a Week, ora Week-End,

and Enjoy Michigan Winter
ports =. ag

Our state provides unexcelled facili-
ties for the enjoyment of outdoor
winter sports. It is not necessary to
seek them outside of Michigan.

Tobogganing . . . skating and ice-
boating on thousands of lakes . ..
hockey . . . skiing ... hunting...
fishing through theice . . . old-fash-
ioned sleigh rides under starlit
evening skies... every section of the
state offers zestful winter pleasures.

Why not make up a party of friends
and enjoy a week, or a week-end,
of exhilarating sport in one of
Michigan’s many hospitable com-
munities?

 
    
   

Long Distance telephone service
reaches every part of the state,
enabling you to make
reservations in advance,
and providing a quick
and convenient means of
keeping in touch with
home and office while
away. The cost is sur-
prisingly low.

For any article or service you
require, refer to the Classified
Telephone Directory. The
Yellow Pages tell you

“WHERE TO BUY IT”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has stood the test of time and
the most discriminating tea drink-
ers of the age. Sold only by

The Blodgett-Beckley Co.
MEMBER INDIA TEA BUREAU
Main Office Toledo

Detroit Office and Warehouse
517 East Larned Street

 

 

 

 

/

GRAND RAPIDS |
PUBLIC LIBRARY

 

Forty-eighth Year

GRAND RAPIDS, W

ESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1931

Number 2473

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN
E. A. Stowe, Editor

PUBLISHED WEEKLY by Tradesman Company,
from its office the Barnhart Building, Grand Rapids,

UNLIKE ANY OTHER PAPER. Frank, free and
fearless for the good that we can do. Each issue com-
plete in itself.

 

 

DEVOTED TO the best interests of business men,

 

SUBSCRIPTION RATES areas follows: $3 per year,
if paid strictly m advance. $4 per year if not paid
in advance. Canadian subscription, $4.04 per year,
payable invariably in advance. Sample copies 10 cents
each. Extra copies of current issues, 10 cents; issues a
month or more old, 15 cents; issues a year or more
»ld, 25 cents; issues five years or more old 50 cents.

Entered September 23, 1883, at the Postoffice of Grand
Rapids as second class matter under Act of March
3, 1879.

 

 

 

JAMES M. GOLDING
Detroit Representative
507 Kerr Bldg.

GEM CITY OF MICHIGAN.

 

 

Features Which Give Petoskey
High Rank.

Situated geographically near the
center of our State in the heart
of the resort region is the beauti-
ful city of Petoskey, with a winter
population numbers about 6,000
souls and a summer population of
two or three times as many. This
unique city is enjoying prosperity
and growth and has not suffered
from the hard times so complain-
ed about in most. communities
during the last year or two. This
unusual condition may be attrib-
uted to many causes, principal of
which is her favorable location,
delightful climate, varied manu-
factured products, wonderful re-
sort trade and good farms. These
are necessary assets to any com-
munity, but the cool business-like
way in which homes, stores, fac-
tories and even the city govern-
ment is run speak well for the
aggressive fighting spirit of our
people.

Extremely favored by nature,
the beauty of the location of this
city would challenge the brush
and imagination of our greatest
landscape artist. Situated on rol-
ling hills; divided by Bear river
and sloping to the beautiful wa-
ters of Little Traverse Bay, the
city is so laid out and constructed
that a majority of homes enjoy
a beautiful view of this wonderful
bay, its shore lines and the beau-
tiful rolling hills beyond. To the
Westward is Lake Michigan. The
Beaver islands, standing out like
gems set in a field of blue, add
luster to our beautiful and far
famed million dollar sunsets which
thousands of people come here
to see and enjoy every summer.
These with beautiful forests,
streams, inland lakes, pure air and
water, a climate cooled in summer
and warmed in winter by. the
equalizing influence of Lake

Michigan, good roads, good
neighbors and a hospitable peo-
ple make our city unduly favored.

A city may be favored by na-
ture, but until the measure of its
citizenship is taken we can only
guess its future. In this our county
and city was favored. The men
who fought for and saved the Na-
tion in the great Civil War came
by hundreds and took up home-
steads in the seventies. The con-
querors in war were conquerors
in peace and they and their de-
scendents largely built and shaped
the destinies of our city. Their
constructive genius has capitalized
on nature’s assets: our people have
backed them generously and our
city is now known from coast to
coast and has attracted the atten-
tion of many of the Nation’s
greatest men, who come and spend
their summers with us. .

To be prosperous and happy
labor must be well employed at
reasonable wages and live under
favorable conditions. This is true
of our city. Our industries employ
about 700 men on a payroll of
about $700,000, with an output
of about $5,500,000 annually.
These, together with our summer
friends, keep labor well employed
and their prosperous condition is
reflected in our fine places of busi-
ness; two exceptional and con-
structive banks, and a_ building
and loan association with deposits
of nearly $3,000,000. About 75
per cent. of our people own their
own homes.

Petoskey is run by a commis-
sion form of government with a
city manager. We own our own
light and water plants and both
show a profit. The light plant
buys its juice locally and resells
it to our people and the profit
from this concern has been largely
responsible for paying off nearly
$200,000 in bonds, building a
sewerage disposal plant at a cost
of about $60,000, buying the lake
front and dock and making many
other needed improvements. A
city hall and the re-building of
our dock is now contemplated, the
expense of which will be met the
same way. Our light rates have
been lowered three times and both
light and water rates are reason-
able. Our city tax rate is about
14 per cent. In the face of such
a showing it is needless to say that
many of our best business men
have served and still serve on our
city council. It is a case where
action and results speak for them-
selves.

Our school system is a source
of pride to our public spirited
citizens who support it. Our school

census shows about 1,600 of
school age. Nearly 1,350 attend
the public schools and about 250
attend a fine parochial school. Of
these nearly 100 graduate annu-
ally, about half of whom aitend
college. We have fifty teachers, a

school valuation of nearly $600,-

000 and raise slightly over $100,-
000 annually by taxation to sup-
port them.- A high school, central
school, three ward schools, and a
fine athletic field with track, con-
crete stadium seating 1,500, etc.,
completes our educational system,
the value of which is nearly $700,-
000. Of theze a new central school
and auditorium seating 2,000
people was completed this year.

A chamber of commerce of
about 240 members is most active
in the city’s development. Always
interested in Northern Michigan
it has been a deciding factor in
many vital questions, both within
and beyond our city’s limits. It
aids greatly in all activities, both
summer and winter, and aids our
‘visitors in every way possible. It
answers thousands of letters an-
nually and is a most important
factor in getting out our folders
and shaping all advertisements.

Our summer people who come
by thousands represent our coun-
trys best citizens. Always cour-
teous, pleasant and aggressive,
they give us lots of good sugges-
tions as well as owning homes,
paying taxes and spending thou-
sands of dollars annually with us.
Until lately our winters, while
nice, seemed long and tedious,
but with the coming of good roads
a great many changes are taking
place. Quick to realize it, we have
stepped into Michigan’s front rank
as a winter resort. Our citv has
constructed a double 1600 feet
of toboggan slide which furnishes
a real thrill; a hockey and two
skating ponds amuse young and
old. Tobogganing, skiing, snow-
shoeing on our many hills furnish
real sport and a crowd of 2,000
out to enjoy them is not unusual.
All of these sports are supervised
and safe, so we enjoy our winters.

To meet the demands of such
a cosmopolitan people we have
stores and stocks of merchandise
not often found in cities of our
size. Our merchants who are equal
to the demand are aggressive and
alive to the opportunities present-
ed for solution and enjoy a large,
prosperous trade. Our city is the
principal trading center of five
counties, containing about 60,000
people, and good roads kept open
winters help to make a fine year
round city instead of a summer
resort.

A few statistics of our city are
most interesting. Petoskey covers
four square miles, has thirty-five
miles of streets, seventeen miles
paved, nineteen miles of sewers,
twenty-two miles of water mains.

.We have a fine daily newspaper,

two good banks, two hospitals,
three theaters, fourteen churches,
two dinner clubs, fine lodges of
all kinds, two railroads, and a
boat line, over 1,600 telephones,
a fine postoffice with receipts of
nearly $50,000, seven parks and
many other assets quite unusual
to cities of our size. With ever
increasing assets and an aggressive
population, is it any wonder that
Petoskey has scarcely noticed hard
times and that in spite of general
conditions the sound of the saw
and hammer is continually heard
in order to make the many im-
provements necessary to meet an
improved condition for to-mor-
row’s needs. John A. Lake.

Late Business News From Indiana.

Fort Wayne—Wages for employes
at the Wayne Knitting Mills have been
cut approximately 30 per cent. below
normal scale. The force, which is now
just about three-fourths of the regular
number of workers employed, is work-
ing fairly steady. Furloughed em-
ployes are called back occasionally for
extra production work, it is said.

Evansville—Bluford E. Allen, pro-
prietor of Allen Hat Shop, 226 Main
street, has filed a petition in voluntary
bankruptcy in the U. S. Court here,
listing assets at $1,487 and _ liabilities
of $9,074. Exemption of $600 claimed.

Danvil'e—In the matter of Mamie S.
Hamburger, dealer, John ©.
Lewis, receiver and trustee, has filed
a report with Carl Wilde, referee in
bankruptcy, stating that the debtor’s
assets have been sold to Toe Hess for
$3,150. A voluntary petition in bank-
tuptcy has been filed in U. S. District
Court at Indianapolis by David Eman-
uel Hamburger, husband of the debtor,
through his attorney, Frank L. Mar-
Liabilities are $1,152 and assets
According to the petitioner, he,
with his wife, Mrs. Mamie S. Ham-
burger, were co-makers of a note for
$800 held by the First National Bank
at Danville. The note was executed
about June 20, 1930, and was due about
Dec. 20. The document also points
out that a life insurance policy has been
assigned to Hibben, Hollweg & Co.,
of Indianapolis, in 1928. The policy
was in the sum of $2,500, on which
$500 had been borrowed.

—_+~++___

Lot’s wife had nothing on some of
the lady drivers of today thinks Chief
The former looked back and
turned into a pillar of salt. The latter
looked back and turned into a tele-
graph pole,

shoe

tino.

$527.

Silver.

 

 

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

 

February 11, 1931

 

IN THE REALM OF RASCALITY.

 

Questionable Schemes Which Are
Under Suspicion.
Cadillac, Feb. 4—-Not because a few

cents of profits are lost in selling a dog.

food called Ken-L-Ration, but because
I want to warn the druggists of Mich-
igan when they meet crooked compe-
tition at the hands of A. & P. of an
imitation of above mentioned dog-food.

This morning my brother-in-law
showed me an empty can—contents
looked: entirely different than what we
sell—bought a day or two ago at a
local A. & P. store, which advertised
a 69 cent price for six cans. This ar-
ticle costs us $1.38 per dozen from the
drug jobber. Made by Chappel Bros.,
of Rockford, Ill., and a well rated
concern. :

‘The thing looks to me like a mighty
shabby thing for this outfit to pull off
and cut the props from under the drug-
gists who, no doubt, are not aware
that a monkey is being made of them.

Will you look into this thing and
set the drug trade in shape so it can
combat any lower price argument?

Carl L. Maurer.

On receipt of this complaint the fol-
lowing letter of enquiry was sent
Chappel Bros., Rockford, Ill, but no
reply has been received:

Grand Rapids, Feb. 5—I am in re-
ceipt of letters from the drug trade of
Michigan calling attention to the fact
that while you are charging $1.38 per
dozen for your dog food, the A. & P.
is advertising six cans for 69c. This,
of course, is the natural result of a
manufacturer undertaking to ride two
horses at the same time. Somebody
gets left and the one who suffers the
most in the end is the manufacturer,
who foolishly assumes he can serve
two masters at the same time.

If you have any explanation to make
as to how this all happened I shall be
glad to hear from you. E. A. Stowe.

 

Nashville, Feb. 9—Sometime ago
vou were of valued service to me in a
matter I greatly appreciated. The fol-
lowing matter, no doubt, cannot be
worked out the way it should be, but
perhaps some other druggists and mer-
chants can avoid these parties, who do
not seem to be responsible.

Mr. Woodward, of the Youells Ex-
terminating Co., or Rat-Snap Co.,
came into my place with a deal on
Rat-Snap, promising thirteen weeks of
advertising in the local paper and cards
to all postoffice and R. F. D. boxes
out of this postoffice, showing me a
contract from the local paper for the
advertising and the list of boxes from
the postmaster here.

After this man left this matter was
mentioned in some way to vour good
friend and my father-in-law, Len W.
Feighner, who told me at once that
this company was not responsible and
would not do as they agreed to do and
that a number of merchants had been
left with this on their hands and no
advertising, which these people have
done to me. I wrote them a letter
Dec. 19, to which I received no reply.

With the information I am enclosing
will you not kindly write them one of
your convincing letters and give them
some publicity in your Realm of Ras-
cality if they do not care to play the
game square.

Your co-operation will be appreci-
ated. E. L. Kane.

We have had many complaints of
this character, but have thus far been
unable to secure any reply from the
New Jersey dissemblers.

 

There is no fool like a check passer,
declare Lieutenant Frank Yank and
Detective Rodney Goeriz, of the De-
troit check detail. He eventually goes
not where he should, to an asylum, ac-
cording to Yank, but to prison.

“Check passers aren’t even clever,”
Yank continued. “I don’t believe
there is a ‘paper hanger’ who goes
longer than six months without be-
ing arrested. I am-not talking of the
person who puts one down occasional-
ly but of the professional who sets out
to make a cleaning and literally floods
the countryside with paper. Every
agency in the country is after him re-
gardless of where he goes.

“Few realize the organizations
throughout the country which are
against him. There is the police to
start with and in the public mind the
only crime preventative agency he has
to evade. However, co-operating with
them are the retail merchants’ associa-
tions, hotel men’s associations, bank-
ers organizations, private detective
agencies with branches in every large
city in the country and other organ-
izations which are not so well known
and may be purely local in character.

“The usual method of operating is
for the ‘paper hanger’ to establish his
identity by means of letters, certifi-
cates of title for automobiles or driv-
ers’ licenses. The average business
man will accept any one or all of these
“Gdentifications” as bona fide but they
may be forged, too, and that is where
the trouble begins.”

Detroit is known as a “tough” town
for bad paper, according to Lieutenant
Yank, and for 1930 there were only
nine acquittals of 204 cases brought
before the courts. Where checks are
returned for insufficient funds, or
where the account is closed, usually
an effort is made through the prose-
cutor’s office to settle the case before
it goes to court because in most in-
stances such checks are drawn through
an oversight or forgetfulness and with-
out criminal intent. It is not these
persons that the check squad is after
in particular although it handles such
cases, but the professional.

 

If all the crooks in the world could
only be cast into the sea, what a won-
derful place the world would be. In
that case we needn’t care anywhere
near as much whether we went to
Heaven or not—this would be Heaven
enough then.

The worst of it is that there isn’t a
line of human endeavor that doesn’t
have some crooks in it. That’s why
they are so hard to stamp out.

For instance, here is a new one. The
National Syrup and Molasses Associa-
tion at its recent convention in Chicago
adopted a resolution to hunt down and
destroy a set of crooks who were
packing black strap molasses in regu-
lar consumer packages and seiling it
to the consumer trade. Black strap
is about the lowest grade molasses. It
is chiefly used for feeding cattle and
isn’t good for anything else. Yet to
make a dollar, and wholly regardless
of what it will do to the molasses in-
dustry, these crooks have been selling
it as human food. According to the
National Association the industry is
being “seriously injured” by it. There
is a type of crook who is one for the
love of it—the love of adventure, the
love of danger. I can understand him
and can tolerate him. But the crook
who is a crook for nothing but money
is a slimy toad and good for nothing
but to be stepped on.—Grocery World.

DETROIT DOINGS.

 

Late Business News From Michigan’s
Metropolis,

The controlling of welfare orders is
a serious thing in the trade here to-
day. Jobbers have had to accept them
from their customers and they, in turn,
are compelled to pay their bills with
these scrips which take some forty-
five days before they can be turned
into money. The recipients of these

orders, however, will continue to take

them where they will and, unfortunate-
ly, many of them are falling into hands
of those who are really not entitled to
them. There will be some interesting
developments I think in this connec-
tion shortly for it is apparent that the
Welfare department was not prepared
for the distribution of a million dol-
lars a month which has been required
to help out the unemployed situation
here and the Mayor is seeking a way
to see to it that each dollar given by
the taxpayer, accomplishes the pur-
pose for which it was intended. There
has been talk of the establishment of
a commissary department by the city
and that may come if the men in
charge of the distribution of this large
amount of money do not find some
way to check wastefulness and loss to
the city. I look to see a lot of com-
ment for and against a city commis-
sary during the next few weeks.

An involuntary petition in bank-
ruptcy was filed in U. S. District Court
here against David Cohen, retail dry
goods, by Lawhead & Kenney, attor-
neys, representing Knox All Leather
Coat Co., $121; Liss Bros., $445; Mis-
terknit Mills, $404.

Assets of the Boulevard Shoppe, re-
tail women’s wear, 1458 Washington
boulevard, are given as $47,675, includ-
ing $26,290 on open accounts and $8,-
000 in stock, in schedules filed in U. S.
Court here. Liabilities are given as
$40,977.

Irving Belinsky has taken over the
drug store formerly controlled by the
late Max Lebster at 2300 Cass avenue
and will conduct it under the name of
Perfection Drug Co.

Donald E. Davis, for five years a
clerk at the Cassidy Pharmacy, has
opened a drug store at 1512 Holden
avenue, the location formerly occupied
by Irl Pope.

Mrs. Sarah Rich, formerly located
at 3161 Woodward avenue, has opened
the Owl Drug ‘Store at 11301 Wood-
ward avenue.

Mrs. H. Texter has acquired the
drug business of Ray Arnold at 7463
Gratiot avenue and will operate it as
the Townsend Pharmacy.

F. M. Gibson has opened the Gib-
son Pharmacy at 16300 Plymouth road,
having moved from 14400 Grand River
avenue.

Freyn Brothers, 3850 Michigan ave-
nue, plumbing and_ heating, have
changed their name to Freyn Brothers
of Michigan, Incorporated.

The Main Hardware succeeds the
Frazer-Tout Compariy at 287 South
Oakwood boulevard.

The annual convention of the ‘Mich-
igan Apparel Club and the Michigan
Retail Clothier and Furnisher’s As-
sociation will be in Detroit at the
Statler Hotel, March 3, 4 and 5.

Edgar E. Asbury has opened a new

hardware store at 8410 Harper avenue.

J. L. Levin, formerly located at 8500
Harper avenue, has acquired the Hos-
pital Drug Co., 3901 John R street,
from W. G. Bernbaum.

Roscoe G. Norton has opend a new
drug store, to be known as the Nor-
ton Pharmacy, at 7749 Vernor high-
way, West.

William Blessing has moved his drug
business from 6941 Harper avenue to
7001 Harper avenue.

The Goodwill Pharmacy has been
opened at 7346 Harper avenue by Mrs.
Jennie ‘Goodwill, who was previously
located at 7601 Harper avenue.

C. P. Miller, who has conducted a
hardware store at 7618 Gratiot avenue
for the last twenty years, is retiring
from business.

The annual dinner-dance of the Cad-
illac Council of the United Commercial
Travelers will be held at the Fort
Wayne Hotel March 14. An enter-
tainment of unusual quality is being
planned.

H. Moss has opened a new market
at 11628 Dexter ‘Boulevard to be
known as McCann’s Market.

The trend in February motor car
production schedules is upward, as
much as 35 and 59 per cent. in some
instances. Assurance is given by motor
company executives that these increas-
es are based upon demand from the
field and are not a departure from the
policy of gearing output to actual con-
sumption.

Show buying of cars is a consider-
able factor in the higher schedules.
Not only the national expositions but
local shows, such as those in Phila-
delphia, Cleveland, St. Louis, Milwau-
kee, San Francisco and Los Angeles
have unleashed purchasing power. One
of the effects of the heavy show buying
as it is estimated here, has been to re-
verse the positions of dealer and manu-
facturer. But a few months ago it was
difficult to get dealers to carry full
lines of models. Now the factory sales
executive frequently is forced to sug-
gest a compromise on a limited com-
mitment.

That the next two years will see a
total of 9,000,000 new car sales is the
estimate of C. A. Blees, vice president
in charge of Oakland-Pontiac sales.
He bases his figures on estimates of
7,500,000 replacement sales, a foreign
market consumption of 1,000,000 cars,
and purchases of 500,000 cars by first-
time owners.

In line with Mr. Blees’s assumptions,
the idea grows among all motor car
executives that 1932 will be one of the
best years in the industry’s history.
The big buying wave is expected to
start with the third quarter of 1931
and continue at-a steadily accelerated
pace for eighteen months. Such execu-
tives as R. H. Grant and Alfred P.
Sloan of General Motors and Walter
P. Chrysler are of this opinion.

Detroit views the adoption of the
two-cent per mile rate for coaches and
chair cars by eight Southwestern rail-
roads as another phase in the battle
between rail and highway transporta-
tion. It regards the challenge as open
and direct, and the method of it im-
presses the motor car industry as fair-
er than an effort to impose legislative
restraints on motor busses and motor
trucks.

 

 

 

a7.

 

February 11, 1931

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

 

INSTALLMENT SELLING.

 

Valid Reason Why It Should Be
Avoided.*

When Mr. Scott wrote me that I was
elected to the job of filling-in time on
this program, I was certainly much
flattered, but wrote him that I was

not an authority on the subjects,
“Planned Selling” and “Installment
Selling,” he assigned. me. His reply

was that I should do as the preacher
who said to his congregation when
they questioned a few minor matters
of conduct, “Do as I say, and not as
I do.” Well, that’s good logic all
right, but what is sticking me is that
I don’t know how to tell you fellows
to do as I say so I am going to tell
you what we fellows in Big Rapids do.
If it meets with your approval, why
“fine.” If it doesn’t, well you’re here
and you will have to stick it out. I
promised Mr. Scott to take up this
time and I’m going to do it.

Planned selling with us consists of
having all seasonable merchandise ar-
rive as early as possible and then get
in touch with our prospective cus-
tomers before they are actually in need
of the goods. This has worked out
especially well in the case of fishing
tackle. Our tackle is ordered so as
to arrive immediately after our Janu-
ary first inventory is finished. Con-
siderable time is spent in carefully
marking; as many articles in this line
will stand a good mark up but on the
other hand other articles are used as
leaders by some of our competitors
and we do not mark these articles on
the same scale as the ones we do not
have to meet this competition with.
After we have everything all set to our
satisfaction we start asking our cus-
tomers by mail and also persona'ly to
step into our basement where we are
having a pre-season showing of tackle.
A fisherman always likes to look at
fishing tackle and quite often will find
something that he needs, which is laid
away for him until he wants to take it.
Before the time that the season is ac-
tually under way we have sold a nice
bit of tackle and have done away to
some extent to the last minute rush in
which it is hard to take the time to
show that man the fifty dollar rod
when he comes in on the run, grabs a
ten dollar one and rushes out. We
also carry this into the roofing and
building material lines. In fact there
are any number of items in a hardware
stock that can be secured ahead of
season and then an aggressive cam-
paign carried on to interest prospects.

One of the big advantages that we
see to this kind of planned selling
ahead of season is the fact that it en-
ables us to carry a smaller inventory.
Our time of selling seasonable items
is so much extended that we have time
in many cases to order the goods and
get them here after our customer has
placed his order without the customer
knowing that we did not have the
necessary requirements in stock.
Our experience with installment
selling of hardware to our customers
has sold- us on the idea that “The
small payment down and a little more
when you can catch ’em” idea does not
work out satisfactorily. We have

*Paper read at hardware convention by
W. C. Judson, of Big Rapids.

 

boiled it down to the point where we
claim that we do no installment selling.
However we do allow a few customers
to do some installment buying. We
feel] that when a salesman attempts to
show a customer ‘how easy it is to buy
an article on the installment plan, that
in a lot of cases he is tempting the cus-
tomer to go beyond his means and that
before the customer realizes it he has
contracted a debt that he will not be
able to meet. I don’t believe that the
mark up on hardware justifies the
trouble and expense that is caused by
this method of selling. However,
when a customer, after having shown
interest in an article, asks if he can
buy it on payments, we try to figure
out a plan with him that will enable
us to make the sale and also for him
to agree to some payments that are
within his means to take care of when
due. We do not have much trouble
with this class of buyers but we have
had plenty of trouble with the men
whom in the past, we have tried to
show how easy it is to purchase goods
on the installment plan. During the past
year we have sold six electric refrig-
erators ranging in price from $215 to
$375. At the present time not one
cent is owing us on any of these. We
did not sell all of them for cash at the
time delivery was made but we did sell
these six on such terms that we did
not wait over thirty days for our
money. To my knowledge we missed
only one sale during the year because
we refused to sell on the small pay-
ment plan.

I feel a lot better selling six electric
refrigerators and having them all paid
for than in selling seven and be won-
dering about where the money was
coming from. The .same thing has
worked out in radios. While we have
not received the money yet for all we
sold in 1930, we have but a sma‘l per-
centage standing out. I mention these
two items because I think they are
articles that are sold to a great extent
on the installment plan and we have
proven to our satisfaction that we can
do a reasonable amount of business
with them and still sell for cash in
thirty days. On the merchandise that
we do allow to go out on payments we
are very particular to watch the due
dates of all payments and if one of
them is missed we are on the job the
next day to find out why. One of our
bankers told me this story of install-
ment selling that illustrates my point
in going easy on it. We have a fac-
tory employe in our city who has a
little better job than the average and
who is considered by his neighbors as
being in good circumstances. He was
talking with the banker one Saturday
evening and mentioned the fact that he

had just bought some new furniture

that he really didn’t need so badly but
that the salesman told him he could
have very easy terms on it and he
thought he might as well be using it
as he was paying for it. The furniture
man would be bringing in the notes
soon and he asked the banker if it
would be all right. The banker
thought it would be O. K. but sug-
gested that while they were talking
about it that they figure up just how
many obligations he already had to
take care of. “Now let’s see,” he said,
“how much are you making a week?”

“Fifty dollars,’ was the reply. “All
right,” said the banker, “we will set
that down. Now how about that fur-
niture you just bought?” “Oh, that’s
easy, it only takes $10 a week on that.”
“What else have you?” asked the
banker. “Well, my car note comes
once a month for $40, that would make
$10 a week if you are figuring that
way,” was the reply. “O. K.,” said the
banker, “anything else?” ‘Well, yes,
the radio, we only pay $5 a week on
that.” “How about the building and
loan payments?” asked the banker. “By
golly that’s right, there is another $10
every Saturday.” “Let’s see,” said the
banker, “that makes $35 now, about
time to quit isn’t it?
now left for the grocer and clothing
for your wife and the two kids.” The
man was getting a little excited and
was showing much interest by this
time. “We started this thing, let’s
finish it,” he said. Well, when it was
finally finished, it was found that this
man had obligated himself to pay $2
more each week than he was receiving,
leaving just $2 less than nothing for
current living expenses. He just hadn’t
stopped to figure out what it all
amounted to. Now perhaps this man
is a little bit dumber than the average
and this is a far-fetched story, but my
banker tells me that in our little city,
there are other cases not so much bet-
ter. We are going easy on installment
selling.

—_+<-___
Memor’al To Lincoln’s Nativity.
Humble as was the Bethlehem

manger is the little log cabin in the
hills of Kentucky which was the nativ-
ity of Abraham Lincoln.

Over and about it has-been built a
worthy memorial, housing the house
which first housed him who was to be-
come the head of the Nation.

We shall not attempt to make com-
parisons, always odious, as the place of
Abraham Lincoln in the hearts and
minds of our people and in the estimate
of the world, is established; secure,
unique, unparalleled.

This memoria], located a few miles
from the small city: of Hodgenville,
Kentucky, is probably, the least known
of the many memorials expressive of
a people’s regard and veneration.

This one-room cabin, where the
great emancipator first saw the light
of day, was built on a small eminence
above a crystal spring, which still
pours forth a trickling stream of pure
water. It is builded of logs cut from

You have $15-

about its location and chinked with the
clay common to its environment.

Here, after the death of his mother,
came Nancy Hanks, united in mar-
riage to Thomas Lincoln at Elizabeth-
town, only a few miles away. What
he later said, “All that I am and all
that I hope to be I owe to my angel
mother,” could well refer to either, or
both, of these gentle women, who so
well moulded his youth that his man-
hood became great beyond expression.

This memorial is of easy access, yet
off the main traveled trail. Those who
see it go to pay tribute to the most
unique figure in American life, and all
will be repaid.

As we note here the humble sur-
roundings which characterized his
birth and early life we realize again
that circumstance of birth does not de-
termine the accomplishments of fife.

Harry M. Royal.

Sebring, Fla.

—_< oso _____

Childhood Days.
I shall always want to feel
Childhood days were more than real
For their outlook surely had
Joy alone, with nothing sad

Entering the thrill of things
Which a first acquaintance brings.

Fields were gardens of the sun
Daisies bloomed, and every one
Scattered cheer to hold us where
Further pleasures waited there
For they are the only flowers
Which become strawberry bowers.

Then the meadow led us on

To a brook in which anon
Dancing waters seemed to be
Imitating melody

Of the bluebird, for they sang
Till the very willows rang.

But an orchard! Could there be
Anywhere. save Arcadie.

Such a dreamland of delight
Apple blossoms! What a sight
When no twig has any room
For another single bloom.

Later Christmas! Oh the day!
Reindeer, Santa in his sleigh
Flying to each chimney top
Down it auickly—never stop

Till he fills with candy, toys
Stockings of the girls and boys.

T remember going to bed

Mother there—and how she said:

“Now I lay me down to sleep

Pray the Lord my soul to keep.”

Then a kiss “Good night. good night’’

As she snuffed the candle light.
Charles A. Heath.

 

STORE-ROOM FOR RENT

Best location in hustling town of
1.000 population, fifty miles north
of Grand Rapids. Excellent oppor-
tunity for almost any retail busi-
ness. Steel ceiling, modern display
windows, counters, shelving and
inside lavatory. Rent reasonable.
Box No. 1000, c/o Michigan Trades-
man.

 

 

Fast selling

 

Rademaker-Dooge Grocer Co.

Distributors

COLONIAL COFFEE

With free green glassware

 

 

 

MOVEMENTS OF MERCHANTS.

Lansing—The McKee Lumber Co.
has changed its name- to the Federal
_Lumber Corporation.
“ "Wyandotte—The Wyandotte Lumber
Co. has changed its name to the Boyd,
Shepherd, Horine Co.

Bangor—K. P. Persing has closed
out his stock of jewelry at special sale
and will devote his attention to watch
and clock repairing.

Bellevue—Fire damaged the hotel
owned by W. C. Dyer, the loss not yet
being determined. The fire was con-
fined mainly to the second floor.

Frankfort—J. F., E. J. and Louis
Hofstetter have sold their interests in
the State Savings bank to a group of
local business men it is reported.

Flint—The Richardson Optical Co.,
103 North Kearsley street, has been
incorporated with a capital stock of
$5,000, $2,000 being subscribed and
paid in.

Plymouth—The Purity Market Co.
has been incorporated to deal in gro-
ceries, meats, etc., with a capital stock
of $10,000, $4,800 being subscribed and
paid in.

New Baltimore—The New Baiti-
more Floral Co. has been incorporated
with a capital stock of 5,000 shares at
$10 a share, $21,000 being subscribed
and paid in.

Manistee—Zabrowski & Jorgensen,
dealers in men’s furnishings, boots and
shoes, at 347 River street, are closing
out their entire stock and will! retire
from the trade.

Detroit—M. S. Zia, Inc., 638 West
Palmer street, commission merchants,
importer and exporter, has been incor-
porated with a capital stock of $4,000,
all subscribed and paid in.

Palmer—Thieves entered the depart-
ment store of Harry Davidson, blew
the door off of the safe and carried
away the contents, about $160 in cash
and a valuable gold watch.

Detroit—The Tower Sporting Goods,
Inc., 402 Easton Tower, has been in-
corporated with a capital stock of
25,000 shares_at $1 a share, $28,000
being subscribed and paid in.

St. Joseph—Sylvester Kasmer, for
six years manager of the bazaar store
of the Morris Co., at Adrian, has re-
signed his position and opened a drug,
wall paper and paint store here.

Niles—Producers’ Dairy has been in-
corporated to conduct an agricultural
and dairy business on a co-operative
plan with a capital stock of $5,000,
$1,600 being subscribed and paid in.

Coldwater — Howard Watson has
sold his interest in the agricultural im-
plement stock of Tupper & Watson to
his partner, Sonon Tupper, who will
continue the business under his own
name.

Battle Creek—O. H. Naffziger, for
twelve years manager of the Block &
Kuhl department store at South Bend,
Ind., has resigned his position and
assumed the management of the J. C.
Grant store here.

Ishpeming—Gilmore Jenkins has re-
moved his grocery stock to the An-
derson store building which he recently
purchased and remodeled, installing a
plate glass front, modern lighting and
store fixtures.

Detroit—Brooks Bros. Inc. 8782

 

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

Grand River avenue, has been incor-
porated to deal in radios, refrigerators
and electric appliances, with a- capital
stock of $10,000, $5,000 being subscrib
ed and paid in in cash: ‘

Detroit—The Copper & Brass Sales,
Inc., corner of Jefferson and McDougal
avenues, has been incorporated to deal
in copper, brass and other metals with
a capital stock of $12,000, $4,000 being
subscribed and paid in.

Detroit—The A. J. German Co., 8224
Livernois avenue, has merged its
plumbing, etc., business into a stock
company under the same style with a
capital stock of $50,000, $14,000 being
subscribed and paid in.

Kalamazoo—Bert P. DeBolt, owner
of the Garden Cafe, has leased the
store at 148 South Burdick street and
Feb. 28 will open Garden Cafe No. 2.
The building is being remodeled and
modern equipment installed.

Battle Creek—Carl M,. Gault has
leased the store at 9 North Jefferson
avenue and is remodeling it throughout
preparatory to removing his jewelry
stock from 18 South Jefferson avenue
to it as soon as the necessary improve-
ments are completed.

Engadine—Announcement has been
made that a new hotel will be erected
here shortly by the Freeman Lumber
Co. It will be the first hostlery in the
village since the discontinuance of the
McDonald House, which was conduct-
ed by R. R. McDonald for some time.

Detroit—An involuntary petition in
bankruptcy was filed on Saturday in
U. S. District Court here against Wil-
liam Zimmerman, retail furnishings, by
Max Kuhn, attorney, representing
Curlee Clothing Co., $373; Hewitt &
Hillock Co., $226; A. Brash & Bros.,
$52.

Flint—Arthur M. Davison and John
L. Pierce, builders and owners of the
Capitol Hotel building, have taken over
the hotel and coffee shop from Harry
H. Price, who has conducted it since
it was built, two years ago. Earl
Green, for fifteen years manager of the
Crystal hotel here, succeeds Mr. Price
as manager.

Detroit—An involuntary petition in
bankruptcy was field on Saturday in
U. S. District Court here against Bur-
ton M. Seitovitz, retail dry goods and
shoe dealer in this city and Port Hu-
ron, by Fixel & Fixel, attorneys, repre-
senting Edson Moore & Co., $4,074;
La Belle Garment Co., $23, and Marion
Shoe Co., $34.

Ironwood—The Merchants & Miners
National Bank of Ironwood has ac-
cepted an offer to become affiliated
with the First Bank Stock corporation,
subject to the formal approval of
stockholders has been announced by
A. D. Chisholm, president of the Iron-
wood institution. First Bank Stock cor-
poration is a group of more than 100
leading banks and trust companies in
the Northwest.

Shepherd—Russell Stilgenbauer, who
recently sold his interest in the under-
taking business of Moody & Stilgen-
bauer to his partner, W. H. Moody, in
order to devote his entire attention to
his growing furniture business, has
purchased the hardware stock of Harry
Wetzel and will add it to his furniture
stock, remodeling the basement and a

portion of. the first floor of the store
to accommodate it.

 

Manufacturing Matters.

Marshall—The Lambert Machine Co.
has been dissolved.

Ann Arbor—The Ann Arbor Mill-
work Co., 413 North Fifth street, has
been incorporated with a capital stock
of $5,000, $19,100 being subscribed and
$6,600 paid in.

Grosse Pointe Park—The Dutch Mill

Bakeries, Inc., 15129 Kercheval avenue,
has been incorporated with a capital
stock of $25,000, $4,100 being subscrib-
ed and paid in.

Kalamazoo—The Roamer Corpora-
tion, 401 East South street, automo-
biles, airplanes and parts, has been in-
corporated with a capital stock of 2,500
shares no par value, $25,000 being sub-
scribed and paid in.

Lansing—Michigan Model Aircraft,
Inc., 303 East Michigan avenue, has
been incorporated to manufacture and
deal in model and toy aircraft with a
capital stock of $5,000, $2,000 being
subscribed and $1,000 paid in.

Greenville—The Gibson Refrigerator
Co. has merged its business into a
stock company under the style of the
Gibson Electric Refrigerator Corpora-
tion, with a capital stock of $1,000, all
subscribed and paid in,

Detroit—Francis H. Leggett & Co.,
manufacturers, importers and distrib-
utors of Premier Food products, an-
nounce the opening of a branch office
and warehouse in Detroit. C. B.
Schaumberg, division manager, will
have charge of this new branch.

Grand Rapids—The Auto Semi-Four
Co., 201 North College avenue, has
been incorporated to manufacture and
sell automotive accessories, electrical
signal devices, with a capital stock of
5,000 shares at $10 a share, $10,000
being subscribed and paid in in cash.

Kalamazoo—It was sixty-four years
ago this month that the late Samuel
Rosenbaum started the manufacture of
overalls in North Burdick street. The
present Kalamazoo Pant Co., together
with Sam Rosenbaum and Sons, and
Edwin Rosenbaum, is the outgrowth
of the parent concern. It is one of
Kalamazoo’s oldest manufacturing con-
cerns.

—___+-«

Gabby Gleanings From Grand Rapids.

Arthur Daniels, who has_ covered
Michigan forty years for the Naylor-
Pierson-Hough Co., manufacturer of
saddlery hardware goods, has been
obliged to relinquish the line the has
sold for two generations. He has en-
gaged to cover Michigan for Geo. F.
Webber, manufacturer of hand knit
sweaters and swimming suits. Mr.
Daniels lives at 18300 Pennington
Drive, Detroit, with his wife and
his daughter, Mrs. Ford. He is loved
and respected by all who know him be-
cause of his long and faithful service
with the old house. He says that in-
side of a dozen years there will be no
harness workers left to repair harness
and collars, because no one is learning
the trade these days.
. In the bankruptcy case of John E.
Gogo, 245 Michigan street, the stock
of dry goods was turned back to whole-
salers under terms of the contracts.
The grocery stock and trade operated
in conjunction with the dry goods de~

February 11, 1931

partment, were sold to Samuel..Knorr,
of Zeeland, for $777. Seth Bidwell,

Grand Rapids, attorney has been made

trustee.

The Satesmen’s Club at their regu-
lar meetings at the Rowe Hotel on
Saturday are to be congratulated upon
their ability to secure and provide the
type of entertainment which has been
in evidence for some time. Two
weeks ago they were addressed by
Bartel Jonkman, prosecuting attorney
of Kent county, who gave a splendid
talk on “Law Enforcement as Related
to Crime.” Last Saturday the Club
was privileged to hear another won-
derful talk given by Herbert H.
Heaney on “The Value of a Man.”
Both of these talks were well worth
the time to listen to. And right in
line with the class of talks usually
given at these meetings, inspirational
and educational. These meetings are
open to anyone and everyone who
wishes to attend.

Ed. Ellis (Ellis Bros.) has returned
from Syria, where he spent six months
in the city in which he was born. He
found the climate superb. The days
are a little warm, but by traveling half
an hour up the side of a mountain cool
nights are experienced, assuring com-
fortable sleep. The water supply in the
place of his nativity was entirely from
wells and was very deficient. He no-
ticed there was a fine water supply
three miles up the mountain, fed by
cool and crystal springs. He piped the
water down to the city, giving the peo-
ple the benefit of an ample supply of
pure water. For this he was decorated
by the Syrian government He brought
his father and mother back with him.
[f they like this city they will remain
here. If they decide they like Syria
better, they will return to their own
country.

Benj. Nott (W. R. Roach & Co.) and
wife have gone to Cincinnati for a brief
stay. About Saturday they will turn
up at French Lick Springs, where they
will rest and recuperate for a couple
of weeks.

—_+++—___
To Issue Chain Store Reports.

Reports of considerable significance
to the chain store industry will be is-
sued shortly by the Bureau of Busi-
ness Research of Harvard University
by Carl N. Schmalz, assistant director
of the Bureau. The first, dealing with
grocery chains, will make its appear-
ance on April 1, with reports on drug
and shoe chains to follow.

——___—-e-@ ---—-
Hides and Pelts.

Green, No.
Green, No: 22 02
Cured, No. 1
Cured, No. 2
Calfskin, Green,
Calfskin, Green, ?
Calfskin, Cured,
Calfskin. Cured; No.2. -... 07%

 

 

Ore Oe ee 2.00
Pierse Mi 2 es a 1.00
Pelts
ROR i a ee _ 10@40
Shejitines: 3 5@10
Tallow.

Prime 22 ee ee 05%
a ee 04
ON ee 03

Unwashed,
Unwashed.
Unwashed, fi
> >
Toledo, Ohio, Feb. 10—Experience

has demonstrated it is impossible to
impose a retail sales tax without plac-
ing excessive and unfair burdens on
the retail merchant.

; Alfred B, Koch,

a

{

 

 

 

 

 

~. 4
Ad a .
v ty
«@ | eo
i
* eh «

February 11; 1931

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

 

Essential Features of the
Staples.

Sugar—Jobbers hold cane granulated
at 5.40 and beet granulated at 5.20c.

Tea—The market has been quiet
during the past week, practically due
to the fact that some primary markets
eased off a little. Holders say that
this was due to poor quality rather
than. any weakness in the market.
Prices show no change for the week.

‘Coffee—There has been some slight
firmness noted in the market for Rio
and Santos coffee, green and in a large
way, during the week. The trade, how-
ever, from ‘first hands has been very
dull. News from 'Brazij that the gov-
ernment down there had decided to
buy some of the surplus coffee had no
real effect upon the situation in this
country. The spot Rio and Santos
market is about unchanged for the

Grocery

week. Milds are a shade firmer. Job-
bing market on roasted coffee un-
changed.

Canned Fruits—California fruits are
moving out from the Coast in better
volume. Sliced peaches in all sized
tins and grades are getting low. Pine-
apple is steady and stabilized on its
present basis. Pears have shown some
improvement, but are still weak in
spots,

‘Canned Vegetables — The major
items are unchanged in price. Tomatoes
are still quoted at the old figure cur-
rent a month ago. Golden Bantam
corn is available at $1 in Maine. Fancy
Crosby still appears to be scarce and
closely held in the Northeast. No ma-
jor developments have taken place in
the pea market. Attention still is
focused on low grade lots which can
be merchandised quickly at a small
profit. Demand for higher grades is
very limited.

Dried Fruits—Prunes continue to
move in good volume. The demand
for jarge Oregons has been very good
here, but advices from the Northwest
indicate that the short crop in that
State is rapidly cleaning out. It is
doubtful if there will be any on the
market in a month or two. The firm-
ing up of small sized California prunes
indicates well-sustained consuming de-
mand. As long as prices are kept at
attractive levels, packers will have little
difficulty in moving the remainder of
the record crop to export and domestic
markets. Large sized Californias are
practically exhausted, and the trade
must soon turn to 40s, 50s and 60s.
Raisins are going into consuming chan-
nels in much better fashion at present.
The stabilization effected by the pool
is taken by distributors as pretty fair
reassurance against declines and there
is a better feeling here in anticipating
requirements. The increased prices on
both bulk and carton raisins, announc-
ed by the association last week, indicate
continuance of a rising market, and it
is such a market that attracts buyers.
All varieties of package figs are mov-
ing out from the Coast in good shape.
Manufacturers are taking sizable quan-
tities of domestic figs this year, and
the growers’ association reports it as
the most successful year yet experi-
enced.

Canned Fish—Canned salmon re-
mains unchanged. Pinks are still $1,
Coast, and chums, 90c. ‘Offerings be-
low these prices are likely to be for

off-grade merchandise. Maine sardines
are established on their present higher

basis of $3.40 for quarter keyless oils. *

Hopes are being held in’Maine for a
further increase.

Salt Fish—During the week Norway
fat No. 2 and No. 3 mackerel have ad-
vanced from $1 to $2 a barrel, depend-
ing upon the size. Irish fat No. 2’s
also advanced about $1 a barrel. De-
mand has been good and supply small.
Other salt fish show no change.

Beans and Peas—The demand for
dried beans continues weak with a de-
clining tendency. This is especially
noticeable on marrows, red and white
kidneys. Pea beans are about steady.
California limas are firm on account of
short supply. Blackeye peas have
turned weak again.

Cheese—Cheese has been steady, but
with very poor demand. Market is
really in buyers’ favor to a certain ex-
tent.

Nuts—There is a fair demand for

many varieties of imported shelled
walnuts, and shelled almonds ap-
pear to be ‘holding up very well.

The filbert market continues a little
easier. Whole cashew nuts appear to
be in very good demand at the present
time and prices are firm, with the
tendency upward. Chinese walnut
operators have practically withdrawn
from the American market, and shell-
ers in the Orient are holding their
stocks very firmly. Rumania is offer-
ing very sparingly and the French wal-
nut market continues firm. California
walnuts are well cleaned up, the as-
sociation having only a limited supply
of Northern fancies still on its hands.
California almonds are’ moving into
manufacturing channels in good vol-
ume, with the exchange’s control over
the situation now well pronounced.
Shelled pecans have shown consider-
able improvement and after the recent
wave of short seiling they appear to
have struck a firmer trend.
Rice—Trading in rice continues on
a better basis, although domestic de-
mand has eased off somewhat from the
volume which developed a few weeks
ago. Prices on short grains are un-
changed in the South. The growers
are still receiving the prices asked for
their Blue Rose and high grade Pro-
lifics. On the spot buying has im-
proved, but is still largely on a small
lot basis. Long grain rice is still in
light supply and very firm. Fortunas
are scarcer and inclined to advance, and
demand for Lady Wrights has im-
proved owing to the scarcity of For-
tunas. Top grades of Lady Wrights
are now bringing 5c at the mills.
Japans are in light supply and closely
held. Broken rice continues soft, with
2 lack of demand from both domestic
and foreign markets.
Sauerkraut—There thas been a pro-
nounced improvement in sauerkraut.
The early easiness, due largely to the
influx of Western cabbage, seems to
have worked off. Consuming demand
has shown a considerable improve-
ment. Stocks are now believed to
have been less than anticipated, which

has imparted a stronger tone to the ,

item,

 

 

It’s a good rule for one to think
twice before he speaks, thrice before he
writes and then do neither.

Review of the Produce Market.

Apples—Current quotations are as
follows:
Spies, A Grade _.2---=.---_-+.-.$2.50
Spies, Commercial. ._.=:_-2_.__- 1.50
Spies: Baling (2.0020) 2 50
See a 3.50
Baldwins; A Grade =_.--__-_ 2.25
Baldwins, Commercial _--------- 1.50
iWMelntosh,..A. Grade .__-.._____. 2.50
McIntosh, ‘Commercial ____-_____ 1:50
Banana, “A. Grade 220522 2.00
Banana, ‘Commercial _.-..-2---__ 1.25
Delicious, A Grade 2203. 2.50
Delicious, Commercial) ~_______- 1.75
N. W. Greenings, A Grade —_--- 1.50
N. W. Greenings, Commercial_-- 1.00
R. I. Greenings, A Grade ___-___ 2.25 -
R. I. Greenings, Commercial --~ 1.50
Grimes Golden, A Grade _______ 1.75
Grimes Golden, Commercial __-~ 1.25
Jonathans, A’ Grade ==... ____ 225
Jonathans, C Grade -.-----.-__= 1.50
Talman Sweets, A Grade ------- 1.75
Talman Sweets, Commercial ___ 1.25
Hendricks ‘Sweets, A Grade __-~ 1.50
Hendricks Sweets, Commercial__ 1.00
Pewaukee, A Grade ~.--..---___ 1.60
Pewaukee, Commercial ____------_ 1.25
Starks (A Geade 2.2.8 1.60
Starks, © Grade 22-3 125

Cooking Apples, All varieties --_ 1.00
Bananas—5¥%@b6c per Ib.
Beets—65c per bu.; new from Texas

80c per doz. bunches.

‘Butter—The market has been very
quiet during the past week, but up to
this writing there has been a decline of
lc per lb. Receipts are not especially
heavy, but they are heavy enough for
the demand. Jobbers hold 1 Ib. plain
wrapped prints at 27c and 65 Ib. tubs
at 26c for extras and 25c for firsts.

Cabbage—75c per bu.; new from
Texas, $2.50 per crate of 80 Ibs.

‘Carrots—65c per bu.; new from Cali-
fornia, 75c per doz. bunches.

Cauliflower—$2.75 per crate of 12 to
16 home grown.

Celery—Florida stock is $1.80 for
2 doz. box and $3.50 per crate.

Cocoanuts—80c per doz. or $6 per
bag.

Cranberries—Late Howes, $4 per %4
bbl.

Cucumbers—No. 1 hot house, $2.25
per doz.

Dried Beans—Michigan jobbers are
quoting as follows:

@) Pea Beans 22 2.022002 oa $4.60
Light Red Kidney __...-___-___. 9.30
Dark Red Kidney ~_-__.._--.__- 9.80

Eggs—The market has been weak
and lower during the past week. We
are working forward now to the time
of heaviest production and prices will
from now on feel this, subject of
course to temporary flurries of bad
weather. At the present writing the
market is rather weak on account of
poor demand. Jobbers pay 16c for
strictly fresh. Storage operators offer
their supplies this week on the follow-

ing basis:
XX candled in cartons --_----__- 17¢c
eM Candied. 222s 16c
Mreandled 2222055 12c
Chegikg 22320 ee llc
Grapefruit—Marsh Seedless from
Texas is sold as follows:
A i $4.25
Ga ee ee 4.00
ee ee 3.75
BO 3.50

Extra’ fancy sells as follows:

5
SA ce gees ee $3.50
Og 3.25
Ab a 3.25
SQp 2 3.25
OG oe a 3.25
Bulk, $3.25 per 100 Ibs.
Choice is held as follows:
6) el ee ee en ec ee $3.00
a ee 3.00
A es ee 3.00
80 oe ees 2)
OG eee 3.00
Grapes—$4 for ‘Calif. Emperors in

32 Ib. kegs.
Green Onions—50c for shalots.
Lettuce—In good demand on the
following basis:
Imperial Valiey, 4s, per crate -__-$3.25
Imperial Valley, 5s, per crate --.. 3.25
Hot house leaf, in 10 1b. baskets-- .65
Lemons—To-day’s quotations are as
follows:

360 Sunkist 20-0 $6.50
300 Sunkist 205 6.50
360: Red Ball) 222200 22 5.50
300 Red Ball 2 5). 5.50

Limes—$1.75 per box.
Oranges—Fancy Sunkist ‘California
Navels are now sold as follows:

6 $4.00
WM 4.00
M6 4.00
We 4.00
Wi 4.00
He 4.00
M6 4.00
Me 4.00

Floridas extra fancy are held as fol-
lows:

P26) $3.50
PQQ) 3.50
TG 3.50
M0 ee 3.50
OIG 22s 3.50
252 oes 3.25
208, 20 F29
OOF es ee 3.29
Florida fancy are held as follows:

F206) 2 oe $3.25
TSO) ee 3.25
1/6 5.25
200 2 3.25
2G os ee ee 3.25
202 3.00
285 ee 3.00
SOQ 2 ee ee 3.00

Bulk, $1.75 per bu.

Onions—Spanish from Spain, $1.75
per crate; home grown yellow in 100
Ib. sacks, $1.

Parsley—50c per doz. bunches.

Peppers—Green, 50c per doz. for
California.

Potatoes—Home grown, $1.10 per
bu.; Wisconsin, $2.25 per 100 ib. sack;
Idaho, $2.50 per 100 1b. sack; 75c per
25 lb. sack.

Poultry—Wilson & Company pay as
follows:

Barly Springs 200000 20c
Ereavy fowls 209532 eee 18c
Bight: fowls 22) 14¢
DuekSe2 eS 14c
Geese, 22 ee 12c

Sweet Potatoes—Indiana, $2.90 per
bu.; Tenn., $2.50 per bu. Both are
kiln dried.

Tomatoes—$1.50 for 6 1b. container,
Southern grown.

Veal Calves — Wilson & Company -
pay as follows:

Pancy 3220 es 13%ec
Good 6 Se ee 10c
Medium 2200s po na 8c
Poor = : &c

 

 

MANAGING FOR PROFIT.

 

General Principles Which Apply To
All Merchants.*

I am going to quote a letter recently
received from a dealer in Pittsburg,
Kansas, as it has in it the essence of
success in these troubled times we are
passing through.

It may interest you to know that we
have been in ‘business eighteen years,
and the past year was the biggest and
most profitable one in our history. And
your optimism, and sometimes pessim-
ism, has played a great part in our
success; it woke us up to some facts
we knew, but tried to forget. Then
hard work and not having time to
listen to any hard-luck stories gained
momentum, and instead of holding our
own, as we had hoped, the pendulum
swung the other way and it was a great
year for us. :

Sell and ‘Sons Mercantile Co.,
By John Sell.

This is a very impressive letter, be-
cause it shows conclusively that we
can do a satisfactory business in bad
times as well as in good times—a
theory which I have been preaching
these many years.

It also proves that it does not pay
us to close our eyes and ears to the
unpleasant realties—it shows, in fact,
that exact knowledge of what is taking
plaec is essential to success. But the
big thing it shows is that in spite of all
the unfavorable conditions surround-
ing us, we can, if we have the guts,
get out and lick the situation. And
this is exactly what our friends from
Pittsburg, Kansas, have done. We
should take off our hats to them.

And another thing which this letter
proves is that all the brains of the
country are not to be found in New
York and Washington, where the blind
are this moment trying to lead the
blind, groping around in the hope that
something substantial can be gotten
hold of to pull the country out of its
distress, afraid to face the facts and to
give the facts to the country, for fear
the little fellow would not understand
and become panic-stricken.

I tell you, the small business man
knows a thousand times better how to
handle the present economic situation
than does the big fellow, who is actu-
ated by selfishness and is too far away
from the scene of action.

I have often thought it takes more
brains to successfully navigate a small
ship than it does a large one and, being
a licensed pilot myself, and spending
my summers yachting, I certainly have
some information on the subject.

With a large ship, the navigator has
everything at his disposal—a special
chart room with ample assistance—
electrical sounding devices—radio com-
pass, to get exact bearings from shore
stations—submarine receiving sets, to
get signals from lighthouses during
fogs—highly trained men to place on
lookout and to check up on all calcula-
tions. In short, such a navigator has
everything at his command to do with,
yet he makes mistakes and, when he
does, it is usually a disaster.

The little fellow, on the other hand,
has none of these things—he navigates
chiefly on dead reckoning; but he has
a thorough knowledge of his boat and

 

*Paper read at hardware convention by
E. B. Gallaher, of Norfolk, Conn.

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

a good working knowledge of the wa-
ters he is sailing in, He is skipper,
navigator, first, second and third mates,
and a dozen others all wrapped into
one, and ninety-nine times out of a
hundred he comes out all right, because
his judgment has been developed from
intimate contacts and has been the
result of hard knocks and experience.

So the small merchant, who is close
to the man on the street, who knows
from bitter experience what he can do
and what he cannot do, is really better
qualified, oftentimes, to make good
under a difficult situation such as the
present one, where the big fellow finds
himself all at sea and is groping for
some fixed point from which he can
make a new departure.

For instance, we all know that basic
economic conditions have changed. We
know that a lower price level for all
merchandise will likely prevail for sev-
eral years to come. We know that the
retailer must reduce his prices in order
to meet the pocketbooks of his cus-
tomers, yet the big fellow tells him
he should keep right on Paying ex-
orbitant boom-time prices for his mer-
chandise and his heat, light, rent, and
the labor he employs — items which
make up his cost of doing business and
which prevent him from selling his
merchandise in competition with the
trusts, the chains, department stores
and catalogue houses, which are better
able to protect themselves under pre-
vailing conditions.

The present crash which business
has experienced is entirely due to the
failure of an attempt by a compara-
tively small group of men to complete-
ly reconstruct the sound economics on
which the country was founded and on
which it has flourished and become
great. These men thought they could
feudalize the country—divide it into
two classes; a small powerful group
of rich men, who, by means of mergers,
holding companies and trusts, would be
in a position to control and absolutely
dominate all essentials of life —an
aristocratic class of super-men, if you
please, endowed with superior brains,
who would be so far-sighted and
powerful that they could guaran-
tee boom conditions for the country
perpetually. Then there was to be the
other class—including all the rest of
us—who were to work for these su-
perior beings; be guaranteed a higher
standard of living, and, in return, be
willing to settle dowr?; be satisfied with
our lot; take what was handed to us
and be grateful.

But, fortunately, Old-man Economics
does net work that way, and after they
had built up their Frankensteins and
everything seemed to be working fine
—for them—something happened, and
the whole stack of cards crumpled
down, carrying the powerful and the
lowly alike into the worst depression
the country has ever seen.

Wall street, as typifying the power-
ful group of supermen referred to, got
us into this mess, but it will be no-
ticed that these same super-beings are
now appealing to Main Street to get
them out of the hole they placed us in,
and are suggesting that jobs be given
the idle—that the hungry be fed—that
good times be restored through start-

ing “Buy now” campaigns, and that
we tax ourselves still further to create
new construction, which we do not
require. But, they say, boom-time
wages must not be cut, even if it is the
taxpayer—the man without a job and
who happens to own something—must
foot the bill, to give work to another
jobless man.

Main street will be the medium
through which prosperity will be re-
stored. Main street accepts the job
and will make a far better job of it
than did the hare-brained plutocrats,
when they had their inning, for the
prosperity which Main street has al-
ready started to build up, will be a real
prosperity this time, based on _ real
values, real work, and honest, instead
of a fake prosperity, built on fraud,
deceit, gambling, and thievery.

The country’s greatness has been
built on individual effort, initiative and
freedom of action. The new prosperity
is going to be rebuilt out of the same
stuff—we have learned a costly lesson,
and will not be fooled again in this
generation. :

The great fight to-day is for com-
mercial independence, and when this
fight is finally and completely won—
and it will be won—it will rank equal
in importance to our fight of 1776 for
our political independence. The coun-
try is as much aroused now as it was
then, and it will never again allow it-
self to be dragged into economic bond-
age through the medium of dim lights
and slow music, as it has been during
the past few years.

But if we are going to do our job
as it should be done, we must, our-
selves, assume leadership in our various
communities. We must have leaders.

It is principally due to the fact that
the independent merchant has refused,
in the past, to assume leadership that
leadership has been supplied from out-
side, which he was first willing, then
compelled, to follow, and which, due
to selfishness, greed and dishonesty,
has brought ruin.

If we are going to lead, we must,
in the first place, become students of
sound economics—then -we must con-
fine all our actions to these sound
business principles; for we cannot ask
and expect others to play the game
fairly with us, if we, ourselves, cheat.

Present conditions demand that the
old-time relationships between manu-
facturer, jobber and dealer be re-estab-
lished in mutual confidence—we have
tried the jazz stuff and it doesn’t work
—now we must get back to first! prin-
ciples and re-build a sound chain of
economic distribution, eliminating com-
pletely the abuses which have crept in.
So soon as this will have been accom-
plished, we shall see business grow
and ‘flourish as it has never flourished
before.

By way of general explanation, I
might call your attention to the general,
long-term movement of business as
graphically set forth in the well-known
fifty year business cycle, for we must
establish the general direction in which
we are going if we expect ultimately
to reach our destination; then we will
examine the particular economic con-
ditions existing in that part of the
cycle in which we find ourselves to-day.

As you know, the fifty year business

 

February 11, 1931

cycle represents the long-term or major
movement of business—three complete
cycles have been plotted, and it will be
noted that each of these cycles is a
dead ringer for the one preceding it.
We have, therefore, every reason to
believe that the present cycle which
we are in will follow a course similar
to those of the past.

Briefly, the fifty years cycle shows
that business follows broad deflation
for a period of twenty-five years—

‘then it moves horizontally for five

years—then it follows a broad: rising
tendency for twenty years.

It will also be noted that while these
broad movements have been going on,
there have been inter-movements of
expansion and contraction—this is im-
portant to get well fixed in one’s mind,
otherwise serious confusion will result.

So, to properly analyze business, we
must first consider the broad move-
ment, which, of course, means present
conditions, and conditions immediately
ahead.

The last general upward movement
of the major cycle was from 1900 to
1920. During this period a major ex-
pansion in business took place —all
values steadily increased, and it is plain
to be seen that, as a general policy, it
was good business to buy and hold for
higher and still higher prices.

Then came the turn in 1920—the old
major cycle came to an end, and the
new cycle, in which we find ourselves
to-day, was ushered in by the crash
of 1920-21.

From the broad aspect, therefore,
we can look for a general declining
tendency for twenty-five years from
1920, or until 1945, and during this
period of general deflation we can as-
sume that prices will steadily shrink.

There is another thing which this
curve of the fifty year cycle shows us
and that is that while these major
swings are going on above and below
what we call the base line, the ten-
dency of the whole curve is a rising
one. That is to say, the lows of each
succeeding cycle are not quite so low
as the ones_ preceding it, while the
highs are always a little higher.

In other words, the base line is not
horizontal, but rises on a slight angle,
which can be considered to represent,
in fact, the generally increasing or
rising standards of living.

Manifestly it would not be fair to
assume as normal, standards of living
when they are at the low point of the
curve, and ‘likewise we cannot assume
boom-time standards of living as being
normal—the average is what we are
concerned with, and this average is
constantly, although gradually, rising.

And there is much confusion in the
minds of people, both big and little,
regarding this question of the average
increase in our standards of living—
many still believe that standard means
the maximum they can get their hands
on, and are very much hurt when they
find they must accept less money for
their services, forgetting that this re-
duced amount of money will buy just
as much in a lower-price market as
the greater amount bought in a higher-
price one.

These ideas are well expressed by
the Pullman porter, who was asked by
an innocent old gentlman, who wished

,
>

er

~
4

‘

a

 

—_

 

February 11, 1931

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

7

 

to do the right thing, what was the
average tip he received; to which he
replied, “One dollar.” When the old
gentleman left the car, he handed the
porter his dollar, and the porter said,
“Thank you, sir; you are the fustust
gentleman to-day who has come up to
the average.”

To get back to our major cycle, we
find ourselves in a broadly declining
position, in which we will likely re-
main for the next 14 years—but it will
be noted that even though we have
already been in a major decline for the
past eleven years, we have had sharp
inter-movement swings of expansion
and deflation. :

And it will also be voted that while
these inter-movement swings have been
violent, the high points have always
been lower than the preceding highs,
and the low points always lower than
the preceding lows—in other words,
the tendency to follow the major
swing, which is always falling at this
stage of the cycle, '

Now, what does this all mean to us
when translated into immediate busi-
ness, and business whihc lies just
ahead?

In the first place, it means that there
is going to be plenty of business for
us all, as usual—get this firmly fixed
in your minsd. But, it also means that
business, in future, is going to be done
on a lower-price scale, and this is
where management comes in.

To analyze any situation, we must
look the facts squarely in the face—
then, given a set of facts, we must
determine what is best to do to meet
these conditions.

After the collapse of business in
1920-21, business in general was in a
state of extreme liquidation — when
figuring from the peak down—but la-
bor deflated very little.

After a year or two scraping the
bottom of this intermediate swing, an
intermediate boom got underdway,
which culminated about in June, 1929,
and which became apparent to all in
the collapse of the stock market in
November of that year.

Most captains of industry thought
big business was powerful enough to
prevent a major depression, and set on
foot one of the most highly organized
schemes for doping the country with
fake propaganda which has ever been
known to history—even the President
of the United States, governors of
states, and our highest National execu-
tives joined in this.

The economic service and the news-
papers of the country, almost without
exception, joined the movement of
“good times once more in sixty days.”
All they managed to do, however, was
to prolong our misery and intennsify
the deflation which was long past due
and which had to come. Now they are
singing a different tune.

We now find ourselves nearing the
bottom of the present intermediate de-
flation, and, from present indications,
we should arrive at the bottom of this
movement about midsummer this year
—providing, of course, no further at-
tempt is made to again dope the situa-
tion; in which case, final deflation
would still further be prolonged.

Now, to analyze present conditions
still further: We find commodity prices

about as low as they are likely to go
at this time. We find prices of man-
ufactured goods deflated to some ex-
tent only—they have a long way to
go yet. Wholesale prices have not
fully represented the deflation in prices

“of manufactured goods and not nearly

the decline in commodity prices. Re-
tail prices have a long way to go be-
fore they fairly reflect commodity and
wholesale prices.

Meanwhile, buying power has been
and is becoming smaller and smaller—
the pocketbook is steadily shrinking,
due to unemployment and to the gen-
eral reduction of all wages other than
those of the organized groups.

Here we have the situation—the next
consideration is what are we going to
do about it? What is our best course
to pursue?

‘My own opinion of the situation
which lies immediately ahead is that
the present deflation will continue until
the various elements which are glar-
ingly out of line are finally forced to
deflate and come into line, as I can
see no basis for a sound foundation on
which to build future prosperity while
part of our economic system is in de-
flation and the other part remains in
full and complete inflation.

Therefore, I look for a continuation
of present conditions, more or less as
they are, for some time to come, with
first one, then another of the inflated
elements falling into line, until finally
our deflation will be completed—then,
and not until then, will we make a real
start upward.

In managing our affairs, therefore,
we should realize that in order to stay
in business we must do three things—
bring our prices down in line with the
buying power or pocketbooks of our
customers, buy goods which we know
are now salable, and buy at prices that
will allow us to re-sell at a profit in
the present market; reduce our over-
head to the bone.

We may now get down to brass
tacks and look more closely at each
of these three conditions.

Anyone will agree that he cannot sell
goods at prices which are higher than
the ocnsumer will pay. The things we
have to do, therefore, is to ask our-
selves just what the consumer wants—
what he will buy, and what he will pay.
This is our starting point under present
economic conditions, as the consumer
is in the saddle for the time being.
We have no other choice.

Consumers have less money to
spend; with enormous unemployment
and misery all about, they are more
cautious and conservative. Those who
have money are more apt to buy neces-
sities than luxuries.

Everybody who is in a position to
buy anything is looking for two things
—quality and priec. What they buy
must serve its purpose and last — it
must represent full value.

Most of us are graduaily learning
that it is dangerous to buy on “pros-
pects’—“prospects” in purchasing has
led thousands to the poorhouse.

The consumer to-day realizes that
he has got to pay for what he gets
with real money—not with promises.

The merchant should realize that
unless he sells for real money instead

of promises he is heading straight into
bankruptcy.

In buying, therefore, we must pay
especial attention, just at this time, to
the kind of goods in our line for which
there is a ready demand—now is not
the time to experiment. And, in this
connection, we may be certain that the
majority of items will be found to be
in the necessity class.

Necessities of the right kind—priced
right and of the right quality, are al-
ways salable and may be stocked at the
minimum risk,

One thing in this connection is also
certain—if you haven’t got goods to
sell you can’t sell them. But worse
than losing a sale is losing a customer
—if you haven’t got a comprehensive
stock of salable goods on hand when
your customer comes in you are certain
to lose a sale, and likely to lose a cus-
tomer also.

To-day, our merchants, as a whole,
have too much free cash on hand and
not enough invested in salable goods
which they can offer at acceptable
prices,

In buying your stock in to-day’s
market, you should realize that prices
are failing—this means that prices to-
day may be lower to-morrow.

Your purchasing agent at once be-
comes one of the two most important
factors in your business—his job is to

get the lowest available price on your’

requirements at this time of purchase.
He should never assume that an old
quotation means anything to-day—he
must get new quotations every. time he

buys. He must buy bargains and real
values.
The buyer should be -in intimate

contact with the selling end of the
business—he must know how fast stock
is being disposed of. Guesswork does
not go these days.

Then, the buyer must buy on an
economic basis if he expects to get the
best available price. Few buyers even
give this important fact any thought.
But it will make a difference. I refer
to purchase in unit packages, and in
profitable quantities.

Practically all manufacturers and all
jobbers sell goods in some form of
unit package. Units can and should be
sold at a lower price than in broken
packages.

The jobber is supposed to buy in
the larger manufacturer’s units and
break them up into the smaller, dealer’s
units. This is part of his function as
jobber. It is what he is paid to do.
If the jobbers don’t buy in manufactur-
er’s units—and many of them don’t—
they usually pay more than they
should. Thus, by shirking their job
the goods cost them more and their
price to the retailer is higher than it
should and would be if they did the
job properly.

Likewise, the dealer has run-ragged
the exploded theory that hand-to-
mouth buying is good economics. It’s
the poorest and most uneconomic thing
he can do.

This does not mean that a dealer
should load himself up with a larger
stock than he is able to turn properly
—this would also be unsound. It does
mean that he should confine his pur-
chases to goods for which he has a
ready market—then he should order in

large enough quantity at a time—and
in unit packages wherever possible—
in order that the jobber can handle the
goods at a profit instead of at a loss.
Fully half the orders coming to job-
bers to-day are in such small units that
they are handled in the red. This loss
is sheer waste. It goes directly into
the jobber’s overhead and is at once
reflected in higher prices to the dealer.

A good buyer, knowing this fact,
can usually arrange his buying on a
profitable basis for the jobber, then
press for a better price, which, by the
way, he often gets.

To get prices down we must elim-
inate waste — buying in unprofitable

“quantities forms one of the greatest

wastes in the chain of jobber-dealer
distribution. It should be eliminated.

A jobber-friend told me the other
day that he was in the red so much,
due to small unprofitable orders, that
if he were to be graduated he would
look like a thermometer. This is cost-
ing you real money.

Manufacturers tell us that they have
already reduced prices so that they are
selling with little or no profit—that
they can’t reduce further. Maybe so
—maybe not.

The fact is that all these labor-saving
devices have actually reduced the cost
of manufactured articles enormously—
but the consumer has benefited very
littie indeed, in comparison to the sav-
ings effected.

The two elements which have bene-
fited almost entirely through the me-
chanicizing of industry have been cap-
ital and labor.

Capital, in order to conceal its profits,
has gone in for mergers, holding com-
panies, and trusts, whereby it splits
up earnings a dozen ways to allow it
to come before the public as a poor,
browbeaten pauper, who is only getting
enough to keep body and soul together.
It reminds me of an old beggar who
for twenty-five years sat at the en-
trance to ferry house in Hoboken, New
Jersey, selling lead pencils. Everybody
felt sorry for him until one day his
daughter got married and he gave her,
as a wedding present, an apartment
house filled with thirty families, al!
paying rent.

The real, legitimate capital which is
invested in production can certainly af-
ford to reduce prices to the consumer
very greatly and still assure large
earnings for itself—it cannot reduce
priecs and feed all the leeches which
are attached to it.

But why should we continue feeding
leeches? The answer is that wher man-
ufacturers get hungry enough for busi-
ness and find they can only get it by
selling good merchandise at much low-
er priecs, they will find ways and
means whereby this useless top-hamper
is cut adrift. This is the tendency to-
day. It is a type of deflation which
has not yet taken place, but which must
occur before we are through—there-
fore, look for lower prices.

Labor, especially organized labor, is
the other beneficiary being protected
by high prices.

Seeing the merchandising of industry
—the greatly increased production pos-
sible through making a workman as-
sume a role as part of a machine—and

(Continued on page 30)

 

 

LINCOLN THE HUMAN.

Each recurring Lincoln’s birthday
gives occasion to note afresh his
mounting fame throughout the world.
Never were his words oftener quoted
than to-day; never his example more
frequently held up to statesmen. Praise
has been showered upon him from
every quarter of the world. Among
the English-speaking orators of the
nineteenth century he is accorded first
place by English authorities. General
Maurice has stressed the fact that Lin-
coln, while doubtless not possessing
the military genius ascribed to him by
Nicolay and Hay, worked out in the
most satisfactory form possible the
great problem of control of the army
by the civil power in time of war. All
these foreign tributes fall gratefully on
American ears, but what we of Lin-
coln’s own country most chersh is the
accumulated proof of his wide and
tolerant humanity. We know that his
gifts for public service were rich and
fruitful. But we grow, year by year,
surest of all that he was even more
fully dowered with the finest qualities
of our poor human nature.

Lincoln’s magnanimity has often
been a theme of admiration and won-
der. Never in a public utterance, or
in private, so far as is known, did he
make railing accusations against the
leaders of the Confederacy, least of all
against the Southern people. But this
was only of a piece with Lincoln’s
character.

Lincoln never harbored political re-
sentments, even when he had _ been
badly treated. He thought that the
statute of limitations against such of-
fenses should be very short. And the
bearing of any personal grudges was
repugnant to his whole nature. This
may have been partly due to natural
endowment, but it was more the result
of a good-humored and wise survey of
the frailties and follies, as well as the
essential virtues, of mankind. A phrase
said to have been often on his lips
was, “Why should the spirit of mortal
be proud?” With every temptation to
exalt himself above the weaker men
in the Government, Lincoln was always
considerate, always modest while firm;
and in his numberless individual con-
tacts showed himself that sweet-natur-
ed and magnanimous man whom his
countrymen have increasing reason to
delight to honor as “new birth of our
new soil, the first. American.”

 

STIMULATION OF DEMAND.

The lucid and well-reasoned proposal
of Mr. Owen D. Young for dealing
with the veterans’ bonus question was
in distinct contrast to many of the
routine statements and declarations on
the subject and attracted highly favor-
able comment. However, there were
several points in his remarks that open
up questions which certainly deserve
more study and attention than they
have received.

Chief of these is whether the diver-
sion of funds from savings for capital
goods to consumption goods is quite
the economic evil that it is commonly
accepted to be. Instaiment credit, it is
pointed out, was such a diversion and
yet it caused a greatly expanded busi-
ness activity that carried industrial op-

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

erations well beyond the point where
a reaction might have been expected
otherwise. :

According to estimates, there was
a peak of about six billion dollars in-
volved in consumer credit. After the
period of railroad rehabilitation and the
tremendous booms in building and
automobile manufacture, this diversion
of funds to consumption goods un-
doubtedly took up the slack which
would have developed. A bad feature
of this instalment selling increase, it
is explained, was the very fact that it
led to undue expansion in manufactur-
ing plant capacity. The flow of funds
to the investment. markets added to
this expansion, and there is scarcely
an industry which does not now suffer
from overproduction.

Great hopes have been entertained
toward speeding recovery by promo-
tion of building activity, and yet it is
recognized that serious surpluses exist
in this line. Automobile manufacture
has more recently been put forward
as a likelier source of better business.
On the other hand, stimulation of de-
mand for consumption goods, it is felt
would aid a host of industries, probably
as important in the aggregate as either
of these two key activities.

 

MAY START NORMAL DEMAND.

To state that the bonus plan, in
whatever shape it takes, would not
stimulate production, but would mere-
ly help retailers and jobbers, appears
to be one of the arguments advanced
which does not stand up well under
examination. If the veterans spend

their money, goods will be sold and -

must be replaced. If they bank what
they get, then the banks will lend those
funds to finance production enterprise.

There is a measure of doubt, too,
in just how the banks will fare under
any bonus arrangement that is made.
“Frozen loans” are the most common
kind of trouble, and, to thaw them
out, goods must be sold, which means
simply that the public and distributors
must buy. As between some temporary
loss in bond values and the thawing
out of these loans, the latter would
seem preferable, particularly as bond
prices should soon get over their sink-
ing spell once business recovery was
under way.

It has been the thought of most
observers of the business situation over
the last year that, if some spark might
be found to set off a normal, or better
than normal, demand from those who
are still well able to purchase liberally,
conditions would change for the better
very quickly. The “Buy Now” move-
ment, first suggested in these columns,
aimed at that object, but the message
in too many instances did not drive
home the harm which unnecessary
economy was causing, and it failed so
many times to point out that these
deferred purchases were throwing peo-
ple out of work.

The spark for firing the necessary
demand may quite well be found in
whatever arrangement is made to ad-
vance payments to the veterans. Buy-
ing resistance, at least, should be re-
duced, while adequate safeguards might
be devised to take care of possible dan-
gers.

THE SITUATION EASES.

Whether it has been some of the
problems raised in Congress or the
increased difficulties offered by phases
of the depression, it was true of the
week that recent progress in business
and improvement in sentiment were
partially lost. Lack of leadership at
Washington was quite generally blam-
ed. Organized business by a large ma-
jority placed itself on record against
a special session of Congress, although

at the same time not a few business ©

authorities are convinced that if proper
leadership were displayed there would
be many benefits derived from having
some of the many pressing problems
afflicting commercial interests dealt
with.

Accompanying the loss in sentiment
during the week there were declines
registered in both the weekly business
index and in commodity prices. The
business index was turned downward
again toward the January low by the
reduction in electric power output and
a drop in the automobile production
The central industrial region
still shows the largest loss in power
consumption for the country as a
whole, with smaller declines in the
East and on the Pacific Coast. Ap-
parently, the automobile producers are
proceeding very cautiously on their
manufacturing schedules.

Building statistics fail entirely to
come up to what might be expected
in view of the efforts being made to
push such operations. January contract
awards will be well under those in
December, when ordinarily there is
only a small decrease.

Commodity prices have suffered an-
other sinking spell, with the loss chiefly
in farm products and textiles. The
Annalist index now stands at 112.4. The
fuel and building material groups are
now even further out of line with other
classifications.

series.

 

WAGING WAR ON WASTE.

The record attendance at the con-
vention of the National Retail Dry
Goods Association which was held in
New York City last week was ample
testimony, if testimony was needed, to
the keen interest which retail manage-
ment is taking in ways to promote the
efficiency of the craft. The actual deci-
sions of the organization were limited
to three resolutions, the smallest num-
ber in years. One registered opposition
to the proposed sales tax and a second
approved the standards for wrapping
and packing, from which sizable econ-
omies are expected to flow. The third
was on a matter of association pro-
cedure.

Despite these few positive acts the
organization meetings, and especially
those of the groups, provided a wealth
of material and suggestion by which
the store owners hope to cope to bet-
ter advantage with their problems in
coming months. No doubt the in-
formal exchange of ideas was as help-
ful as any fixed discussion.

Perhaps the dominant note of the
convention might be summed up in the
phrase “to wage intelligent war on
waste.” Not a few of the speakers em-
phasized the ill effects of conducting
this war without giving adequate con-
sideration to all factors. The necessity

 

February 11, 1931

of waste elimination. was stressed, but
the need also of guarding against un-
sound’ economies was also stressed.

The merchants who attended these
sessions felt upon leaving that they
had gained renewed courage to face
their problems intelligently, which, af-
ter all, is a much better state of mind
than to feel that the weight of these
problems is too much and can be over-
come only through drastic, and prob-
ably unsound, measures.

 

DRY GOODS CONDITIONS.

Trade progress is at about the recent
level, although results have become a
little more spotty as between stores in
the saine locality and between sections
of the country. Sales promotions have
been intensified, if anything, but retail
executives do not look for much better
volume until Easter buying comes into
play. Those customers whose pur-
chasing power has not been seriously
affected in the depression are still very
critical and exacting.

Further reports on the January busi-
ness done by retail distributors disclose
the spottiness referred to above. The
two large mail-order-chain systems suf-
fered sizable losses, which could be
explained, however, by the decline in
prices. On the other hand, a compila-
tion of twenty chain systems furnished
an average gain of 4% per cent. in
sales over those for the same month
last year. The department store fig-
ures. have not yet been issued, but a
reduction of somewhat more than 10
per cent. for the month is looked for.

In the wholesale merchandise mar-
kets, the interest of buyers has turned
more definitely to the new spring lines.
These are not being purchased in nor-
mal quantities but in smaller amounts
so that the new designs may be tested
very carefully to find those which re-
ceive the best consumer demand. While
Easter is two weeks earlier this year,
the careful shopping of the market by
store representatives indicates that they
will hold their purchases more strictly
than ever to merchandise which has
proved it will sell quickly.

 

TWO CENTS A MILE.

Refusal of the Interstate Commerce
Commission to prevent the establish-
ment of a two-cents-a-mile fare be-
tween all stations on the St. Louis-San
Francisco Railway opens the way to an
experiment that may have a profound
effect on the immediate future of Amer-
ican railroads. The new fare will split
the old rate, 3.6 cents a mile, almost
in half. It will give the Frisco a fair
chance to prove its contention in say-
ing: “It is not at all clear that the
passenger with limited funds cannot be
regained as a patron of the railroad.
Why not try before throwing up the
sponge!”

The Frisco and similar small roads
have suffered most from. the competi-
tion of the passenger automobile and
the passenger bus, some of the roads
to the point of failure. In the past
there have been concessions in the mat-
ter of fare for excursion trips and vaca-
tion tourists traveling long distances,
but this is the first recent instance of
applying the two-cent fare to short
haulage. If it works out, there will be
others to try it.

‘
a

 

 

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v5 4 i
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February 11, 1931

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

9

 

OUT AROUND.

Things Seen and Heard on a Week
End Trip.

Grand Rapids was greatly honored
last week by the presence. of many
hundred hardware merchants who came
to us from all parts of the State to
participate in the proceedings of the

 

Waldo Bruske, President.

thirty-seventh annual convention of the
Michigan Retail Hardware Association,
the largest working organization of
retail mérchants in the United States.
It is the largest mercantile organiza-
tion the State has ever possessed, with
the exception of the old Michigan
Business Men’s Association, which was
organized about 1886 and accomplished
much for the business men of Mich-
igan during its career, which covered
a period of about six years. Among
its accomplishments is the uniform in-
surance policy form, which has been
worth millions of dollars to the insur-
ing public of Michigan. This organ-
ization voluntarily ceased to exist in
the belief. that better results could be
secured through the creation of sep-
arate organizations covering the dif-
ferent branches of business. This idea
has worked out well, but the hardware
merchants have made more of their
organization than has any other line of
trade. At the convention held here
a year ago the Association had 1670
members. The business depression
which has prevailed during the past
vear has caused the loss of less than
100 members.

Several causes have contributed to
the remarkable record this organiza-
tion has made. The main cause, of
course, has been the care exercised in
the selection of the officers and com-
mittees. It has had but one shyster
secretary—who used the Association as
a club to extort advertising for his
nondescript trade paper (clear case of
blackmail)—but he was permitted to
serve less than three years. Ever since
he retired under fire, the same man
has served the organization as secre-
tary for thirty years, while the present
treasurer has just entered on_ his
twenty-fifth year. Exhibition Manager
Judson has served the organization
fourteen years.

Secretary Scott has seen to it that
the programmes presented each year

have been of a high character and con-

fined to practical topics of every day
interest to the retail hardware dealer.
He has also undertaken to see that the
men started up the ladder for official
positions have been worthy of the
honors in store for them. Because he
is a modest man and does not make
himself too much in evidence, he would
probably deny this statement, but it is
true just the same. Fully 90 per cent.
of the men who have worked their
way up to the highest office in the gift
of the organization have been men of
high character who have been worthy
of the honors conferred upon them.

One feature of the organization
which is the subject of frequent com-
ment is the fact that the political ele-
ment is frequently much in evidence.

 

Charles H. Sutton, Vice-President.

Western Michigan has never cut much
of a figure in the distribution of the
officers. Of the thirty-five men elected
President, twenty have come from
Eastern Michigan. Of the thirty-eight
secretaries elected, all but four years
the successful candidates were Eastern
Michigan mn. The first four years
the treasurer hailed from Eaton Rap-
ids. Since that time a Detroit man has
been elected for thirty-four consecutive
years. The committee.elected a year
ago to decide on the place of meeting
for 1932 had only one Western Mich-
igan man on the committee and the
chairman selected was a Detroit man,
which could hardly be regarded as an
indication of good taste or common
fairness. This practice is in keeping
with the packed caucus so commonly
resorted to by shady politicians and
is unworthy a great organization which
has otherwise been maintained on such
a high plane of effort and accomplish-
ment. In the official roster of execu-
tive officers for 1931 the name of no
Western Michigan man appeared, the
official list being located as follows:

President, Mt. Clemens.

Vice-President, Saginaw.

Secretary, Marine City.

Treasurer, Detroit.

Field Secretary, Marine City.

I do not think this discrimination
against Western Michigan—complete-

ly shutting her out from official recog-
nition and ignoring her right to repre-
sentation—has been permitted to im-
pair the success of the organization,
due to the loyalty of Western Michigan
merchants to their wonderful organiza-
tion; but I do think that our Eastern
Michigan friends could well afford to
be a little more generous in the matter
of absorbing all the high offices of the
Association and refrain from question-
able tactics to accomplish their ends.

I do not think any state association
ever presented a more complete and
comprehensive programme of papers,
reports and ensuing discussions than
the Grand Rapids convention.
of course, was largely due to the ex-
perience, knowledge and vision of Sec-
retary Scott, subject to the approval of
the programme committee. I have
known many state secretaries during
the nearly fifty years I have published
the Tradesman, but I have never seen
a more painstaking officer than he is.
I have received at his
hands, some of which he was under no
obligation to grant. It will be a very
corry day for the hardware merchants
ef Michigan whenever he finds it nec-
essary to retire from the position he has
filled with such signal ability and such
marked distinction. Largely through
his kindness, I am able to present every
year in the Tradesman all of the papers
and reports presented at the conven-

many favors

 

 

 

 

Arthur J. Scott, Secretary.

tion, except the reports of the Secre-
tary and Treasurer, which are always
treated as confidential. Two of these
papers read at the Grand Rapids con-
vention appeared in the Tradesman
last week, many more this week and
several will appear next week. I be-
lieve this arrangement is better than to
print them all in a single issue.

The article I recently published in
the Tradesman regarding the action of
the Chevrolet Co. in advertising in
Sears, Roebuck Co.’s catalogue was
presented to the Executive Board by
Secretary Scott and referred to the
Committee on Resolutidons. I notice
no official action was taken on the sub-
ject, due, I am told, to the fact that
it was feared the Chevrolet Co. might
show its resentment by starting a dam-

This, -

age suit against the organization. In
other words, the Committee on Reso-
lutions did not have as much courage
as the Tradesman had in exposing and
condemning the action of the Chevrolet
Co. in playing into the hands of the
enemy. J cannot help feeling that the
Committee shirked its duty to the trade
in thus sidetracking so important an
issue. In placing the advertising the
Chevrolet Co. was led into a_ trap.
While it advertised genuine Chevrolet
cars in the mail order house catalogue,
Sears, Roebuck & Co. advertised Chev-
rolet repair parts not made by the Chev-
rolet Co. in the same publication, thus
placing the Chevrolet dealer or hard-
ware dealer who handles genuine parts
—made by the manufacturer—in a pe-
culiar position. In other words, the
Chevrolet Co. practically sanctioned
the act of Sears, Roebuck & Co. in
advertising bogus parts at cut prices.
If the committee was so greatly in
fear of a lawsuit it could have refrained
this infraction of
good business practice by simply pro-
testing against it. To ignore it alto-
looks to me like an act of
cowardice which should not be tolerat-

from condemning

gether

a great organization of repre-
I understand the
action—or lack of action—was dictated
by the officers of the National organ-
ization at Indianapolis.

ed by
sentative merchants.

I may be treading on some one’s
corns, but I cannot help feeling that it
was a mistake to invite the President
of the big Chicago wholesale hardware
house to read a paper at the conven-
This man prates loudly about his
friendship for the independent
chant, but his house furnishes goods
to a certain mail order house at prices

tion.
mer-

which enables the mail order house to
undersell the legitimate retailer. [ re-
gard his boasted friendship for the re-
tailer as a matter of pretense, because
I happen to know that his house sold
the opening stock to the Thomas hard-

 

William Moore, Treasurer.

ware store in Grand Rapids when that
gentleman contemplated the establish-
men of a chain of hardware stores,
after selling his chain of 150 grocery
stores.

There were fifteen less booths in the

 

 

10

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

February 11, 1931

 

exhibit hall than last year, due to en-
croachments in the exhibition building
by permanent tenarts. The feature of
the affair was a model hardware store,
complete in nearly every detail, which
attracted much attention. This exhibit
will be reproduced at the annual con-
vention of the Ohio Hardware Asso-
ciation at Cleveland, Feb. 17 to 20.

Mussolini drives over a child and
kills it and the Federal Government

 

 

 

L. S. Swinehart, Field Secretary.

sends him an apology because an of-
ficer of the marine corps denounces
the act. The skunks and hyenas in
the United States Senate throw in-
finitely worse accusations against Pres-
ident Hoover, but no one seems to
think that the miserable creatures who
exhaust their vocabularies of nastiness
should be compelled to apologize to
the man who honors the highest office
in the Nation.

Editor Buckley, of the Grocery
World, sets me aright on the so-called
Pennsylvania Plan, as follows:

My friend Stowe is a little in error.
The Pennsylvania Plan is not a co-
operative buying enterprise at all. Cer-
tain manufacturers contribute so much
money a year for the furtherance of the
association cause in Pennsylvania. For
this money they got the services of
William Smedley in keeping the asso-
ciation fires burning throughout the
State—enthusing the old associations
and organizing new. They also got
some advertising in trade papers.
Every year there was a convention at
which prizes were given to the local
associations whose members had most
lovallv stood by the manufacturers con-
tributing to the plan. From the asso-
ciation’s standpoint, the plan helped
the cause of organization a good deal,
for it supplied a tireless field man
whose expenses the State Association
of itself could never have afforded.
And the manufacturer got a return
from the increased sales he made to
loyal association members. The Penn-
sylvania Plan under Smedley has been
a good thing all around in spite of cer-
tain handicaps. Now with these handi-
caps removed it will continue good if
they can get somebody to replace
Smedley in the field.

The sales tax law, so-called, appears
to be meeting some opposition these
days. At the annual meeting of the
National Retail Dry Goods Association,
held at New York last week, it was
strongly opposed. A resolution was

 

adopted condemning it in no uncertain
terms. It was discussed at the Mich-
igan Retail Hardware Association,
held at Grand Rapids last week, and
referred to the Committee on Resolu-
tions, without recommendation. The
Committee discussed it at some length
and referred it to the Legislative Com-
mittee without recommendation. The
plan will be presented to the Michigan
Legislature at the present session un-
der the auspices of the Fenner organ-
ization. Many retailers confuse a state
sales tax with a Federal sales tax. They
are radically different. I, personally,
have always favored a general Federal
sales tax as a method of raising all
Federal revenue, and as a replacement
for the net income taxes which have
been adopted as a Federal policy. If
these were applied equally throughout
the country to all sales of every de-
scription, and the element of interstate
competition were eliminated, I believe
the merchants could pass on their total
tax burden. This has been done with
the gasoline sales taxes, now generally
applied throughout the United States.
These taxes must eventually be passed
on to the consumers if the retailer is to
When this is
done, the burden falls heaviest on those
least able to pay, as their expenditures
for necessities constitute a larger per
cent. of their gross income. Retailers
in cities located near state boarders
would suffer serious competition from
stores outside the State. All retailers
would be placed in an unfavorable
competitive position with mail order
houses. Merchandise shipped into the
state by the latter could not be taxed.

continue in business.

There is a deep seated opinion in
the minds of American business men
that the bankruptcy court is about the
last thing that should be resorted to

 

A. D. ‘Vandervoort,
Member Executive Board.

in the case of insolvency proceedings,
hecause of the insignificant returns the
creditors usually receive. Friendly
settlements and receivership proceed-
ings usually accomplish what they un-
dertake at small expense to the cred-
itors, but bankruptcy proceedings
sponge the slate—to the sole advantage
of the court officials and the lawyers.
The recent failure of the Davidson

Furniture Co., at Ionia, affords an ex-
cellent example of how wretchedly the
Federal act can function under certain
circumstances. The principal creditor
was anxious to have the estate handled
by a receiver, but one of the attorneys
refused to consent to such an arrange-
ment unless he was paid a round sum
which the principal creditor refused
to do. The result was that the cred-
itors received very little, whereas the
proposed receivership arrangement
would have given every creditor 100
cents on a dollar. Under existing con-
ditions our present bankruptcy law is
very much one sided and a big handi-
cap to the manufacturer, jobber and
banker. It is especially prejudicial to
the best interests of friends of the in-
solvent who would frequently come to
his assistance if assured the estate
would be kept out of the clutches of
the crafty lawyers who specialize in
practicing in the bankruptcy court.

Another example of similar character
was presented in the failure of a private
bank at Boyne Falls some years ago.
Local creditors of the bank went be-
fore the bankruptcy court with a guar-
anty to pay all the creditors 90 cents
on a dollar if the assets were turned
over to them. The lawyers who had
precipitated the bankruptcy proceed-
ings objected, so the creditors received
45 cents on the dollar and the lawyers
received a sum equal to 55 cents on
the dollar.

The error of the City Commission
(Grand Rapids) in proceeding with a
major municipal project without a
broad and extensive survey of the con-
tributing elements is graphically illus-
trated in the North Division avenue
extension. The preliminary work and
counsel in such an undertaking is the
function of the City Planning Depart-
ment and when the city took away
from it the means of carrying on the
work given it by the city government,
it made a blunder that was inexcusable
if we are to have a Planning Depart-
ment. The careful investigation of
elements involved in the North Divi-
sion avenue project undertaken by
George Ames at his own expense and
which demonstrated the need of that
type of service confirms this judgment.
When men like Henry Turner, George
Ames, John Martin and Charles Rem-
ington were put on the Commission at
the suggestion of Charley Garfield he
performed a constructive service which
is characteristic of his entire career as
a civic worker.

A local haberdasher writes me as
follows:

As your sympathies have always
been with the retail merchant I would
like to call your attention to the fol-
lowing troubles which a merchant en-
counters in my line of business before
and after Christmas. A lady selects
a shirt for a gift, meanwhile handling
it with soiled gloves, and when the
selection is made she asks for a clean
one, leaving the one she has handled
to go into the soiled goods for the
after Christmas sale. Next a lounging
robe is selected, perhaps an hour has
been spent in selling it. This is returned
after Christmas and the money re-
funded. The young man it was given
to has deeided that skiis or a watch
would be more to his liking. The

season for selling the robe is past and
the merchant must carry it another
vear or sell at a great reduction. Now
we-have the lady who looks at paja-
mas several times, taking up more of
the clerk’s valuable time. Then after
about the third trip she tells him she
is making a pair like the ones he had
shown her and wanted to be sure they
were right. There are many. more
similar cases of pure selfishness on the
part of the public to-day and it is hard
to find the remedy.

The writer of the above complaint,

who conducts a leading men’s shop in

this city, should insist that no goods
be handled by a customer until she has
removed her gloves. In the largest
stores customers are not permitted to
handle stockings at all, nor even run
their hands up the inside if they have
rings on their fingers, E. A. Stowe.
——_+~--~~___.
Reductions Spur Rayon Underwear.
With prices on rayon underwear now
fairly well
lower basis, necessitated by the cut in
rayon yarn, a large volume of orders
for Spring is being placed, according
to reports in the New York market.
Reductions on the underwear vary ac-
cording to the price ranges, but the
most general downward revision ap-

established on ‘the new

pears to have been about 10 per cent.,
with some cuts up to 15 per cent. on
the higher-grade numbers, it was
stated. With lower retail
rayon underwear is expected to be very
popular with consumers.
—__~~-.___

Sheet Situation Worries Trade.

A tense situation exists in wide
sheetings, sheets and pillow cases, in
which second hands and producers of
the lesser known brands are shading
prices in their efforts to get business.
Manufacturers of the well-known
brands do not wish to revise prices
downward, due to the necessity of giv-
ing rebates, but if they do not meet
competition, it is difficult for them to
et business. February is usually a dull
month in this trade and the small pro-
ducers are making every effort to book
orders.

prices,

a
Rings Worn Over Gloves.

The fad *for wearing rings over
gloves is growing in popularity, ac-
cording to reports from London. Dia-
monds are being worn with black, and
colored gems with gloves of lighter
color. A new type of ring, so worn,
generally cut out of a solid piece of
semi-precious stone, has a narrow slit
in the rounded boss. Through this one
of the smart twelve-inch square hand-
kerchiefs, in delicate chiffon to match

the gown can be threaded.
——__+ +. ____

See Good Clething Trade.

‘More than 100 manufacturers of cot-
ton clothing are unanimous in their
belief that their business during the
month of February will be equal to or
better than the corresponding month
of last year, according to replies to the
monthly questionnaire of the Inter-
national Association of Garment Man-
ufacturers. ‘Sixty-nine per cent. of the
replies said that shipments in Decem-

ber were less than in December, 1929.
—_——_2»~-._

G. M. Dame, postmaster at Cherry
Home, renews his subscription to the
Tradesman and writes: “Don’t want to
miss a copy so enclosed please find
renewal,”

 

 

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February 11, 1931

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

ll

 

Some Thoughts on Retail Hardware
Management.*

In the December issue of Hardware
Retailer we read: “Montgomery Ward
had: an operating loss of nearly three
million dol'iars for the first
months of 1930. :

nine

“Sears, Roebuck & Co., on the other
hand, made a profit every month dur-
ing the same period. Sears had a big-
ger volume the first two months of this
yar, but every month thereafter sold
than during the corresponding
period in 1929.

less

“Consistent profit-making in the
face of declining volume and lowering
commodity prices was hailed as a man-

agement accomplishment worthy of
note.”

What a_ difference management
makes!

In the same issue was an editorial

comment regarding a rubber company,
the only one in the field that has never

failed, since its organization, to pay
regular dividends in cash on both
classes of its stock and now has back
of its stock tangible assets nearly
three times as great as those of the
next company to it.

Again, what a difference manage-

ment makes!

I refer to these two things merely
as examples of the results of manage-
ment in business.

Times of stress such as tho_e throvgh
which we have been passing recently
take their toll in the failures of those
least well* managed in every field of
business enterprises.

Business operation without manage-
ment is inconceivable, the necessity of
management is so patent as to need no
comment. None would dispute the es-
sential importance of management.

Conditions surrounding merchandis-
ing to-day make it imperative that all
these factors of a business be definitely
and currently known and acted upon.

On the basis of our previous experi-
ence, combined with a reasonable de-
gree of discernment, we can at the be-
ginning of any year make fairly close
estimates for the year ahead, as to ex-
penses, sales, cost of doing business,
margin, purchases and profit.

Calculating all these factors so as to
produce a given result, such figures
serve as a fixed guide, the measure of
variation therefrom at monthly in-
tervals indicating with dependable ac-
curacy the course of the
vessel.

business

For several years we have had avail-
able, through the Association, simple
which we may keep such

have accurate periodical

devices by
and
readings of the state of our business.

The value of these devices has been

figures

demonstrated conclusively in countless
hardware stores. Each of
answer for himself whether or not you
have utilized these aids.

That means, not only that you may
have set up figures for control of your
business, but also that you have acted
upon them accordingly as they have
indicated the need for action.

For, however good any control sys-
tem may be, it can never be more than
an aid. Mechanical devices can never
guarantee profitable operation for a
business. They can never function for

you can

 

*Paper read at hardware convention by
Louis F. Wolf. of Marine City,

management. The human factor is the
deciding force, always.

The best control system that may
be installed in any store office can do
no more than signal to the manager the
situation as it exists.

The force of decision and action ap-
propriate ‘to the circumstances must
emanate from the man at the head of
activities.

Our session to-day has for its topics
these things that I have but sketchily
mentioned.

Yet between recognition of its in-
dispensableness and the consistent
practice of good management in every-
day activities there is a ‘broad gap.
Grade of management and degree of
its application not only accounts for
the difference between actual failure
in some businesses and the continued
existence of others, but is chiefly re-
sponsible for the measure of success
which attains—whether
prevails, or

any business

mediocrity uniformly
exemplary accomplishment.

Upon managerial skill depends the
answer to the question
master of the business.

Management as applied to business-
€s varies so greatly in character and
degree of application, that discussion
is never amiss.

Presumably

shall we be

, everyone here knows
now whether or not his 1930 operations
netted a profit or a
much.

loss, and how

But, how many of you knew each
month during the past year (as did
Sears and Ward) whether you were
operating toward a profit or a loss for
the year?

How many of you knew at the end
of April, or any other month, whether
your sales then were sufficient, con-
sidering all related factors, to assure
a net profit at the end of the year?

How many could say with assurance
at the beginning of September or on
any other date during 1930, that your
cost of doing business was within
bounds to leave a profit from current
margin?

How many of when buying
your fa‘l stocks, knew whether you
were buying enough, too much or too
little to take care of the season’s busi-

you,

ness and end the year with a reason-
able inventory?

How tell definitely not
only whether your stock is in the right
amount in terms of investment, but
also whether the items are in accord
with their relative salability?

Many can

—_2+~+____

Everything in life is more or fess a
gamble. Timidity never accomplished
anything in this world. Faith is the
mainspring of enterprise. It is the
easiest thing in the wrold to reason
the merit of a new idea. The man who
“gets there’ is the man who has the
courage to make the plunge when the
thought is fresh in his mind—to strike
while the iron is hot. Ideas, like time
and tide, wait for nobody. They must
be taken at the flood. The man who
attempts to argue all the way to the
finish is lost. Difficulties are not at
their worst in perspective. The world’s
real benefactors are its brave men;
the men who have the soul to dare,
to risk everything—fortune, reputation
and life itself,

 

 

Home Baker
Flour

The prideand satisfaction of
the housewife in baking per-
fect bread is best realized
through the use of perfect
Flour.

The tremendous increase in
Sales of Home Baker Flour
shows a constantly growing
sentiment with the consum-
ing public that Home Baker
is the perfect Flour.

Every sack of Home Baker
Flour (which is made to our
own formulae) is absolute-
ly guaranteed to give satis-
faction.

Sold through Independent
Merchants only.

Tune inon Radio StationW.J.R., Detroit, every
Monday night at 7 o’clock Central Standard
time and enjoy “Lee & Cady’s Quaker”
program.

LEE & CADY

 

 

 

 

12

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

 

February 11, 1931

 

FINANCIAL

Business Conditions in Michigan Are
Greatly Improved.

Industrial operations in Michigan at
the end of the first three weeks of
1931 were at a higher rate than at any
time since the last week in September,
1930. During December, automobile
output exceeded the previous month’s
production total by 15 per cent., de-
spite curtailed operations by many
manufacturers, for a period of at least
two weeks. Normally, a decrease of
at least 10 per cent. is to be expected
in this month. The turn in manufac-
turing is not entirely a local phenom-
enon. This is indicated by the advance
from 74 per cent. of normal to 77 per
cent. of normal in the broader index
of manufacturing for the country as a
whole which is prepared by the Har-
vard Economic Society.

Building construction in the second
week of January registered a further
decline. ‘The average daily volume of
contracts awarded, as reported by the
F. W. Dodge ‘Corporation, was 37 per
cent. lower in the first half of the
month than in the corresponding period
of 1930.

Revenue freight car loadings for the
week ended January 10, 1931 were
nearly 100,000 greater in number than
in the preceding week. This series has
shown a distinct parallel with 1921-
1922 for a number of weeks, a fact
which may forecast the same improve-
ment in the near future that was evi-
denced in 1922.

Employment decreased materially at
the year-end, but this is distinctly a
seasonal phenomenon. Many indus-
tries close down at that time for in-
ventory-taking purposes and resume
operations at the same or higher rates
at the turn of the year.

Retail trade, as indicated by the Féd-
eral Reserve Board’s report on depart-
ment store sales, was only 8 per cent.
less in December than a year ago. In
view of the fact that the cost of liv-
_ing in this country, and, therefore, the
scale of merchandise prices, was 6.2
per cent. lower in December, 1930 than
in December, 1929, it appears that buy-
ing was not greatly curtailed during
the recent holiday season. The de-
cline in commodity prices at wholesale
has continued uninterruptedly in re-
cent weeks.

Industrial activity in Detroit, the
center of the automobile industry,
showed an increase during December
similar to that which occurred in the
same month of 1927. In ‘Saginaw, dur-
ing December, industrial activity was
26 per cent. greater than in December,
1929.

Industrial power consumption data,
after adjustment for seasonal tenden-
cies, was higher in December tthan in
November in each of the following
cities in ‘Southeastern Michigan: De-
troit, Bay City, Jackson, Pontiac, and
Saginaw. At Flint, a small reduction
in the adjusted total occurred which
may be indicative of a slight decrease
in manufacturing activity in that city
during the month of December.

Employment in Detroit during De-
cember was little changed from No-
vember, but indicated some improve-
ment by January 15. Most factories
are on a three or four day week basis,

 

however. In Saginaw, at the end of
the second week in January, more than
40 per cent. more people were employ-
ed by the principal industries than at
a similar date in 1930, and more than
10 per cent. more were employed than
in January, 1929. Improved employ-
ment conditions are by no means uni-
versal in this section of the State;
Saginaw alone shows improvement
over a year ago. Building and con-
struction seem to have been at a stand-
still in all cities of Southeastern Mich-
igan, except Detroit. Retail trade vol-
ume is reported below that of a year
ago, with greater sales totals antici-
pated in a few weeks. Collections are
poor to fair.

Manufacturing activity in South-
western Michigan, which includes such
cities as Battle ‘Creek, Kalamazoo,
Grand Rapids and Muskegon, may be
characterized as slightly below the ac-
tivity of mid-January, 1930. Some
improvement is expected within a
month. No change in the building in-
dustry is apparent in this area. Em-
ployment is still less than it was a
year ago, but is increasing in about a
third of the cities from which reports
were received. The general situation
in this section of the State seems to
be admirably set forth in a report from
Kalamazoo: “The greatest change here
is in psychoiogy. Business attitude is
much more cheerful since January 1.”

Northern Michigan is essentially a
section devoted to agriculture, with but
little manufacturing activity in any of
its cities. Such manufacturing as there
is, is less than it was a year ago, and
no change is expected in the near fu-
ture. Building activity, likewise, is at
a standstill. Employment conditions
vary in the several cities from much
less than a year ago, as in Hart,
Petoskey and St. Johns, to about the
same as last year, as in Traverse City,
West Branch and others.

Retail trade in Northern Michigan is
below its January, 1930 level, and little
change is expected. Collections are,
in most cases, reported fair to poor.

Industrial activity at Houghton,
Manistique and Menominee is much
less than it was a year ago. Marquette
stands alone as being the only one of
eleven cities in the Upper Peninsula
in which industrial operations are
greater at present than in January,
1930. Building activity is normally at
a standstill in the Upper Peninsula at
this season. Employment in nine of
ten cities is less than it was a year ago;
four of these nine, Hancock, L’Anse,
Manistique and Menominee, have much
more unemployment than they had a
year ago.

Retail.trade in the Upper Peninsula,
like employment, is below that of a
year ago in nine of ten cities from
which reports on retail trade are avail-
able. Money is in excessive supply
and the demand for loanable funds is
decreasing.

Michigan agriculture, like agricul-
ture in the entire United States, is suf-
fering from low prices. While in some
measure the price-fixing efforts of the
Federal Farm Board may have pre-
vented such commodities as wheat and
cotton from going to much lower levels
than now exist, the Board has been
utterly unable to maintain these com-
modities at the levels at which it or-

iginally expected to support them.
Past experiences with rubber, coffee,
and sugar might have been expected
to indicate, but evidently did not in-
dicate, the unpractical nature of such
a political expedient in dealing with
economic forces.

In spite of the fact that precipitation
has been below normal for three
months in Michigan and in spite of
alternate freezes and thaws, reports do
not seem to indicate that
wheat and rye have been injured.
Since snow was reported on January
25 in almost all parts of the State,
ranging from a trace in some sections
to more than twelve inches at Trav-
erse City, the danger of winter killing
is greatly reduced. In the potato sec-
tions near Gaylord and Petoskey, farm-

 

he
ripe safety and
helpful serviee of
the Old Kent are
available 24 hours
a day --to those
who bank by mail.
A telephone eéall -=
4355 =-- will start
the machinery of
opening an ae-
eount. Thereafter,
it’s easy. Try it!

OLD KENT
BANK

Grand Rapids’ Oldest
and Largest Bank

 

A

winter.

ers are reported holding their crop in
storage for higher prices.

Ralph E. Badger, Vice-President,

Carl F. Behrens, Economist,

Union Guardian Trust Co.

Where Did He Get Them?

“You are charged, Samuel Johnston,
with stealing five chickens, four ducks,

‘two goats and a donkey; and you say

you are not guilty?”

“Yas, judge.”

“Perhaps you would like to employ
counsel and defend the case. Have you
any money?”

“No, judge.”

“Have you any property on which
you could raise money?”

“Yas, judge; I got five chickens,
four ducks, two goats and a donkey.”

 

 

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GRAND RAPIDS— MICHIGAN
506-511 GRAND RAPIDS TRUST BUILDING

Telephone 8-1201

 

 

 

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February 11, 1931

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

13

 

Management Points the Way To
Success.*

My subject to-day is not of my own
choosing. It was assigned to me. Had
I been consulted I am sure I would
have chosen another. I find myself in
very much the same position as the
preacher who said to his flock, “Don’t
do as I do, but do as I tell you.” I
try to practice all that I preach, but
find it exceedingly difficult to do all
I would like to or should do.

Webster defines management in part
as “act or art of managing; adminis-
tration; guidance; control; judicious
use of means to accomplish an end;
government; direction, etc.”

Now if we were to consult Webster
further in order to analyze each one
of these definitions we would become
more conscious of the scope, intent and
magnitude of “management” and real-
ize more fully the necessity of apply-
ing the same to our business if we
would succeed.

Management is closely allied to if,
indeed, it does not dovetail into organ-

 

 

 

 

J. Charles Ross.

ization. First, proper organization,
then efficient management for this or-
ganization,

Management is a big word. It starts
with “Man” and finishes with “ment”
but there is an “age” between. May we
not conclude then, in the face of pres-
ent world conditions that “Man” has
arrived at the “Age” “Meant” for the
adoption and exemplification of greater
efficiency?

Every enterprise of whatever nature
requires a manager, and a manager is
not such unless he can manage and im-
prove his business under all normal
conditions. O€ course, there are con-
tributing factors which seem to enter
every business to prevent one’s realiz-
ing fully his highest ambitions. But
this in no way changes the fact that
“Management Points the Way.”

I think it was Mr. Sheets, our efti-
cient Managing Director of the N. R.
H. A., who said that every man, as
well as every business, requires a man-
ager. No doubt he is right. Proof of
this is furnished in ancient Biblical
history. The first hardware man we
know anything about was Adam and he

 

*Paner read at hardware convention by
J. Charles Ross, of Kalamazoo.

wasn’t doing a very good job until he
got Eve for a manager. Even then
he didn’t do much of anything but

loaf around the Garden of Eden, listen ©

to the advice of the serpent and eat
apples. Finally Eve raised Cain with
him. And just because Adam away
back in his time did not fully realize
that “Management Points the Way”
and incidentally because he hearkened
unto the voice of his wife, who was a
poor manager and did not adopt busi-
ness and other control, he had to get
out of the hardware business and till
the soil, earning his bread by the sweat
of his brow.

All down through the ages since
Adam’s time, careful, conscientious
management has been the principal
factor in the development and expan-
sion of every business which has stood
the test of time.

If you possess enough ability to
successfully conduct your business to-
day without the use of modern methods
and some type of business control you
are a very unusual person and indeed
fortunate.

The management which points the
way—to success—must have a capable
manager.

He shou!d be truthful, honest, up-
right and considerate in all his dealings.
He should be respectful of those work-
ing with him and so conduct himself
as to command their respect. Certain
definite, constructive, policies should
be adopted and adhered to.

The owner or manager of a hard-
ware store affiliated with our State
Association or the N. R. H. A. holds
a responsible position in his commun-
ity. He should be a community build-
er and financially support his commun-
ity’s constructive activities.

His first duties are to his home, his
business, his church, his lodge and his
community at large. He should exer-
cise his right to vote and vote. Failing
to do so he has no right to criticise.

Webster defines ‘Manager,’ as fol-
lows: ‘One who manages; conductor;
director; one who conducts business or
household affairs with economy. Get
that “economy” part. Is it not true
that if greater economy had been prac-
ticed in recent years there would be
less unemployment, depression and
suffering to-day?

And so we find ourselves wondering
if after all the present depression is
not a good thing, not only for the hard-
ware industry but the citizenship at
large.

Economy cannot be successfully
practiced promiscuously. Few, if any,
are capable of depending entirely on
their own judgment in every instance.
Hence the necessity for study, research
and knowledge gained from the ex-
perience of others.

Our State conventions and the Na-
tional Congress have become our great-
est schools of instruction; the Hard-
ware Retailer, together with other pub-
lications by the 'N.'R. H. A., our great-
est textbooks,

Just how many are taking advantage
of all the modern methods developed
and the storehouse of information as-

sembled for them by association ac-,

tivities is difficult to determine.

I am inclined to believe the state-
ment of an active member who said
one time that there is altogether too

 

 

 

The Measure ot a Bank

The ability of any banking institution
is measured by its good name, its financial
resources and its physical equipment.

Judged by these standards we are proud
of our bank. It has always been linked
with the progress of its Community and
its resources are more than adequate.

Q

GRAND RAPIDS SAVINGS BANK

‘The Bank Where You Feel At Home’’
16 CONVENIENT OFFICES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRAND RAPIDS NATIONAL BANK

 

 

 

Established 1860—Incorporated 1865 — Nine Community Branches

GRAND RAPIDS NATIONAL COMPANY

Investment Securities
Affiliated with Grand Rapids National Bank

 

 

 

 

14

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

 

February 11, 1931

 

much healthy content and not enough
discontent.

On the other hand, too many of us
are engrossed in other activities:
politics, golf, clubs, lodges, or sports,
to study management. Too many of
us think we know it all anyway. Others
are actually too lazy to do more than
they really have to. Some think they
are too old, or act that way, to learn
new tricks and new methods. Hence
not only our business suffers, but the
whole hardware fraternity.

However, your attention is called to
the fact that it is “Management” which
“Points the Way,’ not “manager.”
Manager is singular but management is
collective. It embraces many if not all
of the essentials, which is our case in-
cludes:

Selection of site or location.

Selection and training of sales people
and office staff.

Selection of proper stationery and
business forms.

The proper keying or marking of
forms and stationery to enable one at
any future date to determine when said
forms were ordered, quantity purchas-
ed, price and from whom secured.

Office and store lighting arrange-
ment.

The adoption. of uniform insurance
policies and proper record of same.

The selection of best selling and
fast moving items in all lines in order
that investment may be cut to the
minimum and turnover increased to
the maximum.

Store and stock arrangement.

-Purchase control.

Sales control.

Margin control.

Expense control.

All of: which under proper manage-
ment gives is business control.
Efficient management and
to-day are more essential than ever
before. We find ourselves in a period
of depression greater than our country
has suffered from for many years.
Business and bank failures are at a

high point.

Production is at a low point.

We have an unemployment problem
possibly never before equalled.

Business in most instances is just
hanging on or beating time, with in-
creasing numbers daily letting go and
business into bank-

control

slipping out of
ruptcy.

And so as the beacon light brings
encouragement and hope to the storm
tossed mariner, the N. R. H. A. busi-
ness control, with proper management
pointing the way, brings hope, encour-
agement, and success to those who will
but adopt it.

Why not adopt control?

The great railroad systems require
their engineers to have their locomo-
tives under control at all times and
especially when nearing dangerous
points along the line.- ©

Captains of steam: ships must keep -

a watch or lookout continuously and
have their ships under perfect control
when entering or leaving. a port.
Motorists are cautionéd repeatedly
at dangerous points along the road,
“to have your car under control.”
Time will not permit our citing many

other instances where control is neces-

sary, but why stress this point fur-

ther? Successful mercherdisérs know

the value and necessity of careful
management.

The manager’s ability and mental
attitude will be reflected in his busi-
ness. His store and stock should be
clean, orderly and neat, with merchan-
dise attractively displayed.

He should be a consistent reader of
the Hardware Retailer, not only be-
cause he is a stockholder in this pub-
lication and it is our official organ, but
because it brings to him every month
all of the highlights and necessary in-
formation with regard to the success-
ful retailing of hardware. It is the one
and on!y publication which dares to
expose unethical practices and crooked
methods, even at the cost of advertis-
ing, in order to protect our members.

In conclusion, permit me to say a
word in behalf of the traveling sales-
man. He is human the same as we.
He is trying to make a living even as
you and I. He calls on us because he
wants our business. The least we can
do, if the salesman is a gentleman, and
most of them are, is to treat him as
such. Jf you have an order for him
give it to him as promptly as possible
and let him be on his way. The more
business you have for him and_ the
sooner he gets the order the more
valuable you ‘become to him and he
will give you the best he has to give.

Always remember that the traveler,
too, is under control; that his house
has for years used business control and
that they know only too well, that
which you eventually must know—that
“Management points the way.”

—__2>.___

Approve Standard Supply Sizes.
Suggested standard sizes for paper
bags, folding boxes, set-up boxes and
corrugated boxes used by department
stores and specialty were ap-
proved by about one hundred and fifty
manufacturers and retailers at a con-
ference of supply manufacturers held
at the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York,
last week under the auspices of the
Division of Simplified Practice of the
Bureau of Standards, with the request
that the division set up simplified prac-
tice recommendations for the four
types in question. Only one addition
was made to the lists of sizes, which
had previously been submitted to the
convention of the National Retail Dry
Goods Association and adopted. This
was to the list of folding boxes, which
now totals fifty-nine. The other lists
include twenty-eight sizes of paper
bags, 194 sizes of and
seventy-five sizes of corrugated boxes.
A. B. Galt of the Division of Simplified
Practice presided.
——__++
Underwear Cuts Sharp.
Reductions made by Southern pro-
ducers of ribbed heavyweight under-
wear in opening their Fall lines last
week were much sharper than was an-
ticipated by the trade. With down-
ward revisions ranging as high as
$1.3714 on the heavier weight union
suits, goods are now at the lowest
level since 1913, it was pointed out.
Some factors were of the opinion that
quotations were at rock bottom, and
that advances were possible, in the
event of any strength in cotton. Al-
though Northern manufacturers have
yet to name prices, buyers in the mar-

shops

set-up boxes

 

ket received a fair indication of the
new ranges. A few orders were placed,
particularly by Pacific Coast repre-
sentatives, but mills do not anticipate
any volume of business for some time.

——_~-+___
Find Chinaware Volume Better.
Current retail sales of china and

glassware exceed expectations. Pro-
motional events now in progress in re-
tail establishments have been satisfac-
tory in both units and dollar volume.
Because of these results buyers are
more confident of future business and
have placed larger initial orders than
at any time last year. Requests for
price concessions are still made, but
with less force than formerly.

 

1876 1931

INVESTMENT
SECURITIES

Our experience in over 55
years may be helpful to
you in your selection of
securities for investment.
Write for suggestions.

E. H. ROLLINS
& SONS

Founded 1876

Grand Rapids Savings Bank
Building, Grand Rapids

New York Chicago Philadelphia
San Francisco Los Angeles Boston
London Paris Milan

 

 

 

for
really clean hands

 

 

 
    

| Investment Bankers

Change

oF
Corporate

Name

—=j—

Fenton, Davis
& Boyle

 

 

Mid~ West
Securities

Corporation
Investment Bankers
DETROIT

GRAND RAPIDS

¢ =Phone 4212 : Fill
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POTUTTIT ETT TTT TTT OTTO STL OTT CCNA O TPCT TTT
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Phone 61366

JOHN L. LYNCH
SALES CO.

‘SPECIAL SALE EXPERTS
Expert Advertising
Expert Merchandising

209-210-211 Murray Bldg.
Grand Rapids, Michigan

 

 

 

MAKE YOUR OWN STORE SIGNS
AND SHGW CARDS
Attractive Displays, Banners, etc., with

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Easy, fast, interesting, and economical.
Send for free descriptive folder & prices.

NATIONAL SIGN STENCIL CO., Inc.,
1622 University Ave., St. Paul, Minn.

 

 

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The Brand You Know
by HART

 

Look for the Red Heart
on the Can

LEE & CADY
_———————————————————————————

Distributor

 

 

FRIED CAKES
A Delicious Home Made Product
WHOLESALE and RETAIL
MAPES FRIEDCAKE SHOP

No. 1 N. Div. Ave., in Basement
: Phone 48822

 

 

>

 

ope eee

af

 

February 11, 1931

MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE

Rating Expert Says Fire Bugs Rob
Public.

“Let me give you an idea of how
arson affects every policyholder,” said
an expert of a state rating bureau,
when questioned recently about incen-
diary fires. “In many instances the
building which is to be burned con-
tains a valuable stock of goods or fur-
niture which is fully insured. Such
fires usually result in total destruction
of the building and contents.

 

“Tn one building, when the plot was
discovered before the torch had been
applied, a disastrous fire with possibly
heavy life loss was avoided. It hap-
pened that a workman on an adjoining
building noticed the roof of the struc-
ture in question sagging. Investiga-
tion showed that the supports between
the floors of the building had either
been sawed in two or entirely remov-
ed. Had the fire been set the struc-
ture would have collapsed almost im-
mediately, doubtless taking the lives
of firemen called to the scene.

“When a prepared fire of this na-
ture is started it is usually out of con-
trol by the time the fire apparatus re-
sponds and when flames gain such
momentum they often sweep to ad-
joining or neighboring properties. A
heavy loss thus results not only in the
original property but in other build-
ings, whose owners are innocent of
arso,

“There are various types of fire
bugs. Some burn simply for revenge.
Then there is the pyromaniac, who
must be discovered and curbed, so that
the public need not suffer from his
By far the
largest group, however, is made up of
those who burn for greed. Some burn
other. people’s property for the fee
they can collect; others burn their own
property. In any event, the result is
the same. Heavy losses are suffered
every year from these fires. In fact,
the actual amount of loss cannot even
be estimated with an degree of accu-
racy because evidence of the crime is
so often wiped out by the fire.

“Tt now becomes clear how the fire
bug robs the public. The annual fire
losses are swelled tremendously
through arson fires, and since the cost
of insurance depends upon the burning
rate in each section, premiums cannot
be reduced to the lower level possible
if such heavy losses were not sustained
in this type of fire.”

When asked how the situation might
be improved, he said: “The main
trouble is that the public is not ac-
quainted with the facts and aroused to
the point where it will demand that
prosecuting attorneys push arson cases
to a successful conclusion and try to
obtain convictions. Yet editors of
newspapers are taking greater interest
in these cases and are writing vigor-
ous editorials. Fire and police au-
thorities, in co-operation with the
arson squads of the National Board of
Fire Underwriters, have put forth
strenuous efforts in many states. The
poor. results so far obtained can be
traced to the reasons just given.
Nevertheless insurance companies are
making it increasingly difficult for per-
sons suspected of having had an arson
fire, or who have been connected with

insane desire to set fires.

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

such a fire, to obtain insurance protec-
tion. Once people realize what is hap-
pening and how it affects their pocket-
books they will demand protection
from the fire criminal.”

—_»+~+-—__—_

Fire Bugs Scored as Murderers.

Perhaps the one thing firemen dread
is the fire that has been “prepared or
set.” Such fires are the worst enemies
of firemen, for the buildings are usual-
ly burning so fiercely by the time the
apparatus arrives that there is little or
no chance to extinguish the flames. In
other instances the firemen reach the
scene before the entire building is in-
volved and carry in their hose lines to
battle the flames or go to the upper
floors to rescue persons trapped by the
heat and smoke. Time and again ex-
plosions occur, injuring or killing the
men outright or cutting off their es-
cape.

Take as an example the story of a
fire in a Kansas City pharmacy which
was totally destroyed and in which
four firemen were killed while fighting
the flames. Six men were arrested for
murder and arson in connection with
this fire, one of whom committed sui-
cide, while another was recently sen-
tenced to the penitentiary for life.
Again, a fire in a St. Louis hotel burn-
ed seven persons to death and injured
tes others. One of the two employes
who made confessions in connection
with this fire was convicted and sen-
tenced to death. The trials of other
men involved will come up shortly.

Fire bugs are also enemies of the
American public because their crimes
result in the death of many innocent
victims and the destruction of huge
quantities of property. In view of
this it is curious that there should be
such a general lack of interest and
concern on the part of the public.

>»
Corporations Wound Up.

The following Michigan corporations
have recently filed notices of dissolu-
tion with the Secretary of State:
Norton-Blair-Douglas, Inc., Detroit.
Sales Service Corp., Kalamazoo,
Builders Development Corp., Highland

Park.

Acco Carburetor Co., Detroit.

Schust Managers Corp., Saginaw.

Rosedale Development Corp., Detroit.

South Lansing Land. Co., Lansing.

Manufacturers Commercial Corp., De-
troit,

Robert Bosch Magneto Co., Inc., De-
troit.

Winthrop Iron Co., Marquette.

White and Black ‘Spot, Inc., Detroit

Charter Oak Corp., Detroit.

Central Transit Co., Fenton.

Pittsburg United Corp., Mt. Pleasant.

Jervis B. Webb Co., Detroit.

Holland Motor Co., Holland.

Corman Aircraft Corp., Wayne.

Bark-Pack Oil Co., Montague.

F. & L. Phillips ‘Co., Detroit.

Christian Community Building Asso-
ciation, Inc.. Grand Rapids.

Huron Hills Estates, Detroit.

Gerald Mark’s Song Shop, Detroit.

French, Shriner & Urner, Detroit.

General Printing Co., Detroit.

Peoples Service Corp., Saginaw.

Woodward Washing ‘Machine Co., De-
troit.

Consumer’s Tire Stores, Inc., Muske-
gon.

Rochester Development Corp., Detroit

Paris Oil and Gas Co., Grand Rapids.

Crystal Sand & Gravel Co., Battle

Creek.

Michigan Bulb Propagating Co., Byron

Center.

Wenonah Theater Co., Bay Citv.
Belleville Milling Co., Belleville.

First State Bank of Royal Oak, Royal
Oak.

Royal ‘Oak State Trust and Savings
Bank, Royal Oak.

Traveiers ‘Service, Inc., Detroit.

Onaway and North Michigan Railway
Co., Onaway.

Herbert C. Heller & Co., Detroit.

- Jim’s Auto Supply, Detroit.

Sterling Tailors, Detroit.

Halverson Lumber & Salt Co., Bay
City:

Kellogg Box Board Co., Battle Creek.

Park American Realty Co., Kalamazoo.

Baker Wheel Co., Detroit.

Thompson Industries, Inc., Royal Oak.

W. G. Peterson Co., Ironwood.

American ‘Banking ‘Machine
Saginaw.

Chintz Shop., Inc., Detroit.

Huron ‘Heights Co., Detroit.

Gloor-Glasgow, Inc., Brighton.

Gladdon Electric Co.. Detroit.

Hackley & Hume Co., Limited, Mus-
kegon.

Girlesk, Inc., Detroit.

Ionia Hotel Co., Ionia,

Denver Oil Development Co., Mt.
Pleasant.

Ligonier Refrigerating Co., Detroit.

Martin-Parry Corn., Detroit.

Ke -€. Richardson Construction Co.,
Grand Rapids.

Best-Clymer Co., Detroit.

Matson Construction Co., Grand Rap-
ids.

East Jordan Cabinet Co., East Jordan.

Cook Motor ‘Co., Ionia.

Gurney Sales & Service Co., Royal
Oak.

3av Orange
Owosso.

D. A. C. Garage, Detroit.

Shelden Construction Co., Detroit.

Davis, Mason, England Co.. Jackson.

Four-Twenty-One West Huron Street
Corp:. Pontiac.

Stratford Arms Hotel Co., Detroit.

Fenn Mfg., Charlotte.

MacDonald Bros. Engineering Lab-
oratories, Inc., Detroit.

Fields Mining Corp., Lansing.

Corp.,

Crush Beverage Co.,

15

O'Maltey Realty Co., Detroit. —
Lloyd Tire & Battery Co., Manistee.
Crude Oil Co., of Michigan, Muskegon.
Kent-Barry Oil Company, Detroit.
Aetna Steel Co., Detroit.
Bi-County Fuel & Gas Co., Watervliet
McKerry-Hayes Co., Detroit.
Lasco Publications, Inc., Detroit.
H. Merton Clark, Inc., Lansing.
B. & M. Transfer Co., Grand Rapids.
Home Real Estate & Improvement
Co., Jackson.
River ‘Raisin Fur Farms, Inc., Dundee.
National Butchers Supply Co., Detroit.
Sommers Bros. ‘Match Co., Saginaw.
G. N. Wagner Lumber & Shingle Co.,
Grand Rapids. j
Diamond Match Co., Detroit.
LaSalle Building Co., Detroit.
Second Boulevard Realty Corp., De-
trot.
Greater Farmington Corp., Detroit.
Tyler Co., Cleveland-Detroit.
ae
A great deal of talent is lost in the
world for want of a little courage.
Every day sends to their graves ob-
scure men whom timidity prevented
from making a first effort; who, if they
could have been induced to begin
would in all probability have gone
great lengths in the career of fame.
The fact is, that to do anything in the
world worth doing, we must not stand
back shivering and thinking of the
cold and danger, but jump in and
scramble through as well as we can. It
will not do to be perpetually calculat-
ing risks and readjusting nice chances,
a man waits, and doubts, and consults
his brother, and his particular friends,
until one day he finds he is 60 years old
and that he has lost so much time in
consulting cousins and friends that
he has no more time to follow their
advice.

 

Affiliated with

320 Houseman Bldg.

The Michigan
Retail Dry Goods Association

Insuring Mercantile property and dwellings
Present rate of dividend to policy holders 30%

THE GRAND RAPIDS MERCHANTS MUTUAL
FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY

Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

 

OUR FIRE INSURANCE
POLICIES ARE CONCURRENT

with any standard stock policies that
you are buying

The Ne cots BO% Less

Michigan Bankers and Merchants Mutual Fire Insurance Co.
of Fremont, Michigan

 

 

WILLIAM N. SENF, Sect etary -Tresuc:

 

 

 

 

16

MEN OF MARK.

 

Percy Owen, President of the Muller
Bakeries, Incorporated.

The blended goods mellowed by age
were the finished product of the -last
generation. That rare concoction, as
mellow as the moonlight and as potent
as the mid-day sun, penetrated deep
and held a charmed spell. Truly might
it have been called a veritable bracer
for Colonels and Potentates and am-
brosia for the Gods. It lingers as a
revered memory to most of us, a potion
almost extinct.

Once in a generation the rarefied
blend of business acumen and whole-
some sentiment manifests itself in the
lure for dollars. The average success-
ful business man is under the mesmeric
influence of momentum and its twin
sister, efficiency. “Cut the corners’ is
the policy. ‘‘ Get there in a hurry and
then hold everything.” Push the ob-
structions away. If they be human
obstacles, leave them bruised and bat-
tered by the wayside, if necessary, but
reach the goal. The quality of mercy
is ail right in the home, but it is a
menace to business. There we have
the popular slant, maybe not the in-
fallible rule, but a principle condoned
and courted by many successful busi-
ness ventures.

Yet out of the debacle of greed and
selfishness ever so often emerges a
successful business man of an entirely
different caliber. The mold is differ-
ent and although composite parts of
the fiber may include strength, de-
termination and ability, the other b‘end,
kindness, is also present, which almost
defies the rarefied product. It is the
human blend with its sentiment, toler-
ance and unfailing generosity for a
fellow man—the personal element, un-
tarnished by the greed of progress and
commercial inhibitions.

No matter what line of business
Percy Owen may be engaged in at the
time, everybody goes to him for ad-
vice. He straightens out marital
troubles, helps the unemployed head
of the household get a job, sees that
the unfortunate widow has the where-
withal to replenish the family larder,
and yet through it all keeps his equi-
librium. His keen powers of percep-
tion enable him to distinguish the good
from the bad. He senses the “touch”
of the imposter and goes into his jeans
only when the application for money
is merited. The great soul of the hu-
manitarian is tempered by the infinite
wisdom of the watchful business man,
so Percy Owen and the business he
guides prosper away beyond all prece-
dent, the public believe in him, and his
life and influence sell him to his job
and make his connection with his
house a source of pleasure and profit
to all concerned.

Several times in the past, after many
notable achievements to his credit, Mr.
Owen has conceived the idea of re-
tiring from hard and rigid service for
a time, but this active brain gives him
ho rest and he soon realizes that the
fancied peace in solitude is all a fan-
tasy. Percy Owen was born to ac-
complish things and the spirit of un-
rest whispers to him, “You have many
things to do, go on your way.” He
harkens to the still small voice and his
step becomes sprightly and the mere

 

Se a a

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

thought of idleness rolls from _ his
shoulders. Again he is the alert busi-
ness man, fighting for a new foothold.
It is not a question of needing the
money. ‘He has plenty of this world’s
goods, but he requires mental stimula-
tion and business contact. He needs to
brush up against the world again and
to fight for new laurels. Does he win
in the momentous fight or is it a fight
to him at all? It would have been a
fight to the uninitiated, but Percy
Owen has already been through the
mill and his new activities, which as-
sume real proportions to the multitude,
are but the pranks of the dynamic play-
boy to him. He gets a big kick out
of making good again. Does he make
good? Read the record of his achieve-
ments recorded below and form your

 

surance agency. His work was most-
ly confined to the inspection of fac-
tory plants, in which he became very
proficient. After two years in this
branch of business, he decided that it
offered less opportunity for advance-
ment than individual effort in some
other line, and took the New York
City agency for the Winton automo-
bile, one of the earliest aspirants for
public favor in the automobile field.
Four years later he relinquished the

Winton agency to take the representa- ~

tion of the ‘Chalmers automobile. His
success in exploiting this machine was
so marked that he was called into the
factory at Detroit to take the position
of director and sales manager. He con-
tinued with the Chalmers organization
five years, when he joined: others in

Percy Owen.

own conclusion. It would be, indeed,
fortunate to the business world, to
humanity, and especially to the people
of Grand Rapids and Michigan if the
ideals of Percy Owen could be trans-
planted into the consciousness of each
ensuing generation.

Percy Owen was born at Oswego,
N. Y., Jan. 19, 1882. His antecedents
were Welsh on his father’s side, 260
years remote from Wales. His mother
was descended from old Revolutionary
stock. He completed his education in
the high school of Oswego and found
congenial employment in the office of
a fire insurance agent. He made a
thorough study of the theory and prac-
tice of fire insurance in all its branch-
es, achieving a reputation which took
him to New York City at the age of
20 to act as field man for a large in-

the creation of the Liberty Motor Car
Co., with which the remained seven
years. He then joined forces with
Herbert Hoover in organizing the Bu-
reau of Foreign and Domestic Com-
merce. Two years later he became
one of the principal officers of the
Dodge Motor Co., assuming the man-
agement of the export department,
where the sales amounted to $40,000,-
000 per year. A year later he became
an officer of the American Brake Shoe
and Foundry Co., assuming the Presi-
dency of one of the subsidiary com-
panies. Two and a half years ago he
joined others in the organization of the
Associated Management in Detroit,
becoming a stockholder, director and
adviser to the President of the organ-
ization. Jan. 1 of this year he was
elected President of the: Muller Baker-

February 11, 1931

ies, Incorporated, which he proposes
to place ona higher standard of
achievement than it has ever before
occupied. For the present he will con-
tinue to reside in Detroit, taking up
his residence in Grand Rapids as soon
as an available location can be secured.

Mr. Owen was married to Miss
Marian Nichols, of Boston, in 1906.
They have one son, now 23 years old,
who is the youngest member of the
New York Stock Exchange. He is
connected with the investment house
of S. R. Livingston & Co.

‘Mr. Owen divides his church attend-
ance between the Presbyterian and
Episcopal churches. He is a Knights
Templar, but has no other fraternal
relations.

Mr. Owen enters upon his new un-
dertaking in the belief that if the
Muller Bakeries produce as _ good
bread as money and science can ac-
complish and give the people the ser-
vice which such a product deserves he
can increase the volume of the output,
perhaps tenfold. He enters upon this
undertaking without any misgivings.
He has instructed his bakers to buy
the best ingredients to be obtained in
the markets of the world and produce
a result which will make the Holsum
product the standard of excellence. If
they follow his instructions and ac-
complish all he expects at their hands,
he will do the rest, because he is a
master salesman and can do for the
Mu‘ler Bakeries what he has done for
other organizations time and _ time
again.

—_—_—_+++—___

Scores Cheap Neckwear Reports.

Frequent reports of the development
of new and lower price ranges in neck-
wear, particularly those from 50 cents
to $1, are criticized as apt to be mis-
leading by Jesse Langsdorf, head of
Franc, Strohmenger & Cowan, Inc.,
and president of the Associated Men’s
Neckwear Industries, Inc. Mr. Cowan
states that numerous small manufac-
turers are producing low-end goods,
but that the bulk of the business
throughout the country was still being
done in the established price ranges,
such as $1, $1.50, $2, etc. The pro-
ducers who were maintaining their
established brackets, he said, were giv-
ing much better values for the same
price.

——+-- + ___
Better Pewter Trend Continues.

Selling agents handling pewterware
report a steady demand for better
goods in that field since the first of the
month. Stores that ordered pieces re-
tailing from $2.95 to $5 early in Janu-
ary have re-ordered in good quantities
this month. In addition a number of
buyers have placed initial orders in the
present week for medium and better
merchandise in@order to “dress up”
current stocks of sales merchandise.
The initial orders have been for small
quantities for immediate delivery. Or-
ders for low-end pewter continue nu-
merous, with an exceptionally heavy
demand for pepper and salt sets retail-
ing around $1.

——
Not Business.

Pauline (indignantly): You had no
business to kiss me! :

Paul: But it wasn’t business—it was
pleasure.

amy

 

{amy

 

February 11, 1931

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

17

 

FOUR ESSENTIALS
To the Successful Sale of Hardware
Merchandise.*

In any formula that might be written
for retail store operation, sales volume
must appear as a primary factor.

Sales are the source of all operating
income—the sales dollar must pay for
the goods we buy, meet our expenses
and yield a profit, if we are to have a
profit.

In our preceding session we dis-
cussed those controls which have to
do with conserving the dollar received
from sales—managing it so that there
is an adequate margin after paying for
stocks, keeping expenses within rea-
sonable bounds so that a profit re-
mains after they are paid from margin,
and managing stocks so tht invested
dollars do not repose unduly on our
shelves in non-sellers and slow-movers.

To-day’s session has to do with get-
ting the sales dollar.

lf there ever was a time when cus-
tom gravitated naturally to our stores,
that time is gone. The adage that
“Everything comes to him who waits”
has been replaced by the axiom that
“Only disappointment comes to him
who merely waits.”

The world is full, and getting fuller
(if that is possible) of go-getters, using
the utmost in push, persistence and in-
genuity to capture the dollars that the
Smiths have to spend. To sit idly and
wait for trade is to see it go by to
those who are more assertive.

For economy as well as effectiveness
of effort, our selling activities must be
planned, considering customer’s wants
and their buying practices.

Selling effort without a well-founded
and carefully considered plan may have
all the motions and much of the ap-
pearance of aggressive merchandising.
But lacking the sound bases of regard
for consumers’ wants and buying prac-
tices, such activity is a fruitless ex-
penditure of energy and money.

Consideration of consumers’ wants
presupposes a knowledge of their
wants, a knowledge in which too many
of us are deficient. We are too com-
monly given to assume that we know
our customers’ circumstances and their
merchandise requirements, when as a
matter of fact we have only a vague
and incomplete idea of what they need
or might buy.

Which ‘idea on our part is matched
by their equally vague and incomplete
comprehension of our stocks and mer-
chandising service.

Correction of this condition lies in
better acquaintance and mutual under-
standing between ourselves and the
Smiths of our territory, to foster which
we have opportunities surpassing those
available to any of our much discussed
competitors.

No market analysis utilizing general
information plus such incidental and
impersonal contacts as are possible to
our chain competitors can approach in
directness and effectiveness information
obtainable through personal contacts
by ourselves individually or a suitable
representative visiting every household
in our territory.

But how many of us have done this
systematically and found out definitely

*Paper read at hardware convention by
L. F. Wolf, of Marine City,

 

the equipment in use in our customers’
homes, and thus  inferentially or
through their positive statements
learned what they need and may be
thinking of buying?

In considering our customers’ buy-
ing practices we must recognize and
adopt the new methods that they have
come to utilize, at the instigation, per-
haps of competitive influences.

If larger items of equipment are be-
ing introduced to our customers direct-
ly in their homes, we shall have to do
likewise or forego the sales.

If they are given the convenience of
installment payments on articles of
considerable value, we shall have to
accommodate our methods to their
wishes, within reason.

If others use the newspapers and the
mail to take their selling messages fre-
quently to our customers, we must
match their efforts or take the risk of
being forgotten.

When the Smiths visit our stores
they must find them as clean as the
cleanest store in any line of retailing,
with merchandise out where they can
see it, and with enough illumination
that they won’t strain their eyes, or
overlook the qualities of our goods be-
cause of obscuring shadows.

And those who man our stores to
serve 'the Smiths must not only know
the merchandise so well as to be able
to answer any questions concerning it,
but also must be able to determine
correctly the needs of the individual
Smiths and to fit the sale to the cus-
tomer.

Progressiveness in sales promotion
personal salesmanship and arrangement
and display of stock, preceded by inti-
mate and complete knowledge of our
selling opportunities is required to win
the Smith’s dollars these days.

——_—_—_»7 + —____
Another Crop of Real Estate Specula-
tions Growing Up.

Sebring, Florida, Feb. 6—At a mass
meeting held at the city hall, in the
city of Sebring on the evening of Feb.
6, a resolution was adopted extending
the thanks of the people of the city to
the publisher of the Michigan Trades-
man, and Harry M. Royal, the versatile
correspondent of the Tradesman and
other Northern publications.

A man representing large business
interests through the Southern states
and California told me to-day that he
had never been in Michigan, but had
kept in touch with the State through
having been a constant reader of the
Michigan Tradesman He said that
was the only publication from that
State that had so far attracted his at-
tention. It seemed to him to have a
considerable circulation through all the
states in which he had traveled.

At a Florida town of considerable
size and reputation, there was a meet-
ing recently sponsored by the Cham-
ber of Commerce to raise money to
perpetuate the organization through
the coming year.

Grosvenor Dawe, who is well-known
through the South, made a very elo-
quent and telling address, and in it re-
ferred to the fact, not very flattering,
that their Chamber of Commerce had
been run the past year on an average of
$8 per week. The pastor of the lead-
ing Methodist church in a brief ad-
dress remarked that in his church he
had raised on one Sunday several
thousand dollars.

‘This led somebody to remark that
on account of the unsettled conditions
of the Florida real estate market at
present, the people generally were in-
clined to the opinion that investments
in heaven were preferable.

Anybody in the state who can create
a literary composition of ten words
and up finds itafruitful occupation to

tell just how the local bond questions

are going to be settled. And there
will not be much done in the way of
general civic progress until the Su-
preme Court shuts them off. There
is another crop of real estate specu-
lators and bag-holders growing up
who will ‘be ready by the time the at-
mosphere is properly purified by Su-
preme Court decisions. H. Y. Potts.

——
Other Flannel Lines Opened.
Additional lines of plain and fancy
outing flannels for 1931 were opened
last week by the Hunter Manufactur-
ing and Commission Co., Catlin-Farish

poration.

Co., Inc., and the Rosemary Sales Cor-
While the earliest opening
prices this year were 2 to 2%4c below
last season’s opening quotations, it was
understood that prices have been shad-
ed slightly since then on the most com-
petitive numbers and that the market
is now established on this lower basis.
Quotations are regarded as very low
and should be attractive to buyers, al-
though no immediate purchases are
expected.
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18

DRY GOODS

Michigan Retail Dry Goods Association.

President—J. B. Mills, Detroit.

First Vice-President—Geo. E. Martin,
Benton Harbor.

Second Vice-President—J. T. Milliken,
Traverse City.

Secretary-Treasurer—Thomas Pitketh-
ly, Flint.

Manager—Jason E. Hammond, Lansing.

 

Re-organization of Michigan Retailers
Council.

Lansing, Feb. 9—In 1921 eight Mich-
igan retailers associations met in Lan-
sing for the organization of a federa-
tion by the name of the Michigan Re-
tailers Council. This Council was
composed of the President, Secretary
and Manager of the following organ-
izations:

Michigan Retail Hardware Associa-
tion.

Michigan Retail] Furniture Dealers
Association.

‘Michigan State Pharmaceutical As-
sociation.

Michigan Retail Dry Goods Associa-
tion.

Michigan Retail Grocers and Meat
Dealers Association.

Michigan Clothiers Association.

Michigan Retail Shoe Dealers As-
sociation.

Michigan Implement Dealers As-
sociation.

Frequent conferences were held up
to and including the legislature of 1927.
It did not seem necessary to meet for
re-organization two years ago for the
legislature of 1929, but since there
seems to be a demand for the enact-
ment of certain laws which affect the
interests of retailers, the officers of the
above associations met at Lansing on
Jar. 28 anu re-organized for co-opera-
tion during the present legislative ses-
sion.

Hon. C. L. Glasgow, of Nashville,
was re-elected President of the Coun-
cil and Jason E. Hammond, of Lan-
sing, was made Secretary-Treasurer. A
small fee was charged to each associa-
tion to pay the expenses of postage,
printing, clerical hire, etc. By com-
municating directly with the officers
of the above named associations, Mr.
Hammond will keep the retailers of
Michigan informed as to pending legis-
lation. Any communications sent di-
rect to him at Lansing will receive his
personal attention.

Here is a plan to defraud merchants
which was recently successfully oper-
ated in Eastern Michigan. Two girls
bougnt $1,000 worth of furniture on
time payments of $60,000 per month
and paid regularly for three months.
The fourth month they gave their per-
sonal check for $120 and received $60
in cash. On successive months other
personal checks were gven varying
from $120 to $200 of which $60 went
on account and the balance to the cus-
tomer in cash. Finally payments
stopped altogether.

The account showed a balance of
$000 and was turned over for collec-
tion. The girls claim that the account
had been paid in full and produced
their cancelled checks as proof. When
the store tried to repossess they start-
ed suit against the store. Their can-
celled checks totaled $1,000 and they
won the suit. This was possible be-
cause the store did not itemize on the
checks how much had been paid on
account and how much had been given
the customer in cash.

We have heard recently that J. B.
Sperry was none too well, also that he
had gone to Boston for treatment and
complete rest. A letter from Clare
savs that he is now improving. Mr.
Sperry was missed very much at the
annual meeting of-our insurance com-
pany and resolutions and a floral token
were sent to him. His address is 910
Boylston street, Boston, Mass. Those
of you who are well and having a good
time might take a few minutes off to
drop Mr. Sperry an encouraging letter.

Jason E, Hammond,
Mer. Mich. Retail Dry Goods Ass’n.

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

Toy Fair Now On.

With exhibits made by approximate-
ly 700 manufacturers, the toy fair
sponsored by the Toy Fair Chamber of
Commerce is now on and will continue
until Feb. 28, accordng to H. D. Clark,
secretary of the Chamber. The largest
concentration of exhibitors is in the
Hotel McAlpin, where some 200 lines
are shown. Displays are also made
at the Imperial and Martinique Hotels,
the Fifth avenue building and local
showrooms.

Commenting on the volume of buy-
ing likely to be done at the fair, Mr.
Clark said that salesmen returning
from the road bring reports of very
small stocks in retailers’ hands. Buyers,
they say, have indicated their intention
of placing orders in a more definite
way than at this time in previous years.
During the last month, Mr. Clark
added, manufacturers have received a
large number of orders calling for im-
mediate delivery. While small on the
average, the total business has indi-
cated improvement.

———_»++___

Report Early Call For Slip-Covers.

An active business on linen fabrics
for furniture  slip-covers and_ for
theatrical gauze for Summer, window
curtains is reported ‘by linen import-
ers in the New York market. The de-
mand for both kinds of fabric has come
earlier than usual.and gives every evi-
dence of continuing throughout the
season. In the cotton curtain field,
both converters and manufacturers re-
port business as “spotty.” The strong
demand which developed around the
middle of last month has disappeared
and buyers are ordering only in small
lots to fill immediate requirements.
Some thought has been given by con-
verters to Fall lines to be ready in
June. Opinions at present are that
staple goods, including marquisettes
and nets, will be in demand at that
time.

2 -

Lamp Men Fight Added Discounts.

Reports that lamp and lamp shade
manufacturers are determined to take
a firm stand against requests for better
terms from stores and group buyers
are current in the trade. Officials Of
the Lamp Guild and other agencies of
the manufacturers in the industry are
considering what action can be taken
to prevent volume buyers from forcing
demands upon the producers. Some
of the buyers, who have been getting
volume discounts of 5 per cent. in ad-
dition to the regular 2 per cent. for
cash, are reported insisting on an in-
crease of 3 per cent. despite the op-
position of manufacturers. Business
in the market is slow at present, but
is expected to increase sharply later in
the week when many buyers are sched-
uled to make visits here.

—_—_—_2>>___
To Show Many New Dolls.

A strong effort is being made by the
doll trade to pull itself out of the
slump which featured the business last
year. Manufacturers plan to show
more than 300 new versions of dolls at
the Toy Fair which started this week
in New York City and _ continues
through the month. The offerings fea-
ture new faces and forms and the latest
styles in doll apparel. Character dolls
retain their strong popularity. The

trade last year suffered from its own
ingenuity as well as the general busi-
ness setback, according to H. D. Clark,
secretary of the Toy Fair Chamber of
Commerce. The perfection of the un-
breakable head in this country cut
breakage to almost nothing as com-
pared with bisque or porcelain heads.
> -e-

Glass Orders Show Slight Gain.

Orders received by manufacturers
of window glass were in somewhat
better volume this week, although not
sufficient either in number or size to
indicate any very general replenish-
ment of stocks by the distributing
trade. Marketing conditions in this
branch continue rather unsatisfactory,
and leading factors are hopeful of an
early improvement. The demand for
plate glass is showing a gradual in-
crease and during the remainder of this
month should continue to improve.
Production of this year’s new models
is now getting under way in earnest at
the automobile factories and a corre-
sponding stimulus of consumption is
in order.

+.

Growing Tomatoes ‘n Greenhouses.

Greenhouse tomatoes ripened on the
vine are usually better than those
grown out-of-doors in the Winter and
Spring, picked green and shipped al!
the way from the South Atlantic and
Gulf Coast States. Although the in-
tensive culture and heavy expense re-
quired for growing tomatoes under
glass make them more costly than
those grown out-of-doors, the house-
wife usually finds the greater cost
justified because of the higher quality
of the greenhouse tomatoes. In winter
and early spring tomatoes are usually
served as a salad or as an ingredient
of salads and “a little bit goes a long
way.”

> + +
House Dress Giving Competition.
This season has seen a_ notably

strong development of the house dress
which is giving far greater competition
than heretofore to dresses in higher
price ranges. The decline in prices of
fabrics has enabled the use of silks of
good quality in the so-called house
dress instead of the lower grade cloths
formerly employed. As a consequence,
it is asserted, the term “house dress”
is becoming a misnomer, as the gar-
ment is now being worn for general
day wear. The resulting competition
has affected dresses in the $10 to $15
retail] price range particularily. Gar-
ments to sell at these figures must
show greater value.
—
The Scarf Is Important.

What with the array of collarless
coats and suits fashion promises us
this Spring, the scarf becomes an im-
portant aid to chic. Have you suc-
cumbed to the charms of one of the
new gray costumes? Then a scarf in
gray. white and navy along with navy
blue shoes, hat and bag will accent its
smartness. Do you cling to black? A
black and white scarf is a striking ad-
junct. Are you wary of the current
rage for stripes and plaids and Paisleys,
so far as dresses are concerned?. A
scarf provides the essence of their
chic in concentrated form. Combina-
tions of plaid with a matching plain
color strike a new note.

.

 

February 1i, 1931

Hanes Underwear Cut Up To 17 Per
Cent.

Sharp reductions on heavyweight
ribbed underwear, ranging up to 17
per cent. were made last week by the
P. H. Hanes Knitting Co., in opening
its 1931 lines. No quotations are giv-
en by the company for publication, but
in the trade it is learned that the
“Twyn Rib” union suit is priced at $6
for the 12 pound, latch needle, ribbed
number, a reduction of $1.25 from last
year. The 14 and 16 pound numbers
are listed at $6.50 and $7, respectively.
The branded line is priced $1 higher.
On the branded goods freight is pre-
paid, with an extra trade discount of
2 per cent. for early detailed orders.

—_——_+~- + ____
Variety Marks New Hats.

Hats have gone individual, and the
way they are worn is quite as import-
ant as the matter of selection. These
two basic ideas were stressed at the
Spring fashion show of the Retail
Millinery Association of America the
other day, where scores of advance
mode's were shown to a large audience.
Straws carried off high honors, rela-
tively few felts being shown and those
mostly for tailored or sports wear. The
straw brim with a tricot or knitted
crown (shallower than ever) was a
prominent theme. Color contrast was
another — introduced in contrasting
brims or by way of trimming.

—__+~2.—_—

Orders For Electrical Goods Lag.

With both jobbing houses and de-
partment stores showing a lack of in-
terest in regular merchandise, sales
agents for electrical household appli-
ances predict that this month’s sales
volume will show a decline compared
with the corresponding month last
year. January’s sales fell behind those
of January, 1930, but producers are
confident that buyers will be in the
market this week to place Spring or-
ders. The number of orders heing
booked at this time is small and re-
quests are mostly for goods needed to
supplement present stocks
merchandse.

of sales

. — +o
Price Stressed in Boys’ Wear.

In their buying of boys’ clothing for
are placing definite
emphasis on new and lower-price rang-
es, according to trade comment.
Whereas in former years, merchants
used to promote the $10 and $14.95
prices as standard ranges for boys’
four-piece suits, at the present time
they are purchasing outfits to retail at
$7.95 and $10. In line with this em-
phasis on lower prices, stores are seek-
ing other stimulants for boys’ wear, in-
cluding the possible return to a two-
piece suit or a three-piece outfit, the
vest to be eliminated in the latter suit.

Spring retailers

2.
Colors Revived in Kitchenware.
Kitchenware made up in solid colors
of yellow, green and blue is far more
popular for Spring than either the
white or cream styles. Convinced after
several trials last year that the pastel
shades and the light-colored articles
are of doubtful appeal to housewives
producers have gone back to colorful
goods. Business booked during Jan-
uary, especially on kitchen pottery,
was greater in volume than for some
time. Prices have firmed on the low
levels established last year,

 

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February. 11, 1931

SHOE MARKET

Michigan Retail Shoe Dealers Association.
President—Elwyn Pond, Flint.
Vice-President—J. E. Wilson, Detroit
Secretary—Joe H. Burton, Lansing.
Asst. See’y-Treas.—O. R. Jenkins.
Association Business Office, 907 Trans-

portation Bldg., Detroit.

 

The Perennial Promise of Springtime.
The early buying weeks of January
have indicated to the industry at large
the beginning of a brave, steady march
toward spring. Buyers have been in
the market-places—and for that matter
they still are—searching for goods on
which a profit can be made.
have
season has

From the orders that been
placed, the spring been
broken into two sections—an early and
late season—with most of the demand
for shipments in four to six weeks—to
cover the first flush of the public’s
buying for spring. New and wanted
patterns and materials for spring are
not easy to get. Buyers found great
difficulty in getting smartly trimmed
patterns and combinations with = six
week delivery dates. The answer to
that is the task of assembling all the
little things that go into shoes, without
piling up factory inventories of odds
and ends of supplies.

The Boston shoe market was both®
a delight and a delusion. A de-
light to those sharp-shooters wanting
unusual shoes at a low cost that would
stand a very high mark-up. For ex-
ample, we saw gingerbread types of
shoes Rhought for $3.25, which some
buyers were going to sell at $15. Pre-
posterous you might say; but never-
theless very true—because with the
background of these high-grade stores,
forty-eight pairs of these novelties
would sell at fancy prices because of
their unusual style interest.

This may be shrewd and cunning
merchandising but what do you think
of electric clocks at $39.50 special value
—at a purchase price of $6.25?

Long profits on specialties, if for no
other reason than it picks up the level
of profits on regular lines that are
sold close.

By and large, with shoes at lower
unit costs, the regular business of a
store will be operated on less gross
mark-up. ‘Some economies can be ef-
fected through reductions of expenses
—particularly rent. The hope of every
merchant is that at the end there will
be a margin between the cost of doing
business and the average selling price.
When merchants get “the taste of
blood” in sweet profits per pair on
specialties, it whets their appetite. The
regular diet of shoes is the big meal of
business that sustains it. The sparkle
of spice encourages business.

Now, on the ‘buying of shoes by the
volume trade in Boston, for example.
What's a nibble to a volume buyer
might represent a thousand cases; but
when that is spread over two hundred
stores, it isn’t much. The volume buy-
ers were in a nibbling mood. They
know that back on the shelves in many
a chain store is a great supply of odds
and ends of sizes that even dollar sales
won't clear.

So the shoes that have been bought
have been in the free selling middle
sizes, in the hopes that two pairs of
odds and ends will move to one of
the new purchases. ‘But spring busi-
ness usually doesn’t work that way.

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

The public is in the mood for new
shoes and pretty shoes.

Just as the florist sells
spring flowers in February at excellent
prices—while roses and the heavy
bouquets are forgotten by the public.
The mood of all mankind is in the di-
rection of hurrying spring and one of
the first indications (outside of the
pussywillows in the florist’s shop) is
new and pretty shoes.

So there is a promise of a brighten-
ing Spring and an industry would do
well to look for new shoes and new
thrills for a public that has had quite
enough of clearances. The public has
been “old-shoed” to the death of buy-
ing. It has lost its inclination for
shoes by dumpages of merchandise.
When it wants new shoes, it will go to
those stores with plenty of sizes in the
newer, sweeter combinations.

This is a promise of springtime that
many a merchant has seen and it is the
one thing that is encouraging for regu-
lar prices and regular profits and even
sweeter profits on spicy shoes. The
buying season is dragging along and
hasn’t the sharp definition of former
years but even with spot deliveries
asked and no man thinking further
ahead than the end of his nose, there is
the inevitable feeling of springtime in
footwear that will force a trade to keep
up with a public whose mood is chang-
ing for the better—Boot and Shoe
Recorder.

—_-+_____

Good Hardware Buying Divided Into
Three Parts.*

‘Someone clever at phrase making
and whose hobby was buying, put into
circulation the saying, “Goods well
bought are half sold.’ And afterwards
someone who wished selling to have
its proper emphasis retorted, “But
only half sold.” :

Our session yesterday concerned
itself with the selling half of their
mooted point. To-day we are to di-
rect our thinking to that other half
which has to do with buying.

It doesn’t require much concentra-
tion on the subject to determine that
good buying, like ancient Gaul, may be
said to be divided into three parts:

1. Buying to have what customers
want.

2. Buying to conserve capital.

3. Buying to meet competition.

Any one of these parts is of sufficient
significance to challenge our best
thought and to command our best ef-
forts.

Buying to have what customers
want goes beyond a mere identification
of their requirements. In addition to
discovering that the Smiths want a
radio, a washing machine, a_ stove,
heater or other piece of equipment, we
must know sufficient of their circum-
stances, buying power and_ personal
inclinations, and find in what price
range they will probably make their
purchases.

Knowledge of this character is need-
ed all the way down the list of lines
that compose our stock, even to those
things whose retail value may be but
a few cents.

The Smiths have to stretch their in-
come over a multitude of desires these
days and they may be, in fact often

*Paper read at hardware convention by
Louis F. Wolf, of Marine City.

 

pungent

are, content to buy articles of utility
which they well know are not the best.
The false economy of some of their
purchases may make them appear un-
wise from our viewpoint, but Smith is
master of his purse, the maker of his
own decisions, and our conduct must
be accommodated thereto.

The character of the store’s cus-
tomers must be allowed to govern the
store’s buying. It is equally unwise
to force-sell quality “goods to those
who deliberately prefer price wares as
to sell cheaper goods to those able and
willing to buy first quality.

To conserve investment we not only
need to know and buy according to cus-
tomers’ preference for quality or price
goods but also we must be constantly
alert for new items that will catch the
Smiths’ fancy, and equally quick to
note the passing of other items from
popularity and to rid our stock of them.

Style is not the unknown factor it
once was in hardware stocks and ob-
solete patterns tie up money, occupy
valuable space and consume our time
in handling, beside, oftentimes, in the
customer’s mind stamping the store as
behind the times.

The price question we have always
with us, but we should not allow its
long standing and continued persist-
ence to dull our sensitiveness.

Rare is the store or merchant who
can ignore the price element of his
competition. Unfavorable price com-
parisons on a few identifiable items
loom large in the eyes of the shopper
and glib tongues
sundry the

convey to all and
information that Blank’s
hardware store asks 45 cents for a pan

19

that the department store sells for 39
cents.

Buying to meet competition means
first knowing what competition is and
from that known figure calculating
backwards to determine the price we
can pay for the article in question.

In exceptional cases we may find it
necessary to ask special assistance from
our suppliers, and even to co-operate
with them in accepting shortened mar-
gins in order to meet the situation.

If our discussions to-day along these
three lines of thought shall result in a
clarifying of our conceptions of buying,
then we may truthfully say that this
final session of our convention has
served a useful purpose.

For poor buying is, indeed, the root
of many difficulties in hardware store
operation.
evils of

From poor buying flow the
ill-assorted stocks, slow-
movers and nontsellers on one hand,
the disappointed customers on the
other hand because we don’t have the
things they want, dissatished cus-
tomers because our prices are not right,
frozen capital, shortened margins and
perhaps lost profits from mark-downs,
or prices reduced to meet competition.

This sorry train that pursues poor
buying presents a pitiable picture of
this side of retail store operation
which can wel! be changed to one of
brightness, with satisfaction to all,
through proper understanding of the
factors involved, and positive action to
contro] them.

ee

The business man pays for his mis-
takes; the community pays for the
mistakes of the politicians.

 

MIcHIGAN SHOE DEALERS
MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE CO.

 

DETROIT
607 Transportation Bldg.
Fhone-Randolph 0729

 

Organized in 1912

A MICHIGAN COMPANY
OPERATING IN MICHIGAN ONLY

ON ALL CLASSES OF INSURANCE
WE CAN SAVE YOU MONEY

MUTUAL BUILDING
LANSING, MICHIGAN
Phone 20741

— BRANCH OFFICES —

412 Grand Rapids Trust Bldg.

GRAND RAPIDS

Phone 81351

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

February 11, 1931

 

RETAIL GROCER

Retail Grocers and Meat Dealers Associa-
tion of Michigan.
President — Gerritt VanderHooning,
Grand Rapids.
First Vice-Bresident—William Schultz,
Ann Arbor.
Second Vice-President—Paul Schmidt,

Lansing.
Secretary — Herman Hanson, Grand
Rapids.
Treasurer—O. H. Bailey, Sr., Lansing.
Directors — Ole Peterson, Muskegon;

Frank Marxer, Saginaw; Leigh Thomas,
Ann Arbor; M. C. Goossen, Lansing; R.
J. LaBarge, Pontiac.

 

Rapid Development of Citrus Industry
in Florida.

Oranges have been growing in Flor-
ida for more than 300 years. Spanish
voyagers brought the first from their
own and other ‘Mediterranean countries
in their visits to this country, historians
claim, before 1600. This was one of
the few contributions made by the na-
tion and people so largely engaged in
this country’s early discovery, but
which contributed *so comparatively
little to its development. Grapefruit
was introduced into the state two hun-
dred years later. It now c‘osely ap-
proaches the orange in value and vol-
ume of production. The two are the
major factors in the state’s citrus fruit
industry, which now has an invested
capital of $500,000,000, an annual pro-
duction of $70,000,000, employing
around 20,000 persons in the summer
and 60,000 in the winter, the latter be-
ing the harvesting season. There are
now in the state, according to official
information before the writer at this
time, 365 packing houses; fifty-four
canning plants; seven fruit juice plants;
six box factories; one tin can plant—
the Continental Can Co., at Jackson-
ville—and more than 100 nurseries. It
is estimated that more. than 25,000,000
boxes of citrus fruit will be shipped out
of the state for the season of 1930-31.
The previous year Florida furnished
87 per cent. of the grapefruit consumed
in the country and 25 per cent. of the
oranges—California being the largest
producer of the latter fruit. Texas,
Arizona, Alabama, ‘Mississippi and
Louisiana also produce one or both of
these fruits, Texas being second to
Florida in grapefruit production.

The Florida Orange Festival was the
state’s ‘big event last week. It was
held at Winter Haven, a fine enter-
prising little city and citrus center in
Polk county, “Imperial Polk,’ as its
people are pleased to call it. As a
county enterprise it was begun in 1923
and expanded into a state proposition
in 1928, this year being the third in
succession as a state affair, and is said
to have been the best. We took the
opportunity to attend and found it very
interesting and instructive.

Last year former President Coolidge
was an honor guest on the third day,
and the Florida State Tourist Federa-
tion was formed on the same day. This
year the honor guest was Major Gen-
eral Charles P. Summerall, late Chief
of Staff of the U. S. Army, but recent-
ly retired, who has returned to the
state of his birth for permanent resi-
dence.

General Summerali is a striking fig-
ure, with a personality to be expected
of and associated with the head of the
American army. He is a_ pleasing
speaker, displayed enthusiasm, to
which his audience happily responded
and his address conveyed the spirit of

optimism, essential either in war or
peace. His speech might well have
been given a country-wide broadcast
for the betterment of the National
state of mind.

The display of citrus fruits at the
Festival, including cranges, grapefruit,
tangerines and various sports and
crossings, was highly educational and
the artistry of display very commend-
able, comparing favorably with the
fruit shows in Michigan district fairs,
but scarcely equal to such exhibits as
the West Michigan Fair at Grand
Rapids or the State Fair at Detroit.
Some of the “exchanges” referred to
in these remarks last week made large
displays with associated advertising en-
deavor, but there was rather less of the
individuality characteristic of our
Michigan shows, although there were
a number quite equal to those which
we see at home in the fruit belt.

While long grown in Florida these
fruits have not been of much commer-
cial importance until within the past
twenty-five years. State statistics quote
the crop of 1908 as 3,000,000 boxes; in
1913, 8,000,000; in 1922, 16,000,000
boxes, and this year, as_ previously
stated, 25,000,000, indicating the rapid
growth of the industry.

I can imagine no more beautiful
sight than a citrus grove of 100 to 500
acres in full bearing, with its dark
green foliage and its bright colored
fruit hanging in abundance on the
trees, as it now is. On the other hand
there can scarcely be a more desolate
and dismal spectacle than a neglected
grove of any size—tall grass between
the rows and the struggling, stunted
trees being smothered by the Spanish
moss tangled in their limbs. The lat-
ter sight is all too frequint. Perhaps
this neglect is the answer to the pres-
ent problem of over-production.

There is a great diversity in citrus
groves in Florida, just as there is in
deciduous fruit orchards in Michigan
and either, neglected, is equally a dis-
grace to the owner and a distress to
the observer. In Florida there is a
practice of individual ownership of
small-acreage parcels in a combined
large block. A grove comprising 100
acres or more may be owned by any
number of persons, each having a small
individual unit, say five or ten acres,
of the larger block. The whole grove
may be worked by some person or
company, as is common, for all of the
owners. Or a portion of the owners
may work their own unit and pick
their own fruit, with varying degrees
of efficiency. But it is likely that
among so many there will be several
who neglect their holdings entirely.
And these are a veritable abomination
in the sight of every admirer of good
horticultural practice either in orchards
or groves.

The owners of these smaller units
are very likely to be Northerners who
have at some time invested in grove
settings, with the idea that they could
later spend pleasant and profitable
winters, merely picking from their
trees, with profit and in content, the
fruits of sunshine and soil, like gather-
ing manna from heaven. Or the grove
attendant would do it for them—sim-
ilarly to that enticing slogan of a
popular camera some years ago, which

(Continued on page 31)

GRAND RAPIDS PAPER Box Co.

Manufacturers of SET UP and FOLDING PAPER BOXES

SPECIAL DIE CUTTING AND MOUNTING

G R AN D RA PIDS, MICHIGAN

 

 

ANNOUNCING

A new installed wash room of our own, enabling us to furnish
you daily with fresh Carrots, Beets, Parsnips, Turnips, Celery,
Etc. Give us a trial.

VAN EERDEN COMPANY
201-203 Ellsworth, S. W. Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

 

PUTNAM’S NORTHLAND
For WASHINGTON’S .
BIRTHDAY
FEBRUARY 22

CHERRIES

    

Packed in
This Beauti-
ful Display
Basket or in

Pails and

Boxes.

ORDER
NOW.

PUTNAM FACTORY

NATIONAL CANDY CO., Inc.
Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

 

    
  

In More Homes Everyday

RAaALSOM

America’s dinest Bread

 

(7) SANCTUM_BAKORIUM fx

NEWS E
Holsum is first made right—
then sold right—and finally
backed by one of the strong-
est publicity campaigns ever
released.

 

aa =

 

   

 

Always Sell
LILY WHITE FLOUR
“*The Flour the best cooks use.’’
oon

Also our high quality specialties
Rowena Pancake Flour

Rowena Yes Ma’am Graham
Rowena Buckwheat Compound

Rowena Golden G. Meal
Rowena Whole Wheat Flour

Satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded.

VALLEY CITY MILLING CO. Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

 

Leading Grocers always have
a supply of
POSTMA’S RUSK
as they are in Demand in all Seasons
Fresh Daily

POSTMA BISCUIT CO.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

   
    

 

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Cth enlieheenthan ieee Mek ee

- Rusk Bakers Since 1882

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February 11, 1931

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

21

 

MEAT DEALER

Michigan State Association of Retail
Meat Merchants.
President—Frank Cornell, Grand Rapids
Vice-Pres.—-E Y. Abbott, Flint.
Secretary—E. J. La Rose, Detroit.
Treasurer—Pius Goedecke, Detroit.
Next meeting will be held,in Grand
Rapids, date not decided.

 

Emphasize the Merits of Your Product

A ham; cured and packaged by the
packer, is a product which can be sold
by the retailer “as is.” Like a can of
corn or a box of cake flour in a gro-
cery store, this commodity, when
stocked by the meat retailer, is im-
mediately ready for retail sale.

A commodity which can be handled
and sold with a miminmum of effort
by a retailer is attractive to him, for
under ordinary circumstances, maxi-
mum profit is most likely to be found
in merchandise which is sold with
little labor. A retailer’s selling price
is based on many things, and not the
least of these is the expense connected
with cutting his meat into retail por-
tions.

The sale of a whole ham offers the
dealer an opportunity to make a fair
margin of profit with a minimum of
labor. If he cuts the ham, he san get a
larger price per pound for his center
cuts, but the price which he can get
for the butt and shank will bring his
average close to the figure which he
gets per pound for the ham in one
piece, according to this successful re-
tailer. :

Ham is a product which, although
sizable, lends itself well to sale in one
piece. The meat can be prepared in
a variety of ways, and keeps well, so
it is not necessary to use the entire
purchase at once.

A well-known meat retailer in Chi-
cago has profited by stressing to his
trade the advisability of buying ham
as a whole piece. His first selling
point is that by buying a ham _ the
housewife can insure having meat on
hand for emergency lunches or dinners.
He recommends cutting the ham for
preparation in three ways; broiling or

frying the center slices, baking the

butt and boiling the shank end. He
points out to her the excellent flavor
of the meat, the ease with which it can
be prepared and the tastiness of the
many dishes which can be made with
ham.

If a customer is preparing an elab-
orate meal or a meal for several peo-
ple, this dealer invariably suggests the
whole ham baked. The ease with
which baked ham can be prepared and
the universal favor the meat enjoys
make it a logical cut to recommend. If
there is meat left over after the meal at
which the whole ham is served, it can
be used to advantage in many attrac-
tive dishes, such as ham timbales, ham
loaf or ham salad.

This dealer believes he can sell best
by suggesting the points about ham
directly to his customers over the meat
counter. He knows they want a meat
which will be attractive, which will
carve easily and which will not take
too much trouble to prepare, if they
are planning an elaborate meal. If
they are buying from the standpoint
of economy, he knows they will be in-
terested in a meat which is high in
food value and comparatively low in
price, so he recommends ham. He

maintains that over a period of several
years he has more than tripled his sales
of whole hams. Since the sale of a
whole ham is a substantial one he has
been able to show a marked increase
in his sales volume by emphasizing the
merits of this product.
John Meatdealer.
—_++.—___

Recent Business Information From
Ohio.

Cincinnati—James P.. Orr, head of
the Potter Shoe Co. and one of the
large stockholders of the United States
Shoe Co., last Wednesday assumed
charge as president of the latter cor-
poration. He was elected by the direc-
tors at a meeting late Tuesday, at
which the resignation of John G. Hol-
ters, Jr., was accepted. Mr. Holters
had been president of the corporation
since its organization in 1923, when it
was formed by consolidation of large
shoe manufacturing companies of Cin-
cinnati. Recently Mr. and Mrs. Hol-
ters lost their only daughter, and the
grief over their bereavement, it was
stated, resulted in a condition of ill
health which made it advisable for him
to retire from active affairs. The other
officers are E. M. Daniels, vice-presi-
dent, and E. J. Boos, secretary and
treasurer. The main plant is located
at Pendleton and Dandridge streets.
Mr. Orr has been an outstanding shoe
merchant of Cincinnati for many years
and is well known to the trade through-
out the country. He has served as a
director of the Chamber of Commerce
of the United States and as president
of the National Shoe Retailers Asso-
ciation, in which organization he has
taken a leading part.

Cincinnati—The Wiechman Pattern
Company, Cincinnati, has changed its
name to the Wiechman Shoe Service
Corporation. No other changes have
taken place. Harry A. Wiechman is to
remain president; and the offices and
factory will be located as heretofore,
in the Duttenhofer building.

‘Chillicothe—The Chillicothe plant of
the Stern-Auer Shoe Co. is now em-
ploying 150 workers and has a: daily
output of 700 pairs according to com-
pany officials. Steps are being taken
for the installation of additional equip-
ment to increase the output of 1800
pairs daily. The plant was opened in
the past year after being erected by
the Chamber of Commerce of Chilli-
cothe from public subscribtions.

Columbus—The Gilbert Shoe Co., a
retail store, has donated more than
1000 rubbers for the poor and needy.
The distribution is being made through
the Charity Newsies, an association
cf former newsboys, now well-known
business men, who have carried on
charity work for the past twenty-five
years,

Findlay — The composition settle-
ment offered by the Alis Shop, Inc.,
which has general headquarters at 377
Seventh avenue, New York, and which
was forced into a receivership in an
involuntary bankruptcy petition filed in

U. S. District Court at Columbus, was *

accepted by the majority of creditors
and approved by the court. The settle-
ment includes 20 per cent. cash and 5
per cent. payable in ninety days.

 

EGGS -:

EGGS -

EGGS

Low prices increased demand. On request we will be pleased
to quote finest quality Candled Aprils and Mays.

We are always in the market for Strictly Fresh Eggs, at full

Market prices.

We can supply Egg Cases and Egg Case Material of all kinds.

KENT STORAGE COMPANY ~

GRAND RAPIDS

 

 

GRIDDLES _

BUN STEAMERS —

URNS

Everything in Restaurant Equipment

Priced Right.

Grand Rapids Store Fixture Co.

7 N. IONIA AVE.

Phone 67143

N. FREEMAN, Mer.

 

 

 

 

542 Grandville Ave.,

Manufacturers of Sausage and Meat

Products.

Wholesale only.

HERRUD & COMPANY
Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

 

VINKEMULDER COMPANY
Grand Rapids, Michigan
BRANCH AT PETOSKEY, MICH.
Distributors Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Cranberries, Grapefruit, “Yellow Kid” Bananas, Oranges,
Onions, Fresh Green Vegetables, etc.

 

 

 

ORDER THIS QUICK SELLING
LINE FROM YOUR WAGON
DISTRIBUTOR.

In times when families are trying to
economize, Noodles do not stay long
on the grocers’ shelves.

Mrs. Grass has worked out numerous
ways of making delicious dishes from
her Noodles and the recipe folders are
packed in each package.

Because every package of Mrs. Grass’
Genuine Egg Noodles makes steady
customers for your store, we urge you
to write to us to get the name of your
nearest Wagon Distributor.

I. J. GRASS NOODLE CoO., INC.
Dept. M.
6021-7 Wentworth Ave., Chicago, Ill.

 

 

 

STOKELY’S
Canned Vegetables

Distributed by

Western Michigan Grocery Company
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

 

 

PARCEL FREIGHT SERVICE

Cheaper than Freight or Express on small parcels up to 20 Ibs.
4 Fast Services Daily To Big Rapids and North on U.S. 131. East to Belding,
Greenville, Edmore, Alma, and Saginaw District.

NORTH STAR LINE, INC.
R. E. TIMM, Gen. Mgr.

Crathmore Hotel Station,

Phone. 81138

Grand Rapids, Michigan

 

 

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

 

February 11, 1931

 

HARDWARE

Michigan Retail
President—Waldo Bruske, Saginaw.
Vice-Pres.—Chas. H. Sutton, Howell.
Secretary—Arthur J. Scott, Marine City.
Treasurer—William Moore, Detroit.

 

Resolutions Adopted By Mich‘gan Re-
tail Hardware Association.
Appliance ‘Selling By Power Com-
panies.

Whereas—It is the well defined
theory of public utility operation that
the rates for light, heat, power and
kindred service shall be so regulated
by the public service commissions of
the several states as to pay operating
costs and yield a reasonable rate on in-
vestment and that the consuming pub-
lic shall have that protection to insure
which public utility legislation was en-
acted, and

Whereas—Through a misapplication
of the advantages available to them as
public service monopolies, many utility
companies have ‘been and are engaged
in the business of selling electrical and
gas appliances, such as toasters, per-
colators, grills, waffle irons, stoves,
heaters, sweepers, washing machines,
irons and ironers, refrigerators, lamps,
fans, and the like, without segregation
of such merchandising operations from
their primary functions, with the re-
sult that all the costs of such appliance
selling, regardless of how they may
exceed the usual costs for similar op-
erations, are absorbed in the general
expense account and affect the rate
structure either in increasing or in
maintaining higher rates than would
otherwise be necessary and

‘Whereas—Such handling of a mer-
chandising activity in connection with a
public utility function is against the
public interest in that users of the
utility service are required to pay high-
er rates than would be necessary if
the appliance selling operations of the
power companies were separately con-
ducted and compelled to pay their own
way, and is unfair competition for
others properly engaved in the selling
of appliances and whose merchandis-
ing operations must of necessity ab-
sorb all the costs thereof. Be it

Resolved—That it is the sense of the
Michigan Retail Hardware Association,
here assembled in Grand Rapids, in its
thirty-seventh annual convention, Feb.
6, 1931, and representing the retail
hardware merchandisers of the State
of ‘Michigan, that the Public Utilities
Commission of this State be urged to
investigate such practices to the end
that the merchandising of appliances
by public utility companies may be
entirely segregated from the _ utility
service functions and that all expense
of such merchandising operations, in-
cluding store rentals, the cost of sell-
ing, installing, servicing, advertising
and other promotion, credits and col-
lections, and losses from repossessions
and otherwise, be excluded from the
costs considered in determining the
rates to be charged for light, heat,
power and kindred services, and be it
further

Resolved—That the Secretary of our
Association be instructed to send a
copy of this resolution to the Public
Utilities Commission of the State of
Michigan.

The above resolution was carried
without a dissenting vote.

Sales Tax Bill.

Whereas—There has been in the
past and there is still considerable
sentiment in various states in favor of
a sales tax bill, and

Whereas—This sentiment has been
and still is being exnressed in bills
presented to the legislatures of various
states, and

Whereas—Similar bills where passed
by state legislatures have not worked
out to the best interest of the retail
hardware merchauts of these states,
be it

Resolved—That we, the Michigan
Retail Hardware Association, here as-
sembled in ouy thirty-seventh annual

Hardware Association.

convention, go on record as opposed to
any sales tax bill thus far advanced
with which we are familiar.

The above resolution was not adopt-
ed, but referred to the Committee on
Legislature.

Postal Rates.

Whereas—There is now a request
before the Congress of the United
States to increase the postal rates on
first-class mail, approximately 25 per
cent., and

Whereas—It is a well-known fact
that first-class mail is now not only
paying all expenses connected with the
transportation and delivery of same,
but in addition a revenue, and

Whereas—It is equally well known
that second, third and fourth-class mat-
ter is not paying its own cost and is a
burden to the taxpayer. therefore be it

Resolved—That we, the Michigan
Retail Hardware Association, here as-
sembled in our thirty-seventh annual
convention, at Grand Rapids, go on
record as being opposed to any increase
on first-class mail.

The above resolution was carried
without a dissenting vote.

Vestal Design Copyright Bill.

Whereas—The Vestal design copy-
right bill, which measure has already
passed the house and is now before the
Senate, is intended to protect owners
of copyright merchandise designs from
infringement, and

Whereas—!t is our belief that this
means of protectfon is valuable and de-
sired by the citizens of the United
States, be it

Resolved—That we the Michigan
Retail Hardware Association, here as-
sembled in our thirtv-seventh annual
convention, at Grand Rapids, go on
record as being in favor of such a bill;
be it further

Resolved—That the Secretary of this
Association be instructed to notify the
proper officials at Washington and re-
quest their support to the end that the
measure may be passed.

The above resolution was
without a dissenting vote.

Capper-Kelly Bill.

Whereas — The Capper-Kelly bill,
now before the Congress of the United
States is intended as a means of pro-
tection to manufacturers of quality
merchandise who desire to establish a
price on their merchandise and insist
upon said price being maintained. and

Whereas—We believe that this is a
good practice and helpful to the ethical
manufacturer, jobber, and retailer of
the United States, be it

Resolved—That we, the Michigan
Retail Hardware Association, here as-
sembled in our thirty-seventh annual
convention, at Grand Rapids, go on
record as favoring this bill; be it fur-
ther

Resolved—That the Secretary of this
Association be instructed to notify the
proper officials at Washington and re-
quest their support to the end that the
measure may be passed.

The above resolution was carried
without a dissenting vote.

Resolution of Thanks.

Whereas—Our officers, delegates,
and guests, have been shown every
courtesy and consideration by the
management of the Pantlind Hotel; be
it

Resolved—That we extend to the
hotel management our sincere appre-
ciation for the very able manner in
which. they have taken care of our
delegates and guests; be it further

Resolved—That a copy of this recog-
nition be spread upon our minute book
and our Secretary be instructed to send
a copy of said resolutions to the man-
agement of the Pantlind Hotel.

The above resolution was carried
without a dissenting vote.

Resolution of Thanks to Committees.

Resolved—That we extend our sin-
cere appreciation to the members of
the various committees for the very
able manner in which they have per-
formed their duties and made _ this
convention a success,

carried

Entertainment Committee

Exhibit Committee

Nominations Committee

Resolutions Committee

Legislation Committee

Constitution and By-Laws Commit-
tee

Reception Committee

Next Place of Meeting Committee

Ladies Entertainment Committee

Resolved—That the Secretary of
this Association be instructed to spread
this resolution upon the minute book
of the Association and acquaint the
various committees with the action
taken. : !

The above resolution was carried
without a dissenting vote.

Resolution of Appreciation.

Whereas—The President of the Na-
tional Retail Hardware Association,
Mr. W. B. Allen, has at considerable
expense and sacrifice left his own busi-
ness to cross the country in the inter-
est of the hardware industry of the
United States, and

Whereas—His presence with us, to-
gether with his interesting and instruc-
tive talks and advice to us, is appre-
ciated and helpful, be it

Resolved—That we extend to Mr.
and Mrs. Allen our great apprecation;
be it further

Resolved—That our Secretary be in-
structed to spread this resolution upon
our minute book and also send a copy
of same to Mr. Allen.

The above resolution was
without a dissenting vote.

carried

Wood Utilization Committee Activity
of the Department of Commerce.
Whereas—The Department of Com-

merce of the United States through the

Wood Utilization Committee is waging

a campaign in an effort to educate the

boys of the country to make useful

things from old boards and_ other
waste material, and

Whereas—We as an Association be-
lieve this a good practice and worthy
of our recognition; be it

Resolved—That we endorse the ac-
tivities of the Wood Utilization Com-
mittee of the Department of Commerce
and render our support in every pos-
sible way to furthering their work; be
it further

Resolved—That a copy of this reso-
lution be spread upon our minute book
and our ‘Secretary be instructed to send

a copy of same to the Wood Utiliza-

tion Committee.

The above resolution was carried
without a dissenting vote.
—_-_ ss -
Owosso—The plant of the Mary

Louise Garment Co., located in the

Haarer block will resume operations

at capacity Feb. 9, it is announced by

Abram Joseph, one of the members of

the company.

ee ey
Grand Rapids—The Globe Knitting

Works, 315 Commerce street, has in-

creased its capitalization from $1,500,-

G00 to $1,662,970.

 

Michigan Hardware Co. |

 

 

100-108 Ellsworth Ave., Corner Oakes
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

AB .

Wholesalers of Shelf Hardware, Sporting
Goods and

FISHING TACKLE

 

 

Automobile Tires and Tubes
Automobile Accessories
Garage Equipment
Radio Sets
Radio Equipment

BROWN & SEHLER
COMPANY

Farm Machinery and Garden Tools
Saddlery Hardware

Harness, Horse Collars

Blankets, Robes
Sheep Lined and
Blanket - Lined Coats
Leather Coats

 

GRAND RAPIDS,

MICHIGAN

 

 

Wholesale Only.

 

342 Market St., S. W.

Manufacturers and Distributors of
SHEET METAL ROOFING AND FURNACE SUPPLIES,
TONCAN IRON SHEETS,
CONDUCTOR PIPE AND FITTINGS.
We Protect our Dealers.

THE BEHLER-YOUNG CO.

EAVETROUGH,

Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

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February 11, 1931

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

 

THE JOB OF RETAILING.

It Is Not Complex When Once
Understood.*

The job of retailing has in later
years become a science into which
more and more thought and study is
being placed. The day of the store-
keeper passing out the goods asked for
has passed and the time has come
when every consideration and courtesy
to the customer is the main issue.

This reminds me of an experience
of my own a few years ago. A lady
cme into my place of business and
asked to see a gas stove. It was a
busy time in the store and I waited
upon her myself. After showing her
the stoves, pointing out the advantages
of this one and that, she suddenly said,
“Well, I cannot help compare the
treatment I have received here to that
I received in another store.” Where-
upon she told me her story. She was
a stranger in town and had gone into
the first hardware store she had come
to and asked to see a gas stove. The
salesman said, “Do you want to see
one, or do you want to buy one?” to
which vhe replied, “I want to buy one
if I find one to suit me.”

The significance of his remark did
not strike her at first, but she told me
that the more she thought of it, the
angrier she became and she did not
hear one word he had to say about his
“old stoves.” Her one thought was
to get out and she would not buy any-
thing there if it was the only place in
town she could get it. She would go
out of town first. This was extreme,
but it was an actual happening.

The past decade has brought about
many changes. Business men to-day
are looking toward the future and are
realizing more than ever before that
the man who can plan and think ahead
and who is willing to study conditions
as they now exist and profit by the
mistakes of others is the man who is
to be successful. This means that
many merchants will be compelled to
about face, which is very difficult for
some, especially for the old timers who
have been following the customs of
their fathers and grandfathers for many
generations, which methods in times
gone by were considered the proper
channels to follow.

The buying public to-day want what
they want when they want it and the
progressive merchant has realized that
the oid attitude of “the public be
damned” is a thing of -the ‘past.
Thoughts of greater values and better
service are more necessary than ever
before. It is now time to consider how
the methods you have been using can
be improved. If you are in a receptive
mood and really want to put your
business on a higher standard, your
National Association is in a position to
help you. Compare results obtained
by the National methods with those
you have ‘been using and consider how
you can reduce expenses and increase
sales by newer and better methods of
operating.

Your National Association is con-
tinually studying and planning to show
facts and figures which will greatly
aid you in your business. This infor-

*Paper read at hardware convention by
W. B. Allen, President of the National
Retail Hardware Association.

 

mation is yours for the asking, Business
men need more facts. Facts reduce
guess work.

If your methods have not produced
the desired results, they must be un-
sound. If this is so, where does the
responsibility lie?

Your Association can point out
methods for the betterment of your
business by producing these evidences
of facts, but the carrying out of these
plans is left to the individual and the
result of success or failure is entirely
in your hands.

Have you studied your National As-
sociation’s recommendations on busi-
ness control, stock control, store ar-
rangement, advertising, etc.? If you
have not it will pay you to do so and
then apply these methods to your own
business. I know from experience, and
I feel confident that if more merchants
would scrap old methods and equip-
ment and install new, there would be
fewer failures. The installation of
many of these systems is very simple
and in most cases, after once installed,
require less time, help and energy to
operate than the old system—the hard-
est part is getting started.

If you have not done so, it will pay
you to read Three Years Under Busi-
ness Control in the December issue of
the Hardware Retailer. The experi-
ence related in this article is only one
of hundreds which can be cited.

“How is business?” and “When is: it
going to change?” are the questions
asked when two merchants meet to-
day. What is ahead is of great con-
cern to everyone connected with the
merchandising game, from the banker
to the truck driver, and careful study
of your business management is essen-
tial to your success.

Business is influenced by production,
transportation, and_ distribution of
things which are necessary for human
life and modern business betters hu-
man environment.

One of the most important factors
in a retailing business is watching
overhead. Business control recom-
mended by the National .Association
will guide you constantly if properly
applied. If you find your business is
showing a loss, a halt can be called
immediately, instead of waiting until
the end of the year’s stock-taking re-
port, when your losses will be so much
greater due to the longer time they
have been allowed to run on.

Following business control, the mer-
chant is led to see the benefit of unit
stock control. Here he learns to
standardize his stock, limit the sources
from which his purchases are made,
cut out duplication, cut down styles,
and unnecessary numbers, thus reduc-
ing capital invested and_ increasing
turnover,

Service that the public has come to
look upon as due them with a purchase,
and installment selling are two very
expensive features in retailing to-day,
and two that must be watched with
care. Service cannot be carried on in-
definitely without cost to the buyer,
and definite understanding should be
had in this regard at time of purchase.

Installment selling is with us, and
whether we like it or not we have to
accept the situation. I would like to
see this system of selling curbed for
I fee] it is greatly overdone, and the

result is sure to cause much hardship,
both to buyer and to seller.

The trend of the times is for effi-
ciency in all lines, and the hardware
business must fall into line if it is to
progress. In a recent issue of Nations
Business, ‘Merle Thorpe says, “A new
day is breaking for the so-called inde-
pendent merchant and that is coming
because he is becoming a more effi-
cient merchandiser through a more
careful study of merchandising prac-
tices.” The next year will require the
hardest kind of work, with careful
study and strict attention to business
if we are to regain the ground that
1930 has lost for us. We should plan
our work, then work our plan. We
should have vision, we should
enthusiasm, and, most of all, we must
have confidence, not only in the future,
but also in our own ability. Let us
determine to do our part in helping to
restore the confidence required for
normal times. In a talk I heard re-
cently, the speaker said, “Regardless
of conditions, business must go on, and
the men who are worthy are the men
who will do it.”

Knowledge is a most important fac-
tor, but remember knowledge once
gained is constantly subject to read-
justment, as conditions change, so we
must ever ‘be alert, keeping abreast
with these changes.

The purchasing ability of your cus-
tomers, the kind of merchandise they
demand, advertising to stimulate that
demand, attractive show windows, an
inviting entrance, open display with
merchandise plainly marked and neatly
arranged, panel door displays with
stock conveniently located, careful
training of salesmen in appearance, ap-
proach to customers, courtesy and
knowledge of the goods to be sold are
all factors to be studied in the job of
retailing.

Profit is what all business men are
working for. With the competition of
to-day constant vigilance is necessary
to make that profit a reality.

——
Some New Men at the Helm.

At the annual election of officers of
the Michigan ‘Retail Hardware As-
sociation last week, the following were
elected:

President—Waldo Bruske, Saginaw.

Vice-President—Charles H. ‘Sutton,
Howell.

 

Executive Board.

Term to expire 1932

Frank Willison, Climax (Caused by
resignation of H. C. Spendlove)
Term to expire 1933
Louis F. Wolf, Mt. Clemens

Harry Strong, Battle Creek

Sidney D. Foster, Newberry

Henry A. Schantz, Grand Rapids.

A. D. VanDervoort, Lansing.

After the adjournment of the con-
vention the Executive Board completed
the roster by the election of the fol-
lowing:

Secretary—Arthur J. Scott, Marine
City.

Treasurer—William Moore, Detroit.

Field Secretary—L. S. ‘Swinehart,
Marine City.

 

 

>>>
Lower Charges Helping Salesmen.
With railroads beginning to vie for
the return of commercial travel by of-
fering 2 cent mileage rates and hotels
now announcing unsolicited reductions

in room rates, it looks as if the cam-
paign to “put the traveling salesmen
back on the road” may have a good
chance of early realization. Word has
been received from a leading hotel ir
Cincinnati that it has reduced charges
for both sample and sleeping rooms by
$1 a day. The action of department
stores in cutting down the number of
their buyers’ trips is also helping the
salesman.

 

have-

Sand Lime Brick

Nothing as Durable
Nothing as Fireproof
Makes Structure Beautiful
No Painting
No Cost for Repairs
Fire Proof Weather Proof
Warm in Winter—Coo! in Summer

Brick is Everlasting
GRANDE BRICK CO.
Grand Rapids.
SAGINAW BRICK CO.
Saginaw.

 

 

 

SARLES

Detective Agency
Licensed and Bonded
Michigan Trust Bldg.
Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

 

 

Jennings’ Pure Extracts
Vanilla, Lemon, Almond, Orange,
Raspberry, Wintergreen.
Jennings Flavoring Extract Co.
Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

 

Corduroy Tires

Our success _ is
founded on the sale
of up to date, qual-
ity merchandise
where the saving
in selling cost is
passed on to our
customers who or-
der by mail or wire,
at our expense, di-
rect.

Made in
Grand Rapids

Sold Through
Dealers Only.

CORDUROY TIRE CoO.
Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

 

I. Van Westenbrugge

Grand Rapids - Muskegon
(SERVICE DISTRIBUTOR)

Nucoa
KRAFT (CHEESE

All varieties, bulk and package cheese

‘‘Best Foods’

Salad Dressings

Fanning’s

Bread and Butter Pickles

Alpha Butter

TEN BRUIN’S HORSE RADISH and
MUSTAR

OTHER SPECIALTIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

24

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

February 11, 1931

 

HOTEL DEPARTMENT

News and Gossip About Hotels and
Hotel Men.

Los Angeles, Feb. 7—When the new
screen picture, “Trader Horn,” goes
East, I want my Michigan friends to
see it. I have never been a movie fan,
but I trust I have not become so an-
tiquated that I don’t recognize a good
thing when I see it. If you want
thrills, you will have them and you
will feel gooseflesh skidding down
your backbone most of the time. For
instance, there are several enormous
lions having a free fight over the car-
cass of an antelope with roars that
will freeze the marrow in your bones;
a lion leaping on the ‘back of a zebra
and getting kicked in the face; a fight
between a leopard and a whole flock
of hyenas trying to protect their young.
The scenes were apparently not laid
in any toy shop. It is certainly much
more than the ordinary picture—it is
Africa in reality—the eternal chain of
life and death, where the snarls of the
hunter change into anguish shrieks of
the dying. It was unquestionably a
product of the African jungle, and of
a character that will be produced but
once in a lifetime.

 

 

Californians are -wondering what to
do with their lemons. Ninety-five per
cent of that species of citrus fruit
raised in America, come from five
counties in Southern California, and if
you were here you would be buying
the “selects” at ten cents per dozen,
with a few thrown in for good meas-
ure. They are being used for the
manufacture of acid phosphate—a fer-
tilizer. It seems to be a case not so
much in cultivating lemon groves to
the taste of the grower as cultivating
a market in reach of the consumer.
Lemons are a panace~ for almost all
human ills, but’ when dread winter
comes in the East the demand instant-
ly ceases and the grower is left high
and dry on the beach.

 

Detroit hotel operators do not, if
they can avoid it, propose to allow the
species known as “skippers” to run
away with the profits of their labor.
One goes to a theater for a certain
class of entertainment, or to a station
to purchase a railroad ticket, and never
thinks of standing off the ticket seller,
but when it comse to securing high-
grade accommodations at the hotels,
that is different, resulting that the ho-
tel man holds the sack much of the
time. If he is not cheated out of his
just dues by individuals who partake
of his hospitality, it is a question of
eternal vigilance, and so long as hotel
organizations do not work in harmony,
it is going to prove a constantly grow-
ing evil.

Having in view some reform in this
direction, the Detroit Hotel Associa-
tion has appointed a special committee
to investigate the possibility of estab-
lishing what might be called a guest’s
credit bureau, whereby the transient,
if he is deserving will be provided with
credentials which will give him the
individual

proper introduction to the ividt
hotel, with an auxiliary organization
te look after delinquents. ‘Once

properly launched the idea ought to
work out, and prove highly beneficial.

The Detroit Association is also in-
terested in counteracting the efforts to
unionize the cooks in the various larg-
er institutions. It has taken a strong
stand in favor of the open shop policy,
co-operating with several other indus-
trial interests in that direction.

 

The Hotel Greeters of America are
already arranging for their next annual
convention which is to be held in Van-
couver, B. C., in June next. There will
be special trains, with varied entertain-
ment to and from the Canadian city.
These boys know how to get a big kick
out of their organization by co-operat-

ing with their employers. By this
method they not only retain their posi-
tions, but eventually amount to some-
thing in the world of business. I am
strong for them.

 

Reminding me that ‘Mr. and Mrs. E.
W. Neir, of Hotel Rowe, are entertain-
ing the Grand Rapids contingent of
Greeters with a dinner dance this
week, on which occasion business af-
fairs will be discussed briefly and new
members initiated.

 

I have occasion to speak frequently
of Harold Sage, manager of Hotel
Tuller, Detroit, for the reason that his
career, ever since I have known him,
has been one of accomplishment. He
just naturally does things. For in-
stance, at the present writing, though
being one of the most consistent and
aggressive advertisers in all Michigan,
he believes the panacea for hard times
is the publicity which may be given
any particular institution. He further-
more produces results. Now he has
taken on two more promotion assist-
ants, Harold D. Kilets, formerly man-
ager of Hotel LaSalle and Edgar E.
Pitts, also a well-known Detroit oper-
ator, and turned them loose for the
purpose of discovering new business
and incidentally unmasking the hard
times bugaboo. These particular indi-
viduals will look after local activities,
and Clifford W. Reynolds, promotion
manager for some time past, will turn
his guns loose on state and outside
affairs. Everybody in the hotel field
knows what Mr. Sage has accomplish-
ed since he took over he _ under-
nourished Tuller. He has inaugurated
many new features in that institution,
but has done also a lot of judicious
advertising in directions where results
are — steadily shown. The hotel
man, unless he does possess sufficient
business acumen to employ a seasoned
promotion man, is like a lost sheep in
the cactus areas of Arizona. He chases
off after theater programs, carnival
hold-ups and the like, but does not
spread his cards where the right people,
the patronizing public can gaze on his
array of trumps. Advertising, for in-
stance, which reaches the commercial
man, is always a good investment. In
all the better hotels in Michigan, for
instance, one will find among other
publications of general interests, the
Tradesman. These emissaries of com-
merce read it from “kiver to kiver.”
They are interested in it for many rea-
sons, because, first, it gives a resume
of all the things of interest in their
particular realm, and a lot of them
used to tell me by word of mouth, and
now write me by scores, that next to
their own line, the hotel department
interests them. This being the case,
why not the advertising colums, bound
to appeal to them. One will notice
that many of the prominent Michigan
hotels have been availing themselves
of these advantages for many years,
and are still “availing.” Isn’t this
worth looking into?

 

The annual convention of the Inter-
national Stewards Association, is go-
ing to be held at Detroit this year,
August 10-13. William E. Snyder,
manager of Hotel Seward, Detroit, is
president of the organization.
Book-Cadillac has been selected as
headquarters of the arrangements com-
mittee which includes Mr. ‘Snyder,
Marion Manzer, Chicago, secretary,
and David Olmsted, manager of sales
for the Book-Cadillac.

 

Some rich Philadelphia lady, recent-
ly deceased, made in her will, provision
for building an apartment hotel for
the use of women who have been de-
serted by their husbands, but from my
own observation it should be made a
haven of refuge for apartment hotel
owners who have been deserted by
their tenants.

 

The Michigan legislature has been

 

Warm Friend Tavern
Holland, Mich.
Is truly a friend to all travelers. All
room and meal rates very reasonable.
Free private parking space.
GEO. W. DAUCHY, Mgr.

 

 

In
Kalamazoo
It’s
PARK-AMERICAN

 

George F. Chism, Manager

 

 

 

 

CODY HOTEL

GRAND RAPIDS

RATES—$1.50 up without bath.
$2.50 up with bath.

CAFETERIA IN CONNECTION

 

 

 

CGRtewe area Ry War
=

NEW

Decorating
and
anaes

Facing FAMOUS
Grand Circus Park. Oyster Bar.

800 Rooms - sete - 800 Baths

Rates from $2.50.

HOTEL TULLER

HAROLD A. SAGE, Mgr.

 

 

 

 

The ©

MORTON
HOTEL

Grand Rapids’ Newest
Hotel

400 Rooms “i 400 Baths

RATES
$2.50 and up per day.

 

 

“A MAN IS KNOWN BY THE
COMPANY HE KEEPS”

That is why LEADERS of Businesa
and Society make their head-
quarters at the

PANTLIND
HOTEL

“An entire c'ty block of Hospitality’

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
Rooms $2.25 and up.

 

 

 

HOTEL
CHIPPEWA

HENRY M. NELSON, Manager

MANISTEE. MICH.
Up-to-date Hotel with all Modern
Conveniences—Elevator, Etc.
150 Outside Rooms
Dining Room Service
Hot and Cold Running Water and
Telephone in every Room.

“$1.50 and up
60 Rooms with Bath $2. 50 and $3

 

 

“We are always mindful of
our responsibility to the pub-
lic and are in full apprecia-
tion of the esteem its generous
patronage implies.”

HOTEL ROWE
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
HRNEST W. NEIR, Manager.

 

 

Republican Hotel
MILWAUKEE, WIS.
Rates $1.50 up—with bath $2 up

Cafeteria, Cafe, Sandwich Shop
in connection

 

 

Park Place Hotel
Traverse City

Rates Reasonable—Service Superb
—Location Admirable.

R. D. McFADDEN, Mgr.

 

 

HOTEL KERNS

LARGEST HOTEL IN LANSING

800 Rooms With or Without Bath
Popular Priced Cafeteria in Cen-
nection. Rates $1.56 up.

E. S$. RICHARDSON, Proprietor
eee ———————_—_—__

NEW BURDICK

KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN
In the Very Heart of the City
Fireproof Construction
The only All New Hotel in the city.

Representing
8 $1,000,000 Investment.
250 Rooms—180 Rooms with Private

BHuropean $1.50 and up per Day.
RESTAURANT AND GRILL—
Cafeteria, — Service, Popular

Entire Seventh Floor Devoted to

Especially Boe ae Sample ee
WALTER J. HODGE
Pian and Gen. Mor.

 

 

HOTEL OLDS

Absolutely Fireproof
Moderate Rates
GEORGE L. CROCKER, Manager.

 

 

Occidental Hotel
FIRE PROOF

CENTRALLY LOCATED
Rates $2.00 and up
EDWART R. SWETT, Mor.
Muskegon ote Michigan

 

 

Columbia Hotel
KALAMAZOO
Good Place To Tie To

 

 

Cafeteria ote Sandwich Shop

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February 11, 1931

appealed to to make another appropria-
tion for the purpose of advertising
Wolverine attractions to the discrim-
inating world at l--ee. Two years ago
a similar appropriation was made and
proved a distinct aid in bringing
strangers to the State. Under. the
terms of the earlier legislation the ad-
vertising expenditures of the various
resort associations were matched dol-
lar for dollar by the State, thus en-
abling these organizations to double
their. expenditures for publicity pur-
poses. All administrative and other
non-advertising expenses are borne by
the associations themselves. It seems
like a fair and most reasonable proposi-
tion.

 

George Crocker covered himself
with glory on the occasion of the re-
cent inaugural ceremonies, at Lansing,
by serving at Hotel Olds, one of the
largest banquets ever given in that
city The original plans contemplated
serving between 500 and 600 guests,
but before the doors were thrown
open 1,050 seats were spoken for, and
they had them too.

 

Louis Van Skiver, who, for a number
of years, owned and onerated the New
Tavern Hotel, at Central Lake, has
closed his hotel and retired from busi-
ness altogether. From my recollection
of the situation this will leave Central
Lake without a principal hostelry, al-
though I believe there are other small-
er ones in operation there.

Hotel Detroiter, the Detroit link in
the chain of Knott-operated caravan-
saries, has a new manager in the per-
son of Schuyler Forbes Baldwin, a re-
cent New York operator. He succeeds
SoM. Eaton, who came to the De-
troiter with the recent change in
ownership.

 

The Thomas Inn, at Sault Ste. Marie
has been acquired by Oscar Benoit,
who has taken a lease on the premises.
He will personally conduct the hotel,
but will lease out the restaurant.

Frank 'S. Verbeck.
>.>

Farmers Wheat Problem Solved.

In the Tradesman of Dec. 31, 1924,
on page 6, is an article entitled “Un-
wise Counsel,” which expresses my
views on the newly promulgated advice
to farmers to “raise less wheat.” I wish
you could read that, preceding this.
I just made a guess that at least 1500
new subscriptions to the Tradesman
have been added since that date. I
always try to be conservative in esti-
mates. And this thought makes me
sorry—sorry for what you fellows lost
in all the years you were in mercantile
business without the Tradesman.
Further, it seems to me there are many
people in Grand Rapids who should
subscribe for and read the Tradesman
even if they never stood behind a coun-
ter; just for what it would give them
about their own city, past and present,
along with wholesome reading of in-
terest to every right-minded person.

Down in Egypt was a heathen king
whose dreams about seven fat cattle
being eaten up by seven lean ones, and
seven plump ears of grain devoured by
poor ones, worried him, When in-
formed by a Hebrew captive that there
would be seven years of plenty follow-
ed by seven of famine, he immediately
set about saving the surplus by storing
it safely for future need. That super-
stitious idolatrous king had more
sense and patriotism than tens of thou-
sands of Americans of to-day. In
their boasting they said there would
never be a famine in our land, because

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

of our wealth and means of transpor-
tation; because a scarcity in one sec-

tion would be offset by an abundance.

in another.

One old farmer when told he must
sow less wheat replied: “The Lord
only can tell me what I shall sow.”
It seems as if the drought which af-
fected twenty-three states should be
regarded as a rebuke to these self-
appointed advisers. And it should be
a warning to all, for we cannot foretell
the future. But why say the farmers’
wheat problem is solved? The United
States Department of Agriculture has
many correspondents all over the land
who report every fact and phase of
crop production, surplus, holdings,
marketing, feeding, favorable and un-
favorable weather at all seasons. The
Department knew by Jan. 1, 1931, as
to what proportion of the wheat crop
had been sold and what fed to live
stock in lieu of corn and other grains
which were small crops or total fail-
ures. And so it sent out the prediction
that by May or June the wheat surplus,
or carry over, would probably be no
more than one year previous. It knew
also approximately how many acres
less of winter wheat had been sown
than usual. If so, would the carry-over
be equal to the year before—which is
doubtful—farmers who sowed no wheat
last autumn and have fed out the 1930
crop must buy seed wheat for next
fall’s sowing. And that will be so
much that it will materially decrease
any surplus in the smaller wheat grow-
ing states.

Why do farmers feed wheat — our
main bread material—to animals? Be-
cause their corn crop failed, because
not enough corn can be bought, I
judge, and because the farmer cannot
afford to haul eighty-five bushels of
wheat to market and exchange it for
fifty-six bushels of corn, if it were to
be had. That is what 70 cent wheat
and $1 corn means. And wheat equals
corn as feed in most cases.

It is safe to say that for two years
to come no one need worry about how
to dispose of the wheat surplus and
should we have another drought in the
meantime the question can be further
postponed. E. E. Whitney.

) ——___@»~__ ’
Significant News of a Bus‘ness Char-
acter.

An upturn in business is reported by
the investment bankers gathered at
Atlantic City last week for the annual
meeting of the board of governors of
the association. Most of them expect
substantial recovery before the win-
ter’s end, if early signs are not mis-
leading.

Trade in January was better than
fair. It started well, continued at a
good pace through the middle of the
month, but later sagged somewhat.

To spur recovery, says E. C. Sams,
president of J. C. Penney, retail mer-
chants should forget what they paid
for merchandise now on hand, reprice
their stock to the public on the basis
of a fair profit on the replacement cost,
and then get back of the new prices
with an aggressive selling and advertis-
ing campaign.

The Kentucky graded sales tax law
has been sustained by a Frankfort
court. The ruling held that the tax is

not a license tax, but a sales or con-
sumer’s tax.

The Capper-Kelly resale price main-
tenance bill, some parts of the original,
went through the House with flying
colors last week. The bill permits price
contracts between manufacturers and

retailers, but, as adopted, excepts
necessities of life—a rather | elastic
phrase. The emasculated measure is

not taken very seriously.

Large distributors like Sears, Roe-
buck, Montgomery Ward. and F. W.
Woolworth suffered unequally. Sears,
Roebuck with a decrease of 12 per
cent. in sales had a cut of 53 per cent.
in net earnings. Montgomery Ward,

off less than 6 per cent. in volume, -

made scarcely more than half a mil-
lion dollars compared with $14,504,935
in 1929. Woolworth dropping 4 per
cent. in sales had net earnings only 3
per cent. under those of the year be-
fore.

The extent to which the big mail
order houses have been transformed
into department chains is revealed in
the Montgomery Ward report which
separates sales. In 1929 mail order
business was nearly 57 per cent. of the
total. In 1930 the retail volume was
close to 55 per cent. Mail order total
was down nearly 26 per cent. while re-
tail declined only less than 16 per cent.
The company says that bad farming
conditions hurt mail orders.

General Foods has established a new
subsidiary, Dunlop Milling, which has
purchased the plant, brands and good
will of Dunlop Milling of Clarksville,
Tennessee,’ with a capacity of 1,200
barrels a day, half that of Swans
Down, General Foods’ principal flour
milling activity.

Private brands increase in bad times
faster than in good times, is the ob-
servation of Clarence Francis, president
of the Associated Grocery Manufac-
turers of America. With the return
of more nearly normal conditions, he
adds, natural readjustment has always
followed. Economic law, he holds, is
the determining factor.

Referring to Great Britain’s expendi-
ture of $534,000,000 and Germany’s of
$750,000,000 annually “to maintain the
unemployed in idleness,” the American
Federation of Labor says: “This cap-
ital put into industry would provide
work and wages.” The federation esti-
mates our unemployment in January
at 5,700,000, 200,000 more than in De-

cember. These figures do not include
farm labor or office workers.
—-—__+>---2
Thirty-two Out of Every 100 Death
Traps.

Pointing out that more than one out
of every five passenger automobiles
operated on the highways of Michigan
are equipped with faulty lights, the De-
troit Automobile Club to-day, in a
communication to every law enforcing
agency in the State, urged a uniform
plan to eliminate this type of danger-
ous vehicle from the streets and high-
ways until proper adjustments have
been made.

In a State-wide survey, in. which
1,500 persons checked lighting equip-
ment in cities, towns and villages and
along the ‘highways of forty-four
counties, the Detroit Automobile Club
found that approximately 269,800 pas-
senger cars or 22 per cent., of the

25

automobiles in the State of Michigan
to-day are operated with improper
lights! Nine and two-tenths per cent.
of the motorists were found to be
“one-light” drivers; one per cent. drive
with no headlights, and in eleven per
cent. of the cases motorists are driving
without tail lights,

The. Automobile Club’s communiia-
tion, which was addressed to the State
Police, the municipal police, and to all
other law enforcing agencies through-
out the State, pointed out that auto-
mobiles annually kll more persons in
Michigan than all forces of crime com-
bined. It pointed to the danger of im-
proper headlights, particularly in the
winter months, and urged a State-wide
plan of co-operation between police
Officials to help reduce Michigan’s
fatal and injury traffic mishaps.

The communication in part reads os
follows:

“Thirty-two out of every 100 cars
driven on our highways are unneces-
sarily jeopardizing the lives of our
citizenry. There are many motorists
who, thorugh carelessness or indiffer-
ence, drive along our highways with
their cars not equipped in a safe man-
ner. They are prospective killers.

“At this time of. the year when the
streets and highways are covered with
snow. and ice, night driving against
“one-light” motorists is more danger-
ous than ever. Oftimes when driving
On snow covered roads, we find at the
last moment that the approaching car
with only one headlight is in our path,
and it is fate alone which prevents
serious mishap when we dodge toward
the ditch.

“This is a problem of gigantic pro-
portions. For this reason we are en-
deavoring to bring about a State-wide
plan of co-operation whereby every
law enforcing agency in the State be-
gins an intensive campaign to curb the
evil of one headlight, dim lights, or no
tail light. We are confident that if
this spirit of co-operation can be
gained, more persons wil! be alive in
Michigan at the conclusion of 1931.”

——_+~-____
Four New Readers of the Tradesman.

The following. new subscribers have
been received during the past week:

Laban Sample Furniture Co., Grand
Rapids.

Sault Wholesale Grocers, Sault Ste.
Marie.

Ernest Bush, Grand Rapids.

Chamber of Commerce, Sebring,
Florida.

——_-~-___

Some men seem to have everything

except judgment.

 

CHARLES RENNER HOTELS

Four Flags Hotel, Niles, Mich., in
the picturesque St. Joseph Valley.

Rumely Hotel and Annex, La-
Porte, Ind.

Edgewater Club Hotel, St. Joseph,
Mich., open from May to October.

All of these hotels are conducted
on the high standard established
and always maintained by Mr.
Renner.

 

 

Hotel and Restaurant
Equipment
H. Leonard & Sons
38-44 Fulton St. W.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DRUGS

Michigan Board of Pharmacy.
President—Orville Hoxie, Grand Rapids.
Vice-Pres.—Clare F. Allen, Wyandotte.
. Director—Garfield M. Benedict, San-

Examination Sessions — Beginning the
third Tuesday of January, March, June,
August and November and lasting three
days. The January and June examina-
tions are held at Detroit. the August
examination at Marquette, and the March
and November examinations at Grand
Rapids.

 

Michigan State Pharmaceutical
: Association.
President—John J. Watters, Saginaw.
First Vice-President—Alexander Reid,
Detroit.
Second Vice-President — F. H. Taft,

Lansing.
Secretary—R. A. Turrell. Croswell.

Treasurer—P. W. Harding, Yale.

 

Sol Somers “Fountain Chatter.”

February is a month in which a num-
ber of holidays are observed in many
states—Lincoln’s and Washington’s
birthdays, and Valentine day. Three
fine opportunities to feature the candy
department and to play up your foun-
tain and luncheonette py improving
your menu and directing attention to
the choicer viands.

Eating is the greatest question to-
day—everyone asks somebody else
where he eats and how. What is one
man’s turkey is some one else’s hash.
The “big eater” at noon time is out of
the picture. He eats sparingly, a bet-
ter assortment, pays more and seems
to like it. He eats with his eyes and
if you display your sandwiches daintily
wrapped, pastries under glass, pies,
with powdered sugar topping when
needed, silver, glass and chinaware
sparkling with cleanliness, you appeal
to him. This is selling food with high
pressure methods. Attendants with
clean nails, white coated and smiling,
not grinning—there is a difference—en-
hance the setting. The girlies, of
course, always know their stuff and do
it. I never believed in girl soda dis-
pensers but one to every three bright-
ens up the surroundings and the cus-
tomers like it—home atmosphere is the
answer.

A good dispenser is always courteous
and considerate to his customers, es-
pecially if they are fussy about their
food or drink. He should be concern-
ed, suggesting some appetizing drinks
and some new toasted sandwiches, etc.,
especially where he knows the patron’s
weakness is his stomach.

Toasted sandwiches bring an extra
nickel and if the right kind of sandwich
toaster is used a great sandwich busi-
ness can be built up. The writer will
answer any questions pertaining to
toasters or any luncheonette equip-
ment.

Fresh strawberries are in the market
now, so feature them in ice cream sodas,
parfaits, floats, egg drinks, sundaes,
royals and melbas.

These new berries, after being hulled,
should be placed in a collander, run
cold water through them and then red
hot water and watch them get red
through the reaction. Then sugar lib-
erally with confectionery or powdered
sugar. Never use citric acid or lemon
juice on these new berries.

Marshmallow is the finest and cheap-
est dressing on the fountain and the
least used. Make a drive on a marsh-
mallow week even to the dressing up
of the cup cakes, angel cake and pies.

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

When topping the cup cakes use it
thick “as is” from the can and sprinkle
a chocolate shott, minced cherries,
macaroon crumbs, silver dragees,
pecans, almonds, filberts, peanuts or
“what have you.”

As previously stated, folks eat with
their eyes. Many dispensers top hot
chocolate with marshmallow. This is
a mistake as very often the flavor of
the gelatin creeps out and spoils a good
customer’s patronage. Whipped cream
or ice cream is the proper caper.

Mix thick marshmallow as follows:
1 pint marshmallow, 2 ounces burnt
almonds, 2 ounces pecans, 3 ounces
minced cherries and enough honey to
serve right. A dash of lilac water
he'ps. Very little—just a suggestion.
You can sign as follows:

Washington Special
Cherry Marsh Nougat
Very Chewy
A Holiday Treat

Use a No. 12 scoop of maple, walnut
or vanilla ice cream and top off with
a ladle of the nougat dressing.

A marsh peach melba will help about
now when in between seasons. Use a
banana royal dish but preferably a 5
inch china saucer. One half slice plain
cake, on this a No. 12 scoop of cloco-
late ice cream, over this a ladle of thick
marshmallow, cherry syrup and broken
pecans. You can sign this as follows:

Washington Special

Peach Marsh Melba
A Delightful Dish
A Holiday Treat

Mince a half pound Sultana seedless
raisins, same amount of cherries, thin
down with grape syrup and flavor with
imitation rum flavor. Buy rum flavor
from your malt store or fountain supply
house.

A ladle of this on two No. 16 scoops
of “frozen pudding” and marshmallow
is One Special delight. Sign as fol-
lows:

Washington Special
Rummy :Marsh Sundae
“O’Boy—It’s good”
A Holiday Treat

Spring is almost here which means
new life and new business. Do not be
far behind when summer comes.

—_»- >
Blairs and Jungman’s Toothpowders.

The formulas for these well-known

tooth powders are as follows:
Blair’s Formula.

Sitontnun oxide 20
Calcium carbonate (precip. chalk)__76
Gap 3
Cotechg 1
Flavor.

Dissolve the soap in about 4 parts
of water and mix intimately with about
25 parts of precipitated chalk and dry
at moderate heat. Dissolve the catechu
in five parts of alcohol and intimately
mix with 25 parts of precipitated chalk,
mix equal parts of oil of wintergreen
and oil of sassafras with the remaining
25 parts of precipitated chalk, using
about 6 drops of the mixed oils for
each 100 gms. of the powder. Mix the
three lots together and sift in a bolting
cloth. Follow about the same proce-
dure for preparing Jungman’s powder,
except that the catechu is omitted and
the oils should first be intimately mix-
ed with the sugar.

Jungman’s Formula.
Tit ome 2 ai5

Precattaied chalk - 60
OMS ocenie ee men 4
BOO fe 5
Flavor,

—_»+-+____

Painting Cloth Signs.

In the first place, never use an oil in
your paint. Prepare your paint as fol-
lows: Use only dry colors, the best
grade. Grind your color in japan or
furniture varnish about as thick as
paste; thin with gasoline until it works
freely under the brush and does not
spread. Be careful not to get it too
thin, or it will cause your paint to
spread, thus preventing you from
making a neat job.

Cloth signs made as above will last
for 30 days exposed to the weather;
but if you want them to stand for two
or three months, use a little boiled oil
in your color; but where you have a
sign to paint for a special sale that the
party does not want to advertise over
thirty days, the boiled oil could be
omitted. The kind of brush used
should be a sign-writer’s o~e-stroke
brush, either ox-hair or black sable.
We would prefer the black sable. You
can clean them out thorough’y after
use with turpentine and grease with
lard oil.

—_> +> -__ -—
Too Much Acacia.

A local druggist enquires how the
following prescription may be dis-
pensed in order to prevent a separation
of ingredients and a precipitate:

yin tot 1 oz.
pyri Ipecac 020 4 drs.
Castor On 2 ozs.
Aeatiaq (20 1 oz.
(creosote: 2 6 min.
Mist Glycyrrhiza Co. ad ______ 6 ozs.

The ordinary castor oil emulsion
should first be made, using one ounce
of water and four drams of acacia. To
this emulsion add the creosote, then
follow with the other ingredients. You
will note that only four drams_ of
acacia have been used. This is all that
is required. Your trouble is undoubt-
edly due to an excessive amount of
acacia. This mixture as made by me
is a homogeneous and entirely satis-
factory preparation, as compounded
above.

—_2+++___
Protective Cream For the Hands.
The following cream for applying to

the hands prior to engaging on me-
chanical work has been found very
satisfactory in practice:

Glee Acid’ 2 4 oz.
Hydrous Wool Fat _-__-___--_- YZ oz.
Denatured Alcohol ~____-______ 3 oz.
Solution of Potassium Hy-

droxwe (4-1) ......... a sufficiency
Givcein oe Y% oz.

Mix the acid with the wool fat and
mytholated spirit and neutralize with
the solution of potassium hydroxide to
phenolphthalein. Then incorporate
with the paste formed by mixing % oz.

powdered borax with the glycerin.
>

<->.
Cheap Insect Powder.
The fo'lowing formula for an in-
secticide is of the type you require:
Insect powder (pulv. pyrethrum) 8 oz.

 

Orda a 8 oz.
Sa 4 oz.
Oil of Eucalyptus ~-..._______ 2 drs.

———- o-oo
Fools rush in where foo!s have been

before.

February 11, 1931

Recent Business Information From
Ohio.
Cincinnati—Walter G. Gauspohl, 101
Wentworth avenue, Wyoming, Ohio,
died here following a three months’
illness. Mr. Gauspohl was former vice-
president of the Rockcastle Co., man-
ufacturer of shoe heels. He is survived
by his widow and a daughter, Rose.

?

Cincinnati—Hyman Nedelman, retail
shoes, 685 Glenwood avenue, has filed
a voluntary petition in bankruptcy in
the U. S. District Court here, listing
liabilities of $6,667 and assets of $500.

Akron—M. S. Stein, men’s furnish-
ings, 1138 Main street, lists forty-seven
creditors. The following have claims
of $500 or more: Cambridge Men’s
Shop, Martins Ferry, O., $1,368; B.
Rudner, Martins Ferry, O., $1,900.

New Boston—Abraham Kauffman,
general merchandise, has filed a volun-
tary petition in bankruptcy in the U. S.
District Court at Cincinnati, listing lia-
bilities of $6,204 and assets of $4,075.

Cincinnati—Involuntary bankruptcy
proceedings filed in the U. S. District
Court here against the McCullough
Ashton Furniture Co. by Attorneys
Burch, Peters, Geismar & Defosset,
representing Sunray Stove Co., $189;
John J. Madden Mfg. Co., Inc., $200;
Marietta Chair Co., $1,294. They al-
lege the debtor company committed an
act of bankruptcy on Dec. 1 when it
permitted a receiver a to be appointed
to take charge of the property.

Cleveland — General Mattress Co.,
manufacturers, 7500 Stanton avenue,
list assets of $18,851 and liabilities of
$37,470. There are seventy-two cred-
itors.

Middletown—In the case of Mrs.
Elizabeth J. Russell, trading as Russell
Shoppes, retail ready to wear, Middle-
town and Oxford, Ohio, John D, An-
drews, receiver in bankruptcy, has filed
his report in U. S. District Court, Cin-
cinnati, showing receipts totaling $7,-
997 and disbursements of $6,745.

Toledo — Maumee Furniture, Inc.,
manufacturer of upholstered furniture,
show liabifities of $12,250 and assets of
$2,354. Creditors of $500 or more are:
Home Bank & Trust Co., trustee, To-
ledo, $2,050; LaFrance Textile Co., De-
troit, $914; M. B. Leventhal, Philadel-
phia, $939; H. D. Taylor Co., Buffalo,
$511; Toledo Wire Products ‘Co., $1,-
350. The assets are: Promissory note,
$50; stock in trade and furniture, $640;
machinery, tools, office equipment and
fixtures, $470; acocunts receivable,
$936; money in checking account, $254.

Cleveland—Unofficial estimates place
Richman Bros. Co. net earnings for
1930: at $3,300,000, or $5.50 per common
share, which compares with $4,200,000
for 1929, or $7 per common share. The
Richman management would not com-
ment on the accuracy of this estimate.
The earnings statement will be an-
nounced on the day of the annual
meeting, Feb. 10, at Cleveland.

Portsmouth—Involuntary bankruptcy
proceedings have been filed in the U.
S. District Court at Cincinnati against
Bruce Hoobler by Attorneys Johnston
& Skelton, of Portsmouth, representing
Excelsior Shoe ‘Co., $311; Jos. G. Reed
Co., $330; Gilbert Grocery Co., $668.
They allege Hoobler made an assign-
ment for the benefit of creditors in

‘ '
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February 11, 1931
Mela & oe MICHIGAN TRADESMAN
robate Court, Sciot
23. o county, on Jan. ed with the Klein & Roderick Co. He WHOLES R I =!
Columbus— ; came to Alliance from Zanesville, Ohi ALE
Pay. ‘Label q — who Mr. Klein is survived by the = DRUG PRICE CURRENT
or furnishings and three d : :
hats at the 8 ee daughters, two brothers, bo Prices quot i
se Sai ay oe Co. Dec. 1, Cleveland, and two sisters ae ated nae quoted are — based on market the day of issue.
Ta i ? =
tie HOV Di Cas Sees for dents of Czechoslovakia. Funeral ser- Boric (Powd.)-. 10 @ 20 ane : oe 50 Benzoin Comp’a. @2 40
and will promeie a its subsidiaries, vices were held at the residence cath "2B $ eee =------- 4 og 25 Gudea fa
,’ * ~ aI DoMCc 2. Ui te
theoubhout the ae firm’s interests Toledo—Maumee Furniture, Inc Cuts cE Se 50 @ e Hadiece pare nos = eee ee a = =
territory. Mr. Quigley mein: — manufacturers of upholstered formsure, Mis Mee 16 Touiper Wood "2 i 2001 75 Cinohona —~=-——- o2 is
deuce i ene ins his resi- has filed a voluntary petition in ont: Siitode <------- at * Lae oe od 3e01 an So oe b+ “
‘ noe a . 1. 1 38@1 40_~-~Digitalis __-__~~ 6
a civde—In the case of Mae Matilda Sk oe e438 @ 85 Tavender Gara 06 % Gentian i ge
Sulton, women’s and children’ g liabilities of $12,250 and ic arn 125@1 60 Guaiac ____._- ae
i ren’s wear f $2,35 : ae Ammonia emon -...___ 4 00@4 25 Guaiac, Ammon.- @2 28
the schedules filed i » of $2,354. Linseed, boiled, bbl. @ I Ammon. @2 04
. y : * by . . odi
Court; at Toledo, oe oo se & Longini, one of Water, is deg. 06 $ iB Pruced ia ie we a lodine, Goioriaaa. oi 50
$7,010; $1,484 s of the oldest wholesal f ater, 14 deg.- 5%@ 13 Linseed, raw, | nm, Clo. --_.  @1 56
p/,VLU; spi, of thi : ae sale shoe house Carbona less 84@ 97 i
eo et P set this city, will retire from hanes Chioride (Gran) 08 g 8 Nentsfont — FocGn s ORS Araaee $2 é3
$1,510 and consist of the yon ibe heed Their stock has been pur- B live, Co ee 7“ 06 Opium “ono — 5 rr
Stock of dress . following: chased by H. Zussman & S — yellow _____"_ on a 1
the Harriet i. lingerie, etc. in sale clothing and shoes i eo ie (canada) _- 3 1303 00 Olive, Malaga, ~~ a a os 0
$560: aniomahile ees at Clyde, liquidated on the Maen & fee a ye scveren? --  65@1 00 oa. — toe 8 @1 92
eee aia oo premises. The purchase was oe a 0002 28 Origanum, i" wes 50 Lead red Paints
. ? . : : . n com’ .
Columbus—Upon the application of oe to the inventory as of Dec. 31 ea Pennyroyal eam i eae a (Sess waite Beene
th : oO an it is und ’ é rks eppermint -... 4 . White oil ;
1e International Luggage Co., Phila- stock erstood that the shoe Cassia (ordinary). 25@ 30 Rose, pure ____ 13 soma c Ochre, yeliow a ees
delphia, $306; Samuel Brier Co., Phila oe a a value of approximately ee ese 40@ 60 Sandelw Flows 1 25@1 50 Roane zallew less 30 hg
L: ” 7 40, : / k eo pw. oO et’n Am. ;
delphia; 6168, aad-the Pliladeloka ; Mann & Longini was organ- Seap Cut aa @ 50 | seen? Red Venet'n E 3%4@ 7
Luggage Co., Philadelphia, $418 . ized by the late-Charles Longini and 350 --------—--- 20@ 30 06 : Whid ——— — is:
nard Feiglinger has heen, ened ce Arnold 'S. Mann in 1903. About two Berries R ting — — bye10”
: : : - years ago, 1 ee Ogers Prep, __
pil 2 Skuller in an invol- to aoe ue oe withdrew Fish SM g . M ee taeow
etitio ; : wil 1S eee oo a 8
the U. S. Distri aise pari filed in der the style of Chas. Lon e oe = - 10@ % Terpantine. Ohl ¢ 75 imu
a - District Court here. Attorney Co., and _this neo gini & Sons ly Ash _____- @ 7 Turpentine, less ~ 62@ aa san
en F, Levinson represented thé pe- ne i latter firm has no con- Wintergreen, Alum. powd ana °°" +
titioni : e ction with the a ee § 6 ground _.
oe dating its budijess Sol 5 a ie Licorice 60@ 75 Veron. sweet uae — Subni- ——
Wm us—The Sears Co., with an Arnol . Sol Longini and Licorice, powd. -. 60@ 70 wie ee .-- 3 00@3 25 Bo ---~----~. 2 00@2 4
authorized capital of 250 shares of es Mann, partners in Mann & Was soo art 75@1 00 povienea =
or no oO ini : --.. 6 00 x, wimninn 06 ‘
a — has been chartered under Caen a announced their fu-  aypnica Flowers ue Wormwood, oz, __ a: a Gaptharides, po. mo a
hin laws 1 k i S as yet. < ---------- 80 Cc x cent 2 72@2 2
Robert Fox Re Pie ng Shuman, Columbus—The Norman S. Mack Snocnte Ea —. = Potasslum Gue “3 soe <
chee shames et onaldson to Co., Inc., which operated the she 2 Bicarbonate _____ a a Buds ____ no. ie
a aaa hae 7 s furnishings partment in the Doyle Sho a cS Gums noe oo iso 25 cnee Prepared__ ue *
luaibs” Poe company Ha sem Ge Bow aes, aw was ened Se @ so Bromide > sg Chora ey diaia na oe
foe reorgan- | ; : Ped ---=- @ 50 » @ran’d_ 21 20cai ou
ization of the Jones-Sears Co., whicl by Receiver Paul M. Ashbaugh in an Seale. Sorts. 25@ 40 Chlorate. powd. tae . Coc Ee 12 85@13 50
was recently liquidated eo Pie chee action brought in the Court of Com Koes Gagh Pow) 330 45 fan "= “less” au1 :
. : petition - x 2G a ° a om to
for dissolution filed by Mrs. M. A mon Pleas, has been closed with no fo we foe ee bs fodide ————_.____ 4 ta, ¥ Copperas _ 40-10%
Sears, the secretary Mrs. M. A. dividends to the creditors whose claims Asafoetiaa oe 50@) 6 Prussiate, yellow eo oe Powd. “a i
Alliance—B Klej amounted to approximatel 4 Pow. -—------- 90@1 00 Prussiate, red 2 s Cream “ Sublm 2 252 gu
: en Cif, 57, a retail ss ely $ ,000. Camphor --_-. q Sulphate —- 0@ 75 C artar __ 45
Aithins eae Geee te 3 il The assets consisted of 150 pairs of Guaiac ______-__- eS te -------- 35@ 40 Deset, bone ___ ae =
ee ay aloe shoes appraised at $800. Several pre- Guaiac, pow'd — 70 6 Davera Pocus (Aa, 4
Ss Gh cee Bae , after an ill- ferred labor claims and cost - Kino, powdered__ oe ss —- mmery, All Nos. “a 60
seve ys. He was associat- : sts took the Myrrh -- @1 20 tkanet 2. Ymery, Powde 16
a entire assets. i Bod @1 15 Blood, powdered. Ye = Epsom Salts peo oa.
A * re § _ ; . EB 5
Gao weed fai we Miccenpanc pod 25@ 65 rgot, powte co #%Y sr
Ge 2 Saueds Gentian wae ae » Powdered __ @4 00
Shellac, Orange 0 Gi. lan, powd. _ 20@ 30 F e, bite = 45
aaa wee ote 1  pewdered Golanndehyde, Ib. 12@ _
Tragacanth, : Ped 2-2 30 2 eo
Tragacanth a. ane 73 Ginger, Jamaica_ ino “ anes less: 55% ”
LEDGERS — JOURN ALS Turpentine ______ . - Sor enuice. . © Glauber pig Sey 60%.
ce re eee Glaub. » 1 0
RECORDS : oo pow. 5 00@5 bre Glue, gl aig less ug 4
DAY BOO insecticides ieee powd. __ 4 00@4 60 Glue, Bias a ---- 20@ 30
KS — CASH BOOK Arsenic . 08 eee 5@ 49 Glue, White Se &
S Blue Vitriol, bbl. 2 2 Gan ce, powd.__ 20@ 30 Glue, white era 27%@ 3
MEMORANDUM BOOKS Se es f See ee Se ee
: Mix Dry 1: Rhu 0 EE:
’ Retail 5c and up Hellebore, White “ae = Hees gues @1 00 nae PERE aa 9%
TT pow . . loform =
LE ER F ILES—LET I ER CAP. Cc ARD Insect, Powder Wag ‘ en. Hond. = . pros Acuna 8 ve »
ao Lead Arsenate, Po. 13%@27 S go) nog Se ee
INDEX—ORDER BOOKS—PETTY Hise Sod Sub ony SE Goaaes Mahe gi 8
P Soe quills, area Murpuine ~-~~7i @7
DAY Green 26%@46% Tumeric, powd 0g 80 Nur Vomica 12 $8014 <=
BOOKS—T ALLY B O OK S Valerian, powd. _. @ 60 Fn Vomica, pow. 15 =
—AUTO AND Leaves epper, Blaci, pw. 35Q 45
AGO a “- @ 50 Seeds witch » White, p. 7 : =
W N DELIVERY BO — oe eae uaesig ne 13
OKS_INCOME | smeit@™= af 8 einer ago SER ieee
TAX eet Die “gf Ser Pret ee tal ate wg,
RECORDS miered.- = @ 3 Canary 13@ 17 Saccharine ___" soga 16
s ---- way, S 5 = a
So pow. xe 35 Cardamon eine *, os 0 Seidlitz Mixture x as
Oe ee ee 0@ 2% Coriander pow. 30 is@ 2¢ Soap Sot cast. °9 30
sortment. Ask O iso Soap, mott cast _
P ur Salesmen, Oils Fennell - 18@ 20 Soap. white Cattle, 7 ™
or ee Sam 1 Almonds, Bitter, Flax. Sort 8@ 15 Soap, white Cus —- @15 00
. . ground _ » White
ples in Our Sample Room. be e-ssreene 7 50@7 75 HOOMURTeSk, pwd, 2: = a «iu
artificis ' ~— aon 8@ 15 Soda ~~ 8@ 10
aattificial ————- 3 00@3 25 arustana. Selicw ~~ 17) 30 Soda, acarbonate $%4@ 10
true -. 1 Muse Le”. (66 SS Sie ~~~~-- 02%4@ 08
2 arta Zee | 501 90 Mueard’ black 30@ 36 Sulphur, roll @1 fo
imitation _. 1 00@1 25 Quince 15@ 25 Sulphur. Sub. 774t@
Amber, crude -- 75@1 00 S@badilla __—_——- 2 25@2 50 Tamarin -- *4@ 10
Amber, rectified 1 50@1 75 Sunflower ____.__ 45 560 Tartar Emetic 20@ 2%
Anise "________. 2 0002 2 Worm, American 18 Turpentine Ven we 2°
H ° 3 Bergamont ---- 6 00@6 25 Wark tava S 40 Vanilla Bx. sone 50@ 165
azeltine & Perkins D Gajaput 2 0092 25 ~'6 5007 00 Venllla te Pure 3 2008 £9
ns Drug Co. a i Zine SulmhapeT® ® 23@3 50
2 i ee _. 1 55@1 80 Inctures a
Grand Ra a Cedar Leaf _____ 2 Webst
pids Michigan Manistee Citronella 2 90@2 25 Aconite __.. a1 so Wenster cigar Co. Brande
ea ae ee @2 38 Webster Cadiiiace ~~ 32 8
Cod Liver __---- 1 40@2 00 Belladonna 7777 $1 Z bag Wedding ~ 00
Benzoin __.______ anatellas ____
Nn ------- @328 Commodore ___ = oe

 

 

 

 

 

and are intended to be correct at time of
liable to change at any time,

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

GROCERY PRICE CURRENT

These quotations are carefully corrected weekly, within six hours of mailing

going to press. Prices, however, are
and merchants will have their orders filled at mar-

ket prices at date of purchase. For price changes compare with previous issues

== : =

ADVANCED

Dried Apricots
Dried Peaches
California Prunes

Royal

DECLINED

Baking Powder

Smoked Meats
Baked Beans

 

 

Raisins Evaporated Milk
a Kaffe Hag, 12 1-lb Strawberries
Cais oS ip NO. 2 4 25
All Bran, 16 oz. _____ Bap OE oe 3 00
All Bran, 10 oz, ~.____ 270 Marcellus, No. 2 _._.. 3 25
All Bran, % oz. --_. 2 00 Pride of Mich. No. 2__ 3 75

 

10 lb. pails,
15 ib. pajis,

per doz. 9 40
per doz. 12 60
25 Ib. pails, per doz. 19 15
25 lb. pails, per doz. 19 15

APPLE BUTTER
Quaker, 24-21 oz., doz. 2 10
Quaker, 12-38 oz., doz. 2 35

BAKING POWDERS

Arctic, 7 oz. tumbler 1 35
Royal,- 10c, doz. ------ 93
Royal, 4 oz., doz. _.__ 1 80
Royal, 6 oz., doz. ---. 2 45
Royal, 12 oz., doz. —_ 4 85
Royal, 5 ib. ______. 40
Calumet, 4 oz., doz. 95
Calumet, 8 oz., doz. 1 85
Calumet, 16 oz., doz. 3 25
Caiumet, 5 lb., doz. 12 10
Calumet, 10 lb., doz. 18 60
Rumford, 10c, per doz. 95
Rumford, 8 oz., doz. 1 85
Rumford, 12 oz.. doz. 2 40
Rumford, 5 lb.. doz. 12 50
K. C. Brand

Per case
10c size, 4 doz. ------ 3 70
15c size, 4 doz. ---_- 5 60
20c size, 4 doz. —----- 7 20
25e size, 4 doz. —----- 9 20
50c size, : a i 8 80
80c size, 1 doz. ------ 6 85
10 Ib. aan * ys aan 4b

BLEACHER CLEANSER
Clorox, 16 oz., 24s -. 3 8

Lizzie, 16 oz., 128 ---- 2 16
BLUING
Am. Ball.36-10z.,cart. 1 00
Quaker, 1% oz.. Non-
freeze, dozen ------ 85
Boy Blue, 36s, per cs. 2 70
Perfumed Bluing
Lizette, 4 02. 128 -. 80
Lizette, 4 oz., 248 -. 1 60
Lizette, 10 oz., 12s -_ 1 30
Lizette, 10 oz., 24s -. 2 50

BEANS and PEAS
100 Ib

Brown Swedish Beans 9 00
Pinto Beans -------- 9 35
Red Ka@ney Beans -. 9 75
White H’d P. Beans 5 90
Sol. Lima Beans ---. 8 75
Bla,ck Eye Beans --

Split Peas, Yellow -- 5.60
Split Peas, Green ---_ 6.50
Scotch Peas -~----... 4 95
BURNERS
Queen Ann, No. 1 and
Sg SEE Sea 1 36
White Flame, No. 1
and 2, doz. --_.---- 2 26

BOTTLE CAPS
Obl. Lacguor, 1 gross -
a5 r ae
BeEAKFAST FOODS
Kellogg’s Brands.
Corn Flakes, No. 136 2 85
Corn Flakes, No. 124 2 85
Pep, No. 224 2 70

 

Rice Krispies, 6 oz. _. 2 70
Rice Krispies, 1 oz. -. 1 10

 

ROLLED OATS
Purity Brand
Instant Flake, sm., 24s 1°80
Instant Flake, sm., 48s 3 60
Instant Flake, lge., 18s 3 40
Regular Flake, sm.,24s 1 80
Regular Flake, sm., 48s 3 60
Regular Flake, lg., 18s 3 40
China, large, 12s -_ -. 315
Chest-o-Silver, lg., 12s 3 25

Post Brands.
Grape-Nuts, 24s -_____ 3 80
Grape-Nuts, 100s -__. 2 75

Instant Postum, No. 8 5 40
Instant Postum, No. 10 4 50
Postum Cereal, No. 0 2 26
Post Toasties. 36s -. 2 85
Post Toasties, 24s -_ 2 85
Post’s Bran, 24s __-. 2 70
BROOMS
Jewell, doz. ----------. 25
Standard Parlor, 23 Ib. 8 25
Fancy Parlor, 23 lb.-. 9 25

fx. Fancy Parlor 25 Ib. 9 75
Ex. Fey. Parlor 26 Ib. - =

Oy ee
Whisk, No: 3s 2 75
BRUSHES
Scrub
Solid Back, 8 in. ~.-. 1 50
Solid Back, 1 in. ---. 1 75
Pointed Ends -------- 1 25
Stove
ener 1 80
No 5) 3
Peeriem 2 2 60
Shoe
No. 4-0 2B
No. 2-0) 3 00
BUTTER COLOR
Dandelion  --.-------. 2 85
CANDLES
Electric Light, 40 lbs. 12.1
Plumber, 40 Ibs. ----- 12.8
Paraffine, 6s ~-------- 14%
Paraffine, 12s ------- 14%
Wicking 40

Tudor, 6s. per box -. 30

CANNED FRUITS

Hart Brand
Applies
No. 10°. 5 75
Blackberries
No: 2 22 75
Pride of Michigan -..- 3 25
Cherries

Mich. red, No. 10 ~._-11 75
. 10 - 25

15
Pride of Mich. No. 2__ 3 55

Marcellus Red -----. 3 10
Special Pie -~----_--_ 60
Whole White --_____-_ 3 10
Gooseberries
No: 46: 8 00
roe
19 02. Blass 2k

5 65
Pride of Mich. No. 2% 4 20

Piums
Grand Duke, No. 2%__ 3 25
Yellow Eggs No. 2%. 3 25

Black Raspberries
Oe 3 75
Pride of Mich. No. 2__ 3 25
Pride of Mich. No. 1_. 2 35

Red Raspberries
, =

Seaication: Mo. 2 22: 3 te
Pride of Mich. No. 2_. 4 25

CANNED FISH
Clam Ch’der, 10% oz.
Clam Chowder, No. 2.
Clams, Steamed. No. 1
Clams, Minced, No. %
Finnan Haddie, 10 oz.
Clam Bouillon, 7 oz..
Chicken Haddie, No. 1
Fish Flakes, small __
Cod Fish Cake, 10 oz.
Cove Oysers, 5 oz. _.
Lobster, No. 4, Star

~_
a

Shrimp, 1, wet —_____ 2 16
Sard’s, % Oil, Key _. 6 lu
Sard’s, 4% Oil, Key 00

Sardines, % Oil, less 4 75
Salmon, Red Alaska__ 3 76
Salmon, Med. Alaska 2 8§
Salmon, Pink, Alaska 1 35
Sardines, Im. \%, ea. : en
Sardines, Im., %, 25
Sardines, Cal. __ 1 352 25
Tuna, %, Curtis, doz. 2 60
Tuna, %s, Curtis, doz. 2 20
Tuna, % Blue Fin _. 2 26
Tuna, 1s, Curtis. doz. 7 00

tw

CANNED MEAT
Bacon, Med. Beechnut
Bacon, Lge. Beechnut
Beef. No 1, Corned __
Beef No. 1, Roast __

Beef, No. 1, B’nut, sli
Beefsteak & Onions, s
Chili Con Car., 1s
Deviled Ham, %s ____
Deviled Ham, ¥s ____
Hamburg Steak ©
Onions, No. 1 ____.
Potted Beef, 4 <2.
Potted Meat, y¥% Libby 62
Potted Meat. % Libby 90
Potted Meat, % Qua.
Potted Ham, Gen. % 1 45
Vienna Saus. No. % 1 35
——— Sausage, Qua. 90
Veal Loaf, Medium __ 2 25

w

®

&

on

&

we
BREE, |
Co BOM mom Co top Coto mM tO
Sh ASKSSSRESSSsS

Baked Beans
Campbells
Quaker, 16 oz.
Fremont, No. 2 -.___. 1 25
Snider, No. 1 ~-_.____ 1 10
Snider, No. 2 ~ ---.... 1 >
Van Camp, small ____
Van Camp, med. -...
CANNED VEGETABLES

Hart Brand

Baked Beans
Medium, Plain or Sau. 75
No. 10, Sauce —.... | 5 60

Lima Beans
Little Dot, No. 2 _.. 3 10
Little Quaker, No. 10.14 00
Little Quaker, No. 1._ 1 95

Baby, No. tees ae ee
Baby, No. 1. 1 95
Pride of Mich. No. 1.. i 65
Marcellus, No. 10 ____ 8 75
Red Kidney Beans
ING. 20 oo — 6 50
ee 3 70
OUR 1 30
IG. A 90
String Beans
Little Dot, No. 2 ____ 3 30
Little Dot. No. 1 ____ 2 50
Little Quaker, No. 1__ 2 00
Little Quaker, No. 2__ 2 90
Choice Whole, No. 10.12 75
Choice Whole, No. 2__ 2 50

Choice Whole, No. i, . 80

Cot, No. 19 0 50
Wnt, NO, Fo 1 10
Ct Ne 1 1 60
Pride of Mich. No. 2__ 1 75
Marcellus, No. 2 ____ 1 50
Marcellus, No. 10 ____ 8 25
Wax Beans
Litlet Dot, No. 2 ____ 2 75
Little Dot, No. 1 ____ 2 00
Little Quaker, No. 2.. 2 65
Little Quaker, No. 11 90

' Choice Whoie, No. 10_12 50

Choice Whole, No. 2__ 2 50
Chipice Whol, No. 1._ 1 75

   

sei
Pride of Michigan  .
Marcellus Cut, No. 10_ 8 25

Beets
Small, No. 2% —.__.. 3 00
Etxra Small, No. 2 __ 3 00
Fancy Small No. 2 __ 2 50
Pride of Michigan -. 2 25
Marcellus Cut, No. 10. 6 75
Marcel. Whole, No. 2% 1 85

Carrots
Diced, No. 2 ___ ae

  

Golden Ban.,
Golden Ban.,
Golden Ban., No.
Little Dot, No. a 2g
Little Quaker, No. 2.
Little Quaker, No. 1.
Country, Gen., No. 1.
Country Gen. No. 2...
Pride of Mich., No. 5_
Pride of Mich., No. 2_
Pride of Mich., No. lL
Marcellus,
Marcellus,
Marcellus, No. 1 -_.
Fancy Crosby, No. 2.

Fancy Crosby, No. 1__
Peas

Little Dot, No. 2 ____

Little Dot, No. 1 ____ 1 80

Little Quaker, No. 10 12 00

Little Quaker, No. 2. 2 40

Little Quaker, No. 1_. 1 65

bifted BE. June, No. 10_10 00
Sifted E. June, No.
Sifted E. June, No. 1
Sifted E. June, No. 1
Belle of Hart, No. 1
Pride of Mich., No. 9
Pride of Mich., No. 2. 1 75
Gilman E. June, No. 21
Marcel., BE. June, No. 2 1
E. June, No. 5 4
Marcel., E. Ju., No. 10 7
Templar E. J., No. 21
Templar E. Ju., No. 10 7 00

Marcel.,

Pumpkin
No. 1) 2. 5 50
No 2% 2 1 30
Oe 1 45
Marcellus, No. 10 ___. 4 50
Marcellus, No. 2%  __. 1 40
Marcellus No. 2 _.-._ 1 16
Sauerkraut
mo. 40 oe 00
No. 3% Se ee se Be
No. 2 1 25
Spinach
NO: 3 2 50
ip. Bes 1 90
2 ash
Boston, No. 3 -_______ 1 80
Succotash

Golden Bantum, No. 2 2 75

Little Dot, No. 2 -___ 2 55

Little Quaker ________ 2 40

Pride of Michigan _.__ 2 15
Tomatoes

No, 420 oo 6 00

NO. 25% 2 2 25

Np. 2 22 65

1
Pride of Mich., No. 2% 2 25
Pride of Mich., No. 2__ 1 60

CATSUP,
Beech-Nut, small ____ 1 60
Beech-Nut, large -... 2 40
Lily of Valley, 14 oz... 2 25
Lily of Valiey, % pint 1 65
Sniders, 8 oz. --_____ 1 55
Sniders, 16 oz. -.._._ 2 36
Quaker, 10 oz. -_____ 1 35
Quaker, 14 oz. -_.. 1 80
Quaker, Gallon Glass 12 00
Quaker, Gallon Tin __ 7 25

CHIL! SAUCE
Snider, 16 oz, -._____. 15
Snider, 8 oz. ___..___ 2 20
Lilly Valley, 8 oz. __ 2 25
Lilly Valley, 14 oz. __ 3 25

OYSTER COCKTAIL
Sniders, 16 oz. __.___ 3 15
Sniders, 8 oz. ______ 2 20

CHEESE
Roauelort 22 62
Wisconsin Daisy -_____ 21
Wisconsin Flat _______ 21
New York June -______ 32
Spy Sago 40
Ser 22
Michigan Flats ________ 20
Michigan Daisies ______ 20
Wisconsin Longhorn  __ 20
Imported Leyden _.____ 28
1 Ib. Limburger ________ 26
Imported Swiss —______ 56

Kraft Pimento Loaf __ 29
Kraft American Loaf __ 27
Kraft Brick Loaf ______ 27
Kraft Swiss Loaf ______ 35
Kraft Old Eng. Loaf__ 44

Kraft. Pimento. % Ib. 1 90
Kraft, American, % Ib. 1.90
Kraft, Brick, % Ib. 1 90
Kraft Limburger. % Ib. 1-90
Kraft Swiss, % Ib. _. 2 25

 

eo GUM
Adams Black Jack __._ 65
Adams Puodbenes saan Ob
Adams ‘Dentyne —-__- 5

6.
Adams Calif. Fruit  __ 65
Adams Sen Sen
Beeman’s Pepsin _. ___ 65
Beechnut Wintergreen. .
Beechnut Peppermint__
Beechnut Spearmint —-
Doublemint
Peppermint, Wrigleys .. 65
Spearmint, Wrigleys _. 65
Juicy Fruit —,--.._.__ 65
peer * PK See Se 65

CIE
S|

Droste’s Dutch, 1  ? 8 =

Droste’s Dutch,
Droste’s Dutch, % Ib. 2 35
Droste’s Dutch, 5 Ib. 60

Chocolate Apples .... 4 50
Pastelles, No. 1 __.. 12 60
Pastelles, % Ib. _____- Bore
Pains De Cafe _______ 3 00
Droste’s Bars, 1 doz. 2 00
Delft Pastelles ______ 21

1 Ib. ara Tin Bon
Bene 18 00
7 oz. ae Tin Bon
Bons

   

% Ib. Pastelles -___.. 3
Langres De Chats _. 4 80
CHOCOLATE
Baker, Caracas, %s -_-. 37
Baker, Caracas, %s __.. 35

sLOTHES LINE

Kemp, 50 ft. _.. 2 00@2 25
Twisted Cotton,

oO ft. Co 50@4 00
Braided, 50 Th 2 25
Sash Cord -_____ 2 50@2 75

COFFEE ROASTED
Blodgett-Beckley Co.

 

Old Master -________. =. 40
Lee & Cady
1 ib. Package

tiberty oo 17
Quaker Vacuum —_____ 33
INOUTOW ee 29%
Morton House —_______ 37
BRIA 27
Imperial __-.____ =
Majestic: 2

32%
Boston Breakf’t Blend 27

McLaughlin’s Kept-Fresh

 

M. Y., per 100 ______ 12
Frank's 30 pkgs. -. 4 25
Hummel’s 50 1 Ib. 10%,

CONDENSED MILK
Leader, 4 doz.
Eagle, 4 doz.

MILK COMPOUND
Hebe, Tall, 4 doz. -.. 4 50
Hebe. Baby, 8 doz. _. 4 40
Carolene. Tall, 4 doz. 2 80
Carolene, Raby _____- 3 50

EVAPORATED MILK

 

Pace "Fa os eer 3 80
Page, Baby: 2. 3 80
Quaker, Tall, 10% oz. 3 55
Quaker, Baby, 2 doz. '3 50

Quaker, Gallon, % doz. 3 50
Carnation, Tall, 4 doz. 3 85
Carnation, Baby, 8 dz. 3 85
Oatman’s Dundee, Tall 3 85
Oatman’s D’dee.. Baby 3 85
Every Day, Tall ______ 3 85
Every Day, Baby ---. 3 85

February 11, 1931

Fet,. Tall 2c Howine 4 20
Pet, Baby, 8 oz. .-.. 4 10
Borden’s Tall ________ 4 20
Borden's Baby Bee 4 10
CIGARS
Airedale © 2........__- 35: 00
Havana Sweets _____ 38 of
Hemeter Champion  _-38 50
Canadian Club _____- 35 ve
Robert Emmett __.. 75 00
Tom Moore Monarch 176 00
Webster Cadillac __.. 75 6u

Webster Astor Foil__ 75 (vu
Webster Knickbocker 95 0(
Webster Albany Foil 95 0u
Bering Apollos ____._ 95 00
Rering Palmitas __ 115 0
Bering Diplomatica 115 00
Bering Delioses ____ 120 00
Bering Favorita ..__ 135 0v
Bering Albas Tito

CONFECTIONERY
Stick Candy Pails
Pure Sugar Sticks-600c 4 00
Big Stick, 20 lb. case 17
Horehound Stick, 6. Ib: 18

Mixed Candy

Kindergarten _....-. 17
DmeGer coe 13
Prench Creams =... 14
Paris Creams |: 15
UUpier oe 10
Nancy Mixture _ 17

Fancy Chocolate
5 lb. boxes
Bittersweets, Ass’ted 1 60
Milk Chocolate A A 1 65

Nibble Sticks ________ 50
Chocolate Nut Rolls _ 1 70
Blip Ribbon 1 30
Gum Drops Pails
SIMD 15
Champion Gums _______ 15
Challenge Gums _______ 13
JOY. Steines 0 16
Lozenges Pails

A. A. Pep. Lozenges __ 15
A. A. Pink Lozenges __ 15
A. A. Choc. Lozenges__ 15

Motto Hears t________ 18
Malted Milk Lozenges __ 21

Hard Goods Pails
Hemon Drones 2 17
O. F. Horehound drops 16
Anise Squares __________ 16
Peanut Squares ______ 18

Cough Drops Bxs
Pana 8 a: 2 35
Simith tros 2 1 50
pmdenm's oo 1 50

Package Goods
Creamery Marshmallows

4 oz. pkg., 12s, cart. 85
4 oz. pkg., 48s, case 3 4@
Specialties
Pineapple Fudge ______ 18

Italian Bon Bons
Banquet Cream Mints__ 23
Silver King M.Mallows 1 15
Handy Packages, 12-10c 80

COUPON BOOKS
50 Economic grade 2 6¢
100 Economic grade 4 50
500 Economic grade 20 00
1000 Economic grade 37 50
Where 1,000 books are
ordered at a time, special-
ly printed front cover is
furnished without charge.

CREAM OF TARTAR

6 ib. boxes -_.____ ‘man’ oe
ORIED FRUITS
Apples

N. Y. Fey., 50 lb. box 13

N. ¥. Fey., 14 oz. pkg. 10
Apricots
Evaporated, Choice -___ 16
Evaporated, Fancy .... 21

kuvaporated, slabs _.__-
Citron
10 1b. box) 2s 36
Currants
Packages, 14 oz. -_____ 7
Greek, Bulk, Ib. ~--___ 16%
Dates
Dromedary, 36s ______ 6 76
Peaches
Evap. Choice ~~ .-.-- 11
BAO (ee re 14
Peel
Lemon, American ___--- 28
Orange, American ----- 28
Raisins
Seeded, bulk ____---_-
Thompson's s’dless blk ot
a s seedless,

TD ee oe 09%
Selene 1607520 10%
California Prunes
90@100, 25 Ib. boxes__-@05%
80@90, 25 lb. boxes__@06

, 25 Ib. boxes__@07

. 25 lb. boxes__@07%
, 25 lb. boxes_-@08%%
, 25 lb. boxes__@09%
. 25. Vb. bekee
, 25 Ib. boxes_.

. 26 Ib. boxes._@16%

February 11, 1931

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

 

ny

Homi :
Pearl, 100 Ib. sacks -. 3 50

Macaroni
Mueller’s’. Brands
9'oz: package, per doz.

9 oz. package, per case 2 60
Bulk Goods
Elbow, 20 Ib. __-___ 146 @8
Egg Noodle, 10 Ibs. __ 14
‘Pearl Barley
availa a 7.00
Barley Grits -..__..._ 5 00
er oo 3 75
Sage
Hast India os 10
Tapioca
Pearl. 100 lb. sacks __ 09
Minute, 8 oz., 3 doz. 4 05
Dromedary Instant __ 3 50
Jiffy Punch
3 doz. Carton -.______ 2 25

Assorted flavors.

FLOUR
Vv. C. Milling Co. Brands
iy Wiite

Harvest Queen ________
Yes Ma’am Graham,
OG 2 20

Lee & Cady Brands

American Eagle ___.
Home Baker ___.___.

FRUIT CANS
ason
F. O. B. Grand Rapids

Half pint 0 7 50
One pint 2 7 75
One quart: (oo 9 1¢
Half gallon —-_________ 12 15

Ideal Glass Top

    

Half pint 0.000 00
One pint 50 9 50
One: quart: 0 11 15
Half gallon _.._______ 15 40
GELATINE
Jell-O, 3 doz. ________ 2 85
Minute, 3 doz. ______ 05
Plymouth, White  .___ 1 55
Quaker, 3 doz. ______ 25

JELLY AND PRESERVES
Pure, 30 Ib. pails ____ 3 30
Imitation, 30 Ib. pails 1 85
Pure, 6 oz., Asst., doz. 90
Pure Pres., 16 oz., dz. 2 40

JELLY GLASSES
8 oz... per doz. _____ 36

OLEOMARGARINE
Van Westenbrugge Brands
Carload Distributor

 

Nucoa, 1 1b. 2 17

Wilson & Co.’s Brands

Certified 24
Re 18
Special Holk o 19
MATCHES
Diamond, 144 box _. 4 25
Searchlight, 144 box... 4 25
Ohio Red Label, 144 bx 4 20
Ohio Blue Tip, 144 box 5 00
Ohio Blue Tip. 720-1c 4 00
*Reliable, 144 ________ 3 15
*Federal, 144 ________ 3 95
Safety Matches
Quaker, 5 aro. case__. 4 25

MULLER’S ae

Macaroni, 9 0z. --_--

Snaghetti 9 oz. _.---_ 2 20
Elbow Macaroni, 9 oz. 2 20
Egg Noodles, 6 oz. -.-_ 0

Egg A-B-Cs 48 pkgs.__- 1 80

NUTS—Whole
Almonds, Tarragona. 19.
Bran. Gareé: 03 23
Fancy Mixed -_ ___-_-
Filberts, Sicily -___-_ 20

Peanuts, Vir. Roasted. 11
Peanuts, Tumbe, std. 14

Pecans, 3, star ______ 25
Pecans, Jumbo --_-___ 40
Pecans, Mammoth -_ 50
Walnuts,’ Cal. __.. 27@29
Hickory ae
Salted Peanuts
Bancy. No: yo 14
Shelled
Aimonds Salted -_______ 95
Peanuts, Spanish
tao. ib. bags 222.2) 12
TUDOrIs 32
Pecans Salted ~_...____ 87
Walnut Burdo  - --..._

Walnut, Manchurian __ 55

MINCE MEAT

None Such, 4 doz. ___ 6 47

Quaker, 3 doz. case __ 3 50

Libby, Kegs, wet, Ib. 22
OLIVES

doz.
doz.
doz

doz.
doz.

4 oz. Jar, Plain,
10 oz. Jar, Plain,
14 oz. Jar, Plain,
Pint Jars, Plain,
Quart Jars, Plain,
1 Gal. Glass Jugs,
5 Gal. Kegs, each ____
3% oz. Jar, Stuff., doz.
6 oz. Jar, Stuffed doz.
9% oz. Jar, Stuff., doz.
1 Gal. Jugs, Stuff., dz.

tg
—
P
bo 69 DO Ht 1 4 6 Do om DO

WHWS AAD
SaARRsSsagara

PARIS GREEN

     
         
 

See 34
a 32
8 and Ge oo 30

PEANUT BUTTER

ToaCipan
DO

Bel Car-Mo Brand
241 Wb. Tine 4 35
8 oz., 2 doz. in case __ 2 65
1S UD. pallet
45: 1b: paila: 205

PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
From Tank Wagon
Red Crown Gasoline _. 19.7
Red Crown Ethyl —___ 22.7
Solite Gasoline ______. 22.7

In fron Barrels
Perfection Kerosine _. 14.6
Gas Machine Gasoline 38.1
Vv. M. & P. Naphtha_-. 18.8

1SO-VIS MOTOR OILS
In Iron Barrels

   

mY ite
7 a a
Ex, Heavy 00 77.

[| Polarine

Iron Barrels

c

”

a

oe

!

{

{

{

‘

’

'

'

t

t

'

'

{

(

‘

|

(
KS

Fak ben ad pak at ek et

PIGANY 2
Special heavy —_______
Extra heavy - 2...
Polarine. “FR? 2
Tranmission Oil __.__ 6
Finol, 4 oz. cans, doz. 1 50
Finol, 8 oz. cans, doz. 2 30
Parowax, 100 lb. -.__ 8.3
Parowax, 40, 1 Ib. _. 8.55
Parowax, 20, 1 Ib. __ 8.8

ANH
AM ATTN

 

jemdac, 12 pt. cans 3 00
jemdac, 12 qt. cans 5 00

PICKLES
Medium Sour
5 gallon, 400 count  _. 4 75

Sweet Small

16 Gallon, 2250 ~._--- 27 00
5 Gallon, 750 ___.___. 9 75
Dill Pickles

Gal. 40 to Tin, doz.__ 10 26
No. 2%. Tine: 2 2
82 oz. Glass Picked._ 2 80
32 of. Glass Thrown 2 4/

DI Pickles Bulk

s 200 oe. coe
16 Gal., 650 ---.._____ 11 25
45 Gal., 1300 ....-.__ 30 00

PIPES
Cob, 3 doz. in bx. 1 00@1 20

PLAYING CARDS
Battle Axe, per doz. 2 65
Torpedo, per doz. -... 2 50

POTASH
Babbitt’s, 2 doz. --__ 2 75
FRESH MEATS
Beef

e
Top Steers & soo 19
Good St’rs & 154%@17
Med. Steers & Heif. __ 13
Com. Steers & Heif. __ 11

e
Heif.
H’t.

Veal
POD 5 ee ob
Googe 13
Medium 22.200 11
Lamb
Spring Lamb __.. 18
Good se 16

 

Pork
Doin: med. 0s: 13
Botts: 22 es 138%
Shoulders 200 11%
spareribs: 2 10
Neck bones _____ -. 06
Trimmings ... =. 08
PROVISIONS

Barreled Pork
Clear Back __ 25 00@28 00
Short Cut Clear26 00@29 00

Dry Salt Meats
D S Bellies __ 18-20@18-17

Lard

Pure in tierces _______ 914
60 Ib. tubs _.__advance %
50 lb. tubs .___advance

20 Ib. pails __._.advance %
10 Ib. pails ..__advance %
5 lb. pails ___.advance 1

3 Ib. pails ____advance 1

Compound tierces ____ 11%
Compound, tubs _____ 12
Sausages
Bologna 2220 16
MON cee ae ie 18
Brankfort: 2) 20
OM eas 31
Meat eo 19
Tongue, Jellied ________ 35
Headcheese ___...____ 18

Smoked Meats
Hams, Cer. 14-16 lb. @23

Hams, Cert., Skinned
AG-1S 1b @22
—. — beet
MUCKIOS: 2 @35
California Hams __
Picnie Boiled hi
POON 2 20 @25
Boiled Hams @34

Minced Hams ae @16
Bacon 4/6 Cert. 24 @28
Beef

Boneless, rump 28 00@386 00
Rump, new __ 29 00@35 00

Liver
mae pec ee 16
Ca 55
Pork 22 10
RICE
Fancy Blue Rose ____ 5.65
Fancy Head ________ 07
RUSKS
Dutch Tea Rusk Co.
Brand.
36 rolls, per case ____ 4 25
18 rolls, per case ____ 2 25
12 rolls, per case ____ 1 50
12 cartons, per case _. 1 70
18 cartons, per case __ 2 55
36 cartons, per case __ 5 00
SALERATUS
Arm and Hammer __ 3 75
SAL SODA
Granulated, 60 Ibs. cs. 1 35
Granulated, 18-216 Ib.
packages __._.______ 1 00
COD FISH
Middies 200023 20
Tablets, % Ib. Pure __ 19%
ONS nee 1 40

Wood boxes, Pure __ 30
Whole Cod® .c.ccu. ace 11%

HERRING
Holland Herring
Mixed, Kegs —~--_____

9
_ Mixed, po bbls. -... 11 35

Lake Herring
1% Bbl., 100 Ibs. ___. 6 50

Mackeral
Tubs, 60 Count, fy. fat 6 00
Pails, 10 lb. Fancy fat 1 50

White Fish
Med. Fanev. 100 Ib. 12 09
Milkers, bbls. —_____ 18 50
K K K K Norway __ 19 50
Sib: paile 2 1 40
Cut Lunch __________ 50

1
Boned, 10 Ib. boxes __ 16

SHOE BLACKENING

2 in 1, Paste, doz. ___ 1 35
EB. Z. Combination, dz. 1 35

Dri-Foot, doz. __ ___ 00
Bixbys, Dozz. ._______ 1 35
Shinola, doz. -_______ 90
STOVE POLISH
Blackne, per doz. 35

Back Silk Liquid, dz.
lack Silk Paste, doz.
BWnameline Paste. doz.
Enameline Liquid, dz.
E. Z. Liquid, per doz.

Radium, per doz. ____ 1 35
Rising Sun, per doz. 35
654 Stove Enamel, dz. 2 80
Vulcanol. No. 5, doz. 95

Vulcanol, No. 10, doz.

COD mh END Ph Pak bak ek pak fed ek et
~
oS

Stovoil, per doz. _____ 00
SALT

Colonial, 24, 2 Ib. ____ 85

Colonial, 30-11% 1-10

Colonial, Iodized, 24-2 1 35
Med. No. 1 Bbls. 2

Farmer Spec., 70 Ib. 1 00
Packers Meat, 50 Ib. 65
Crushed Rock for ice
cream, 100 Ib., each 85
Butter Salt, 280 Ib. bbl.4 24
Block, 50 Ib. ;
Baker Salt, 280 Ib. bbl. 4 10
14, 10 lb., per bale ____ 1 90

50, 3 Ib., per bale ____ 2 30

28 Ib. bags, Table ____ 37

Old Hickory, Smoked,
G10 iby 2 4 50

 

Free Run’g, 32 26 oz. 2 40
Five case lots -.__._ 23
Iodized, 32, 26 oz. __ 2 40
Five case lots ______ 2 30

BORAX
Twenty Mule Team
84, 1 Ib packages __ 3 35

48, 10 oz. packages __ 4 40
96, %4 oz. packages __ 4 00

CLEANSERS

80 can cases, $4.80 per case

WASHING POWDERS
Bon Ami Pd., 18s, box 1 90
Bon Ami Cake, 18s -_1 62%
Brillo
Climaline, 4 doz.
Grandma, 100, 5c -_--
Grandma, 24 Large -_
Gold Dust. 100s scererr

 

Gold Dust, 12 Large 3 20
Golden Road, 24 42

; ce
Old Dutch Clean, 4 dz? 3 40
Octagon, 96s 3
Ringo, 40e 2200 3 20
Rinso, 24s
Rub No More, 100, 10

OM 2 ee
Rub No More, 20 Lg. 4 00
Spotless Cleanser, 48,
0 oz.
Sani Flush, 1 doz.
Sapolio, 3 doz. ______
Soapine, 100, 12 oz. —
Snowboy, 100, 10 oz.
Snowboy, 12 Large __
Speedee, 3 doz.

+ DO “TDI CO DO OO
>
oS

Wyandot Deterg’s, 24s 2 75

SOAP

Am. Family, 100 box
Crystal White, 100 __
Big Jack, 60s _..__.__
Fels Naptha, 100 box
Flake White, 10 box
Grdma White Na. 10s
Jap Rose, 100 box ____
Wairy, 100 box... 2

WPIV CIP WeE

Palm Olive, 144 box 50
Lava. 100 box 4 90
Octagon. 190 2225. 5 00
Pummo, 100 box ____ 4 85
Sweetheart, 100 box __ 5 70
Grandpa Tar, 50 sm. 2 10
Grandpa Tar, 50 Ige. 3 50
Trilby Soap, 100. 10¢ 7 2:

Williams Barber Bar. 9s 50
Williams Mug, per doz. 48

SPICES
Whole Spices e

Allspice, - Jamaica ao @ag
Cloves, Zanzibar ae
oa Canton _. = Mo
-assia, 5c vkg., doz. 40
Ginger, Africar ___ =
Ginger; Cochir -- @40
Mace, Penans 1 39
Mixed: No. 2 7 @32
Mixed, 5c vkes., doz. @45
Nutmegs, 70@90 _____ M59
Nutmegs. 105-110 _. @ra
Pepper, Black 2200” 26

Pure Ground in Bulk

Allspice, Jamaica ____ @40
Cloves, Zanzibar ____ @53
Cassia. Canton ______ MIR
Ginger, Corkin ______ @33
Mustard 2 @22
Mace. Penang ______ J 29
Pepper, Black — 2” @30
Nutmese (2s @43
Pepper, White @57
Pepper, Cayenne __ @40
Paprika. Spanish ____ @45
Seasoning
Chili Powder, 15¢ ____ 1 35
Celery Salt, 3 oz. ee 95
Sae6.2 2) O70 25 90
Onion Salt 2 cis 1 35
Garlies eo ae 1 35
Ponelty, 2% oz. oo ea oo
Kitchen Bouquet ____ 4 50
Taurel Leaves ____ 20
Marjoram. 1 oz. _____ 9°
Sayory, 3 og 2s 90
hyme, liom 2 9 90
Tumeric, 21% o7 90
STARCH
Corn

Kingsford, 40 Ibs. __ 11%
Powdered, bags ____ 4 50
Argo, 48, 1 Ib. pkgs. 3 60
Cream, 48-1 4

eee 80

Quaker, 40-1 — | 07%

Gloss
Argo, 48, 1 Ib. pkgs. 3 60
Argo, 12. 3 Ib. pkgs. 2 62
Argo, 8 5 lb pkgs. __ 2 97
Silver Gloss, i8, 1s __ Wy
Elastic, 64 pkgs. ___. § 35
iNMger, 48-1 0 aa 3 30
Wiger. 60 Ibe. 9 06

SYRUP

Corn
Blue Karo, No. 1 __ 269
Blue Karo, No. 5, 1 az. 3 78
Blue Karo, No. 10 =. 3-48
Red Karo, No. 1% __ 2 90
Red Karo, No. 5, 1 dz. 4 04
Red Karo, No. 10 -~ 83 84

imit. Maple Flavor
Orange, No. 1%, 2 dz. 3 25
Orange, No. 5, 1 doz. 4 99
Maple and Cane

Kanuck, per gal. ____ 1 50

Kanuck, 5 gal. can __ 6 60

Maple
Michigan, per gal. __ 2 75
Welchs. per gal. ____ 3 25
COOKING OIL
Mazola
Pints, 2 doz, _.... 6 75

Quarts, 1 doz. ______ 6 25
Half Gallons, 1 doz. — 11 75
Gallons, %

TABLE SAUCES

Lea & Perrin, large__
Lea & Perrin, small

 
 
 

09 C2 ee BO DOR CO
SHARRSERS

TEA
Blodgett-Beckley Co.
Royal Garden, % Ib. 75
Royal Garden, % Ib. _. 77

  

 

Japan
Medium, 2 ~~ 36@36
Choice 22205 3s 37@52
Waney 20 52@61
No. ¥ Nibbe 202022 oe 54
1 Ib. pkg. Sifting ___-__ 14

Gunpowder
Cholee 40
Fancy 0 ea 47

Ceylon

Pekoe, medium ________ 57
English Breakfast
Congou, medium _______ 28
Congou, Choice ---- 35@36
Congou, Fancy ____ 42@43

ei ae 39

eer ee 45
oe ee 50
wane 40
—ao 4a
ee a ee =.) $8
VINEGAR
Cider, 40 Grain _______ 23
White Wine, 80 srain__ 26
White Wine, 40 grain__ 19
WICKING
No. 0, per Bross 2k. 80
No. 1, per Brose 2. 3: 1 25
No. 2, per gross ____~ 1 50
No. 3. per gross 2 30

Peerless Rolls, per doz. 90

Rochester, No. 2, a
Rochester, No. 3, Pgs oo
Rayo, per doz. | 75
WOODENWARE
Baskets
Bushels, narrow band,
wire handles _____’ 1 75
Bushels, narrow band,

wood handles _____ 1 80
Market, drop handle__ 99
Market, single handle. 95

Market, extra ee

Splint, large ee 3 80

Splint, Medium —. = 7 50

Splint, small ____~ 6 50
Churns

Barrel, 5 Sal.. each __ 2 40

Barrel, 10 fal., each__ 2 55

3 to 6 gal., per gal, __ 16
Pails

10 qt. Galvanized a

12 at. Galvanized 2 2 85

i ae Galvanized 252 286

2 at. aring Gal. Jr. 5

10 qt. Tin Dairy 4 to

Traps
Mouse, Wood, 4 holes. 60

  

Mouse, ood, 6 hole

Mouse, tin, 5 holes o He
at, Wodd (8 0 00

Rat, spring ________~ 1 00
Ouse, spring __ 30

‘ ea Tubs

4argze Galvanized ____

Medium Galvanized __ ; is

Smal} Galvanized ___ 6 75

Washboards
Banner, Globe ahi
Brass, single

Double Peerless ane
Single Peerless =
Northern Queen

 

Universes?
: Wood Bowis
13 in. Butter _____ 5 00
15 in. Butter _ 7 9 00
17 in. Butter _____777 18 00
19 in. Butter ___ 7 25 00
WRAPPING PAPER
Fibre, Manila, whit 4
No. 1 Fibre ao ei Oe
Butchers D F _ ---. 067%
Krate oc i 07
Kraft Stripe 091%

YEAST CAKE
Magic, 3 doz

Se ere 2
Sunlight, 3 doz. 25 2 70
Sunlight, 1% doz. ___ 1 35

Yeast Foam, 3 doz. a
Yeast Foam, 1% doz. 1 35

YEAST—COMPRESSED

doz, ..-.- 11 30 Fleischmann, per dos. w®

 

 

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

February 11, 1931

 

MANAGING FOR PROFIT.
(Continued from page 7)
the high prices asked for goods—labor,
in general, has demanded and received
a vastly greater share of the earnings

in industry than it is entitled to, for

while it may be true that a man can
be paid excessive wages if he happens
to be operating a_ highly-productive
machine, it is also just as true that if
the same man is compelled to produce
with his two hands only, he can only
be paid in proportion to what he can,
himself, produce, figured on a fair per-
centage of the selling price of the
goods.

The moment we pay a man more
than a fair percentage of his capacity
to produce, we are passing an added
burden to every man, woman and child
in the country. As an example, we are
paying building labor — which is all
hand labor—some 700 per cent. more
to-day than it got in 1913, and this is
at the direct expense. of every person
outside of the building unions.

It has amused me not a little to
read Mr. Green’s recent statements to
the effect that organized labor is still
underpaid and that industry should still
further share in greater measure its
earnings. And to prove this, he calls
attention to the amount paid to organ-
ized labor in 1920 in comparison to the
reported earnings of industry during
the same period. The trouble with his
argument is that he has entirely for-
gotten to mention the other hundred
and twenty million people in the coun-
try who are classed as consumers.

I right away thought of a cartoon
entitled “who gets the swag.” This
cartoon showing the capitalist holding
a big bag of gold behind his back and
a laborer holding a slightly smaller
bag behind his. Labor is swearing at
Capital and calling him a dirty thief—
demand that the swag be divided more
equally. Standing at one side is poor
little Consumer, who has been shaken
down and robbed—he says, “Say,
where do I come in”? As a matter of
fact, he hasn’t been “in” at any time
—but now he is likely to get in, and
both Labor and Capital are going to
be forced to give up some of the swag,
or the Consumer just won’t play at
all—and now they can’t play the game
without him.

So we should remember that prices
to the consumer must and will come
down, and we should help to bring
them down by being keen, but fair in
our buying, and by the elimination of
all waste.

Reducing Overhead and Fixed
Charges.

If it is costing us too much to do
business, we certainly cannot reduce
our prices and still make money. Most
of us have built up an overhead during
the boom which is altogether too high
for us under present conditions. It
must be reduced—but how?

Our overhead, roughly, consists of
rent, heat, light, labor, internal ex-
pense and losses in operation of our
business.

The items of heat and light we can
do little with as they are trust-con-
trolled or monopolies—but we can do
a great deal with the items of rent,
labor, internal expense and _ losses.

Rents have been steadily falling—

 

they are going to fall lots more. We
should make a drive for the reduction
of rent based on present valuations.
If our landlord is too thick to see the
inevitable, we should move at the first
favorable opportunity.

In making a new lease, let the term
be short—remember, we are in a falling
real estate market.

Labor has been costly and inefficient.
Now is the time to get rid of your
dead wood. There are a hundred
available to take the place of every
person you may wish to change. You
can get a highly efficient worker to-
day for the same or for less than you
had to pay during the boom. Your
job is to cut your costs by substituting
efficiency for inefficiency.

And now we come to the items of
internal loss, which—sad but true—
forms probably the greatest item in
your overhead. Business control is the
remedy,

One of the greatest differences exist-
ing between the chains, catalogue
houses, department stores, and the in-
dependent merchant is that few inde-
pendent dealers keep proper records,
whil the others do. You can’t run a
business to-day by rule of thumb.
You must keep proper records. You
must understand what these records
mean. You must use them every day
—not once in a while.

The only way money can possibly
he made in retailing under existing
conditions is: (1) to stock and sell what
people will buy; (2) to stock only such
items as will pay their own way; (3)
to eliminate all slow-turning items and
boarders; (4) to concentrate your sales
efforts on things which must be sold
and let the self-selling items sell them-
selves; (5) to watch your credits and
collect your accounts.

To arrive at this you must employ
proper control records.

I have already referred to the kind
of goods which will probably be in de-
mand and prices at which they must be
offered, so I will now turn to the other
questions suggested.

It needs no argument to prove that
if 50 per cent. of your stock is stag-
nant and the balance is active, the
active portion is supporting the stag-
nant. Therefore, it goes without say-
ing you are selling your active num-
bers at prices sufficiently high, not
alone to pay their own way, but, in
addition, to pay the way of the board-
ers, which produce no profit. We can
go still further and say that if these
boarders were all paying their own
way, you could reduce prices on your
entire stock and make just.as much as
you are making to-day. And we can
go still another step by stating that
you would actually make more profit,
because lower prices would bring
greater volume. Especially is this so
under the present economic conditions.

Therefore, as the cost of carrying
non-productive boarders in your stock
represents one of the major costs of
doing business—is a useless and un-
necessary waste — they should be
promptly eliminated and the savings
applied to the reduction of prices.

Certain items in your stock must be
sold—they will not sell themselves.
Other items are entirely self-selling—
people buy them if given the oppor-

tunity—they require no sales effort.

If you attempt to sell self-selling
items, you lose money — often you
would lose less if you gave them away.
Yet there is a large margin of profit
in self-selling them, and many of them
are positive necessities and must be
stocked.

The loss incurred in wasting sales-
manship on self-selling items is sub-
stantial. You should eliminate this
waste.

Credits and collections are major
items in the cost of doing business.
Most independent merchants are ex-
tremely weak regarding credits, and
very few realize their loss in failing
to keep collections up to the mark.

We have just gone through the
greatest period of loose credits in his-
tory. We have formed bad habits;
dangerous habits. It is time to forget
the past and do business on a sound
basis. No other way will succeed.

Charity is a fine thing—something to
be encouraged—it has no place in
business. You can’t afford to give
away your merchandise through grant-
ing loose credits or failing to collect
the money due you. Run your credits
as a business proposition and do your
charity from home.

For proper management you need
professional help and advice. No man
is clever enough to run things on his
own very long. Wise executives pay
large sums every year for suggestions
and advice. It is money well spent.

You men are members of the Na-
tional Retail Hardware Association.
An unusual and wonderful organiza-
tion—probably the only one of its kind
in the country.

Instead of just gathering together
interesting data, sending out bulletins,
and holding conventions, which is about
all we expect from an association, you
have in your employ a group of highly
efficient experts, who not alone as-
similate all available data, but who
translate this data into workable plans.
It goes still further by actually pre-
paring all the machinery to properly
use these plans, and then it even sends
its experts to your own place of busi-
ness to instal them and put them to
work,

I sometimes wonder why it is all
hardware merchants are not highly ef-
ficient and profitable institutions, with
all the care and help that is literally
thrust upon them. Certainly some of
them must have a mania for suicide.
When a man with a bad stomach re-
fuses to eat even pre-digested food, he
simply doesn’t want to live.

The work and counsel which your
association offers to you costs so little
that the cost is not worth a second
thought. Thousands of business men
in other lines would pay a hundred
times what you pay for much less and
consider they have spent their money
well.

I urge you to take your association
into partnership in the management of
your business—you will never regret it.

—_~+~-~-_____

Bay City—L. A. Pressel, Detroit,
manufacturer of country made sausage
and luncheon meats, has opened a
branch distributing plant at 310 Co-
lumbus avenue.

Items From the Cloverland of Michi-
gan.

Sault Ste. ‘Marie, Feb. 10—The mid-
winter sports-started here last week.
All of the committees have been work-
ing over time. The big opening night
started on Friday, with basket ball at
the high school, Saturday afternoon
sports started at Fort Brady. In the
evening they had the big parade with
all of the civic and fraternal societies,
also the school children in line. The
parade ended at the armory, where a
shoe pack dance lasted until after mid-
night. Sunday afternoon the remain-
der of the sports and races were held
at Fort Brady and another good time
was had by all. Our sports commit-
tees are to be congratulated on their
efforts in making the ‘Soo a more live-
ly place during the winter.

The ice bridge across the river is
now safe and the two Soos are en-
joying much extra business in conse-
quence.

R. G. Ferguson and J. Newhouse
left last week with their families to
spend the winter in Florida. We are
told that our Sooites now in Florida

. have sent for their heavy winter wraps,

so we are led to believe that the cold
weather is not missing the Sunny
South this winter.

Odd, isn’t it, that there is so much
talking about the weather and nothing
ever done about it.

George W. Polley, Iron River, man-
ager of the Iron Range Light and
Power Co., left Feb. 1 for Port au
Prince, Hayti, West Indies, where he
will manage the Public Service Cor-
poration, of which the Iron River Co.
is a subsidiary.

Gottfrid S. Johnson, Manistique, is
the new divisional director of the Fed-
eral Land Bank of St. Paul, succeed-
ing E. G. VanLeuven, of Mount Pleas-
ant, recently deceased. Mr. VanLeu-
co served in that capacity since

The Lake Shore Enine Works, at
Marquette, is now building various
types of snow plows. Its facilities are
ample and well adapted to the manu-
facture of this class of equipment, so
that it will not be necessary to send to
other states for this equipment.

Thomas Gander, formerly of Iron
Mountain, has become manager of the
Carpenter-Cook Co. wholesale grocery
branch at Escanaba. Mr. Gander suc-
ceeds H. C. Saunderson, resigned. Mr.
Gander will retain supervision of the
Iron Mountain branch, in connection
with Francis St. Peter, who has been
credit man and manager of the Iron
Mountain fruit and produce depart-
ment. ‘Mr. Gander is former president
of the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Cham-
ber of Commerce and former secretary
of the Iron Mountain Rotary Club. He
spent two years in France with the
Thirty-second division, receiving a
commission as lieutenant. The Car-
penter-Cook Co. now has nine branch-
es, the parent house being in Menom-
inee. The Escanaba business was pur-
chased in August, 1930, from the Na-
tional Grocer Co. Frank X. St. Peter
1s president and general manager, Wal-
ter Gander is vice-president and F. J.
Barrett secretary. :

‘Business just seems bad, like the
fight racket, because you can no longer

get rich quick at the expense of
suckers, William G. Tapert.

—_—_+~-.__
Rheumatic Liniment.

Se eng 1 oz.

eae leydtate Y% oz.

ee % oz.

Re OE 1 pt.

Rub the solids together until liquid

and add the oil.
on gees
Water-Proof Paper.

A solution of gutta percha in heaz9l
is recommended by a practical person
as effective in rendering paper im-
Pervious to water, if used as a sizing.

.

py

gs

:
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February 11, 1931

Rapid Development of Citrus Industry
in Florida.
(Continued from page 20)

read “you press the button and we do
the rest.” The slogan is good in
either case, but some one must really
“do the rest.” An original investment
in an orange grove is no more effective
in future production and profit than is
a mere press of the button in deliver-
ing satisfactory photographic prints.

Individual growers of experience and
interest naturally have groves of
greater uniformity and, perhaps, great-
er profit, but there are numerous ex-
perienced grove attendant concerns
which make small ownership prac-
ticable, though. I am not recommend-
ing it as an undertaking without con-

siderable hazard. Indeed, about the
same as exists in the fruit belt of
Michigan.

‘On Governor’s day at the Orange
Festival Governor Doyle E. Carlton,
shipped to the governors of each of
the other forty-seven states of the Na-
tion, as a representative of the festival
and the participating growers and
packers, a box of choice citrus fruit.
Governor Carlton’s accompanying let-
ter invited each Governor and the first
lady of the state to attend the Festival
next year. With the Legislature off
his hands next winter I should be glad
to see Governor Brucker at this worth
while event, should I be sufficiently
fortunate to again be there.

Upon the occasion of the Festival I
met M. MM. Lee, veteran editor of the
Winter Haven Chief, who “held a
case” on the New York Tribune fifty
years ago, then followed the advice of
Horace Greeley to “go West,” estab-
lishing a newspaper in Kansas in 1884
and locating at his present place seven-
teen years ago.

Speaking of newspaper old timers,
there are a few men living whose
newspaper experience in Michigan
dates back beyond that of H. Y. Potts,
long-time mutual friend of this writer
and the Tradesman editor. Mr. Potts
was born on the banks of the Grand
River at Eastmanville, eighty-three
years ago. His early days were de-
voted to a common effort of family
existence, with the axe, crosscut saw,
hoe and shovel, studying in school and
out until he was able to convince
school ‘boards that he possessed suffi-
cient erudition to teach the urchins of
their districts the three R’s, along with
a modicum of common sense. He
taught for a few terms. Then on an
original capital of $2 in cash and ten
thousand in hope and ambition he be-
came one of the best known country
newspaper publishers in the ‘State, own-
ing at various times the Nunica News,
Coopersville Courier, ‘Spring Lake
Courier and Grand Haven Courier and
News, Detroit Weekly Commercial
and establishing the Dearborn Inde-
pendent and the Zeeland Expositor.
He was—and is—a humorist of parts,
a contemporary of Bill Nye and Eu-
gene Field, sometimes appearing on
the stage with these celebrities, who
dedicated to him a poetical tribute,
then widely published and included in
a volume of wide distribution. Mr.
Potts operated newspapers until his
cash investment had been multiplied
several times by his capital of hope.
Now ie is, ostensibly, retired, but

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

every day he is engaged with that
measure of leisure which Benjamin
Franklin sagely said, “is a time for
doing something useful.”

During a chat with Mr. Potts the
other day the term “education” was
used and I asked this sage of more
than four score years just what, in his
opinion, was a good definition of the
word. Deliberately removing his
glasses—he never moves, speaks or
acts hurriedly—he said, “Well, prob-
ably I haven’t enough of it to give an
intelligent answer, but it seems to me
that a good definition would be, ‘A
proper preparation for a life’s work.’”
And I will just say if anyone has a
better definition, no matter how ex-
tensive or comprehensive, I would like
to hear it. Harry M. Royal.

o>
Proceedings of the Grand Rapids
Bankruptcy Court.

Feb. 2. We have to-day received the
schedules, reference and adjudication in
the matter of Hale Hat Stores, Inc.,
Bankrupt No. 4372. The bankrupt is lo-
cated at Kalamazoo. The schedule shows
assets of $28,237.02 with liabilities of
$100,893.29. The first meeting of creditors
will be called and note of same made
herein. The list of creditors of said bank-
rupt is as follows:

National Storage Co., Kalamazoo $5,572.84
Alma Headwear Co., South Bend 579.11
G. W. Alexander Co., Reading, Pa. 103.50
Geo. B. Burnett & Son, New York 1,884.00
Carson, Pirie Scott & Co., Chicago 36.75
DeBusman & Sons, South Bend 1,587.86
J. Elishewitz & Sons, New York 2,064.14

Ferry Hats, Inc., New York ____ 8,521.79
Frank & Meyer Neckwear, St.

Bouis, Mo, 2.02 2 ee, 1,180.91
Fragner Hat Co., New York ____ 175.50
C. B. Goorin Co.. Pittsburgh ____ 1,463.27
Golden Rod Hat Co., New York __ 550.06

Holeproof Hosiery Co., Milwaukee 143.94

Max Hyman Co., New York ______ 63.93
George P. Ide Co.. Chicago ___. 321.70
Kuntz-Simon Co., New York ___. 429.00
Lamb Knit Goods Co., Colon _._ 853.89

Frank H. Lee Co., anbury, Conn. 24,340.76
New England Panama Hat Co.,

New York (2 foes 5,695.53
New Era Shirt Co., St. Louis ____ 54.12
Pioneer Suspender Co., Philadelphia 17.88
Rotschild Bros. Hat Co., St. Louis 1,154.13
A. Stein & Co., Chicago _______ 28.97
Trau_ & Loevner, New York ____ 214.50
Textile Banking Co., New York __ 447.00
Bank of Kalamazoo _________ 10,8835.88
Frank H. Lee Co., Danbury __16,835.85
Flovd C. Miller, Kalamazoo ____ 7,074.62
DeBusman & Co., So. Bend ____ 933.01
Welfare Fund. Battle Creek ___ 15.09
C. F. Bonney. Chicago _______ 16.66
Chamber of Com., Decatur, Ill. __ 12.56
Flint Tent & Awning Co., Flint 20.00
Welfare Federation. Flint ______ 7.50
Chamber of Commerce, Flint ___ 25.00
Daily Journal. Flint _____.__ 119.04
Chamber of Commerce, Gary, Ind. 25.00
Post Tribune, Gary, Ind. __________ 48
State Journal, Springfield, Tl. __ 150.72
Industrial Committee, Kalamazoo 6.25
Citizen’s Patriot, Jackson ________ 130.66
Kal. Safe Deposit Co.. Kalamazoo 5.00
Welfare Federation, Kalamazoo__ 15.00
Gazette. Kalamazoo ___._..._.__ 39.20
K. & C. Springfield, Il. __. 5.00
Mills Mut. Ins. Co.. Lansing ______
MacCullan Decorating Corp., Pitts-

Duveh, Paso Bee 8.16
M. R. Miller. Ft. Wayne, Ind. ____ 8.75
Frank H. Lee Co.. Danbury, Conn. 750.00
Snyder Hlectric Co., Kalamazoo._ 23.18
Service Coal Co., Ft. Wayne, Ind. 304.40
Dudley Paper Co., Lansing _____ 77.28
Consumers Power Co., Kalamazoo 22.10
Mass. Mut. Life Ins., Springfield,

Mass. as 408.50
Peoples Window Cleaning Co.,

Tan sin ee 7.00
Decatur Herald, Decatur, Til. ____ 292.32

Mrs. Helen Bruggerman, Ft. Wayne 212.50
= Shoe Stores, Baltimore,

 

f 250.00
Prery & Bliss. Flint ___.__. 850.00
Bartlett Clothes. Chicago _____ 1,025.00
Jos. Gumm. Jackson ________ - 250.00
Beni. Lewis. Muskegon -- 850.00
Holden Co., Gary, Ind. 1,050.00

 

Mrs. Agnes Finley, Battle Creek 1,000.00
A. P. Tilley Properties, Decatur 1,200.00

L. Fishman. Springfield. Tl, _____ 300.00
Consumers Power Co., Flint ______ 29.34
Hlinois Bell Tel. Co., Springfield __ 5.75
Mich. Bell Telephone Co., Battle C. 5.50
City of Flint, Wlint 2.060) 3.60
Michigan Bell Tel. Co., Flint eo GEG

In the matter of Leland Castle. Bank-
rupt No. 4344, the adjourned first meet-
ing of creditors was held Jan. 29. The
bankrupt was not present or represented.
No creditors were present or represented.
No claims were proved and allowed. No
trustee was appointed. The bankrupt
estate appeared to have no assets that
were not exempt, and the case was closed
and returned to the district court, as a
case without assets.

In the matter of Robb C. Rynd, Bank-

rupt No. 4373. The funds have been re-
ceived and the first meeting of creditors
has been called for Feb. 23.

In the matter of Hale Hat Stores, Inc.,
Bankrupt No. 4372. The first meeting of
creditors has been called for Feb. 23.

In the matter of Martin Epstein, some-
times known as A. M. Epstein, Bankrupt
No. 4336. The first meeting of creditors
has been called for Feb. 23.

_In the matter of Tony J. Collins, Bank-
rupt No. 4315. The first meeting of cred-
itors has been called for Feb. 23.

In the matter of Sturdy Mfg. Co., Bank-
rupt No. 4356. The first meeting of cred-
itors has been called for Feb. 19.

In the matter of John W. Rooks, Bank-
rupt No. 43868. The funds have been re-
ceived and the first meeting of creditors
has been called for Feb. 19.

In the matter of William M. Baxter,
Bankrupt No. 4375. The funds have been
received and the first meeting of cred-
itors has been called for Feb. 19.

In the matter of Lusk-Hartung Co.,
Bankrupt No. 4128. The final meeting of
creditors in this estate has been called
for Feb. 20.
and account will be approved, at such
meeting.

In the matter of George H. Huizinga
& Co., Bankrupt No. 4051. The final
meeting of creditors in this estate has
been called for Feb. 20. The trustee’s
final report and account will be approved
at such meeting.

Feb. 4. We have to-day received the
schedules,: reference and adjudication in
the matter of Arthur W. Kaufman, Bank-
rupt No. 4382. The bankrupt is a resi-
dent of Grand Rapids, and his occupation
was that of a merchant. The schedule
shows assets of $1,027.50 of which $350
is claimed as exempt, with liabilities of
$2,369.82. The court has written for funds
upon receipt of which the first meeting of
creditors will be called. The list of cred-
itors is as follows:

Rose Zuko, Grand Rapids ________ $ 85.00
Russell, Inc.. Chicago ___.________ 33.08
Fit-Right Hat Block Co., Chicago 8.65

Hat Body Import Co.. Chicago __ 67.85
Richter Friedlander Co., Chicago 9.67
Hermann & Renner, Chicago ______ 71.22

Sam Roden, Inc., New York ______ 281.17
Tuxedo Hat Body Corp.. New York
Samuel Kranz, New York
Max Kranz Hat Body Co., New Y. 175.92

Lydia Hats, Inc., New York ______ 164.50
Dave Herstein,. New York ________ 195.50
Hedley Hats. Inc.. New York ___. 78.45
Nathan Schrieber, New York ____ 80.50
Blossom Hat Co.. New York ______ 27.25
Winsome Hat Co., New York ____ 48.00

Ryland Bros., New York _________ 107.25

Simon Millinery Co., San Francisco 52.25
Reed Bros. & Co., Cleveland _____ 54.28
Women’s City Club, Grand Rapids 45.00
Herpolsheimer Co., Grand Rapids 65.24
Wurzbureg’s, Grand Ranids ______ 62.84
Mills Broderick, Grand Rapids ____ 39.93
G. R. Paper Box Co., Grand Rap. 15.00
Bixby Supply Co., Grand Rapids_. 11.55
Master Tire Co., Grand Rapids __ 30.75
Thompson Lockery Co., Grand R. 44.70
Dickinson Bros., Grand Rapids _. 16.50
Conroy Coal Co., Grand Rapids __ 35.00
C. R. Millinery Co.. Chicago ______ 66.40

American National Bank, Grand R. 175.00

Feb. 4. We have to-day received the
reference and adjudication in the matter
of Kalamazoo Cement Products Co.,
Bankrupt No. 4376. The schedules have
been ordered filed, upon receipt of same
the list of creditors and list of assets will
be made herein. This is an involuntary
case.

In the matter of John B. Stemm, Bank-
rupt No. 4308, the trustee has filed his
first report and account. and an order
has been made for the payment of ex-
penses of administration, taxes and a
first dividend of 10 per cent. to general
creditors.

In the matter of A. Chester Benson,
doing business as A. C. Benson, Bank-
rupt No. 43538, the trustee has filed his
first report and account. and an order
has been made for the payment of ex-
penses of administration.

In the matter of Martin Epstein, Bank-
rupt No. 4336. The sale of assets has
been called for Feb. 25. at the premises
formerly occupied by the bankrupt, 132
Portage street, Kalamzoo. The stock in
trade consists of men’s furnishings and
a few shoes and boots, scheduled by the
bankrupt to be of the value of $1,000,
together with attendant fixtures sched-
uled to the value of $500. All in-
terested in such sale srould be present
at the date and time of sale.

In the matter of Sturdy Mfg. Co., Bank-
rupt No. 4356. The sale of assets has
been called for Feb. 24, at the premises
formerly occupied by the bankrupt at
Sturgis. The stock in trade consists of
machinery, shop equipment, enameling

Do You Wish To Sell Out!}
CASH FOR YOUR STOCK,
Fixtures or Plants of every

description.

ABE DEMBINSKY
| Auctioneer and
784 So. Jefferson Ave., Saginaw, Mich
Phone Federal 1944.

The trustee’s final report.

31

ovens, dyes, a small quantity of steel and
galvanized iron, approximately 143 finish-
ed and unfinished step stools and a small
quantity of unfinished hot air registers,
unfinished toys, cut lumber for toys, me-
tal shavings. junk iron, paints. lacquers,
two typewriters, Monroe calculator, check
protector, adding machine, safe and of-
fice desks, all of the approximate value
of $5,000.

In the matter of Hale Hat Stores, Inc.,
Bankrupt No. 4372. The sale of assets
has been called for Feb. 25, at the prem-
ises formerly occupied by the bankrupt at
108 W. Michigan avenue, Kalamazoo. The
stock in trade consists of men’s hats,
caps, neckwear and gloves, scheduled by
the bankrupt to be valued at $1,223.76,
also fixtures used by said bankrupt in said
store. Immediately thereafter store lo-
cated at 1311 Portage street, Kalamazoo,
will be sold, the stock consists of men’s
hats, caps, neckwear and gloves, sched-
uled’ by the bankrupt to be the value
of $2,834.15, also fixtures used by said
bankrupt in said store. On Feb. 26, at
the premises formerly occupied by the
bankrupt, at 260 W. Western avenue,
Muskegon, all the stock will be sold, con-
sisting of men’s hats, caps, neckwear and
gloves, scheduled by the bankrupt to be
the value of $1,025.67, also attendant fix-
tures. All interested in such sale should
be present at the date and time above
stated.

Feb. 6. We have to-day received the
schedules, reference and adjudication in
the matter of Hans Peterson, Bankrupt
No. 4385. The bankrupt is a resident of
Greenville, and his occupation is that of
a farmer. The schedule shows assets of
$26.50 of which the full amount is claimed
as exempt, with liabilities of $2,155.23.
The court has written for funds and
upon receipt of same the first meeting
of creditors will be called.

22>
Experience teaches us that we have

Business Wants Department

Advertisements inserted under this head
for five cents a word the first insertion
and four cents a word for each subse-
quent continuous insertion. If set in
capital letters, double price. No charge
less than 50 cents. Smail display adver-
tisements in this department, $4 per
inch. Payment with order is required, as
amounts are too small to open accounts.

Special Sales conducted for retailers
anywhere. A. E. Greene, 143 N. Mechanic,
Jackson, Mich.

A $500 MONTH PROFIT—I offer old
established CAFH-SODA-CONFECTION-
ERY: best location, opposite theater, live
town 3,000. Cheap rent, long lease. No
competition. Actually doing over $50 a
day, clearing over $500 month. Best
equipment, large stock. Golden oppor-
tunity for some one. Disagreement rea-
son this % value offer. Quick buyer for
$5,000. with $3,000 cash, balance out of
profits. E. R. Steele, Knox, Indiana. 374

NEW REFRIGERATORS, 16 to 18 cubic
feet capacity, equipped for either ice or
electric refrigeration. Porcelain lined,
cork insulated. 16 cubic foot box, $70.
We took over the entire stock of the
Challenge Refrigerator Co. of Grand Ha-
ven and have only 22 of these bix boxes
left for disposal. COLUMBIAN’S WARE-
HOUSE FURNITURE COMPANY, Logan
Street and Ionia Avenue, Grand Rapids,
Mich. Phone 94-278. 375

For Sale—LARGE business corner, with
cottage, two miles to every business.
Community wants gas station, garage,
store. Near Detroit. Very little money
will buy corner. Also first-class GRO-
CERY and meat market, cheap. STONE-
ROCK, owner. Ford and Merriman,
Wayne, Mich. 76

FOR SALE—TEA ROOM—Wonderful
business for two ladies. Good profits.
Bargain for quick sale. 516 West Grand
River Ave., Detroit, Mich. 377

WANTED—TO BUY A GENERAL
STORE in countryetown in the vicinity
of Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo. Write
every detail. Address No. 369, c/o Mich-
igan Tradesman. 369

For Sale Or Rent—Two-story brick
building, good condition, well lighted, on
alley. entrance front and rear; half block
from business center. Successful grocery
and meat business conducted here for
thirty years. Building suitable for de.
partment store. Only reliable parties
considered. Write Smith & Lake, Petos-
key. Mich., c/o Lake Drug Co. 370 ~

 

 

 

 

 

I OFFER CASH!
For Retail Stores—Stocks—
Leases—all or Part.
Telegraph—Write—Telephone

L. LEVINSOHN
Saginaw, Mich.
Telephone Riv 2263W
Established 1909

 

 

  
   

 
 

aha IC aR ig a AS

FR Letra Wega Gee Her eT Gas ra We

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Sea EE RR Sey Eo, Gag ae

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32

3 ESSENTIALS TO SUCCESS.

 

Personality, Enthusiasm and Physical
Fitness.*

Behind every progressive business is
an individual who keeps ahead of the
times. That individual is the man-
ager, who upon entering the field of his
endeavor, assumes certain well defined
and specific obligations. The manner
in which he meets those obligations
usually measures his success or failure.

The first obligation the manager as-
sumes is to know his business so well
and so thoroughly that he is complete-
ly familiar with every department of it.

He must become a specialist in ac-
counting, advertising, store arrange-
ment, window display, salesmanship,
buying, collecting, training employes,
and last but not least he must be in-
tensely interested in community wel-
fare.

The obligation of physical selling
equipment naturally comes second. His
store must be in the right location. Its
interior must be so well arranged, so
well lighted and so pervaded with a
congenial atmosphere that people will
enjoy coming into it to trade.

A third obligation the manager as-
sumies is a knowledge of his trade area
—his stock and its display. All that
can be learned of his potential cus-
tomers will be of the greatest assist-
ance in determining the character of
the stock he can profitably carry. The
display of the stock is ever becoming
a greater factor in the success of the
store.

The next important obligation the
manager assumes is the setting up of
certain modern definite controls {to
more completely assure the success of
the undertaking upon which he has
embarked.

For the last three or four years much
time, thought and money has been
expended developing for us an idea
so far reaching in its possibilities that
had it been universally adopted would
have revolutionized the entire hard-
ware business. I refer to business
control.

I am not going into each intricate
step of Business Control for that is
not necessary. The records are in the
office of your State Association and
can be had for the asking.

I shall briefly touch upon a few of
the highlights in this plan, stressing
what its carrying out may mean to us.

Let us spend a few moments on the
first step of this Control plan—expense.
We take up this phase of the plan first
because expense is the most tangible
element entering into business.

At this time of the year we all know,
and mostly to our sorrow, what our
expenses were last year. It also will
be perfectly easy to determine what
our expenses were the year before
and the year before that. But that is
history. If our expense was so high
that it resulted in no profit for us, it
is entirely too late to do anything
about it. What we want is an expense
budget for the year 1931. Even that
will do no good unless. it is divided
into months so that we may check our
actual experience at the end of each

*Paper read at hardware convention by
Scott Kendrick, of Flint.

 

MICHIGAN TRADESMAN

month with the budget that we have
set for ourselves.

‘One of the greatest factors for good
in this whole plan is that it makes us
sit down and face the future. We are
too prone to keep on the same number
of salespeople just because they have
been with us a long time. If we could
just realize that it may be only a short
time before our whole sales force as
well as ourselves may be out hunting
a new job unless we can so control
our expense that we can make a reas-
onable profit.

What about that extra delivery
truck? Are you keeping it because you
cannot get along without it, or because
you are delivering a lot of small orders
that your more successful competitors
are too smart to accept I have yet to
find a man who has set up an expense
budget but what has found plenty of
ways of reducing his expenses.

The next step in this plan is margin.

I shall not take any time discussing
the details of arriving at a margin one
can reasonably expect. This merely
entails a study of the margin you have
received in the years gone by.

I will say right here, however, that
there is a way and thus far I have
discovered only one to increase your
margin. Pick out some line of mer-
chandise carrying a reasonably high
margin and study it until you know
more about that line of goods than
anyone else in your community. When
you have done this, then buy it from
the best possible source, also buy it in
sufficient quantities to make it a dom-
inating factor in your store. In this
way you have made yourself an author-
ity on this item and the chances are
ten to one that you will put it across.

We now have our expense budget
and the margin we can _ reasonably
expect. Having these, it is a simple
mathematical proposition to arrive at
the amount of goods we must sell to
take care of this expense and a reason-
able profit.

Again I wish to remind you that a
sales quota for the year is about the
most indefinite and useless thing imag-
inable unless it is divided into months.
What earthly good can it do anyone
to arrive at the end of the year only
to find that the sales quota has not
been reached. If, however. at the end
of January, or April, or July, one finds
that his sales quota has not been reach-
ed, there is still time to put an added
stimulus to his sales and failing in this
he can cut his expense commensurate
to his drop in sales. Failing in either
one of these courses he will know
long before Dec. 31 that he can ex-
pect no profit, or perhaps an apprecia-
ble loss.

The tragedy of a dealer going
through an entire year of seemingly
good business only to face an unex-
pected loss at the end is appalling.

The last, and possibly the greatest
obligation we, as managers, assume, is
the development of the personality of
our stores, the personality of ourselves,
and the personality of our employes.

It was only a few years ago that I
predicted the utter collapse of inde-
pendent hardware retailing, but at that
time I knew little of the utter lack of
personality. that it was possible to
inject into mass distribution,

One of our largest chains has thirty-
six buyers, no one of whom is in per-
sonal contact with those whose wants
it is his duty to supply. Each store
has one manager whose very manner
of existence is such as to crush out
the personality of any one. Commands
come from above and his one big job
is to see that some other person’s or-
ders are carried out. The one moti-
vating force behind these managers is
to so well carry out the orders of their
superiors that they will be promotéd
to a larger town.

And so on down to the clerks. Where
the great scheme of merchandising is
based on price alone, the salary of
the sales-person is apt to be so small
that the predominating thought in their
minds is not the success of their em-
ployers but the pay envelope.

Contrast that picture to the well or-
ganized independent store whose own-
er and manager is a prominent civic
worker in the community in which his
store is located. Think of the advertis-
ing appeal to be obtained by a front
page mention of his name in connec-
tion with a worth-while part in a com-
munity chest. Think of the help to be
derived by'the close acquaintance made
on a Chamber of Commerce commit-
tee where everyone you meet comes
to know that you are willing to give
the best that is in you for any worth-
while cause.

The great question of who is going
to stay ani prosper or who is going
to be swept aside, will be answered
by the one who not only develops and
impresses his own personality upon
the community in which he lives, but
also leaves no stone unturned towards
developing a pleasing personality in
every person in his organization.

No pains should be spared to im-
press upon every member of the or-
ganization the three great things which
go so far to make or mar business
success:

Personality
Enthusiasm
Physical Fitness.

Select your sales people with a view
to their personality. Then teach them
to apply that personality with enhusi-
asm. Unless you can convince your
clerks that your merchandising prin-
ciples are the fairest in the world, that
the merchandise they have to sell is
the best obtainable for the price, then
something is wrong—either with you,
or your merchandise, or your clerks.
When you have succeeded in getting
salespeople with a dominent personality
wno are imbued with the enthusiasm
of helpful selling, teach them that they
owe you a condition of physical fitness
that will make it possible for them to
enthusiastically radiate the personality
that is theirs.

If we as managers accept these obli-
gations, control our business methods,
acquire a definite knowledge of every
phase of our business, develop person-
ality in our sales people, match price
for price as nearly as possible, add to
that personality and service as taught
us by that age old standard — the
Golden Rule—the wisdom of which has.
gained momentum as it has thundered
down the ages.

If we work, and think, and plan, and

    

February 11, 1931

study, the day of the independent re-
tailer of hardware will dawn again.
—— ++». ___
Monthly Meeting of Grand Rapids
Council,

The regular meeting of Grand Rap-
ids Council, No. 131, U. C. T., was
held n their hall Saturday evening,
Feb. 7, the Ladies Auxiliary meeting
at the same time in the room adjoin-
ing the hall. A fine turnout was evi-
dent in both sections.

Robert F. ‘Bender, salesman for the
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co., was
found outside the door seeking admis-
sion and he was received with a very
hearty welcome, to such an extent that
he publicly expressed himself later as
being perfectly satisfied.

Raymond J. Shinn was accepted by
transfer from Capital City Council No.
146, Madison, Wisconsin.

The Relief Committee reported that
two brothers were ill. Louis H. Fuller,
of iManistee, is in Blodgett hospital,
‘having just undergone an operation.
Alva Cruzen, living on Lovett street,
was confined to the house for some
time and later taken to Blodgett hos-
pital for treatment.

Lee Lozier, reporting for the annual
banquet to be ‘held on March 7 stated
that said banquet would be held in the
Masonic Temple, followed by two and
one-half hours of dancing, music be-
ing furnished by a first-class, high
grade orchestra. This function will be
open to not only the members of Grand
Rapids Council, but also their families
and friends.

Allen F. Rockwell and Mrs. Rock-
well were both reported as being on
the flu list.

The meeting was speeded up to the
extent that at 9:30 the sound of the
gavel closing the meeting was heard
and immediately the two organizations
got together for a light lunch in the
dining room, which was followed by
entertainment put on by the degree
team with Howard Carstens and the
newly made Brother Robert Bender
both going over big.

Frank West's orchestra was present
and furnished lively music for the
dancing which followed the entertain-
ment until pretty close to the midnight
hour.

—_>+>—_____

I believe that, as the years go by,
appreciation of the ‘finer relationships
of business will increase, confidence in
each other will ‘be broadened, fairness
to all will become second nature, and
as a result industry will improve its
own condition by serving the public
welfare. And—let’s quit harping upon
depression. Let’s talk better times.—
James A. Farrell.

—_2+~++___
Syrup and Molasses—Sugar syrup
has had a firm week on account of light
production. Demand is fair. ‘Com-
pound syrup has taken another decline
of 15 cents for 100 pounds on account
of the decline in raw material. The
demand is no more than fair. Molasses
unchanged, fairly active.

—_-+_++ + _____

Vinegar—There are no price changes
in vinegar, and trading is not active,
as this is the off season. An improve-
ment is looked for in the near future,
as stocks are known to be light and
replacements will soon become neces-
sary,

     
            
     
 
           
         
      
  
           
  
           

   
      
      
 
 

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