cee xe SECOND oo itinumnpicne Bn SE se See PRIS yess EONS LEYS SEEING AAG, ee oe ae ! Y ‘ ee Oy] CQ Ny Ny a ee aT Pan i Py ch K DD ee Ne oh oy a i HEA Ree a eB Ly WiELY A MICHIGA Ne 1A SS TRIOS a Ge (CPN ESN ie RAGS SAECO ALI ORO INTs eNO 3 4 PUBLISHED WEEKLY SG oe CTRADESMAN COMPANY, PUBLISHERS#-—2ss cy PER YEAR <9 SED GSES PRE MO eS SEC SSS STOLE Ke 6 oS OD DAFA Z ee Thirty-Third Year GRAND RAPIDS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1915 smi oe or Hyp) ANNU fi Fo $10,000.” Aviation Meet “THE JOY ZONE” Aeroplane Races Daylight Fire Works Day and Night Auto Races Horse Races Dog Show Poultry Show Livestock Show Industrial, Educational pi bp TE Agricultural Exhibits SS RECESS See Page 25 This Issue SEPT. 20, 21,22, 26,24. GRAND RAPIDS Number 1669 ‘100 THRILLING ATTRACTIONS Good Yeast Good Bread Good Health Sell Your Customers FLEISCHMANN’S YEAST 85,000 Detroit Telephones May Be Reached Direct From Your ay INDERENDENT VEEKESEEEELY TELEPHONE NUTT LY Citizens ’Phone 200,000 Telephones in Michigan USE Citizens Telephone Company’s LONG DISTANCE SERVICE a? FROM TOKIO TO LONDON from Maine to California — from Quebec to Florida—in every clime where people give some intelligent thought to the nutritive value of foods Shredded Wheat is known as the top-notch breakfast cereal—the cereal that is always the same quality, always the same price. No grocer can do business with- out the cereal that is now recognized as a staple. No free deals—no premiums—just a good, steady profit, and a firm, steady demand which we create through continuous, persistent educa- tional advertising. The Biscuit is .packed in odorless spruce wood cases which may be easily sold for 10 or 15 cents, thereby adding to the grocer’s profits. The Shredded Wheat Co. Niagara Falls, N. Y. H. LEONARD & SONS| § Announce the Opening of Their Toy & Fancy Goods| Department (Wholesale Only) Without boasting we can say that not a wholesale store this side of New York offers a larger or better assortment of Holiday Merchandise for your inspection. In our newly refitted salesroom we J are now showing thousands of the best sellers in A Toys, Dolls and Fancy Goods Chinaware, Cut Glass, Silverware, Clocks Gas and Electric Portables Toilet Articles, Brass Goods, House Furnishings, Etc. all marked in plain figures to sell at popular prices. DON’T FAIL to ask for catalogue or to visit our store in person. OUR IMPORTED LINES are, with a few exceptions, all in stock now. Last Fall we were one of the few importers who DE- LIVERED EVERYTHING SOLD and we are now ready to do the same. Don’t make a mistake, but place your orders where they will be filled as expected, i. e. at the well known H. LEONARD & SONS Cor. Fulton and Commerce GRAND RAPIDS Y » je! Uy irr Wy UL ran HU ey) 77 Uf WwW He RAIN DASA DEAL NO. 1500. NOW BOY FREE! For a limited time and subject to withdrawal without advance notice, we offer NOW BOY WASHING POWDER 24s FAMILY SIZE F. ©. B. Buffalo: Freight prepaid to your R. R. Station in lots not less than 5 boxes. All Orders at above prices must be for immediate delivery. This inducement is for NEW ORDERS ONLY—subiject to withdrawal -without notice. Order from your Jobber at once or send whom order is to be filled. BUFFALO, N. Y., January 1, 1915. through the jobber—to Retail Grocers 25 boxes @ $3.60—5 boxes FREE 10 boxes @ 3.60—2 boxes FREE 5 boxes @ 3.65—1 box FREE 2% boxes @ 3.75—% box FREE your order to us giving name of Jobber through Yours very truly, Lautz Bros. & Co. ee ADES Thirty-Third Year DETROIT DETONATIONS. Cogent Criticisms From Michigan’s a Metropolis. Detroit, Sept. 14--Llearn one thing each week about Detroit: One of the largest manufactories of pant, overall and shoe buttons in the country is located in De- troit. tussia is rich in waterways of big im- portance,’’ headline in a Sunday paper What Russia needs most, apparently, is a number of speedway | J. A. Carleton, Lakeview business man, motored to Detroit last week. He was accompanied on the trip by his daughter, Sarah, The Federal Metal Bead Co:;. of Hobe- ken, N. J., has leased the four story brick building at 102-06 West Larned street, and will use it as a local distributing branch. EK. J. Menke will open a delicates store at 892 Third avenue about Oct. 1. Robert C. Patton (Burnham, Stoepel & Co.), after having traveled through the West for the past few years, will now represent the house as special underwear and hosiery salesman in Flint, Saginaw and Bay City, and will make his head- quarters in Saginaw, where the firm has an office and sample room. Mr. Patton has specialized in the lines he is selling for a number of years and has a most pleasing personality, which will undoubt- edly win him many friends on the new territory. He will work in conjunction With Frank Whitton, who will earry the remainder of the lines sold by Burnham, Stoepel & Co. The announcement that Detroit will be visited by the Blue Goose will, no doubt. Yevive If ©. IT. memories of the past. This Blue Goose, however, is the name of an organization of fire insurance men. According to the Detroit News, the surest wey to get something for nothing is to vote for municipal ownershin of the street car lines. We heartily agree with the News, that is, so far as the politi- CGians are concerned, Thirkos Bros. opened a restaurant at 168 Grand River avenue this week. Despite the fact that the annual con- vention of the United Commercial Trav- elers is not to be held until next June in @raverse City, the committees in charge are holding weekly meetings and are perfecting arrangements for the en- Lertainment Of the visitors, who, it is confidently expected, will turn out. in larger numbers than ever before—and Traverse City Council deserves it. Burglars broke into Dinan Bros. gro- cery store, Abbott and Rénth streets, early last Saturday morning and stole $20. The new store rapidly nearing comple- tion on Kercheval avenue, near Belvidere, will be opened as a grocery store by the Community Stores Co. and will be one of a chain of stores operated by the com- pany. One of the few things not promised by the Detroit News, in the event that municipal ownership carries, is the elim- ination of the end seat hog. N G. Schultz will open a drug store at | Woodward avenue, about Sept. 25. George Rice, former city salesman for A. Krolik & Co., has purchased the stock of dry goods and furnishing goods known as the Boston Store, at Pontiae, and has taken charge. Harry Andrews, who has been associated with A. Krolik & Co. for a number of vears, has assumed Mr. Rice’s former duties with the firm. I. Krohn, one of the really well known up-state merchants, spent a few days in Detroit last week. Mr. Krohn had been taking the mineral baths at Mt. Clemens and, judging by the activity he displayed while in the city, the baths proved bene- ficial unless—but perish the thought—if he really wanted a vacation he would have to #0 no further than Detroit. Joel Stockard, formerly with the Se- curity Vrust Co.. has opened offices in the Dime Bank building under the firm name of Joel Stockard & Co., and will engage in a general stock and hond busi- ness. Associated with Mr. Stockard are some of the leading business men of De- troit. Officers of the company are Joel Stockard, President; W. L. Davies, Vice- President and Treasurer; W. C. Boynton, Secretary, and a board of five directors. F. P. Ryan will open a shoe store at 2238 Gratiot avenue, about Oct. 1. and will carry a complete line of shoes for men, women and children. The Detroit Soap Co., established in Detroit thirty-five years ago, has heen sold by the owners, Samuel Post & Sons. of Ypsilanti, to Lautz Bros. & Go.. of Buffalo. The manufacturing end of the business will be moved to Buffalo and the sales office and premium department will remain in this city. William H. Ryan, of this city, died while visiting his sister in Bay City last GRAND RAPIDS, WEDNESDAY, Chief of Bay City. Igmerson wrote in his lMesays on Erlend ship that “A friend may well be reckoned as the masterpiece of nature: After graduating from the public schools has always characterized him, he soon te- The apparent life of uncon- JACOB S. BLITZ Included in his territory was the Donald who became his wife 11 vears ago, Jack Blitz during the years he has served honored with his friendship. ful of humor and always has a new story the kind that bear repeating in any com- Mr. and Mrs. Blitz recently moved cob S. Blitz is not only a suceessful sales- man, he is a credit to the traveling pro- a three-story brick and steel addition to its factory on Jefferson avenue. St. Paul breweries pay out over $1 000 yearly in freight charges. er”’ pays the freight. the Michigan sales for the Detroiter Mot- Daas Brothers, avenue, will open another grocery and fruit store at the corner of Pingree and Hamilton avenues within a few days. The local municipal ownership news- paper says Detroit can accomplish what no other city in the United States or Canada can accomplish, notwitnstanding that street car fares are lower here than in M. O. cities. The News tells us that fares will be reduced, wages raised and taxes reduced under M. O., all of which is bosh and bunk, M. M. Berry, general merchant of Mont- gomery, Was a Detroit business visitor last week Sol. Gittleman, for a number of years in the mercantile business in Lakeview and now a resident of Detroit, has or- ganized the Electric Gasoline Gauge Co., With offices at 2 Chamber of Com- merce building. Whe appliance manufac- tured by the newly organized company, according to Mr. Gittleman, marks a new epoch in automobile equipment. It was invented by S. Deutsch, an electrical en- gineer who is associated with him in the venture. Mr. Gittleman will act as gen- eral manager and will also retain his in- terests in the stores conducted under his name in Carson City and Lakeview. Frank A. Hesse, for the past twenty- five years President and general manager of the Detroit Cornice Co. and prominent in business and social circles in the city, died at his home last Thursday after a lingering illness covering a period of two years, Fred Postal, proprietor of the Griswold House, is having one of the stores in his hotel block remodeled and will open one of the finest and most up-to-date drug stores in the city. The store will be un- der the direct supervision of Mr. Newell, an experienced pharmacist, for the past few years with E. C. Kinzel, druggist, corner Michigan avenue and Griswold Street. Charlie Biller, of firm of Miller & Biller, Croswell, was in Detroit last week. Un- der ordinary cireumstanees we could dis- miss this little news item and = proceed to rack our brain for the next item or victim or whatever other thought might shape itself into something that we thought might look well in print, despite the unneutral opinion of others, if it hadn’t been for the fact that the cheerful Charlie vielded up a secret while in the Metropolis. Some time back in June he quietly and without ostentation became a member of the benedict club by marry- ing Miss Jennle Fleisher, of Auburn. From then on until a few days ago Char- lie allowed the young damsels of his ac- quaintance to still hope. Just to show that there is no antipathy on the part of Detonations for being left out of the secret we extend our congratulations to the happy couple. J. W. Johnson, opened a _ restaurant this week umder the style of the J. C. Lunch Co., at 164 Piquette avenue. Mrs. Catherine A. Meloche, wife of Al- bert F. Meloche, prominent druggist at the corner of Jefferson and Hillger ave- nues, died of Bright’s. disease, Sept. 6, after an illmess of four years. Mrs. Meloche was a member of one of the oldest families in Detroit and was prom- inent in many civie and philanthropic pro- jects. Besides the husband, two sons survive. I. Cohen, well known Alpena man, was in the city last week. Mr. Cohen is one of Alpena’s pioneer business men and is proprietor of one of the largest depart- ment stores in Northern Michigan. It is really a source of worry to busi- ness men of this city over its unhealthy business condition. Last week’s building record was only $455,325—and no large buildings recorded, rred J. Kuenz has opened a cigar store 33 Jefferson avenue East. : A pretty wedding was solemnized in Wvandotte last Wednesday, the princi pals being Miss Mae Roehrig, daughter of Henry Roehrig, of the clothing firm of Roehrig Bros., and Louis Minor, with the Portland Cement Co., Detroit branch, and son of the late Judge Minor, of this city. After a honeymoon of a month spent in the East, the young couple will return to Detroit. where they will make their home. Mr. and Mrs. Minor have hosts of friends in this city who will welcome them on their return. Cc. F. Lobsinger, who conducts a men’s clothing and furnishing goods and shoe store in Saginaw, has ovened a store at 1689 Mack avenue and will carry a similar stock. In other words, this issue of the Trades- man has good reasons for feeling swelled. 3Sert McDonald. well known and ex- tremely popular Columbiaville merchant, was in Detroit on a business trip last week. : c. Cc. B., column conductor on the De- at SEPTEMBER 15, 1915 Number 1669 troit News and considered by many as one of the foremost humorists in the country, has been away on a two weeks’ vacation, but, with all due respect to his ability, the News managed to get along nicely without him. The News’ munici- pal ownership articles made a splendid substitute for a humorous column. In fact, the argmuents used were ridicul- 7 funny. Politics may come and politics may g¢g but there must be something new occ: sionally to keen them going. Kirk & McLean have sueceeded the Concord Hardware Co., 458 Concord ave- nue, Cadillac Council, U. C. %. holds its regular monthly meeting in their hall in the Elks Temple building next Saturday oO. Se night. Accidentally, we discovered that a large class was to be initiated on that night. Evidently Cadillac Council is taking no chances on a surprise attack by Grand Rapids Council, who might capture the high membership honors for Michigan. Frank Ferris, Junior Counselor of Cad- illac Council and the envy of many of the boys on the road because he repre- sents the Royal Worcester Corset (Co (any corset job would cause the same envy) returned from a two weeks’ fishing trip in Wisconsin last week. Frank did not return with a lot of blank stories, but had a large box of beautiful fish precede him via express and, even hough he sent none to us, we thank him just the same. sy leaving the “a’’ out of Dumba we have what Uncle Sam thought of that gentleman’s actions. Arthur Clarke is a traveling man and for traveling through the southern part of the State he receives compensation from Burnham, Stoepel & Co. Arthur also has a reputation for being tall, dark, handsome and wifeless. Some one who professes to be a friend of young Mr. Clarke, in order to prove that at some time at least, has there been love in his soul, sent us the following story, duly subscribed and sworn to. Arthur appar- ently t1 the throes of “an affair” ap- proached his friend to seek enlightenment as to the proper and most modern method of proposing to a young lady. Cis: it proper,” he asked his bachelor friend, “for a young man to propose to a young lady on his knees?’’ “Well,” was the answer, “if he doesn’t she should get off.’ What do they mean in calling married men free masons? A. K. Jensen, druggist at 933 East La- is opened another drug. store ast Jefferson avenue. G. A. Stevenson, clothier of Vassar. was a Detroit business visitor last week. Business men and merchants from all over the State and Ohio and Indiana visited Detroit last week, ostensibly to visit the State Fair, but many transacted business while here, as the jobbers all report an exceptionally large house trade. Old Henry Jordan, whose system is fully innoculated with Teuton blood, is one who has no sympathy for the under dog. Henry says the allies are the under dogs and the allies can never receive any sympathy from him. Ches. Brubaker reports that the frost in his ghborhood was nil. The frost his candidacy for Governor received. however, was much heavier. There are 1,671,471 free masons in the United States. At least 75 per cent. are married. W. J. Bryan’s political aspirations at least will receive the benefit of a peace movement. Germany has _ fined selgium another million. Belgium is having a fine time. F. C. Stoetzer has purchased the stock of hardware of Shaefer & Rodier, 763 Mack avenue, and will take possession in a few days. Glen Laven, former Detroit boy, for the past few years with the Los Angeles No- tion Co., Los Angeles, Cal., has returned to Detroit and accepted a position with George Minto & Co., successors to M. f Stanton & Co... mens furnishing roods, and will represent them in South- ern Michigan. Mr. Laven is well known in the State, having represented a whole- sale dry goods house on the road for a number of years. Like some of our veteran baseball players, Dr. Dumba is going back. Leo Spellman, of Runner & Spellman, general merchants, Shelby, was a Fair visitor last week. Like many of the country folk who visit a large city. Mr. Spellman got ‘‘soaked”’ before he left. In Leo’s particular case, however, it was because he didn’t have time to dodge a sudden and extremely large downpour of rain. George Farray has opened a_ grocery and fruit store at 1089 Mack avenue. James M. Goldstein. IQ MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 Sparks from the Electric City. Muskegon, Sept. 14—There has been considerable talk of a new boat line to run from Muskegon to Pent- water, Ludington, Manistee and probably Frankfort. Although this is not an assured fact, still there is a probability of this line going into operation next spring. These boats will leave Muskegon upon the ar- rival of passenger and freight trains from Grand Rapids. Another boat will leave the Northern terminal, making connections with the trains going to Grand Rapids at Muskegon. Excursions will be run on_ these boats during the summer months. This will give the Northern people a market for their products in Muske- gon and Grand Rapids. The towns of Ludington, Manistee and others have been getting much better ser- vice from Milwaukee and Chicago jobbers, on account of boat lines run- ning from these cities than they could get from Muskegon and Grand Rapids. If this boat line goes into service it will give Grand Rapids and Muskegon jobbers. an equal chance with their brother jobbers in other states. We will give more detailed information on this project later and will tell the parties interested and the boats that will be run. Saturday, Sept. 18, is meeting. date, our next Come and bring a candi- Milton Steindler. +> __ Chirpings from the Crickets. Battle Creek, Sept. 14—Fenton J. Cronk and family entertained Free- man Cronk and family from Grand Rapids, over Sunday. Earl Myers is covering Vint Phelps’ territory for Godsmark, Durand & Co. Vint is at home with muscular rheumatism. Bill Grolle, of Kalamazoo, was married this summer. Aiter his return to his territory he visited the Casino, at South Haven, where Fischer's orchestra from Kalamazoo is furnishing the music. Upon Bill's entrance into the ball room the orchestra played a wedding march and threw the spotlight on our worthy brother, Bill bought all the cigars that could be procured on the beach. Ellis Barnes, cashier for the Jack- son Grocer Co., and Miss Alma Grossman of Manchester were married Sept. 4 at the home of the bride’s parents in Manchester. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, after a short honey- moon trip, returned to Jackson, where Mr. Barnes has a home on Allen street. Mr. Barnes is a_ general favorite in the office and well liked by the boys who travel from the house. They all wish Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Barnes a long and_ happy wedded life and trust in the years to come their home plat will contain other “Barnes”. L. M. Steward, a member of No, 1, living at Saginaw and traveling for the Postum Cereal Co., of this city, was in Battle Creek last week. L. M. has just completed his second year with the Postum Co. and reports business A. No. 1. L. M. has a host of friends who rejoice in his con- tinued success. The Postum Co. has the reputation of treating its men with unusual courtesy and L. M. says he can vouch for that statement. This is a good day to pick out furs for your wife’s Xmas, or has she lived up to the cartoonist’s version —worn them all summer. Kalamazoo is planning a big week starting Oct. 4. A big crowd is ex- pected. You will be treated right. Read the Tradesman. Guy Pfander. Nine Instead of Twenty-five. The advertisement referred to in the announcement of the West Mich- igan State Fair on the front cover will be found on page 9, instead of page 25, as stated. —_+++___ A near argument is one in which nobody gets angry. ——~+- Most of the sin on exhibition is any- thing but original. wo 5 Big Gala Comedy Show Fair Week MIL mae vad toes Starting Monday, September 20 AND 7 OTHER GREAT ACTS PRICES 10-20-25-30 AND 50 CENTS BRAND FooTe&JENKS’ Killarney (eeaistereo) Ginger Ale (CONTAINS NO CAPSICUM) An Agreeable Beverage of the CORRECT Belfast Type. Supplied to Dealers, Hotels, Clubs and Families in Bottles Having Registered Trade-Mark Crowns A Partial List of Authorized Bottlers: A. L. JOYCE & SON, Grand Rapids and Traverse City, Mich.; ae KALAMAZOO BOTTLING CO., Kalamazoo, Mich.; KILLARNEY BOTTLING CO., Jackson, Mich. 1 “BLIZZARD” Ensilage Cutters 4, More of them in use than any other kind _ See our large exhibit at the West Michigan State Fair Quick Shipments from Grand Rapids Clemens & Gingrich Co. Distributors for Central Western States Main Office: 1501 Wealthy St. GRAND RAPIDS - - MICH. “Holland Furnaces make Warm Friends” September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Polarine Minimizes Motor Troubles In 400,000 Cars More motor troubles are caused by poor oils than by any other factor in motoring, and hundreds of thousands of motorists have found this out. That is why Polarine is so popular. In the Middle West alone probably 400,000 cars are now using Polarine. That is a conservative estimate based on actual sales, the number of cars in this territory, and the average number of gallons of oil that a car consumes in twelve months. Think what this means. It means that this oil is the final choice of hun- dreds of thousands of owners—men who have tried all kinds of oils, under all conditions. It means that you, too, will some day find the ultimate lubrication in Polarine. Polarine is the scientific lubricant. It maintains the correct lubricating body at any motor speed or tempera- ture. It lubricates perfectly in every standard make and type of motor now produced. Why accept oils you know nothing about when Polarine is recommended in this way by 400,000 users? Standard Oil Company (indiana) Chicago, U. S. A. Also producers of RED CROWN Gasoline—The Powerful, Economical Fuel MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 whee STi Se oY Re Movements of Merchants. Shepherd—G. J. T. Zumbrink in general trade. Central Lake—Don Hastings opened a cigar store and barber shop. Bitely—Wilkinson & Shaddock suc- ceed Peter Christensen in general trade. Remus—J. FF. Baughn & Co. ceed E. C. Friedell & Co. trade. Battle Creek—S. A. Vedder opened a meat market on East Main street. Shepherd—F. chased the grocery stock of H. Merwin. Hastings— ceeds W. L. business. Holland—Peter Van Dyke succeeds John De Boer in the coal and wood business. lonia—Collier & Helliberger ceed Leo R. Van Vleck in the garage business. Thompsonville—Mrs. C. Lake suc- ceeds Mrs. Scafe in the business, Sandusky—The Producers Elevator Co. has changed its headquarters to Port Huron. Saugatuck—Miller has closed out his stock of and gone to Florida. Saginaw—The Huron Lumber Co. has increased its capital stock from $100,000 to $150,000. Detroit—The C. ply Co. has increased its capital stock from $4,200 to $10,000. Freeland—Glen H. Branch open a grocery store in the Garrett building about Sept. 20, Blissfield—Arthur Wright has add- electric cake to his bakery equipment, Reed City—E. P. Hartz has sold his hardware stock to Willard N. Curtis who has taken possession. Montgomery—R. A. Derr, of Edon, Ohio, has opened a bakery and res- taurant in the Bates building. Caro—William C. Widner, recently of Bay City, will open a bazaar store in the Forbes building about Sept. 20. Milan—Burglars entered the Hyzer & Mathews drug store Sept. 8, rifled the cash register and carried away some Cigars, Morrice—Fire destroyed the apple evaporator owned by the heirs of the George Brandt estate Sept. 9. Loss, about $1,000. Sparta—Miss Lyda Mosher has sold her interest in the Nelson-Mosher millinery stock to her partner, Miss Nelson, who will continue the busi- Sandal succeeds F. has suc- in general has E. Chaplin has pur- & P. Maurice Pierson suc- Hogue in the grocery suc- millinery has jewelry Robinson F. Hertz Saw Sup- will ed an making machine ness. Newaygo—lIra Mull, formerly en- gaged in the meat business at Grand Rapids, has purchased the bakery of J. A. Chamberlin, Ypsilanti—The Ypsilanti Co. has engaged in new Laundry business in its building at the corner of Race and Chidister streets. Potterville—A. E. his hardware stock to Ben recently of Eaton Rapids, continue the business. Scottville—Ensign Weller moved his grocery stock from Custer here and will continue the in the Gordon building. Freeport—M. G. William, of Lake Odessa, has taken over the manage- ment of his meat market formerly conducted by Mr. Wilson. Cloverdale—E. J. Kelley has sold his store building and stock of gen- eral merchandise to Grant Dickerson who has taken possession. Buckley—William Sheriff has sold his bakery, restaurant, tobacco and confectionery stock to Clyde Levi, who has taken possession. Fowler, who will has re- business Zeeland—Louis Padnos has closed out his clothing stock at Holland and engaged in the same line of business here in the Kuite building. Kalamazoo—The Brazil Coffee Co. has engaged in business at 116 North Burdick street, dealing in teas, cof- fees, spices, butter and eggs. Quincy—L, Clifton, who conducts a bazaar store at Bronson, has opened a similar store here under the man- agement of Miss Maude Hart. Munising—Burglars entered the R. J. Burrows drug store on East Su- perior street Sept. 12 and carried away some stock and $185 in cash. Saginaw—Alonzo T. Ward, who conducts a jewelry store at 104 South Jefferson avenue, is closing out his stock and will retire from business. Charlotte — Sherman Kiplinger, Vice-President of the Lamb & Spen- cer Co., grocers, was married Sept. 11 to Miss Marena Sanford of this city. Eaton Rapids—Ezra Lockwood has sold his restaurant, ice cream parlor and confectionery stock to L. J. Hart, of Battle Creek, who has taken pos- session. Lansing—Edwin F. Garvey has purchased the George Ludholz hard- ware stock and removed it to the cor- ner of Michigan and Pennsylvania avenues. Athens—Von W. Furniss, of Nash- ville, who conducted a drug. store here under the management of his brother, C. S. Furniss, has sold his stock to George E. Bangham, recent- ly of Homer, who will continue the business. Parker has sold Lansing—Misses Edna Kies and Ada Portele have formed a copart- nership and purchased the Howard millinery stock and will continue the business. Sparta—Fred L. Hilton has sold a half interest in his wagon factor to Ed Beebe and the business will be continued under the style of Hilton & Beebe. Dowagiac—The Wiest Grocery Co. is erecting a store building at Indian Lake which it will occupy with a stock of groceries and canned goods about Nov, 1. Kalamazoo—Thieves entered the J. R. Pridy grocery store, at the corner of Kalamazoo avenue and North West street, Sept. 12 and carried away con- siderable stock. Carson City—The Carson City Auto Co. has engaged in business and wil! deal in automobile supplies and ac- cessories in connection with the auto- mobiles it will handle. Carsonville—A. W. Graham _ has purchased the interest of Dr. H. W. Smith in the Graham & Co. clothing stock and will continue the business under his own name. Beulah—Lyle A. Rockwell, who conducts a garage, has admitted to partnership, M. Mason and the busi- ness will be continued under the style of Rockwell & Mason. Mancelona—E. F. Day, who has been conducting a creamery here, has made an assignment to H. E. Well- man. Mismanagement crookedness is alleged. Hesperia—Manley C. Seymour, har- ness dealer, has admitted to partner- ship, Philip Wurthner and the busi- ness will be continued under the style of Seymour & Wurthner. Shepherd—The Shepherd Elevator Co, has been organized with an au- thorized capital stock of $5,000, of which amount $3,500 has been sub- scribed and paid in in cash. Houghton—John Warmington has resigned his position as meat cutter at the People’s Market and will en- gage in the cream, butter and egg business under his own name. Big Rapids—William A. Reynolds has purchased the grocery stock of the E. Preysz estate and will continue the business at the same location at the corner of Rose avenue and Water- loo street. Perry—Allen Simons, of Galesburg and W. H. Chaffee, of Bancroft, have formed a copartnership and purchased the Hayner bakery and will continue the business under the of Mr. Chaffee. Battle Creek—Joseph A. Merrill, who conducts a meat market at 111 East Main street, has purchased the Will Pritchard meat market and will continue it at the same location, 407 Maple street as a branch market. Petoskey—W. E. Davids and Joseph Murphy have formed a copartnership and purchased the stock of the North- ern Hardware Co. of Mrs. F. B. Clark and will continue the business at the same location and under the same style. Kalamazoo—The Brazil Coffee Co. has been organized to conduct a tea garden, coffee house, bakery and res- taurant, handle groceries and meats verging on management and the manufacture and sale of bak- ing powder and extracts, -with a cap- ital stock of $3,000 of which amount $1,500 has been subscribed, $500 being paid in in cash and $1,000 paid in in property. Mt. Pleasant—Chatterton & Son have merged their elevator and pro- duce business into a stock company under the same style, with an author- capital stock of $40,000 of which amount $40,000 has been subscribed and paid in in cash. Muskegon—The R. G. W. Shoe Co. organized with a capital $6,000, $3,600 of which has cash. The capital stock is equally divided between Arthur W. Robinson, Counsel G. Wil- son and Grover J. Gale, all of Detroit. ized has been stock of been paid in in Manufacturing Matters. Kalamazoo—The Kalamazoo Bread Co. is building a $13,000 addition to its plant on East avenue. Ada—Fire destroyed the F. W. & G. W. Haskins basket factory Sept. 10. Loss about $4,000, partially cov- ered by insurance. Kalamazoo—The William Shake- speare, Jr., Co. manufacturer of fish- ing tackle, etc., has changed its name to the Shakespeare Co. Detroit—The Owl Baking Co. has been organized with an authorized capital stock of $30,000 of which amount $15,030 has been subscribed and $3,000 paid in in cash. Muskegon—The Pressed Steel Co. has merged its business into a stock company under the same style, with an authorized capital stock of $5,000, all of which has been subscribed and $3,500 paid in in cash. Detroit—The Armstrong Specialty Co. has been organized to manufac- ture and deal in specialties, with an authorized capital stock of $25,000, of which amount $24,500 has been sub- scribed and $2,500 paid in in cash. Detroit—The Penberty Injector Co. has been organized to manufacture and sell injectors and other brass and iron devices, with an authorized capital stock of $50,000, all of which has been subscribed and paid in in cash. Detroit—The Hygia Pipe Button Co. has been organized to manufac- ture Hygia pipe buttons and smokers sundries, with an authorized capital stock of $50,000, all of which has been subscribed, $100 paid in in cash and $49,700 in property. Battle Creek—Wire Bolt Clamp Co. has been organized to manufacture hose clamps and other articles of me: tal or wood, with an authorized capita! stock of $30,000 of which $28,000 has been subscribed, $1,500 paid in in cash and $26,500 paid in in property. Cheboygan—The Crown Chemical Co., which began the manufacture of turpentine at Grayling and was re- moved to this city about five years ago, has been sold at public sale to satisfy mortgage creditors aggregat- ing $14,037.88. The property was bid in by George G. Metzger, of Toledo, who owned more than half of the mortgage covering the property, and J. B. Habbeggar, of Berne, Ind., who with others held the remainder. The amount bid was $5,000. September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN asi =— riya ‘| —a 7 Ezy |} DY ren Review of the Grand Rapids Produce Market. Apples—Early varieties such as Duchess, Wealthy, and Twenty Ounce command 35@45c per bu. Bananas—Medium, $1.25; Jumbo, $1.75; Extra Jumbo, $2; Extreme Ex- tra Jumbo, $2.50. Beets—50c per bu. Blackberries—$1.25@1.50 per 16 qt. crate. Butter—The market is 1c lower, with a good consumptive demand for all grades. The quality arriving is averaging fancy and the outlook is for unchanged prices for the next few days. Fancy creamery is quoted at 2414@25c in tubs, 2514@26c in prints. Local dealers pay 21c for No. 1 dairy, lic for packing stock. Cabbage—40c per bu. or $1 per bbl. Cantaloupes—Benton Harbor Osage $1.25@1.75 per crate, according to size; home grown, 25c per bu. Cauliflower—$1.25@1.50 per doz. Carrots—50c per bu. Celery—16c per bunch for grown. Cocoanuts—$4 per sack containing 100. Crab Apples—75c@$1 per bu. Cranberries—$7 per bbl. for Cape Cod Early Blacks. Cucumbers—35c per doz. for home grown. Eges—The market is firm at an advance of ec. home The consumptive de- mand is very good and the supply light. This, with the good quality of the present arrivals, makes a firm healthy market. Local dealers pay 22(@22%c for No. 1 stock, loss off. Egg Plant—$1.25 per doz. Garlic—20c per Ib. Green Corn—10@12c per doz. for home grown. Green Onions—Silver Skins, 15c per doz.; Evergreens, 12c per doz. Honey—18c per lb. for white clover and 16c for dark. Lemons—California, box. Lettuce—Home grown head, $1.25 per bu.; leaf, 65c per bu. Nuts—Almonds, 18c per Ilb.; fil- berts, 13c per lb.; pecans, 15c per Ib., walnuts, 18c for Grenoble and Cali- fornia, 17c for Naples. Onions—Home grown 75c per bu. Parsley—25c per doz. Oranges—Valencias are steady at $5.25@5.50. The decay in California oranges, which was abnormally severe in February and March, cost. the growers in some districts more than one-half the cost of producing every box shipped during the month of February and the State from $15,000 to $50,000 a week. The decay was $3@3.50 per command equally disastrous to the jobbers and retailers, and for this reason many of them ceased handling California citrus fruits altogether. The large increase in the crop from Florida and California, the abnormally large ap- ple crop, the damage to the fruit in transit in December and January and the excessive decay in February and March, coupled with the depression in business, resulted in low prices. This condition was common to prac- tically all perishable fruit. Peaches—Elbertas and Crawfords ° command 75c@$1 per bu.; Prolifics and Engles fetch 50@75c. The crop is a very disappointing one on ac- count of the continued wet weather which has filled the fruit so full of water that it will not stand shipping any distance. Pears — Bartlets, $1.50 per bu; Clapp’s Favorite, $1.25 per bu. Peppers—$1 per bu. for home grown Plums—Sugar, 75c per bu.; Bur- banks, Bradshaws, Lombards and Guiis, 60@75c per bu, Pop Corn—$1.75 per bu. for ear, 4c per Ib. for shelled. Potatoes—Home grown range from 30@40c per bu. Radishes—10c for round and 15c for long. Squash—75c per hamper for home grown. Tomatoes—Shipping stock com- mands 75c per bu. for ripe and 60c for green. Very ripe stock which cannot be shipped is selling as low as 30c per bu. Turnips—50c per bu. Wax Beans—90c per bu. Watermelons—$2.50 per bbl. con- taining 8 to 10, —_+++___ The Grocery Market. Sugar—The market is utterly with- out feature since the decline of 20 points from 5%c to 5.30c, due to in- herent weakness in the situation in- cidental to the practical wind up of the active domestic season. Refiners, so far as this phase of the situation is concerned, have no incentive for purchasing offerings, and the owners of raws forced a break of their own weight. It is easy to say that Cuba can find market for her surplus su- gars, but the individual planter sees only that he has a good profit, even at a decline, and hastens to make the necesary concession to attract buyers. The tariff question is beginning to loom up as a factor, since Washing- ton advices suggest that the Admin- istration, in order to prevent a larger deficit, will oppose removing the duty on sugar May 1 as per the terms of the act. Tea—The tendency of the trade is to pursue a waiting policy, it being felt that were activity to develop this would be at the expense of values. Continued reaction in cheaper black teas in the primary markets is not liked, especially as it had been hoped that the war would make for higher prices. Russian buying, for instance, being reported some time ago in Colombo. Coffee—All Rio and Santos grades are 4@'c higher than a week ago. There is still much coffee available, however, and no very high prices would appear to be possible. Milds are unchanged and quiet, as are Java and Mocha. Canned Fruits—An increasing ship- ment was shown in California 1915 packed fruits and the realization that the Coast packers have only canned sufficient quantities to satisfy their orders with a very small surplus has had the effect of making prices a great deal firmer. Apples dull at rul- ing prices, Canned Vegetables—The prospects for the corn pack the entire country over are the poorest they have been for twenty-five years. Maine, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minne- sota and South Dakota, figuring on normal conditions, are practically out of the game for 1915 packed corn, as a normal frost this fall will catch at least 75 per cent. of their corn in the field. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Towa are in a little better condition, and in some sections of Central In- diana and Illinois they report a pros- pect of 70 per cent, to 95 per cent. of a normal crop, which if true, is re- markable in view of the fact that the balance of the big four corn-packing states (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa) have a prospect of not better than 50 per cent. of a crop, with the season from ten days to three weeks late. This would catch at least 20 to 40 per cent. of the sweet corn in these four states in the field. The pack for 1915 will probably not exceed 6,000,000 cases. The tomato situation, on the whole, in the states mentioned even indicate a poorer prospect than the corn and it would not be surprising if the tomato pack of this country would not aggregate 60 per cent. of the pack of 1914. Failure of the buy- ers to meet the packers’ ideas in re- gard to peas restrict trade and there is only a small amount of trading done, according to brokers. Canned Fish—In spite of the an- nouncement of opening prices in 1915 pack salmon by the Pacific Coast packers on Friday—ranging from 5 to 10 per cent. higher than a year ago —the market is inclined to be dull and only a small amount of business is reported. A better feeling is expect- ed to appear, however, after the oper- ators have had an opportunity to fully examine the new figures and the con- ditions in the market. Coast advices stated that the packers were apparent- ly indifferent, feeling sure that there would be no difficulty in disposing of this season’s small pack. It was pointed out that England, the gereat- est salmon consuming country in the world, which usually purchases large- ly from the sockeye pack, which is Practically a total failure this year, 5 will be in a position to absorb Alaska pack should this country be’ slow in securing supplies. Domestic sardines are steady. There has been a fair de- mand for several weeks in this line, according to report, and large quan- tities of orders have been booked upon the basis of low quotations which have prevailed since the beginning of August. As yet, the heavy run of fish has apparently failed to set in, and the catch that is being made contains fish of too large a size to pack as quarter oils. There was a slight in- crease in the proportion of small fish caught last week, and Eastport ad- vices reported that the run was ex- pected to be better within a short time. Dried Fruits—Last week a practical clean up in spot 1914 prunes was ef- fected in the New York market by the sale of 8,000 boxes of prunes for European delivery. This is the largest single sale which has been re- ported for foreign order this summer, and was made according to advices at the full market price for immediate shipment. Rumors were current dur- ing the week previous that a large sale was pending which would absorb a big share of the available supplies in the New York market, but it was not until Friday that the deal was an- nounced. Spot prunes at the close on Saturday were inclined to have an easy feeling, sellers being anxious to dispose of their stocks before the ar- rival of 1915 pack began to be re- ceived in the market. Coast telegrams report that California apricot packers are displaying a greater desire to sell and an easier market is prevailing in consequence. All future raisins are strongly held. Many Coast operators have withdrawn all offerings of seed- less raisins from the 1915 pack. Letters received from Greece state that the 1915 currant crop is estimated at 134,- 000 tons net. The total supply of currants in fruit and retention bills amounts to 146,000 tons net for the 1915-1916 crop. The crop for 1914 totaled 144,000 tons net, which added to the surplus of fruit and retention bills, left in Greece at the close of August last year, made the 1914-1915 crop amount to 1,581,000 tons net. Further advices report that the crop of French vines has been diminished by 40 per cent. and there is a good demand from France for currants, France paying full prices as well as Holland. New York operators say that later reports show that consid- erable damage has been done to the crop, reducing the original figures of the crop estimate. It is believed here that the present strong market will be easily sustained, and with any extra demand setting in from consuming countries will show a sharp advance. Importers are becoming more con- vinced that no Smyrna figs will be obtainable this fall. All the Turkish ports are closed and advices say that the packers themselves are unable to pack under the Turkish government Cheese—The consumptive demand is very good and the quality arriving fully equal to the standard for the season. The market is firm at the present basis, with no immediate change in sight. CROP CONDITIONS. Extent of the Damage by Frost and Drought. The Tradesman published last week about eighty letters from merchants. produce dealers and bankers located in various parts of the State, giving their estimate of the damage done by the recent frosts. About twenty ad- ditional letters have since been re- ceived, as follows: Fife Lake, Sept. 8—We have gone over our locality carefully and it is now our opinion that the damage to corn, beans. potatoes and buckwheat has been slight- ly more than 50 per cent. In most cases potatoes (only) will make some if we have continued warm and damp weather. In this particular locality we were not hit as hard by frost as we had at first presumed. Citizens Bank. Arcadia, Sept. 10—From what informa- tion I have should say about +u ver cent. of the corn, beans and potatoes were de- stroyed by frost. Chas. P. Matteson. Cadillac, Sept. 10—I should say by What I have seen and heard that at least 60 per cent. of beans, corn and po- tatoes were killed by frost in Wexford county. Chas. H. Drury. Rapid City, Sept. 8—The recent frosts have cut the potato crop to about 50 per cent. of the usual yield, the bean crop to about 25 per cent., the pickle crop to about 60 or less and the corn crop to 25 or less. Buckwheat is nearly an en- tire loss. The recent rain, if not fol- lowed by another frost. may raise the percentage on the potato crop some. Lewis Way. Leaton, Sept. 8—The frost has done very little damage in this part of the county. I just got back from an auto trip to the southern part of the State and saw some fields south of Elwell at were hit hard and a field between De- Witt and Lansing, but the percentage of damage would be very small. J. B. Cleveland. Hoxeyville, Sept. 9—The frost has killed about two-thirds of all late crops, such as potatoes, corn, beans, cucum- bers and buckwheat. The worst frost we ever had in this part of cise county. Rossell. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Hesperia, Sept. 10—The loss in this locality is not to exceed 3 per cent. H. K. Bush & Sons. Moddersville, Sept. 10—The corn crop will be less than one-half; the bean crop less than one-half; the late pota- tees, less than one-third; but the early potatoes are good. Some corn is all froze, while some is not cut by frost at all. Qur hay crop was about one-half a crop the first cutting, and about wuree- fourths a crop the second cutting of clover. Some beans were all cut by the frost, while some eseaped all but the leaves, but they are coming all right. John W. Modders. Leota, Sept. 8—The loss is quite heavy. The bean crop will suffer a loss of 50 per cent. while the late potatoes come next with a loss of 40 per cent. Corn is less damaged. while some large fields are a total loss. Others are not dam- aged at all. Will say about 25 per cent. A. E. Rhodes. Watersmeet, Sept. 10—Corn, potatoes and beans are all killed by frost in the south part of county. North part not damaged much. J. A. Pennington & Son. Honor, Sept. 9—As near as we can find out from a great number of our farmers the damage is as follows: Beans and buckwheat, 75 per cent. damaged: corn and potatoes, 50 per cent. With this amount of damaged crops it will mean very hard times for the people of Benzie county. A. B Case Co. Boon, Sept. 9—It is hard to estimate just what damage it did, but I presume it would be safe to say that the damage will reach 75 per cent. Corn is prac- tically all ruined only for fodder. Cu- cumbers had just started to bear; beans the same and potatoes are a dead loss except the early planting, which includes about 25 per cent. The frost has set everyone back just one year, merchants as well as farmers, and the real estate business won't recover, in my estimation, for five years. It has been a death deal- ing blow to all of us. I have lived here twenty-two years and have seen. only one frost like this and that was about eighteen years ago. That did not hurt much, as there was lots of lumbering here then and the farmers could work in the woods and make more money than they could farming. So far as the mer- chant is concerned, the farmer was a small speck in his eye those days. But it is different to-day. If the farmer loses, we all lose with him. Aaron Schwartz. September 15, 1915 Stands for Something HE BROOKS family has been engaged in the confectionery business for twenty-five years. They have built up a business second to none in their line. Their goods are known in several states and are universally conceded to be the standard of purity and excellence. Why is this? Because the Brooks family have devoted their best energies for 25 years to Making the Brooks Name Good in every avenue in which they have exerted their influence. This is the reason they have reaped their reward. This is the reason people insist on having Brooks’ candies. Because the most discriminating trade demand Brooks’ goods, wise merchants handle them. Retail dealers visiting the West Michigan State Fair are invited to call and inspect the most complete and most sanitary confectionery establishment in the country. A. E. BROOKS & CO. GRAND RAPIDS NOKARBO MOTOR OIL It is the one oil that can be used successfully on all auto- mobiles operated by gasoline or electricity. It will not char or carbonize. It is the best oil for the high grade car, and the best oil for the cheapest car. WRITE FOR PRICES AND PARTICULARS The Great Western Oil Co. Grand Rapids, Michigan September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN HE Blend, Flavor and Strength of this coffee is Ideal. The package handsome, attractive and strictly moisture proof. re- taining indefinately the superb flavor and strength. In our process of steel cutting everything but absolutely pure coffee is eliminated--no chaff--no dust--no dirt. We propose to make these goods ‘‘go’’ and to see that the dealer has a good profit for his efforts in pushing them. JUDSON GROCER CO. GRAND RAPIDS Pbcncanfaprswan (Unlike any other paper.) ee DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF BUSINESS MEN. Published Weekly by TRADESMAN COMPANY, Grand Rapids, Mich. Subscription Price. One dollar per year, if paid strictly in advance; two dollars if not paid in ad- vance. Five dollars for six years, payable in advance. Canadian subscriptions, $2.04 per year, payable invariably in advance. Sample copies 5 cents each. Extra copies of current issues, 5 cents; issues a month or more old, 10 cents; issues a year or more old, 25 cents. Entered at the Grand Rapids Postoffice as Second Class Matter. E. A. STOWE, Editor. September 15, 1915. THIRTY-TWO YEARS OLD. The Michigan Tradesman is in a class by itself in that it is the only trade journal in the world which has been published thirty-two consecutive years without change of editorship, ownership or business management. Thirty-two years is a long time to look forward to, but as the writer looks back over the period he has been associated with the Tradesman it does not seem long since the pub- lication embarked on a career which has been attended with achievement and crowned with success. No trade journal was ever launched after more careful consideration and painstaking preparation. For several years before the first issue appeared the writer studied the field thorough- ly, discussed the situation frequently with representatives of both the wholesale and retail trade, gradually formulating plans and methods which it seemed advisable to adopt and fol- low in order to give the merchants of the Middle West something en- tirely different than had ever before been presented by any mercantile journal. The trade at large was not slow to recognize the Tradesman as a publication distinctly unique and original, differing from every other trade journal then in existence in every essential particular, especially in that it correctly and sympathetical- ly voiced the aims and aspirations of the retail merchant as they had never been voiced before. This condition was rendered possible by the previous employment of the writer as clerk in a dry goods, drug, hardware and gen- eral store, in which occupation he became thoroughly conversant with the needs and necessities of the re- tail merchant and was able to write and act in harmony with that environ- ment. Instead of scolding at the mer- chant from the front of the counter, the writer wrote from the viewpoint of the retail dealer behind the counter, thus treating every question, great or small, from the vantage ground of the participant and partner, rather than the teacher and preacher. The out- come is now a part of the mercantile history of the Middle West. The Tradesman is everywhere recognized as a leader in the field of trade jour- nalism and its fundamental features have been copied and imitated, so far MICHIGAN TRADESMAN as possible, by other trade journals, with the questionable success which usually accompanies the imitator. As to the future, the Tradesman has no promises to offer, except to say that the record of the past may be accepted as a criterion of what may be expected in the future. The Tradesman gladly avails itself of this opportunity to register its heartfelt thanks to both the wholesale and retail trade for the generous patronage accorded it and to express the hope that the future may record the same measure of growth and use- fulness the past has shown. oe, MELVIN E, TROTTER. It has been known for some weeks that a black cloud hung like a pall over Mel Trotter, but not until yesterday was any public announcement made of the fact that he was threatened with cancer and was going to Balti- more for expert treatment. The re- port has cast a gloom over this com- munity and over Christian men and women everywhere, and thousands oi voices all over the country will be raised in prayer that he may be spar- ed to continue the wonderful work he has conducted with such un- paralleled success. Mr. Trotter is truly a remarkable man. His strength of mind and character are marvelous. As he has rarely known rest, he has never acknowledged defeat or admit- ted discouragement. His fertility of resource is almost boundless. He enters into the largest undertakings with no idea where the money is coming from, but with a sublime faith that the Almighty will provide—and the funds are invariably forthcoming. His imagination is that of the true mystic, curbed by sound judgment and tempered by Christian faith and fortitude. He possesses all the vir- tues of a sturdy ancestry and never for a moment is tempted to forget them. Honesty that leans backward and sincerity that knows no fear are the fundamental foundations of his character. His friendships are deep and true and his devotion to a friend or a principle that he believes in has never faltered. Mr. Trotter is a power not merely in this community and in Michigan, the immediate scenes of his activities, but quite as truly in every part of the country. His fearlessness, his ideals, his forcefulness and his clear- ness mould public thought and, what is possibly quite as important, fur- nish example and inspiration for other workers in his chosen field to an extent that cannot possibly be calculated. Mr. Trotter is a fine example of the highest type of a Christian gentle- man. His whole life is bound up in his work as creator and Manager of the local Rescue Mission and its branches in many other cities. Ac tively and vitally interested in life from the standpoint of the patriotic citizen, he cares nothing for personel Pecuniary advancement and steadily refuses to consider every proposal that he accept a position which might distract his attention and energies from his life work or curtail his ab- solute independence of thought and action. Naturally, Mr. Trotter some- times makes mistakes, but he invari- ably stands for what he believes to be right and he never is afraid to carry to its ultimate end a fight based on principle. Mr. Trotter is bearing up under his affliction with a heroic faith that encourages his friends in the belief that he may be able to throw off the blight which threatens him. He has met physical weaknesses before and risen triumphant through the employ- ment of prayer and the stern personal determination and iron will which characterize masterful men of his type and the Tradesman knows that it voices the hopes and prayers of thousands that the Kind Providence which has prolonged his life thus far may deal with him with gentle hand, to the end that his life may be spared to continue the work which no other man in this or any other community can do so well. | peepee ee OUR GREATEST ENEMY. The greatest obstacle which ever confronted the produce trade of this market is the recent action of the G. R. & I. in changing its rate to Upper Peninsula points from a com- modity rate to class rates. For ten or twelve years the G. R. & I. has permitted our produce dealers to ship mixed cars of fruit and vegetables to the Upper Peninsula at 25 cents per hundred, minimum Weight 24,000 pounds, plus the regular icing charge. This enabled our shippers to deliver goods at all points from the Soo to Ishpeming at $60 per car, plus icing charge. In May the G. R. & I, an- nounced that the commodity rate would be superseded by class rates, which increased the tariff on peaches, for instance, from 25 to s7 cents per 100 pounds. The cost of transporting a car under the new schedule is from $125 to $150, which serves as an ef- fectual barrier on Grand Rapids. The matter was brought to the attention of the Interstate Commerce Commis- sion and that tribunal ordered the G. R. & I. to suspend the Operation of its new schedule until Oct. 3. This order the G. R. & I. refused to ob- serve, on the ground that the Com- mission had no jurisdiction over in- terstate shipments. A hearing will be given in the Circuit Court rooms to- day by Examiner Flynn, but as a de- cision may not be handed down for some weeks, the arbitrary rates of the G. R. & I. will probably remain in force long enough to greatly impair the trade Grand Rapids has worked up during the past dozen years with Upper Peninsula points. Local deal- ers can still ship by commdity rates over the Grand Trunk Railway, which sends its cars across the lake via car ferry, thence to the Upper Peninsula through Wisconsin. Of course, slower time—which is a serious matter in the fruit and vegetable trade—is involved in the Grand Trunk routing. Experience has demonstrated that te G. RK. & 1 is the worst enemy Grand Rapids has ever had in many respects. It has always undertaken to circumvent our fruit and produce dealers and growers when they have succeeded in building up a trade with September 15, 1915 distant markets. In doing this it has simply deprived itself of a large traffic and a considerable addition to its in- come which could be retained by the employment of live-and-let-live meth- ods. Such a suicidal policy, which will probably be blindly adhered to so long as the present short-sighted management continues, will ultimate- ly serve to make the Northern divi- sion of the G. R. & I. two streaks of rust, just as the inauguration of in- terurban service between this city and Kalamazoo has practically annihilated the local passenger earnings of the G. R. & I. between those points and will ultimately absorb nearly all the local and through freight traffic as well. A peculiar feature of the situation is that every local officer of the G. R. & I. who comes in contact with the trade condemns the arbitrary action of the line in the strongest terms imaginable and expresses the hope that the hearing before the represen- tative of the Interstate Commerce Commission to-day may clear up the situation. No one connected with the road will defend the act. Nor will he do anything to nullify the injustice. FRUIT FACTORY NEEDED. If there is any one institution Grand Rapids needs, more than an- other, it is an establishment to utilize the fruits grown around Grand Rap- ids which are permitted to go to waste every year through lack of a market. This season thousands of bushels of cherries were left unpicked on the trees, because there was no lucrative outlet for the growers. Now the same is true of plums. Many thousands of bushels will rot on the trees in this vicinity because the unable to dispose’ of The local cannery cannot use them, because it is unable io secure orders for canned plums. The same ratio of waste will be true of peaches and apples. There is a limit to the shipping demand, due to the recent arbitrary action of the G. R. & I. in practically depriving Grand Rapids of its outlet in the Upper Peninsula. In view of this situation, there is only one course left for Grand Rap- ids, and that is the establishment of factories to convert our surplus fruit products into jellies, marmalades and Preserves. This can be done on a scale that will ensure a reasonable margin of profit to the manufacturer and at the same time enable the Stower to reap a fair profit on the surplus crop which cannot be mar- keted in the usual way. The Ameri- can people are not as large consum- ers of these goods as our English cousins are, but the demand can be increased by Proper effort. Attrac- tive goods have long been put up by New Jersey, Rochester and California packers and there is no reason why the name “Grand Rapids” on the label should not give goods of native pro- ductino an entree to the best trade in the country. The Tradesman is growers are them. pleased to Present this suggestion to the finan- cial men of the city who are seeking available investments for their sur. plus funds. 1915 has ffic the th- ich ted te- vi- in- nd ed he nd he on he on ns pe ce he he he on —_— Ft Rh ee ee ee GRAND RAPIDS September 15, 1915 COME TO MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Every SEPTEMBER 20TH == 24TH Grand Rapids Wholesaler Invites _ Every Michigan Retailer To attend the West Michigan State Fair as their guest. The Fair opens Monday, September daily until Friday, September 24th wonderful Fair ever held in the State. Complete, Entertaining, Instructive Come any day you prefer and present to your jobber the coupon attached to the invitation you received from the Grand Rapids Association of Commerce and jt will be exchanged for a fully paid admission ticket to the Fair. WE WANT YOU TO COME (For further particulars address “Grand Rapids Association of Commerce’’) Here Are the Names of the Wholesalers Alfred J. Brown Seed Company. Brown & Sehler Company. Will P. Canaan Company. Central Michigan Paper Company. Corl, Knott & Company, Ltd. Durfee Manufacturing Company. Grand Rapids Casket Company. Grand Rapids Dry Goods Company. Grand Rapids Oil Company. Grand Rapids Shoe & Rubber Company Grand Rapids Supply Company. Great Western Oif Company. Hazeltine & Perkins Drug Company. A FREE TICKET Sincerely, 20th, and continues It will be the most Wholesale Department Grand Rapids Association of Commerce. Herold-Bertsch Shoe Company. Hirth-Krause Company. W. C. Hopson Company. G. J. Johnson Cigar Company. Judson Grocer Company. H. Leonard & Sons. C. J. Litscher Electric Company. Michigan Hearse & Carriage Company. Michigan Lithograph Company. Michigan Tradesman Company. C. W. Mills. Paper Company. National Grocer Company. Who Extend This Invitation to You Newaygo Portland Cement Company. M. Piowaty & Sons. Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. Powers & Walker Casket Company. Rademaker-Dooge Company. Rindge, Kalmbach, Logie Co. Paul Steketee & Sons. Valley City Milling Company. Voigt Milling Company. E. L. Wellman. Woodhouse Company. Worden Grocer Company. BE OUR GUEST 10 STOCK PURCHASES. Method Adopted by One Merchant in Recording Same. We have a system for keeping a record of the sources and prices of When buy- person we On these of the firm of whom we purchase the goods, all goods we purchase. ing in these markets in use a triplicate order book. orders are written the name the name of the person to whom the goods are to be shipped, by which route, the terms, quantity and de- scription of the goods, and prices— all in detail. We number all of the orders and specify on them that the order number is to be marked on the invoice and on all packages and cases. We give one copy of the order to the firm of whom we purchase the goods, this being the bona fide order pur- copy of the showing the goods have been chased as outlined, one order is filed with our auditing de- partment, and the other copy is re- tained in the office of the manager of the mercantile department. When the invoices come in covering these orders they are first checked against the orders in the depart- ment to ascertain if quantity, prices and terms are correct, and are then sent to the auditing department, to mercantile verify the checking of the mercantile department. If any errors are found it is the duty of the manager of the mercantile have the discrepancies corrected by the firms department to of whom the purchases were made. In this way. if goods are substituted, prices, quantity, routing wrong, the firm of whom the goods terms or were purchased can be referred to the copy of the order and adjustments can be made immediately and in a way that is satisfactory to all con- cerned. In buying at home, we have the salesman of whom we purchase give us a copy of the order we place with lieu of same write up an order on a regular order form his firm and in and take an impression of it in our order book that is used for this pur- of this order with the auditing department in the as the orders placed in the market. When the in- yoices come in we check them against the impression of the order that we have in our order book. If the sales- men are in a hurry we mail the orders to their firms and specify on same that confirmation of order given your representative on (date the goods were sold),” so they can make comparison with the orders sent 90se onlv. We file a cony I 5 same manner this is them by their representatives and if any discrepancies we specify on our order that if they can’t be filled as outlined, not to fill. This prevents misunderstandings and is of much henefit to the seller and purchaser, as things can be more easily adjusted before than after they happen. In mailing orders for goods we use the same form of order as when buy- ing from salesmen, and pass them through the same system. On 99 pe- cent. of our orders the prices are spec- refer to our order book at any time and see what ified, so that we can MICHIGAN TRADESMAN the goods cost. For certain lines of business we use a loose leaf book. We keep a record of every ship- ment of goods that enters our store, be it paper of pins by parcel post or a carload of automobiles by freight, and the record of these shipments is back of the in- voices covering the shipments. We also show on the back of the invoice the order number, freight or express bill number, the amount of freight, express or parcel post charges, the date goods were received, a notation also shown on the that we can see the price at a glance. This is very handy to make com- parison of prices in the past, especial- ly on feed and provision purchases. : As to the report of goods needed, daily places its desk -ach) = department “want” sheets in a file on my and if the “needs” are justifiable the order goes forward immediately. Should it be unprofitable to have a fifty-pound shipment come out at once we hold the “need” sheet until we can increase it to 100 pounds, but, shoul! it in our opinion, be profitable to the Goodbye With thy heavens Back Finite mind can Summer! Farewell, Summer, sprung aleak! Gone for aye thy wintry days, With their frigid arctic ways— into thy polar nest Speed thee onward, there to rest With thy fog, and sleet, and frost, And thy spirit tempest-tost! Who designed thee none may know With thy January glow; Whence was born thine antic scheme Only wizardry may dream; Wherefore thy December touch, Wherefore thy November clutch, Wherejore all thy flood and hail No mere mortal may unveil. Possibly thou wast a jest Of some Pow’r by wars distrest, Sent to thrill a weeping earth With a rude Homeric mirth— But a sad joke, if at all— Summer aping Winter, Fall, Is a bit of empty Quite unworthy of the laugh. Or, perhaps, some Cubist wight Hlath conceived thee on some night When the gods were occupied With Bellona’s crimson tide, Changed thee from the silky thing All true Poets used to sing, And for sunshine, zephyrs sweet, Given us but storm and sleet. Whence and wherefore all thy stress never guess; But ‘tis certain, high or low, Glad are we to see thee go: And we hope till thou art sane Thou wilt not return again— Changeling Child of Flim and Flam, Vale ad Aeternitam! John Kendrick Bangs. cold and bleak, chaff to the effect that the prices, exten- sions and footing are O. K., in what conditions the goods were received, and.to what departments they are to be charged. It is necessary for us to give the express and freight bill num- bers and amount of same in order that the auditing department may check the invoice against the sh’p- ment and see if it corresponds with the express bill rendered by the ra'l- road or express company. We keep a separate record of all carload shipments of all kinds of goods, showing date received, car ini- tial and number, contents of car, of whom purchased and also price of goods. We have the record so ruled company we certainly would not wait. We agree with one of our brother commissary managers who had two or three barrels of sugar shipped by express, realizing what it meant to the commissary patrons and his em- ployers that contentment is a big as- set in the commissary trade. Further reference to goods pur- chased, if the goods, prices, terms, etc. are found correct as per our or- der, we O. K. the invoices for pay- ment and if not correct we have the adjustment made or credit memoran- dums issued for the difference. If the firms of whom purchases have been made make errors against them- selves, as to weight, count or Price, September 15, 0:5 we notify them and advise them ¢},.; we have added same to the invoj-c, or ask them to render correct inyo We also keep what we term spe records of goods received. We we; all the meats entering our meat mo-. ket and keep records in detail. We also have a receiver of 4}{ shipments. He obtains { billing from the railroad agent befo: freight bills are rendered and he usec a separate book to record all freight When freight bills rendered we check them against his record and then verify them with the happens occasionally that an overshipment occurs and the time we have either no invoice oy no freight bill to cover it. ing against the freight shipments. invoices. It By check- record it can readily be seen that an overship- ment has been made, either through an error on the part of the shipper We can then notify the shipper and get the matter adjusted at once. Sometimes goods billed are short and a notation is made on the freich: book reported to the agent at once, before the shipment is moved. The note is mailed at once by the agent on billing, which means a speedy adjustment if claim has to be made. Our express and parcel post ship- ments are handled similarly, but by another party. We believe we have a very plete system of buying, as from the time the placed until the house it is being fellowed up by a record and a clear- ance has to be made on the invoice to the effect that the goods have been received before payment is made. Th: clearance has to be substantiated by freight and express bills and bill of lading. J. C. Ziegler. receiver's or an error in billing. receiver's and com- order is goods are in the —_2>-+___ Japan’s Trade in Toys. Japan’s trade in toys, which once showed a steadily increasing ten- dency, owing to the recession of Aus- trian and German the trade arena, is Yokohama to have shown contrary tendency lately. Immediately after the outbreak 0; war American and Japanese toy mal ers were suddenly called upon to su ply toys that had been furnished Austrian and German manufacturers The Japanese manufacturers partici larly were looked to by the dealers i: the Philippines, the Dutch Indies, an India, for the supply of colored-pap« toys, small flags, and wooden mode!s merchants from reported from quite Thus trade showed a great expan sion and inspired hope in the Japanes manufacturers, who then sent the representatives to those Southern markets and investigated the poss! bility of the line. Some of them ha already carried out a great increas in their operations. Before, however, the extention had been fully effect the sudden contraction of trade came. Japanese toys appear good, but ari declared to be not durable. The col Oring is also said to be poor and not durable, particularly when the goods are sent to Southern lands. —_——--.-—--> Every man realizes that he used to be a chump. 7 OS SPER aR ALEC ene , mally id at Ce Or heck- ad if ship- ough ipper then atter ment once eans ee — Sia leh EDS UBeMNES Har ae EAP September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 1l Grand Rapids Railway Company Four Cardinal Features Observed by the Largest Employer of Labor in the City SAFETY These are the cardinal principles in the policies of the Grand Rapids Railway Company. And the greatest of these is safety. The motorman who takes chances does not last in the street railway service in this city. The conductor who runs risks is soon dropped. The company has no use. for any employe who makes the wrong choice between safety and hazard. Safety first and all the time is taught in the first lesson to the novice in the service. It is drilled into them on all occasions and at every opportun- ity. Make the street cars safer than walking for children and the aged. Make them secure for women and men. Be as careful toward pedes-- trians, drivers of all kinds and the general public as for the patrons of the road. This is the daily teaching given the railway employes. This is drilled into them as the pet policy of the road. It is their education and training, and in time becomes a part of their very life habit. Safety first. The Grand Rapids Railway Com- pany carries more than a million passengers in the course of the year. The cars traverse the busiest thor- oughfares and the streets of many residences. They pass schools and factories and churches. They encoun- ter children in the streets and sound the gone for crowds downtown. The opportunities for accidents and mishaps are everywhere and all the time, and yet how rarely is one re- ported, how rarely are injuries sus- tained by rude contact with the cars. It is because the company’s employes are drilled and trained in safety; they are careful, watchful, always alert in safeguarding the public. The vigilance and care of employes would be in vain if what they had to work with were crude and imperfect. The company does its Part in in suring safety by providing the latest type cars and equipment. The P-A-Y-E’s are for the safety of pas- sengers as well as for their conven- lence, and these cars have been put on several lines and will be put on all as rapidly as it can be done. All cars are equipped with the best type, most powerful and quickest acting brakes. In track construction the heaviest rail is used. No precaution is neglected and no safeguards over- looked that will prevent accidents or mishaps or delays in the service, and employes are trained to make the best use of what is provided. This policy is not occasional or spas- modic; it is all the time and continu- ous. It is safety first. The education in safety has not been confined to employes. The gen- eral public itself has received the con- stant teachings of the company. Do not get off or on a moving car is the warning most frequently sounded, and it is a warning employes them- selves enforce as far as they can. Do not get off a car backward comes next, and it is addressed especially to women. Watch out for the car from the opposite direction if you cross the street. See what vehicles are coming before getting off. These are the maxims of safety and con- stant preaching has made them fa- miliar. EFFICIENT SERVICE Efficient service means much. It is more than frequent cars at regular intervals. It includes sanitary cars, cars that are clean and _ attractive, cars that it is a pleasure to ride in. It means neatly dressed conductors. It means courtesy and consideration, the spirit of kindness, the willingness to serve. Be careful is the first maxim in the street railway service: be polite is the second. Rudeness is not tolerated. Courtesy to all is insisted upon. And in the enforce- ment of this cannot the public lend aid? If discourtesy in any form is encountered the company expects and desires that reports shall be made. But the public can do more than this. ’atrons can encourage conductors and motermen in. their good endeavor by reporting instances of special merit. If a conductor shows more than usual care for an old lady getting on or off the car, if he is a father to a flock of children, if he is gentle with the feeble, help- ful to the women and attentive to all, if he shows marked courtesy in any form or unusual patience in a trying position, why not report him with a_ brief recital of the circum- stances? Will not this encourage him in his good service, make him feel that what he is doing is appre- ciated and perhaps help him toward the promotion he is hoping for? It costs no more to pay a deserved compliment than to lodge a kick, and it is just as helpful to good service. The company does not ask for commendations in its own behalf, but it is always glad to receive words of praise for its employes, for this helps to make them still better em- ployes, and helps also to determine those in the ranks deservinz of recognition and reward. Efficient service means clean and well kept cars, and the condition of its cars is one thing that makes the Grand Rapids system notable among the city lines of the country. The cars are roomy, with big windows and comfortable seats and wide aisles and easy entrances. The P-A-Y-E’s on several of the lines are of the latest type, and these cars will be on all the lines as soon as the change can be made. With the well kept cars necessarily goes the well kept conductors and motormen in. their neat uniforms. Did you ever see a tagged or dirty or tousled conduc- tor on the city lines? Pride in their cars and pride in themselves gives them pride in their work and adds to their efficiency. Efficiency includes freedom from interruption in the service and to safeguard this the speedy gasoline- driven repair equipments have been provided, and a complete power plant ig maintained. Efficiency means smooth and solid track, and last year the company expended the larger part of $180,000 in track reconstruc- tion, putting in new and heavier rails and sound ties. It was to pro- mote efficiency that the car houses were built and car shops for are kept up. PLEASE THE PEOPLE Please the people. Th’s is the present day policy of all properly managed corporations dealing with the public. It is one of the cardinal principles of the Grand Rapids Rail- way Company. And it is not based on sentiment; it is purely a business proposition. Clean and_ attractive cars, quick and regular service, courtesy at every point and safety always tend to popularize patronage. People will ride more frequently and more willingly when it is made easy and pleasant for them to do so. The kind of service given often determines whether to ride or walk, and_ the company’s aim and effort is to en- courage riding. The desire is. to make patrons comfortable and as far as possible make them enjoy the trip. It is to please the people that the “complaint department” is maintain- ed, and fault finding, whatever may be its character or cause, is given first attention. Investigations are promptly made and the utmost care is taken against repetition. The company is human enough to be glad when persons express their satisfac- tion, but pra‘se is secondary consider- ation to any complaints that may come in. The aim of the company is to deserve praise, but what it asks for is suggestions how the service can be made better, how discomforts of any kind can be eliminated, how the patrons and the public can be made more satisfied. Th‘s is the spirit of that fully equipped building and repair the modern. well managed public utility. It is the spirit of the Grand Rapids Railway Company. Safety may come first, and then efficiency, but please the people embraces safety and efficiency and much more. Carelessness in any branch or depart- ment of the service is not pleasing. Poor equipment is not pleasing. Slow cars are not pleasing. Discourtesy in any form is not pleasing, Neglect- ing complaints does not satisfy. And therefore to please the people the company does its best to meet every requirement, and is constantly seeking how to do still better, with suggestions from every and any source always welcomed. It may not always be possible to satisfy every demand, but it may be depended upon this is not through any lack of willingness on the part of the man- agement. The aim is to please, for pleasing the peovle is the best way to win their friendship and their favor. The important factors in carrying out the policies and principles of the company are the conductors and motormen. These are the employes who come in daily contact with the public. Upon them rests whether the patrons are pleased with the service or displeased, whether there is courtesy or rudeness, whether it is safety first or hazard. The tact and patience and willingness of the con- ductor, and the alertness and skill of the motorman may make all the dif- ference between the people being pleased and otherwise. WELFARE FEATURES In carrying out its policies of safety, efficiency and the people be pleased, the company must have the right kind of men. It must have men of intelligence. good character and good habits and of natural adapt- ability. Care is observed in the selec- tion, and then care is taken that their treatment is such that they will remain in the company’s service. The discipline may be sharp, the trainine may be severe, but the rewards are certain. The conditions of work are made as favorable as possible, the rights of the employes as men are recognized, and however long a man may be in the service he always has the incentive which hope for further advancement gives. The employes have their clubhouses at the Car houses on Wealthy street, the west side and on Hall street. where they may spend their leisure hours. and where On Occasions their families may gather for social entertainments. They have their cO-Operative asso- ciations for the reduction in the cost of living, They have their mutual benefit in- surance. With their families and friends they have their annual Picnic and entertainment. In every way they are made to feel that they are part o: the company and_ their fidelity and loyalty are amone the company’s best assets, and this is why the ser- vice they give is so much to the liking of the people. Providing the clubhouses for the employes and seeine to it that they are fairly treated, the company takes a friendly interest in all their activi- ties and undertakines of a social and beneticial nature. This interest is not paternalistic or supervisorial. The men manage their own affairs” in their own way, and the company only looks on, encouraging the men in their good behaviors. contributing its share when funds may be needed, and offering counsel only when it is asked for. The relations between company and employes are of cordial friendship, based on mutual respect and the mutual desire to please the public. Attractive and well Kept Cars, in- telligent, courteous and well dressed conductors, the policy of safety first, auick and regular service over tracks that ride smooth, these all contribute to efficiency. It is efficiency that the public asks for, and because it is what the public wants it is what the com- pany strives hardest to give, MAXIMS OF SAFETY Cause a delay if you must, but not an accident. Why take a chance? Loss of time is better than loss of limb. Make it safe. Better delay than regret. Do not get off or on a moving car. Waiting is easier than going to the hospital, Think of the other fellow’s safety. Watch out for the car on the next track. Do not get off the car backward. Think and act—SAFETY FIRST. 12 TENDER TRIBUTE To Marital Relations of Edwin Owen and Wife.* Some and the time by the calendar is much longer or seems much longer than memory—a young man and a young woman stood up and listened, or listened as care- fully as their and excited state would permit, to the words, “Do you each take the other, in prosper- ity and adversity, in joy and in sor- health, as years ago from nervous row, in sickness and in long as you both do live?” At that time, like most young peo- ple, they scarcely realized the words. The bride whether her veil was on straight—the groom fear he could was wondering was perspiring from not locate the ring at the proper time. It is only after years of married life that the real significance of the words and their meaning are appar- rent. When the husband finds his business not going as he to go, when the every day cares and wants it perplexities bring heart ache, what a comfort the wife is in these trying periods! It is then the full meaning of the marriage vow dawns on him. In prosperity and in adversity his wife is by his side to do her part— does it. He comes home He goes out to the day’s combat with renewed zest and vigor, heartened and encour- aged by his wife’s love and confidence and she depressed and discouraged. and her cheery words and smile. When the wife takes sick and to her the future looks dark and the joy has gone out of living, only then she turns, as never before, to her hus- band and finds him there lake the Rock of Gibraltar to en- courage comfort her care for her. The couple wedding anni- versary we are to-night have had their share of struggles and standing her, and whose celebrating trials, their ups and downs, days of sunshine and days of shadow, but it is a pleasure to their friends, and must be a satisfaction to themselves, that although sometimes the rowing and the adverse cur- their going up one here present the pleasure that, as has been hard rents at been affords every very times swift, boat has steadily stream. It greatest they have grown in years, they have grown in personal standing in this commu- nity; that we as their friends take great pride in the good opinion in which they are held by the people of this city; that the young groom of years ago holds a place in this vicinity for honesty, sobriety and Christian citizenship: that his word is as good as a written contract: that in every- thing tending to the moral and physi- cal welfare of this city, as well as in the active work and of the church, his name clear and big; that in addition to his splendid personality, the actual work of his hands, by the erection of some of the best buildings of this city, will stand as a monument to his skill and ability when we have passed on to another world: that the bride of long ago has not lagged behind in this support cote i. Stands ou mae *Address" by C. Carroll Follmer at the recent wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Owen. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN married team work; that not only her sterling character and her well trained mind helped the groom to at- tain his high standing among men, but in her woman’s sphere is a force for good in all the walks of life; having served on the U. B. A. Hos- pital Board; is now on the board of the Ladies Literary Club; a member of the Finance Committee of the So- cial Welfare Association: one of the organizers of the child labor move- ment in this city; an active member in the Daughters of the American differing, owing to her early training, with of the her hus- church, she enters Revolution and, although some teachings of band’s with him into the work of that church with as much zeal and loyalty as those whose training has led them to believe that all the law and the prophets is ex- value, but of the good will, love and each individual mem- with it, with this friendship of ber that goes toast: May you live to enjoy many an- niversaries of your wedding day; get all the good things in life by your best effort; having youth, may you delight in your maturity and enjoyed grow old gracefully. Relation of Dirt and Discourtesy to Business Depression. Written for the Tradesman Just at present, and for months several retail dealers in Michigan past, many parts of and adjoining states are complaining bitterly be- cause of a condition of trade. While it is very true that to a certain extent, at least, these con- ditions are still there are certain phases of the mat- sluggish almost inevitable, C. Carroll Follmer. emplified in the Westminster creed. If you have any doubt as to the pace church attendance, try to keep up with her for a month or two. she sets for In one of Shakespeare’s plays, Polonius, among other words of good advice to his son, Leartes, says: “The friends thou hast and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel.” This Westminster Recreation Club. in the many pleasant winter evenings in which we have met together, help- ed to forge That the source of much enjoyment if not in- some of these hoops. meetings have een the struction we all agree and it is now my pleasure, in behalf of the organ- ization, to present to our friends and fellow members, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Owen, this gift of china, asking them not to think of its slight monetary ter that will stand investigation. It has been said that no “chain is stronger than its weakest link” and this is true without the shadow of a doubt, and my experience as adver- tising manager of small city papers and editor of country weeklies has given me an insight into the lives of many retail merchants which justifies me in my that all bad conditions are not due to the general financial depression, but contention business to slack and unbusiness-like methods of some dealers. My work frequently takes me into a store where the proprietor clearly is not busy and has been sitting a moment before with sprawling legs and an all too evident desire to kill time. The moment I enter he jumps up and immediately gets too busy to answer my “Good with than a grunt. He refuses me the courtesy of even a moment, but morning” more September 15, 1915 makes a date with me, with too glib quickness, only to find that he has deliberately “stung” me and wasted my time. When I enter the store in the absence of the “boss,” I find the only clerk so engrossed in the morning paper or some magazin that he can pay no attention to m: except to emit a grunt in reply to my query as to the whereabouts of th deeply proprietor. I only gain that infor- mation after diligent and prolonged enquiry. I naturally conclude that the subordinate is merely taking his cue from the “boss” and, very natur- ally, when I have a dollar or two to spend, I do not spend it at that store. This suggests the thought that if the manager or proprietor of the treats me this way, he also treats all salesmen and all other per- sons who have anything to sell in the same manner, would account for a small, but constant loss of trade to his store. I might add that I have seen women turn away in disgust from a dirty grocery counter and leave the store without spending a cent, when all too plainly the cause was either lack of courtesy or too much dirt. Cour- tesy costs nothing, while cleanliness will pay big dividends upon the time and money expended in acquiring and maintaining it. store which I would not for a moment contend that all or even a major part of the business depression was caused by either dirt or discourtesy, but cer- tainly a surprisingly large percentage of it can be traced directly to one of these two things, both of which are absolutely unnecessary. To the credit of the merchants and business men of Michigan it may be said that they are, as a class, both clean in person and in their business places and courteous and pleasant to meet, but every town is pestered with a few of the other kind, and these fev are usually the ones who are makin: the loudest noise about business di pression, W. A. Carpenter. The green grocer is in a position t acquire a lot of ripe experience. GREAT ScoTT. CANT You YOUR (OAL % a aetAt \ wae | Write me for special delivered prices for September. J H. Smith Mine Representative 521-522 Ashton Bldg. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN j j { ' I j } 1915 oe glib has sted ‘ein the 1 in Zin mi ) my the 1for- iged that his atur- Oo tO tore. Mt if the also per- the ount rade men lirty tore all lack our- ness Hime and end the by cer- ‘age > of are and be oth 2€SS CO vith fev iN de i LC September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN CERESOTA is the Guaranteed Spring Wheat Flour An immense crop of splendid quality puts us in the running this year. WRITE US FOR PRICES. TET TE +e oe From the Worlds Finest Tea Gardens, the Mountain Estates of India and Ceylon.— Scientifically Blended.—Packed in Sanitary Air- tight Tins.—Absolute Purity and Plantation Freshness. As _ Rich and Full Bodied as High Grade Coffee but more Refreshing ani Healthful.—A Piquancy of Aroma and Flavor all its own.—One Taste and then another and you are spoiled for any other Tea than Tetley’s. A LOWER CUP COST THAN ANY OTHER BEVERAGE, OVER 300 CUPS TO THE POUND. (Coffee Only 35 Cups.) Ags y TO THE TRADE:— You will notice in this space an imprint from an electro suitable for use in advertising TETLEY’S TEA. This electro can be used advantageously either for News- paper Advertising or for Hand Bills. We keep a large number of these constantly on hand, and shall be glad to send one promptly free of charge to any grocer who sends for same. — The progressive grocer takes considerable pride in advertising and pushing the sale of quality goods. He realizes that this not only sells these goods for him at a profit, but that, at the same time, he is making a valu- able increase in his good will with his customers. He strengthens his own reputation as a quality grocer, and does his share towards educating the general public to demand quality goods. Our distributors have a special sampling proposition in connection with the sale of TETLEY’S TEA at the present time, and their salesmen will be glad to give you all particulars on enquiry, Yours respectfully, JOSEPH TETLEY & CO., INC. JUDSON GROCER COMPANY THE PURE FOODS HOUSE Wholesale Distributors GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 13 14 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 ON THE THIRD FLOOR. Successful Bargain Department Main- tained at Muskegon. If one wished to try an experiment in merchandising with a mixed class better point Muskegon. of trade, no could be chosen than manufac- turing city with a big knitting mill, a motor works, a foundry, It is also a base Muskegon is a_ thriving reirigerator factory, et cetera. of supplies for the surrounding rural population and smaller towns. 34,000 larger is Muskegon has The Rapids, population. Grand forty miles southeast, which 130,000. Lake Michigan about eighty miles is Mil- lake nearest town has Directly across waukee. Southeast across the 110 miles is Chicago. Now with the field of effort as de- scribed, the Geo. M. Dratz Co., oper- ating a dry goods store, the largest in town, with a millinery and garment department, decided to try a bargain department on their third floor. They found that a department of this itself to goods sold at 5 and 10 cents, and suc- kind could not contine cessfully compete with the syndicate stores. Dratz & Co. are not quitters, and it took them that the range of merchandise should two years to convince he broadened. lost In this two years the The third year, under the new policy as to mer- department money. chandise handled, the department It is now in its fourth year, and making money. broke cVven. 2a AD | i ewan The old adage about a prophet not being without honor except in his own country has been a plague to many a boy who would like to make good in “his own home town.” This didn’t bother C. Herlein. He started with a store in Muskegon, and now back in Muskegon after Seven years’ additional experience in Ill.; Canton, Ohio: Michigan City, Ind.. and Joliet and Streator, TIIl., acting as manager in the last three towns mentioned. He knows where to buy the merchandise for his department, how to display it, how to advertise it, how to sell it. He does all these things for Dratz & Co.'s bargain department, and does them well. Mr. Herlein goes to market three or four times a year, buys a good deal from road salesmen, and orders regularly from a catalogue. You see he doesn’t miss any chances. The Dratz bargain department cov- ers about 7,000 square feet, and has he’s Bloomington, a good high ceiling and fine light front and back. The department has excellent elevator service. This is necessary if a dealer wants people to go to the third floor. The stock about $7,000. The sales of the department are about averages $30,000 a year, so you see the stock is turned more than four times. That at once indicates a good, healthy con- dition. Profits are not sacrificed to obtain this volume of sales, as the bargain department does its share of profit- earning. The store is departmentized, and 5 __ Essentials of Good Cookery. Providence has endowed America with countless edible good things al- most unknown to Europe, and, if pre- pared and cooked in the right way, they certainly are unexcelled any- where. To say that we have no native good cook, black or white, male or would be just as foolish as to assert that all of the foreign cooks are ar- tists in their profession. Good and bad are to be found everywhere, and nobody is perfect in this world. A good cook, black or write, male or female, given the right goods, can turn out a good meal anywhere. But let me tell you that there is a vast difference between cooking some cookies and a chicken in its own juice and flavor at home, and prepar- ing and serving hundreds of differ- ent dishes to a thousand people in a big hotel, restaurant, or club: and feeding besides the small army of he!p and its officers, which task is, in itself, a whole problem. There the chef must have not only lesprit d'initia- tive, but also a full capacity as cook. He has to be a good organizer. Hence his well-earned high salary. A negro may take to cooking as a duck to water, but to be a real chef takes a good many years of practice and study and a good deal of intelligence. He must also be a philosopher to bear the brunt and grunts of the in- veterate and chronic kickers who, like the bad weeds are always present, and whose sole occupation and agreement MICHIGAN TRADESMAN seems to be to find fault with every- thing and disagree, If anybody doubts my assertions, let him to take a trip to a modern kitchen in one of our large first-class hotels and have explained to him the workings of the different departments and all their complicated machinery. That would no doubt be very inter- esting, and ought to be a revelation to the doubting Thomases who imagine that roasting a chicken or frying a steak is all that is necessary to make a good chef. We often hear that the American woman, in general, is not as good a cook as her European sister. Con- sidering the large number of people who patronize the hotels and restau- rants in our big cities there wouid ap- pear to be some truth in it. The reason can be found in the fact that, although the American mothers and grandmothers took a personal in- terest in the kitchen, few, alas! of our wives and daughters like to put on an apron and cook. And such is human nature that we would rather go hungry or go out to eat than see our darlings perspiring in doing their housework. Another thing we have to recognize is this: Not everybody has the same appetite or the same tastes. One likes one thing, another abhors it. Serve the same dinner to, say, fifty people; twenty will find it good, twenty only passable, five bad, and five execrable. After all, the best cook is a 200d stomach. The best sauce is a good appetite. And a clean conscience and a healthy body make out a good diges- tion. Desire Lescarboura. —_2 + >___ Silk Trade Prosperous. In the silk trade things are holding up extremely well. The raw material has been rising in price, and the out- look for the manufacturers of goods is excellent. Raw silk has been bring- ing better prices in Yokohama of late, despite—or perhaps because of —the fact that there is now no syn- dicate trying to uphold figures above a minimum. A lack of imported goods is helping the domestic manufacturers of silks, and is also giving the latter the opportunity of showing how good fabrics they can make. The dyestuffs scarcity is not affecting the makers of silks as much as it is the cotton manufacturers, since they can resort to the use of natural, or vegetable, colors. All kinds of silks seem to be in demand, with satins and pile fabrics in especial favor. The larger use of ribbons in millinery is affording also an outlet for these narrow construc- tions, MAO By HERE THE FLOUR COMES OUT—THE DIRT GETS IN. The paper Film lining ofthe Saxolin paper-lined Cotton Sack—Closes the porous mesh of the cotton and prevents the Flour from sifting Out and like- wise the Dirt, Dust and Impurities from getting In SAXOLIN | Assurance of LINDA BAG} Pure, SANITARY SACK | Clean Flour. THE CA-BAG CO. a CLEVELAN Ask Your Miller ASAI CET an THE CLEVELAND-AKRON BAG COMPANY, CLEVELAND 15 POWERS’ Gala Fair Offering Entire Week Com. Sunday Evening Sept. 19 Selwyn & Co. proffer the Big Laugh Festival “TWIN BEDS” Seats now selling. Prices: Eve., 25c to $1.50 Popular Mats. Wed. and Sat., 25c to $1. No higher Use Tradesman Coupons ‘Thomas Canning Co. Are in the market for White Pea Beans, Red Kidney Beans and Canning and Cider Apples Grand Rapids Michigan 16 TALKING UP OR DOWN. How Knockers Can Impair Real Estate Values. Written for the Tradesman. Tell me what kind of real estate men your town has, and I'll tell you what kind of town it is, and whether the real estate business is—compara- tively speaking—good or bad. It is not the town that makes the character of the people so much as the people that characterize the town. True, location determines its present size and its future growth; but, apart from location, the spirit of the community, progressive possibilities of or otherwise, is the key to success or failure as the case may be. And whether a community is brisk and busy or slow and somnolent depends, in a larger degree than they them- selves usually are aware, upon the spirit of its real estate dealers, There is no community, large or small, in which the real estate man has not an active mission to perform, and a good living to make if he will go the right way about it. That, in many small places, the real estate business is “punk,” is in a large de- gree due to the real estate men them- selves. The real estate man does not need to be a boomster—but he must be an optimist. The boomster is a product of one-tenth tenths represents optimism and nine- imagination. The optimist courage equipped with intelligent knowledge of the locality and good sound com- mon sense. confidence and Like all good salesmen, he must know his goods, not merely their strong points but their possible defects. To this thorough knowl- edge, he must add confidence in him- self and in his community. Every community has its particu- lar advantages. The real estate man who fails to “talk up” his own town cannot plead as an excuse that it is no good. Farm land and city lots are as far apart, in a real estate sense, as the poles; yet, given the right cus- tomer, farm land is as_ readily sal- able as city real estate, and the com- missions are just as good. Land, wherever it is situated, has a definite value. There may be booming and inflation of values, but there can be no overproduction; for the simple reason that the area of dry land is constant. A million years hence, there will be to all intents and pur- poses no more land available than there is to-day; and it will have to satisfy and sustain a larger popula- tion. It is on this incontrovertible fact, that the demand for land grows slowly but steadily, that the real estate man can safely base his op- timism, as on a rock. Every sort of real estate from farm land to city lots and everything in between has a definite and increasing value: and, rightly bought, any sort of real estate is a safe investment. Hence, the real estate man who knocks the product he is selling, is running directly counter to the facts of life. He is knocking the founda- tion from under his own business superstructure. Successful real estate salesmanship is based on local con- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN fidence in the future of the commun- ity. The real estate man’s task is to get the vendor and purchaser to agree on terms. The thorough-going real estate man does his hardest work with the purchaser. The indifferent real estate man, following the line of least resistance, saves all his strong- est arguments for the vendor. The one tries to induce the purchaser to come up to a given price which may Or may not be above actual value: the other works to induce the man who is selling to drop his price, prob- ably below actual value. As a matter of fact, to effect a sale, each man must yield a few points in price; but the rea lestate man ought to work upward rather than downward. The opposite tendency—the ten- “talk up’ with intending purchasers —but they were half hearted efforts. ‘The results were what might have been anticipated. A vendor, sacri- ficing his property, losing money to make a sale, frankly told other peo- ple why, and told them in the words of the real estate agent. “Taxes are too high—the town’s dead,” was the burden of the plaint. It was con- tagious. In a few years from the first knock, real estate in that par- ticular town was dead as a doornail, and the real estate men were com- plaining that there was nothing in the business. Several of them moved away. And then one or two outsiders came along, and_ studied the Here was a growing town, with mod- situation. ern improvements, a fair tax rate, William Edward Park. dency to run prices downward—may be natural; but it has bad results. Take, as an instance, a community of 15,000 people in a fairly settled por- tion of the Eastern states. It is a good industrial town, and is grow- ing, not rapidly, but steadily. The tendency of population is to increase; and, back of the community’s indus- trial life, there is a splendid farming country. Here is, naturally, an ex- cellent field for optimists; not boom- Ssters, but optimists, who know their goods and talk up the selling points. In course of time the business of this town drifted into the hands of the other variety of real estate men. “You'll have to drop that price to make a sale—you can’t get the money —taxes are too high—the town’s dead,” was the sort of talk given the people who were selling property. True, the agents made efforts to good industries, a fine farming coun- try back of it—and real estate selling cheap. Within a few months several outside syndicates were busy snapping up the cheap real estate. The new men went in, talked up the town, advertised intelligently—and the sur- vivors of the knockers’ brigade, hav- ing been taught optimism, joined the chorus. Lots which, in the good times of 1911 had sold for $300, in the none too good times of 1913 com- manded double that price. Practical- ly everything was built up in a single year. To some extent there may have been overbooming; nevertheless, real estate in that town to-day is better than it was five years ago. That is not the result in any sense of outside conditions, which are, aS everyone knows, unfavorable: it was merely a matter of an optimistic outlook. Moderate optimism on the part of September .15, 191: real estate men will do a great deal to keep any town to the front. Con- fidence must begin at home, on the part of the local population, and the local men who sell real estate. You say, “We have got to get prices down to within reason in order to make sales at all,” Certainly; but don’t carry this policy to the extent where you will refuse to talk up the property to the intending purchaser. Knocking, be it remembered, is con- tagious. If a price is too high, tell the vendor so, in confidence. And remember, that you do not have to sell that property to every individual in the community. have found the one man to whom that So long as you property at that price appeals, you have done your work and earned your commission. Your business is. not to hammer down prices to the who comes along will buy, but to find the right man who will buy at a fair price. figures where any man Here is an instance. A man bought a small residential property in a town of 10,000, paying $1,400 for it. He put in electric lights at a cost of $50, improved the grounds, painted the house at a cost of $50 more, laid ce- ment walks, another $15, and then listed it at $1,500, at the same time expressing his willingness to sell for $1,450. The best proposition he ever got through an agent was $1,400 and “That house ought to be listed at $1,400 and sold for $1,350,” was the advice of one agent. that on an exchange basis. Yet the man himself sold the prop- erty without the help of an agent for $1,450—his own price—and as I acquainted with the purchaser where he prev- happen to know, being iously lived, the vendor could have sot up to $1,500 had he insisted. The problem was, not to get the price down to a figure where every man would buy, but to get the one man who would pay the price. What America needs right now is, not boomsters indeed, but men who will sanely “talk up;’ men who know actual values and are not afraid to dwell on them. Knockers in the real estate business destroy public con- fidence, not only in the community, but in themselves. As the case is often put: “What I want is a man to sell for me; if I want to give the property away I can do that myself.” True, vendors are often extreme in their demands and must be reasoned with; but it doesn’t pay to destroy the whole fabric of local confidence in real estate in order to bring prices down to a figure where everyone will purchase. W. E. Park. THE GRAND RAPIDS VETERINARY COLLEGE Offers a Three Years’ Course in Veterinary Science Complying with all the requirements of the U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry. Established 1897. Incorporated under State law. Governed by Board of Trustees. Write for Free Catalogue. 200 Louis St. Grand Rapids, Michigan Bell Phone 860 Citz. Phone 2713 Lynch Bros. Special Sale Conductors Expert Advertising—Expert Merchandising 28 So. Ionia Ave. Grand Rapids, Mich. On- 90, September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 17 Our Fourth Message The Sales of Quaker Coffee are steadily increasing. It is a good coffee, an attractive package and satisfactory to the consumer. STEEL CUT Coffees of Quality . NEDROW - QUAKER -BOURBON-MORTON HOUSE Roasted and Packed Daily by WoRDEN GROCER COMPANY WHOLESALE GROCERS The Prompt Shippers Grand Rapids--Kalamazoo RETAIL SALESMANSHIP. Fundamental Rules Which Must be Observed. Speaking of personality, my mind a mental picture of one of the cleverest have ever known, Mr. the assist- ant buyer of Lord & Taylor's, in New York. Mr. Dear is a Southerner and Southern people are unusually sincere and courteous, but the point I wish to bring is this: Mr. Dear sells thousands of worth of linens, brings to saiesmen_ | Charles Dear, out dollars’ where most any other assistant buyer in New York, were he place, sell Because put in his would but hundreds: and why? he applies scientific principles to his work. He has elimi- would When they nated every mannerism which tend to retard his growth. enter his department, comfortably customers are at once seated and made to feel at home. His conversa- tion is directed at their mind, and not at their pocketbook, as he well knows that the sale place in the mind only. It seems like chat, but Dear the same, takes a little drawingroom gets their money just and most of the big pur- chasers wait for him. He has never instruction in but he his own shortcomings un- to my mind, taken salesmanship in any — school, has studied til he has developed a wonderful per- sonality, and he reads and graps every bit of information being offer- ] ed in current publications. He is a live one in every sense of the term, and it seems a pity that more men in a like position are not following his example. Study the be of will matter following chart: it great value to you. no selling—whether it be Cut are a merchant and post what you are your services or it out, if vou conspiciuous place in the all of the Have it in a store, where employes may see it. copies made on. tlt typewriter and use them in work in the store, select one salespeople to act the part clerk and one or more to real merchandise in this tion, steps of the sal ccardi person accc rd class actir r ae + 724 * _ ac ing as the jury. tion of then to th obvious, is Steps of re oo :. Pre MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Catch customer’s first words... 5. Form of speech— (4) Courteous ...).....).. Suited to customer Offering services immediately. . Using customer’s name ... 6. Tone of voice— (4) Audible, distinct ........ Sincere Rythmical ............ Suited to customer .. Arousing Interest—Total 1. First words regarding dise— (7) Definite Most vital selling point Positive statement Referring to purpose of chase 2. First actions in showing (13) Promptness in showing ...... 2 20 Points. merchan- information goods— B 2 i. Z eee 9 sringing goods to customer .. 2 Placing goods in reach..... ee. Displaying to best advantage as color, form... 22. . : objectionable fea- Handling to enhance to use, Renmoval of tures value right (noticing implied preference Creating Desire—Total 15 1. By words — (10) Following up interest Adapting to tions .... Showing goods Points. customer's Adapting to custtomer’s actions Supplving new ideas as needed. Answering questions Anticipating Using most vital selling points. Citing personal Using evidence of other purchas- ers or authorities Getting customer to 3. -By actions— promptly... objections experience agree (5) Showing right quantities...... Displaying to best advantage.. Showing points of superiority.. Appeal to the senses eoods.. Comparison with other the Total 20. Points. Recogn Closing izing best time to close (5) 3. By words— ason for (9) Finding rez delay... Overcoming expressed objec- tions Referring proval Showing advantage buy ing that de tom jepartm uc} Securing Customer’s Good Will—To- tal 15 Points. 1. During the sale— (6) By prompt service.. By attentiveness 3y courtesy By merchandise knowledge.... By unexpected service .....- : 2. After the sale— (9)—By continued interest By expression of gratitude.... By invitation to call By invitation to take advantage of special service features.... By accompanying to the depart- limits on departure.... Thomas A. Knapp. ACA... ment —_—_»+<- +o — - : A Little Sidelight on Salesmanship. To be without being brusque, aggressive forceful without without being too smart; impolite- hess: clever these are the cardinal points of good salesmanship. Ageressiveness is perhaps the qual- most dangers cen- of salesman- ity around which ter; it is the “thin ice” ship. The line that divided the “Spine- from the bull-dog type is defined. “Fools rush in where fear to tread.” wise the over-aggressive plunge when all the rules of salesmanship tell him man well ; > 1eSS not angels Like- to tread softly. To impress your prospective tomer with the fact that sess force is a good thing, and helps to land the sale; but to give the impression that you have a super- Ccus- you pos- greatly abundance of “gall,” makes neces- dislike selling sary for you to overcome the you create, thus the task of goods becomes a double problem. The Over-agegressive writer recently watched = an salesman and learn- The everyone, was in ed a valuable lesson by so doing. day was very warm, mood; a feeling of seemed to fill the air, like the trically charged atmosphere which is forerunner of a storm. Mr. Ag- gressive entered, carrying a heavy sample case and mopped his first person he met demure little miss of a “salesperson”), he said: “Where’s the buyer?” She looked at him for a iraction of a second, for a boor, and said: please.” To the rear he trundled his heavy he approached the on the floor with “ifs bot, ain’ not notice thi but politely i do for you?” youth thot a cross unrest elec- the i Salesman brow. To the (a polite sized him up “In the rear, buyer, ight you want remark matter, cooked his own opposite cleanly type: Enter on calm r would per- without bluff, -em-down-and- the aggressive tor the buyer's September 15, office, but walked around the sto; until he found it, asked for the bu, in a polite manner, then asked p mission to show his goods. He cured consent, went to the door an‘ hailed a boy who carried his samp! —he sold. — ++ >___ Little Things of Life. “Why don’t you rent out a part of your house, Mrs. Brown? You could easily spare one or two rooms, and you would make a good bit durino the year.” “T should like to do so. Indeed | have often tried to plan it. But ther doesn’t seem to be any way to divide the rooms without taking the boys’ room or the dining-room.” “Why not rent the It is cut off and your kitchen is big enough to use for a dining-room, too.” “Yes, it is big enough, but it is dark and not attractive. And worst of all —it is the kitchen. I feel that ; ple, and especially children, need all the brightness and beauty that be put into their home. I felt ex- travagant when I bought that pretty for the dining-rox ym? EO can wall paper dining-room, but the children always seemed so happy the with Dick singing in his about the table with flowers in the middle, cage and the pretty paper and white I really could not 1 them down to eat their meals in the kitchen. Even if I rent the the would go for tl children’s pleasure, and I believe that bright gathers three times a day most important and far extra Perhaps you think me old-fashioned, but that is my “Well, I think are right. always think there is no family w! enjoys their as yours, and realize that your dining-room is really the center of the family life.” curtains. No ut could room money 1e a happy, dining-room where the family is the room in tht whole house, essential than a amusements. more few clothes or added belief.’ you home ——_>-.___ Knocking Mother. Worn out by a long series of a} palling French exercises, wherein tl blunders were as the sands of the s a hapless high school mistre ‘ s deck: -| ed her intention of writing to Flo: ences mother. Florence looked her teacher in th face. “Ma will be awful angry.” “Tam afraid she will, but it is my duty to write to her, Florence.” “I don’t know,” said Florence dou! fully. mother always d: my French for me.’ “You see, Even after a where made a mistake more. man_ sees he keeps right making Excellent Garage Service Kelly Springfield Tires ““Made to Make Good’’ ALLEN & DORTHY 236-242 Ionia Ave., N. W. Both Phones 2375 Grand Rapids, Michigan vhite | the September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 19 The Sign of an Up-to-Date Shoe Store iS an ELLIOTT. Button Fastener Machine We extend an invitation to visiting Shoe Dealers to visit our factory and see this machine. Elliott Machine Co. [1-15 Commerce Ave. Grand Rapids, Mich. Si 20 CREDIT GRANTING. When Its Abuse Becomes a Banking Proposition.* Will you kindly allow me to ex- press my appreciation at this time of being invited before you in this ca- pacity. Also allow me to express my appreciation for the Hazeltine & Perkins Drug Co., of that part which the committees controlling this con- vention have allowed us to take, in trying to make this convention not only a pleasant but a prohtable one. Our causes are really mutual and my company stands ready at all times to serve you to the best of its abili- ty. The lunch hour is fast approaching and I would detain you but a few moments in the consideration of the question which you have proposed to me and that I discuss for you at this time. In order that I may be thor- oughly understood and that I may pave the way for the conclusion in the consideration of this top’c, | must first speak to you upon the ques- tion of credit. It is very often asked, “Credit, what is it?” In the first place allow me to say that it is not a feel- ing, it is not a state of mind, a condi- tion, nor is it a piece of paper. Some say, and we very often hear the ex- pression, that credit is simply a mat- ter of confidence in our fellow men. All of these statements are good but there must be something more than a general process of credit granting, and crdit must be something more than a matter of simple confidence. Strictly speaking and from a finan- cial standpoint, credit is that by which the future is discounted. Cred- it is the warp of the woof of the fabric of our commercial life. With- out the warp the woof is not, in any sense, of service. If the warp is rot- ten, is broken or even damaged then the woof is weakened and the rug or the carpet of commerce is of dimin- ishing value, It is said by some that there is a scientific basis for credit. Let me say to you that if we followed the scientific course and only sold parties who have ratings say of $3,000 or more with good credit, many of us, both wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers, would be without orders and personal accounts to-morrow, and this nation in the commercial world would lose many merchants, manufacturers and bankers. It is not possible from the standpoint of cur- rency to carry on all mercantile deals upon a cash basis, and it is not pos- sible to conduct the commerce of this country or any other, only among those who hold high commercial rat- ings. We must, therefore, seek some- where for a principle or a basis that must be the cardinal principle run- ning through the system, or the char- acteristic of human nature upon which we can base a fair amount of credit. There are what are called the three “C's” in the commercial world, and they are Character, Capacity and Capital. You will notice that I have put Character first in this list. There- *Address of Lee M. Hutchins at M. S. P. A. Convention at Grand Rapids. MICHIGAN fore, it obliges me to illustrate my point. Give me a man with charac- ter and capacity and a small or a fair amount of capital and I can safe- ly grant him a line of credit. Give me a man with capacity and capital and somewhat short in character and his credit will be limited| Give me a man with capacity and capital and poor character and he is absolutely. or should be absolutely, without cred- at. You may change these words rep- resenting principles as you please and they will all revolve around the word character and when we get back to the final solution of all commercial transactions it will depend upon the character of the man engaged in the business. I, of course, admit that you cannot do business entirely with- out financial capital under the great- er number of circumstances, but we can do better without capital than we can without character, and often if a man has capacity, good character, and a fair location, he is worthy of being backed by financial interests. and some of the greatest successes of the country and some of the most wealthy men have started in this way. If it were not possible for men of char- acter to obtain the use of capital by way of credit granting there would be a diminishing number of men in business and a discount would be put by the very act upon the matter of character. Therefore, I would illustrate it all by saying to you that every man should capitalize his possibilities. We must do this if we expect credit in the markets of the world. Credit ex- tends from a milk ticket to a New York draft. The housewife will say to you that she pays cash for the milk she buys. The fact ‘s that she does pay cash for a dollar's worth o tickets, and then she trusts the milk man to deliver the milk for the tick- ets. You step into a bank with a desire to buy a New York draft to remit to a friend in some far city. You say to yourself, “I will take no risk in this matter. I will buy a New York draft and remit to my friend,” forgetting for the time being that just as soon as the bank issues that New York draft credit exists between the bank issuing the draft and the bank upon which it is issued until it is finally redeemed, and the credit principle is no more perfect in the purchase of the New York draft than it is in the purchase of the milk tickets. I have stated to you that every man should capitalize his possibilities and you may ask what I mean by this. | believe that a man should capitalize himself mentally and he who does not every day of his life strive to make an improvement for the mental side of his being so that he can be a bet- ter student, can be better posted and more able to handle every day the things that require mental discipline, the man who does not do this is a loafer. I believe. that a man should capitalize himself morally. You and I have learned in life that moral de- fect is like a bruise on the bark of the tree in your garden, or it is like TRADESMAN a gun shot wound in the flesh of a human being. When these wounds are once made it requires an extra amount of energy to heal them and it deflects a certain amount of en- ergy to the healing of these wounds as in your tree in the garden, and which energy ought to be entirely devoted to the final culmination in the growth of that tree and the per- fection of the blossoms and the fruit which it bears. Anything in the hu- man being of an immoral nature hin- ders the final growth of perfection in that nature, and anything that injures the animal or the tree or the shrub or the flower in your garden hinders the final perfection to which it was destined. I believe that a man should capi- talize himself morally and to be with- out criticism among his friends. | believe that a man should capitalize himself physically. Many a man vol- untarily allows himself to be shut up in his office without exercise, to live in his home without the pleasure of good light and fresh air, to ride back and forth from his business when he should walk and to refrain from phy- sical development and almost assume effeminacy, thereby unwittingly un- dermining his physical constitution. A man should be capitalized physi- cally in order that he may support himself mentally and morally. I believe that a man should capi- talize himself spiritually. You will question my statement in this direc- tion and my only answer to you is that every nation that has ever been discovered on the face of the earth has been of spiritual tendency and whatever may be your belief or mine, we should capjtalize that spiritual belief. It is perfectly evident that there is a spiritual belief. It is per- fectly evident that there is a spiritual side to all human existence and if hu- manity was thus created this ele- ment should be capitalized. I believe that a man should capi- talize himself financially. The great Master of the Universe drove the money changers out of the Temple with a whip of thongs because they defiled the Temple, but he upbraided the man to whom He loaned the talent and which man wrapped it in a napkin for fear he would lose it and re- turned it to the Master without its having gained any interest by its use. When he was questioned as to the piece of money and it was held aloft He asked the question: “Whose image and superscription has this,” and they said unto Him, “Caesar's,” and He said to them in reply, “Ren- der unto Caesar the thines that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.” Everything in the world from the least to the greatest signi- hes and guarantees the law of gain. The Creator and the Master of the Universe criticized wherever fruit was not borne, wherever labor was not put forth, and wherever talents did not show an increase. It is your duty and mine to capitalize ourselves financially upon honest efforts, and so much for capitalization. The extent to which credit is taken is astounding and the extent to which September 15, 1° , it is granted is almost alarming. Cr: it is too cheap. I sometimes. thi that we credit granters base our ide, of credit upon our ability to colle Both as retailers and wholesalers \ abuse our credit many times by i: adequate insurance upon our mer chandise and our. property. W abuse our credit by not taking annu: inventory and abuse our credit by ni knowing what our expense of doine business is in relation to our sales. and what our percentage of gross profits and our percentage of net prof- its are at the end of each year. W: abuse our credit by not knowine what the relation of expense to sales and expense of all the undertakings of our business is, and so much in this pleasant discussion with you as to th matter of credit. I surmise that what I have said has brought to you clearly some points along these lines but now finally, when does this all become a_bank- ing proposition, and I can finish my little sermon to you this morning in a very few moments. Credit granting becomes a banking proposition the minute and hour that a bill of goods becomes due on its regular terms, o1 to illustrate, a bill of goods in drug merchandise may be sold upon thirty days net or 1 per cent. if paid within ten days from date of invoice. When the thirty days has expired and the bill is unpaid then the credit becomes a banking proposition. At that very moment the seller of the goods in the calculations of his business, if he is strictly a business man, begins to pay interest to a bank or some- one else at 6 per cent. if that is the prevailing rate at the time upon the amount of that bill. For every day that buyer of these goods allows to go beyond the due date he is shrink- ing the profit of the seller at. the rate of 6 per cent. per annum upon the money that the seller has been obliged to borrow to pay for thes« goods originally. This may give you an idea as why wholesalers and manufacturers urge upon retailers and consun the necessity of discounting bills will explain to you why the who! saler can afford to give a disc for cash rather than to have the Tun past due. If he can have money within ten days from the of the invoice he can use it im diately in either stopping interest money at the bank or in discount: ¢ a bill that he has purchased for own stock, and it is a poorly or: ized manufacturing institution wholesale house that cannot moe anywhere from 20 to 35 per cent. ‘f its net profits in a year in handl: z the money that comes back forth through the offices of that stitution. So, my friends, you wl see at a glance that there is scie! ¢ in the process of discounting bi and also at a glance whoever © - ploys his capital for manufacturing 1 wholesaling of merchandise is ab~ - lutely obliged to look upon the fina’- cial side of it as a banking propo-'- tion just the minute that bills him are past due. I say this with all kindness to you September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADES oints lally, yank- nting the oods B Of drug hirty ithin Vhen i the Omes FR la ell sean re eo —— Pr aid ee cael a Aa ia a ee ee ene? ie te ane 22 as retailers and just ask you to take it home with you and think it over and possibly conclude that there is something to this question, and I only hope that I have made it plain to you that whether as_ retailers. or wholesalers or manufacturers, when we do not pay our bills on the day that they are actually due we at that moment begin to borrow money of those of whom we have bought the merchandise at the rate of interest prevailing at that particular time. I am pleased to leave this message with you on this very handsome morn- ing at an hour in the convention when everything is very interesting and bears every indication of being a pleasant and profitable session. These things that I have said may be rather blunt and possibly it might be said of them that they are a little critical, but I leave it with you as to whether the statements are not only altruistic but are commercially true. — ++ >__ Self Evident Facts About Truthful Advertising. Men who have traveled and met various classes of business men will readily admit that no class of men to-day are more honest in their deal- ings than the merchants who control the leading stores of our various cities and towns. Not only honest in a strict business sense, but in the high- est ethical sense. Merchants above most men realize that character is power, and opens an easy way to success, good report, and riches. Moreover, the merchants of to-day, as a rule, are altruistic to a wonderful degree, and do more than their part in doing good in the world. It seems strange, then, that there is so much agitation to-day about truthful advertising, and that this at the present moment centers about de- partment store advertising. Indeed, there is so much talk about “truth” in advertising by advertisers them- selves, that the public must begin to suspect that merchants have hitherto been sailing the seas of business piracy. The fact is that most mer- chants are as honest in their adver- tising as in their other transactions, and have never wilfully deceived the public. They have always believed in and practiced “truth” in their ad- vertising. However, a great many merchants are just beginning to realize the tremendous force that advertising can exert and the methods that underlie successful publicity. I do not think it is a great exag- geration to say that much of a large volume of advertising that has been done by the department stores of the United States has been due to the influence of a few conspicuously sue- cessful advertisers. Upon close anal- ysis, many merchants will find it dif- ficult to trace an adequate amount of direct or indirect results to a large proportion of their advertising ex- penditure. They will discover that they have been induced to spend large sums of money on newspaper public- ity, with the general idea that adver- tising is a good thing, and without sufficient regard to its psychological MICHIGAN TRADESMAN effect, as well as from the standpoint of direct returns. I have in mind a great establish- ment which calls itself, and rightly, “the quality store.” It has an im- mense_ prestige, strong financial standing and the confidence of the community. Yet to judge from its present advertising, it is a bargain store desperately in need of business. Surely, if advertising had its full ef- fect, every advertisement of this firm would injure its business and lower its standing in the eyes of the com- munity, As a matter of fact, people do not accept advertising of most stores at its face value—and with considerable reason. One of the troubles has been a false conception of the uses of advertising would talk across the counter, can not fail to be successful. You can not expect to tell half the truth in conversation with your cus- tomers, and be successful. You can not expect to be bombastic in your conversation with people and retain their respect. You can not expect to go about your business in a perfunctory way and hold the interest of your cus- tomers. You can not expect to get any more out of life than there is in it. You can not talk with people of ordinary intelligence about a subject of which you know nothing and hold their interest, So it is with advertising. “First, get your principles right,” said a man who worked miracles Twenty-six of the list, as follows: FROM THE FIRST. Twenty-Six Original Subscribers of the Tradesman. eriginal subscribers of the Michigan Tradesman—that is, those who have taken every issue since No. 1—are still on the subscription Charles H. Coy, Alden. Amberg & Murphy, Battle Creek. Adam Newell, Burnips Corners. Drury & Kelly Co., Cadillac. J. L. Norris, Casnovia. I’. H. Bitely, Casnovia. EK. S. Botsford, Dorr J. H. Voller, Evart. Richard D. McNaughton, Fruitport. William J. Clarke, Harbor Springs. Walsh Drug Co., Holland. Frank B. Watkins, Hopkins. L. M. Wolf, Hudsonville. Rodenbaugh & Stevens, Mancelona. Wisler & Co., Mancelona. Thompson & Co., Newaygo. Aaron Rogers, Ravenna. M. V. Wilson, Sand Lake. Milo Bolender, Sparta. Mrs. Anna Mulder & Son, Spring Lake. O. P. DeWitt, St. Johns. S. E. Wait & Sons, Traverse City. Belknap Wagon Co., City. Frederick C. Beard, City. Wolbrink Bros., Ganges. H. P. Nevins, Six Lakes. on the part of owners of stores. Too few have seen that the indirect in- fluence of advertising is even greater than its direct influence. Each pub- lished announcement of a store is a representation to the public of the character of the store, and “results” mean nothing if they lower the vital- ity and prestige of the advertiser. Get Your Principles Right. Every advertisement of any estab- lishment ought to enhance its general reputation, and this should be the first consideration. All of us have seen great business go down in ruin —and in every case that I know of, they have striven for “direct results” from their advertising, without due thought of the consequences. The ability to direct human thoughts is due to a knowledge of human na- ture. There is nothing mysterious or unknown about the principles of ad- vertising. He who advertises as he among men with the power of his thought. Many stores would benefit largely if they would discontinue their ad- vertising—they would be relieved of a tremendous expense. The only alternative is to have their advertising truly represent their merchandise and their establishment. The reason they do not find their present advertising the right kind of an investment is that they do not give proper dttention to its preparation. Since a store’s advertising is designed to influence the opinion of the entire community, too much attention can not be given to it. The person best fitted to direct the advertising is the active head of the business. Since this is generally im- possible, the advertiser should be a person who knows merchandise, un- derstands the history and purpose of the business, knows people and un- September 15, 1 destands human nature, has a prop sense of values, and who has : character and ability to make ¢! store’s announcements plain, truth ful, attractive and forceful. Most stores that find themselves j advertising difficulties will find th the trouble Hes either in the lack « ability of their advertising manager: or in their lack of backing from th store management. Accurate and Truthful Advertisine The average advertising manager i: between two fires, without firm ground to stand on. He is constantly urged to increase the sales, and is under constant pressure to make un- duly strong claims for the merchan- dise they have to offer. Unless he has the full backing of the store, he must play both ends against the mid- dle to maintain this position. The public suffers first—then the store. In the effort to secure accurate and truthful advertising, stores would do well to give this subject first con- sideration—for their efforts will not be successful until they properly dis- pose of this basic fact. I think the time is rapidly approach- ing when the quoting of comparative values will be for the most part done away with by representative estal- lishments. The fact that an article was formerly sold at a certain price, by no means makes it positive that ii is a bargain at the reduced price. I're- quently the item is not as much of a bargain at the reduced price as it was some time before at the higher price, and it is to a large extent true that price reductions are due either to a slackening of demand or some defect or cheapening of material or work- manship. Certain it is that stores in the habit of quoting underprices - extensivels are hard put to maintain a proper margin of profits, and to this fact c be traced a great deal of the trou)! about untruthful advertising. There is no question about the modern ¢ mand for “service,” in all that 1! word implies, and the sooner a st devotes more attention to service less to bargains, the sooner it \ find itself riding in smoother wat: Of course, a great deal more co be said, but I think that these the two most important items to c: sider in bringing about truthful vertising—which is the only kind advertising that is efficient. I m good, old-fashioned honesty. M advertising is truthful—just as ™ people are honest in their intenti: But real, rockhewn truthful adver: ing, in which people have imp!' faith and confidence, is as rare men who achieve a position of questioned standing in the commu through absolute reliability. Reed Moyer —_2>+>__ Optimistc, Mrs. Murphy—“Oi hear yer brot cae Pat Keegan, is pretty b Mrs. Casey—“Shure he’s good fer a year yit.” Mrs. Murphy—‘“As long as thot’ Mrs. Casey—“Yes; he’s had four di!- ferent doctors, and each one av thin give him three months to live.” ) COn- September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 23 An Investment With Big Dividends Don’t bother with broken delivery boxes of odd sizes. [he most profitable investment in both time and money will be to install a ae | A Quality Wire-Bound Boxes They are made of the best material in uniform sizes and sold at an unusually low price. They are the safest and quickest way of handling rush delivery orders. They enable your delivery man to keep his orders straight and handle a full load with perfect safety. John A. Grier & Co. 1031-35 18th St. DETROIT, MICH. 24 PERSONAL LETTERS. How Merchants Can Keep in Touch With Customers. ently a well-to-do lawyer in an i ceived with his morn- ing’s mail the following brief, busi- ness-like letter, individually typed and signed by the dictator: lor several years you were a ular customer at our store. Our books, however, show that h j of May we not had the plez ot charging a single sale count. I have recently come from a large New York store to be superintendent here. In reorganizing the store and putting it on a higher plane of serv- re, 1 have other ac- counts like yours, These have worried me, for I fee + middle since the middle several noticed NoticeGg — there must hz been some definite : tee te ee reason why you others broke of your trading ha of several years so abruptly. it you had a def : ¥ ite complaint against either our goods or our ser- will you not help me in my efforts to make this a better store l 2 al it frankly? JI aim Out It errors and the future. trouble will be sin- reciated. provide There were dozens of other letters and circulars in this particular mail, ut the lawyer singled this one out for immediate answer. He dictated a rather crisp reply to the new superintendent telling how, early in the year, he had bought a garden hose from the store, but when he had used it only twice it had sprung a leak. He had called at the store to see about having it fixed or replaced. He had been told, how- ever, that the store felt no responsi- bility in the matter and would not replace his useless purchase. After trying half an hour to get satisfac- tion, he had decided to spend his money elsewhere. thirty or forty persons who received somewhat similar on this oc- All of them had been former customers of store, but had for some reason transferred their trade to other concerns. In case the letters they received were personal, for the writer had taken the trouble to learn the date of the last sale to and mentioned it in letters casion. the each each customer writing. the lawyer’s vigorous reply, he received from the store a credit ship for the amount that the hose had cost him. With it came the following letter: On the day following A credit slip for 50c—the amount which you paid for the unsatisfactory hose you bought of us last spring— is enclosed. am mailing this credit slip, instead of sending a new hose, because I think undoubtedly have a satis- factory hose by this time. The credit slip, however, is good for its face value in any kind of merchandise you want, I am deeply sorry that you should have suffered the discourtesy and in- convenience at this store which you did. For the future our policy in mat- ters of this sort is going to be entire- ly reversed. We are going to please our customers, whatever the cost to us. Please accept my thanks for letting me set this matter straight. This note so pleased the lawyer wo you MICHIGAN TRADESMAN that he went in person to the super- intendent and expressed his appre- ciation. Moreover, he again became a regular customer, with a monthly bill which very shortly repaid in prof- its the cost of the credit slip covering the hose. than half of the other cases of broken- off accounts which the superintendent had sought to adjust. The same was true in more Behind these sales-building letters lay the superintendent's firm belief in in cor- In going through the the power of personal appeals respondence. books previous to his reorganization, he had hed to see how many good accounts had stopped ab- ruptiy after running two or three years, or even longer. On the look- out for leads which would give him the excuse for personal let- ters, he found on the store books a iree list with a high potential, been astoni a writing mailing sales- In his previous superintendent had found it generally true that a thousand carefully-written sales letters sent broadcast may not strike close to the buying sense of more than a dozen or twenty pros- pects on the mailing list. Even the most carefully pruned list is not likely to yield more than two or, at the very outside, three sales out of ten persons approached. The reason for this is the wide ap- peal which the magic of salesman- ship by mail has made to men in so many kinds of business. Today the letters of the average man or woman consist of a steady stream of calls to buy irom dozens of sources. Among all these letters are so comparatively few that are really distinctive, that the one or two which do receive more than passing attention must be clev- erly phrased or hit off a keenly felt want. The number of prospects who do not buy, in any event, is large. experience, the A Personal Message. comes as a personal message, strik- ing at a known frame of mind, meets instant recognition. Know, for ex- ample, that your prospect plans buy- ing a new lawn mower, and the letter you him about send makes will have 90 your special per Cent. more pulling power than the that lets him know maintain a hardware department. If you should happen to know, in addition, that the prospect's general letter you lawn is a certain size, or presents certain difficulties in mow- ing, you can weave the information into the arguments for your letter and the chance of your making an effective appeal is just so much in- creased. Every new fact that you can learn about the names on your list is an additional weapon in your hand when you start out to make sales by mail. Such considerations affected the superintendent in the case mentioned above. He knew only one fact about the customers he addressed—they had some time previously carried good accounts, but had suddenly stopped trading at the store. He made this one fact, coupled with a personal sales letter, pull 50 per cent. results. Had he known in addition, say, that sev- eral of these former customers had moved to distant parts of the where it was difficult for them to reach his store, he could have pruned his list and made his letters | 95 per cent. results instead. Purely personal letters, therefore, aimed at a known frame of mind and with a minimum of due to shooting into the underbru one of the cl waste become uief means by which this store superintendent keeps in touch with his customers. counts for his own purposes the value of general lists, with duplicated let- ters and filled-in addresses. But he is constantly seeking opportunities in and out of his store to write personal letters to present or possible cus- tomers. Half of his d “on the floor.’ keeping his eye ont He dis- he aims to spend ay Here, in addition to I he service render- ed to customers, he finds dozens of opportunities which give him the right approach for personal letters. —_~+++__ — Ten Commandments for Employes. L Dont and yours. lie—it I’m sure to wastes my time catch you in the end, and that’s the wrong end. 2. Watch not the clock. A long day’s work makes a long day short and a day's work makes my face long. 3. Give me more than I expected and I'll pay you more than you ex- pect—I can afford to increase your pay if-you increase my profits. 4. You owe so much to yourself that you can’t owe any- body else. Keep out of debt or keep out of my shop. 5. Dishonesty is never an accident. like can't see temptation when they meet it. 6. Mind your own business and in time you'll have a business of your own to mind. your work, short afford to Good men, good women, 7. Don’t do anything here which hurts your self-respect. The employe who is willing to steal able of stealing from for me is cap- me. 8. It’s -none of my business what you do at night, but if dissipation af- fects what you do next day, so can do only half as mand, don’t fired. 9. Don’t tell me what I’d like to hear, but what I ought to hear. 19. Don’t kick when | lack; if you're worth while correcting, you’re worth while keeping. It doesn’t pay to waste time cutting specks out of bad apples. The Man You Work For. a I ask you to think with me that the worst that can happen to us to endure tamely the evils that we see; that no trouble or turmoil is so bad as that: that the necessary struction which reconstruction bears with it must be taken calmly; that everywhere—in State, in church, in the household—we must be resolute you miuich as 1 de. blame me if you are is de- to endure no tyranny, accept no lie quail before no fear, though they may come before us disguised as piety, duty or affection, as useful opportun- ity and good nature, a kindness. prudence or William Morris. September 15 915 Cured Without Medicine. Mr. Brown was ill. It was a st, e and sudden attack for he had e to bed the night before feeling te well. Mrs. Brown was not only : ried about him—she was disap, ed. She had got so tired of going to church all alone and leavin: Brown at home reading the Sy; y papers. She wanted him to eo h her this bright Sunday morning and now he was ill. He didn’t feel as jf he could go. “LM call in Dr. James: I am he has not started to Sunday schoo} yet,” said Mrs, Brown. “T don’t think I would, Mary,” said Mr. Brown; “I think I shall feel] ter in a little while.” But his already at the telephone and had Dr. James on the wife was wire. The doctor said he would come at once and he was at the door almost “ ' vefore they were ready to see He came in, a happy, twinkling old iamily friend. “What's this I hear, hope it is nothing or—appendicitis.”’ Brown? | Serious, like — pneumonia He walked softly over to the pa- tient, smilingly shook out his pocket thermometer, put it under the pa- tient’s tongue and reached out his hand for Mr. Brown’s pulse. He im- mediately looked very grave. Both the patient and his wife were sur- prised. “Why, Brown, I find you are suf- fering from a very dreadful disease. It has become very prevalent, Strangely enough, it usually attack only men and boys, so that your wife needn't be alarmed. It is really not contagious—especially for women.” Mr. Brown was really frightened “What can it be, Doctor?” “The name is ‘Morbus Sabbaticus’ and it attacks its victims always carly on the Sabbath day. It makes them deathly sick for a few hours, but they are invariably sufficiently recoy«red by dinner time to eat a hearty meal. Usually by afternoon they are «vite well and can sometimes go out a game of tennis or golf. But the te suffering comes on again in the | ‘er part of the day and they are ver able to go to church in the eve ‘vg The patient is sure to be quite recov- ered by Monday morning and es to business as well as ever.” Almost before he had cease: ‘is diagnosis Mr. Brown had re: d the thermometer from his mouth nd was sitting up in bed. He said rer shamefacedly: “I certainly am obliged to you. |r James, for coming to see me s0 Promptly. For you have conv! ed me that I am quite well enoug’ to go to church with Mary this mor: °g I am determined to throw off 's dreadful disease and I feel sure at I shall be able to go with her at least every Sunday hereafter.” Dr. James smilingly screwed ‘he top on the thermometer, put it ca‘e- fully in his pocket and tiptoed gently out of the room. 2.2 As long as you pay compliments only you will not be forced to eat your words, 1, ocKet t his 2 im- SUT- hE AEA 6 EEE RRO A GA ORS IIE ee oe ee pee errr September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 25 Established 1885 Alfred J. Brown Seed Co. Growers, Merchants and Importers i ee — wl a — Te ka ed ae OT PACE ae sane F =] r s q ae POS General Warehouse and Offices, Cor. Ottawa Ave. and Louis St. Grass, Agricultural and Garden Seeds Onion Sets and Grain Bags Grand Rapids s 4 Michigan 26 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 THE STORE BEAUTIFUL. The Display Man Plays an Important Part. The merchant of to-day needs very little argument to convince him that an up-to-date store front treated in an attractive manner is a powerful factor and the means of increasing sales. Through the heart, charity finds the way to a man’s pocketbook and so the case in business. Increased business knows the chan- nel to the same place through the eye. A failure to please and cause an impression in the minds of the passer- by means a failure to sell. The merchant who has an up-to- There is but one kind of a suc- cessful window and that is the kind that sells the goods. There are two main features of the successful window, namely the trim and the display. The trim is the ac- cessory or sub-part. Never allow the trim to overshadow the display or better yet don’t let it even compete with it. The trim should be used only as a decoration or background, and the failure to hold to this rule will hurt the selling qualities of the display. First decide in your mind what you intend using in the window before taking out the preceding display, then the arrangement. Having done this, you will have a foundation to work upon. You will accomplish more RT Aaoe ALAM, ii fe wn nl 45] on aa oe i ——______ PACS He RERMRTEUL he LOU ! Eee re rs ——-- i Hea ne Pdi LH fae FLOOR PLAN. = date store front and good, live win- dow displays has made a sale. To place merchandise in a given space amid favorable surroundings might seem to the casual observer but a very light and insignificant task, but if it is properly executed it re- quires forethought, tact and skill on the part of the display man. Every display man must have cre- ative power and the ability to work it out. The principal thought in planning a display must be the merchandise and the arrangement of it in such a way that it will create the desired impression and cause the “want te buy spirit” in the minds of the looker. This is done by presenting the choicest offerings in the most pleas- ing manner, bee LJ as work in less time. After you are in the window you can develop and im- prove on the work as you go along. A window properly lighted is the store's best advertisement. Get the lights as near the top and front of the window as possible so as to have them concealed. Lights should never be seen in the window only on oc- casions, namely, when they are for sale, and when they are used in the decorations, then only in colored or frosted effects. Everything in the window should be spotlessly clean. Great care should be taken of the wax figures and fix- tures so as to keep them new looking. Avoid a crowded window. Show few things at a time and change more often. Arrange the merchandise in such a manner that it will stand out and be impressive. Have each unit to be a whole display in itself. Above all, enjoy and take pride in the work. In this manner the store will deserve the cognomen of “the store beautiful,” and the display man will have played his important part in the success of the business. Right now the fall season is knock- ing at our door. Are we ready? Is everything planned and set for the window and interior displays for this important style event of the year so as to reap a richer harvest? To be as helpful as possible to our many display men friends, and as a suggestion which may be of assist- ance to them in getting up something to use in the window along little different lines, we illustrate two strik- ing background designs the construc- tion of which is quite simple, and if carried out along the following direc- tions will prove very effective. In the first illustration we show a new panel background treatment. This setting consists of a large cen- ter panel flanked on each side by box pilaster and the arrangement of the smaller panels as is shown. The panels are made by making a frame- work of 2x % strips upon which is tacked composition or wall These pieces are then covered with plain gray felt stretched on tightly or painted with cold water paint or alabastine, a gray color. The center panel is finished off at the top with a narrow strip of gold moulding. Just below is a border made by cutting strips of black and white felt in the shape shown and pasting them on in awning effect. The pilasters are finished off with strips of gold molding between which is pasted a strip of black felt as is shown in the drawing. The side panels are decorated with a scene in poster effect. The trees may be cut from black felt and appliqued direct- ly on the panel as is shown. The curved line at the base of the trees is painted on in black. The cloud effect is produced by using white pastel colors or may be air brushed on with the air brush. This setting should be placed directly against the permanent background. The floor of the window should be covered with plain gray felt stretched on tightly, finished off at the sides and front of the window with six-inch squares of wall board, painted a dull black color, laid on in mosaic effect. In the second illustration we show another panel and pilaster treatment, a little more elaborate yet very sim- ple in construction. These panels are constructed in the same manner as explained above. They are then painted a tan shade using alabastine or cold water paint. board. The panels are then finished off at the top and bottom by narrow strips of gold molding between which js painted black stripes as is shown. The design on the panels are painted on with black paint in poster effect. The clouds are air brushed on by using a darker shade of color than used on the panels. The pilasters are finished off at the top by small blocks painted a tan color and then lined with black. These blocks shou! be placed upon little blocks of wood painted black. The face of the pilaster is decorated by narrow strij of gold molding between which painted the design in black. The floor of the window should je covered with tan felt laid on smoothly. These designs are elastic in their measure and may be made to fit any size window by simply making the panels large or small. The more beautiful a store is, the more attrac. tion it has for its patrons. Handsome surroundings and arrangement induces more satisfactory buying, E. O. Burdg. _—__ to. _ Only Way for a Race to Make Progress. One should naturally suppose that. in a thousand years or so, people would accumulate a little sense: bu one would be mistaken. Plain horse sense tells us that the only way for a race to progress is to make each new generation better than the old. The only way to do this is to train every child in the na- tion. This does not mean training in arithmetic and literature, but in use- ful labor, in self-control, in honesty, in teamwork, and in the arts of gov- ernment by democracy. If we gave every boy and girl a thorough education of that kind, thorough education of that kind, nine-tenths of our social evils and personal perversions pear. would — disap- Almost every hardened criminal in our cities is a neglected boy. Most of the scarlet women of our streets enlisted before they were cighteen. We howl about decent wages for shop-girls. No girl has any business to be working for a living. Neither has any boy. They have a right to be equipped by the state for self-supporting citi- zenship. 3ehold us now! We exert our- selves through churches and missions to “rescue the perishing’ in city slums—which amounts to squirting a half-inch stream upon a house afire We are punishing criminals it courts, penning them up in rotten prisons, hanging them by the neck, or killing them by electricity. Yet anybody who knows history knows that this does not and never did st: crime. We are treating human nature as bad, and are trying to “redeem” and “punish” it. But we can not it prove human nature until we belie in it, love it, train it, and trust it. Bring our economic conditions in‘o line with justice. Give every born baby a square deal. Abolish our endowed class and t! medieval fiction of the right of in- heritance which maintains that class. Make everybody work for a living. And train every child to earn a living. Humanity is incurably good. All it needs is a decent chance. Take as good care of your children as you do of your hogs and horses, if you want fine human stock. That means all children: none must be neglected, Frank Crane. e Seen eNom Eis He ieharec he SR aS RM PADDR APs SAREE ABORT SR Ae se 8 De gat IGS a Maen ae ST pres reomsrs certs ~~ seyensecronen tee D, 1915 Ne should wood the striy ich j uld he yothly. their it any |g the more ittrac- dsome iduces rdg. Make : that, yeople a; but at the ess is better to do le na- i in 1 use- nesty, ' ZOv- irl a kind, kind, and lisap- ial in Most treets en. Ss: fOr siness either ipped - Citi- class. living. living. | All ike as ; yo f you must ane. ne es Me teranee at PESTER 7 RSME RE. ARES LECRERE aCe ers ORDO EARS SoM SES SPIE ALT a September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 27 GOOD HOUSE TO KNOW Better House To Do Business With E HAD a call the other day from a merchant who has long been engaged in trade in a town less than W. hundred miles from Grand Rapids. Affer being shown through the entire establishment, in- cluding our complete and up-to-date coffee roasting department, which interested him greatly, he voluntarily stated to the head of the house: “I had no idea you carried so large a stock and would not have believed it possible for a wholesale grocery house to conduct the roasting, blending and handling of coffees so extensively. You have always supplied me with goods of uniform excellence and the promptness with which I have received goods from your house has been a constant source of surprise and gratification. Now that! see how well equipped you are to meet my requirements, I have concluded to give you all my trade in the grocery line hereafter.” This unsolicited testimonial to the efficiency of our establishment is in keeping with similar statements we are receiving every day from our appreciative customers. We are, of course, greatly gratified to be the re- cipients of such hearty expressions of approval, because they demonstrate to us that we have succeeded in our efforts to build up and maintain our business along the most approved lines. When the present management took charge of the Worden Grocer Company, sixteen years ago, we stated in our initial bow to the trade through the columns of the Tradesman that we Made a Bid for Business on the Basis of Preparedness and time has demonstrated that we reared our structure on a safe and sure foundation. First of all, we aimed to handle only goods of standard grade and superior quality. We undertook to keep our expenses down to the lowest possible ratio, so as to enable us to sell goods at the best possible prices. We made prompt shipment a constant study and bent every energy to get goods to our customers at the earliest possible moment. We have been as liberal in terms and credits as good business methods permitted. As a result of these fundamental business principles, sturdily adopted and rigidly adhered to, a feeling of mutual good will and cordial co-operation has gradually grown up between our custcmers and our house which have contributed greatly to the pleasure and profit of both parties. We want every customer fo feel that we are interested in his welfare and stand ready at all times to assist him in solving the vexatious problems which frequently confront him. One of the surest methods of creating and maintaining confidence, which is a forerunner of pleasant and profitable business relations, is an intimate knowledge of the goods we handle and the system we employ in conducting our business. We hope that every retail merchant in Michigan who attends the West Michigan State Fair next week will make it a point to pay us a visit and thus give us an opportunity to demonstrate the correctness of our claims that we are a good house to know and a still better house to do business with. W ORDEN ( ;ROCER ( OMPANY GRAND RAPIDS--KALAMAZOO The Prompt Shippers MICHIGAN TRADESMAN wAneane ei Vy)) COU EET (LCCC CR UC, , Ty wn) INANCIAL: nye — mn 5) yb FCUCUa ae eG d Denne } NS Y, Relation of the Banker and the Auto- mobile. During the summer one of the prominent automobile manufacturers mailed to banks throughout the coun- try, requests for information relative to automobile conditions, and among the information sought were answers to the following questions: 1. What are your views in general on the subject of automobile loans, and on the automobile itself as a factor in the life of your community? 2. Does local automobile dealer. in your opinion, measure up as a credit risk to our general esti- mate, and to your standards for local merchants in other lines, possessed of strength? What, if any, would be your objec- tions to loaning to our automobile dealer for the purpose of taking his winter cars? The reply made by the Bank of Barron touches upon phases of this problem which are of interest and we quote as follows: your substantial equal financial “\We presume your estimate of your local dealer’s financial responsibility is quite limited, as you do not seem to burden your vaults with any of his personal notes. As a credit risk we do not regard him equal to that of the average merchant in other lines. Taking into consideration the time, expense, interest paid by dealers on loans, cut in prices made by him, dis- counts he makes on customer’s paper when sold. and the small commissions paid ot allowed to the dealer by the automobile manufacturers for selling, the automobile dealer's chances of making a financial success are almost reduced to the minimum. : “We, therefore, do not feel licensed to take any chances on the note of your dealer than you do, and while banks are always ready to in- more vest available funds in good the automobile manufacturer is pro- ceeding upon the wrong theory if he expects country banks on their small paper, interest charge, to go on indefinitely loading up with all the worry and chances in furnishing money to auto- mobile dealers which would permit the dealer to skim off the cream and increase the profits for the automo- bile manufacturer’s bank account.” If the automobile manufacturer ex- pects to keep up with the present pace he will need to follow the plan of the piano and the agricultural im- plement manufacturers, viz., carry his dealer's paper and the paper of his dealer’s customer. Making all due allowance for the pleasure and necessity of owning and using an automobile, it is about time for the automobile manufacturer and the banker to look about and make an honest observation and thus know that two-thirds of the purchasers of automobiles have not the income to afford one. Every community furnishes flagrant examples to this statement. We will be fortunate if the present swift pace, the indiscreet buying and the indiscreet selling of automobiles does not contribute to strained finan- cial conditions bordering on a panic. The banker should be willing to en- courage the safe conservative dealer —the dealer who, guided by sound business judgment and cautious as to purchases from the automobile manu- facturer, so conducts his business as to sell automobiles to people of known responsibility. If this class of automobile sales can not be brought about, the banker is much better serving his community by sup- plying local people with money for sustain financial the purchase and improvement of lands, the buying of live stock, or other sources that will add to the productiveness and the wealth of the community. In talking recently with a leading manufacturer in another line of what might be termed a luxury, a gentle- man interested in several banks and whose wealth runs into the millions, gave me the following opinion which touches somewhat upon the automo- bile loan question. This gentleman manufactures pianos and organs, mak- ing a specialty of instruments which are sold to people in moderate cir- cumstances, and he says: “In our line the manufacturers have carried the burden of the load, hence when the climax, the manufacturers are the sufferers. Li- quidation follows an over- expansion in no matter what line. I can see one reason why the automo- bile manufacturtres from their view- point demand cash, and that is the short life and consequent rapid de- preciation of the article sold.” overselling reaches its always If this premise be correct, then it is very clear that banks are treading on very dangerous ground in extend- ing credit to dealers whose percent- age of profit is at best limited. The automobile is a very expensive luxury, and a customer who buys one of them on time, gives unmistakable evidence of bad judgment, and bad judgment, a good bank account and a successful business, seldom go to- gether. Ten years ago this man’s friends asked him why he did not buy an automobile and he replied that he was owing his bank, and so long as he was paying interest on borrowed money he would not buy an automo- bile. It is fair to say that in his pres- GRAND RAPIDS NATIONAL CITY BANK CiTryYy TRUST & SAVINGS BANE ASSOCIATED : / Combined Capital, Surplus and Undivided Profits $1,781,500 Deposits Exceeding Seven and One-half Million Dollars Business firms, corporations or individuals requiring reliable financial information relative to Grand Rapids businesses or business opportunities are invited to correspond with the investment departments of either the Grand Rapids National City Bank or City Trust & Savings Bank, which have at their imme- diate disposal a large volume of industrial and commercial facts. Judging Securities Is a business of itself requiring a faculty for statistics and analysis, special training and study, and up-to-date facilities—we possess and exercise these qualifications in purchasing bonds, and buy and sell only those we consider safe investments. We have several attractive issues which will net you from 5% to 6%. Denominations $100, $500 and $1000. Particulars furnished on request. THE MICHIGAN TRUST Co. of Grand Rapids September 15, 1915 September 15, 1915 ent circumstances he is the owner of a medium priced car. My manufac- turing friend further said: “I agree with you, absolutely, that the auto- mobile manufacturers should carry their own customers and not be sap- ping the country of all surplus mon- ey in the interest of one industry. I am told that one or two large auto- mobile manufacturers are now offer- ing deposits to country banks, pro- vided they will use same in loaning to their dealers in that community, which indicates clearly that the man- ufacturer is not willing to carry the risk himself, but is willing to loan money on deposit to bankers, subject to call, and thus let the local banker take all the risk.” Another man in whose judgment one must place confidence, felt that the automobile trade as a whole is overdone and while automobile trucks and drays are a business asset, taking the place of horses, it is not real good banking to loan money to any- one, no matter how good financially, knowing the money so loaned was to be used in the purchase of an auto- mobile for purposes of pleasure. Manufacturers of farm machinery for many years have found it neces- sary to carry the burden of their man- ufacturing profit by accepting and holding notes of farmers to whom their manufactured product was sold. To-day, in Wisconsin, there is an investment of $70,000,000 in automo- biles, 90 per cent. of which has been withdrawn from banks, either by withdrawal of deposits, money bor- rowed, or notes purchased, all for payment to the manufacturers. of automobiles. Necessarily this has re- duced the amount of money which is available in the country districts to local merchants and others upon whose daily labors the rural com- munities are depending. Shall the banks continue to loan money and purchase automobile notes without any attempt to induce those who are most benefited by the sale of these luxuries to share in carrying the burden until the purchaser actu- ally has the money with which to pay for same. C. J. Borum, Cashier of the Bank of Barron, Wis. 22 ____ A Bond Issue Seems Certain. Entirely aside from the enormous expenditures that will be made nec- essary by any adequate programme of military defense, ordinary expen- ditures of the Government are ex- ceeding receipts to such an extent that a large bond issue is in sight. Since the beginning of the new fiscal year expenditures have exceeded re- ceipts at the rate of nearly three- quarters of a million dollars daily. Sugar goes on the free list May 1, 1916, with an unofficially estimated loss of about $50,000,000 to the cus- toms revenues for May and June of that year. The war emergency tax ends by limitation December 1, with an estimated loss of $15,000,000 rev- enue for the balance of the fiscal year. It is not quite clear what excuse can be offered for re-enacting it, especial- ly as the administration has been contending that the European war has benefitted the United States, Ow- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ing to the fact that more than 60 per cent. of all imports are coming in free, the revenues from the tariff have been amazingly low. Secretary Mc- Adoo, of the Treasury Department, has been postponing the preparation of recommendations to Congress on this subject until he has more time to watch the income of the Treasury and make comparisons based on the returns for last year.—Leslie’s. An Income Tax Service. The announcement that the internal revenue commissioner in Washington has organized a “secret service” with the prime duty of catching dodgers of their income tax and punishing offic- ials in the service who have winked at or assisted tax dodging, may bring apprehension to some minds. There has been dodging. The secret service men will be thrown into one district after another, at the sweet will of the commissioner, and they may accom- plish something. Americans do not take kindly to espionage. That was the one corol- lary of an income tax law that gave rise to most doubt as to the wisdom of such a law, and delayed the enact- ment of the statute for many years, even when a court decision against its constitutionality was unexpected. And after the constitutional amend- ment the fear still survived. Our own opinion is that temperate- ness and practical wisdom will guide the use of these “spies.” What might be made an intolerable annoyance by unjust quibbling will be held within reasonable bounds. But those who have evaded the law will take the wiser course if they make a full and fair settlement at once. If everybody would do this, the “secret service” would be pretty quickly abolished.— Brooklyn Eagle, —_»+-2> Harry Lauder’s Saving Rules. 1. Behave towards your purse as you would to your best friend. 2. View the reckless money spend- er as a criminal, and shun his com- pany. 3. Dress neatly, not lavishly. A bank pays a higher rate of interest than your back. 4. Take your amusements judic- iously. You would enjoy them bet- ter. 5. Don’t throw away your crusts; eat them. They are strengthening as beef. 6. It is more exhilarating to feel money in your pocket than beer in your stomach. 7. Remember it takes only twenty shillings to make a pound, and twelve pennies to make a shilling. 8. You can sleep better after a hard day’s work than after a. day’s idleness. 9. Always get good value from tradesmen. They watch that they get good money from you. 10. There is as much pleasure in reading a good bankbook as a novel. The Standard Oil Company has probably been of more use to the world than it has been to John D. Rockefeller. Ed. Howe. —_———- >>> Most men reckon time by pay days. 29 Fourth National United States Depositary Bank = Deposits |Savings Deposits Commercial 3 Per Cent Interest Paid on Savings Deposits Compounded Semi-Annually 1 3% Per Cent Interest Paid on Certificates of Deposit Left One Year Capital Stock and Surplus $580,000 WM. H. ANDERSON, President L. Z. CAUKIN, Cashier JOHN W. BLODGETT, Vice President J. C. BISHOP, Assistant Cashier Manufacturers and Merchants Find Frequent Opportunities to Save Money by Having on Hand Available Cash Idle cash is loss. Cash invested is not always available. Certificates of Deposit draw interest, and the money they represent will be paid on de- mand at this bank, or at almost any other bank in the country. The Old National Bank 177 Monroe Ave., N. W. Grand Rapids, Mich. 30 Baby Bonds are Becoming Popular. The increasing practice on the part of our standard corporations to issue bonds in sums as low as $100 is bound to exert a strong influence for thrift in this country. Aside from the in- centive to economy which the con- ditions imposed by war unfailingly produce, we know of no other factor which should give more effective im- petus to a broadly beneficial thrift than the issuance of these “baby bonds” by corporations of stable character and sound management. A financial observer remarked the other day that it was probably a mat- ter of only a short time before all corporations would feel obliged to put out bonds in $100 pieces. It is fast becoming recognized that the favor of the small investor is worth seeking, not alone for his money but also for what he means morally and politically to the corporation whose creditor he is. Nota few of our great railroad system have taken pride in recent years in showing how the number of their stockholders are in- creasing from year to year; in other words, how more and more closely the ownership of these systems is be- coming identified with the public it- self. From the standpoint of the corporation, a close identification of its bondholding interests with the public is equally desirable. From the standpoint of the public, the benefits of ownership of securities in a sub- stantial business are clear. Some cor- porations—notably — several public setvice corporations, of late—havye been taking special steps in an effort to get their stocks and bonds into the hands of the general public. Stock has been offered, from one share up, at attractive prices. Sound business sense is behind these efforts, for it is seen that there are common ad- vantages of substantial character in this sort of public ownership of ser- vice corporations—a public owner- ship which has all the benefits and none of the bad features of municipal- ly owned service enterprises. Thirty of the large railroads, at least twenty-five standard manufac- turing concerns, nearly seventy-five light, heat and power corporations, at least one state and a number of our big cities issue their bonds in sums as low as $100. The popularity of the “baby bond” jis rapidly increasing, both from the standpoint of the issuer and the buyer. The small investor is happy to find that he need feel no embarrassment in going to a bank- ing and brokerage house and asking for one or two of these bonds. He is as welcome these days as the man with much money to invest. It is the army of small investors whose oper- ations in the long run largely guide the course of our securities markets. —Financial America. The Danger of Repudiation. An interesting discussion has arisen on the stupendous possibilities con- nected with the European war debt. What will Europe do? Will it shoulder its great burden and bear it in spite of the almost fatal handi- cap of the burden in costs of manu- facture for the international trade MICHIGAN TRADESMAN that is a vital necessity for most Eu- ropean countries? Or will there be- come some kind of repudiation? It is easy to think of a number of grave possibilities. What if Ger- many, which in the past has develop- ed almost to the point of what might be called an imperial socialism in the direct control of all its co-ordinated industry by the government, should say, “To bear the burden of debt is national suicide, let us begin anew, reconstruct from a clean foundation, pension the people of the Fatherland who gave all of their capital as we do the wounded and the children of the dead who gave their lives, and go into the economic war of nations on a new economic basis?” What would other countries do? So stupendous will the burden of paying for reconstruction DE, it is thought not at all unlikely that Eu- ropean countries may resort to 4 form of national bankruptcy or mora- torium, making easy terms with cred- itors. Perhaps foreign creditors would have their obligations honored in full. But there may not be the outside borrowing by any of the warring na- tions that it has been taken for grant- ed would be necessary; at least, there may not be the repudiable debt out- side of national boundaries that some who are speculating on repudiation have in mind. Financiers in close touch with the situation say that American investors, for instance, show no great avidity for European war bonds and very little formal war financing has been done here. It is Probable that any which may be done will be upon an ample collateral loan basis. in) fact. negotiations are even now talked of in the money markets by which Eng- land may establish credits in the United States by depositing English- owned stocks and bunds of American companies as security, par for par, Or upon a margin of 10 per cent.— Commercial West. —_~t7-_ War’s Demand for Gold. During the first half of the war the German government, foreseeing the need of hoarding all available gold, appealed to the people to ex- change their gold for national cur- rency. The response was a remark- able showing of patriotism. Not only big and little hoardings of gold coin, but also large quantities of gold jew- elry were turned into the national strong box, swelling by $250,000,000 the stock of gold in the Reichsbank. France inaugurated a similar gold campaign last July and the response was equally notable as a measure of national devotion. In six weeks the people turned into the Bank of France $78,000,000 in gold, surpassing the German record for the first six weeks by $8,000,000. Considering the vastly greater population of Germany and its immunity from hostile armies, while French territory is occupied by the enemy and its population scat- tered, the gold outpouring evidences the admirable thrift of the French people and their readiness to make any sacrifice in defense of the nation. —Omaha Bee. September 1; 1915 iness men are called upon, at sometime, to adminis- ee cee the situation demands the selection of conservative investments with as good yield as goes with “maximum” security. Municipal and first mortgage, serial, real estate bonds and certain kinds of public utility bonds are peculiarly fitted for such investments. ee Howe SNow CorRIGAN & BERTLEs 7 Siete MICHIGAN TRUST BLDG We ik. MICHIGAN INVESTMENT BANKERS will give you the benefit of their experience and the same competent counsel that has won for them the confidence of their large clientel and many banker patrons, ener THE PREFERRED LIFE INSURANCE Co. of America offers Old Line Insurance At Lowest Net Cost What are you worth to your family? Let us protect you for that sum. The Preferred Life Insurance Co. of America GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. GRAND RAPIDS SAFE Co. Agent for the Celebrated YORK MANGANESE BANK SAFE Taking an insurance rate of 50c per $1,000 per year. Particulars mailed. TRADESMAN BUILDING What is your rate? Safe experts. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN We Can Furnish The Experience, Prudence and Business Judgment your estate will need because Administration and care of prop- erty are our business, just as merchandising, manufacturing or protessional service js yours. Capital and Surplus $450,000 Robert D. Graham, President Hugh E. Wilson, Secretary E 4 a LEC Looe TES EA INOS OS See RUSS Se aR SR Boast cg pes oe F SSeS et et SURGEARREST RTE ONO HSS dha Ohta ht ee Pet ater En ae eo SANTEE ss ee SBS Sp AP Esha usr ae Sa RMIT ONSTAGE SUL aga ST a ae September 15, 1915 DAYS BEFORE THE DRUMMER, Merchandising Methods of the Long Time Ago. Written for the Tradesman. In the days before the commercial traveler. That was early enough, you may be sure, the days of pioneering in the wilds of Michigan, There were stores even at this early date. One of the first I call to mind was owned by Daniel Colwell, lum- berman. It was a two by four affair, consisting of a small square room about sixteen by twelve, with a plank across barrels at one side for a coun- ter. Over this counter a lot of merchan- dise found its way. was no regular attendant. Sometimes the store was locked up the greater part of the day, depending entirely on what the clerk, chore boy, man of all work, was at. The boss himself would be there at times. Usually, however, the dapper Jim Skadds held sway. Indians, loggers, back land settlers, river drivers and what not composed the customers. Of course, the mer- chant-lumberman dealt in furs. No to traffic in the muskrat, mink, coon and beaver pelts would have spelled small trade and little profit to the dealer. These furs were gathered later and shipped to a dealer in Detroit. To- bacco, calico, muscovoda sugar, very dark and very heavy, ready-made men’s wear, but no under-garments, for men wore no knit goods in those days. The man or boy fortunate enough to have a pair of drawers and undershirt got them from the good housewife who made them herself out of the domestic flannel—red flannel at that. You old chaps remember the days of home-made red flannel underwear. Boys usually went without, trusting to vigorous exercise and wood fires for warmth during the winter months. For the feet were stogie boots, In- dian moccasins, but no rubbers. No Goodyear had discovered his meth- od of working rubber into foot cover- ing then. Beef tallow mixed with beeswax formed the coating for boots to exclude the water, and by the way, this was not wholly successful, since very few active boys ever went home at night during the winter season with dry feet. ; Why didn’t they all die of con- sumption? Can’t tell you, but they grew up to be stalwart men and wom- en, even though they had wet feet the major part of the year. Those were good old times all the same, times such as the modern boy and girl would blink with holy horror to- day. Indians were frequent customers at the store, often fetching fish or veni- son to exchange for store truck. Veni- son hams’ brought 25 cents each, which was the established price, be they large or small. Liquor was sold There freely in that early day, Daniel Col- well having a barrel of the best bran- dy on tap most of the time. Whisky was used in making pickles. This could be bought for a small sum, usually 20 to 25 cents per gallon. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN There was considerable drunkenness. At one time a whole mill crew “got on a bender,” frightening women and children by their noise and rough actions, yet no one was injured by these backwoods celebrators. Colwell kept a small assortment of ready-to-wear garments. The gentle- men of that day wore black frock coat, black satin vest, high stock and tall silk hat. Once the Governor came to the woods on an excursion for the purpose of viewing an im- provement on the river. He was re- ceived by a delegation of pine bar- ons garbed in tall hats and regulation clothes as above described. Real old fashioned gentry they would appear to-day. No gentleman was “dressed up” unless he wore the regulation suit of black, with tall silk hat, a stiff dickey closed about with a heavy stock, his feet enclosed in a pair of fine boots. Two young Indians came to the store one morning, asking for tobac- co. They had no money but agreed to pay within a few days, remarking that “Injun no pay, send Injun to jail.” Just for luck, the merchant gave out the tobacco. He laughingly remarked afterward that he ought to have known better than to trust an Indian. They never returned to can- cel the debt. In fact, the redmen were notoriously dishonest, except for rare exceptions. Most of the tobacco was plug and kilikinnick smoking. Many pipe users cut and ground the plug in the hand for smoking. There were no canned goods in those days, not even the handy paper bags now considered ab- solutely necessary by every grocer. Everything came in bulk; coffee in large sacks and unroasted. Codfish packed whole in large bales. Apples dried, packed solidly in barrels; so solid, in fact, as to necessitate the use of a hooked instrument to loosen them up for weighing. Molasses and syrup came in barrels, from which it was drawn and measured. The say- ing, “Slow as molasses in January” originated from the tedious process of drawing the liquid sweets from the barrel on a cold winter’s day. When the big drive went down the river those people who had gar- den truck, including melons, had to watch out or there’d be a lot of the stuff stolen. Apples in the green state were comparatively unknown. Butter was the one the storekeeper, it being almost im- possible to obtain any that was palat- able. This came from Chicago in fifty pound firkins, country made, yet so long packed and so little cared for as to be rankly strong. I well emember the first new butter I ever tasted. It came fresh from the churn- ing and seemed a bit of melted am- brosia to the taste. grand puzzle to Mess pork came in barrels as now, cut, however, in huge chunks, ribs and all, each piece averaging from twenty to twenty-five pounds. All this was from heavy hogs not known to the trade at the present time. Keeping store in the woods in ante- bellum days was no snap. Goods had to be carted from twenty to forty miles over the rudest sort of roads, mud sometimes axle deep in fall and spring. The toll for drawing was from 50 cents to $1 per hundred- weight. With all the drawbacks, some of the pioneer merchants made a fair living and a very few got to the front as small capitalists. labor troubles, no There were no trades unions, every employer dealing directly with individuals. convinced that the back- woods merchant was as good a fel- low, as capable of enjoying himself as the dealer of the More than that, it seems to me he had quite as much fun to the square inch as does the modern merchant, despite his lack of automobiles, tele- phones and the like. Old Timer. —_+~-.___ Wistful. The archbishop had preached a fine sermon on married life atid its beau- ties. Two old Irishwomen were heard coming out of the church comment- ing on the address. I am Present day “'Tis a fine sermon his Riverence would be after givine us.” to the other. said one ’ “It is, indade,” was the quick reply, “and I wish I knew as little the matter as he does.” Kent State Bank Main Office Fountain St. Facing Monroe Grand Rapids, Mich. Capital - - - ~- $500,000 Surplus and Profits - $500,000 Resources Over 8 Million Dollars 3 hs Per Cent. Paid on Certificates << Largest State and Savings Bank in Western Michigan about 31 MT. MBL MT M7 Me oS YH, Gj E ee “a 4 qn A LT eND Pu yy i G SINAN yi AAS : ap nA A Aly a ¥ = y Us) WS AA A Ig | wT Si ix Gy # at SW iS > qi74igg oo | Ral sea S| HAAS © il Ras Tes | aCe ig { Sic] @ is Ly 4 GUAAIU EIS OB j Si ysl Mageidg 2 ill Malis i Sail AAT a7 A Wi (Rm soe Wag i) &@ as) SS as) Meee ai) st RMS gol. aE B59) s/o & 1 a SI i. | Sal j i SPaice i mati J | ere | mea) We want accounts of merchants and individuals in any form and will pay highest rates of interest paid in Grand Rapids Incorporated banks of Grand Rapids have never suffered a failure Gino pirinsS avncsP ance Incorporated 1870 Temporary Quarters Adjoining Corner Ionia and Monroe Ave. LT ACO CHIGAN STAT AMC enone” Both Phones ITH the largest green- houses in Michigan filled with all kinds of Cut Flowers and Plants we can care for your every want Call Henry Smith Cor. Monroe & Division €2 SCIENTIFIC SALESMANSHIP Consists in Interpreting the Custom- er’s Expressions. The problem of the salesman is to get the customer to learn about the merchandise, to become interested and get a desire to buy. This is es- sentially a phychological problem, for psychology deals with the meth- ods by which the mind gets ideas and uses them. It is a matter of common sense that the way to reach the customer's mind is through his senses, hearing, touch, smell and taste; but it is not a matter of common knowl- edge that individuals differ widely in their ability to acquire knowledge through these senses. It is a fact of psychology that some learn new things through their eyes more read- ily than through their while others learn much more through hear- ing than through sight. Those who learn most readily through their eyes those who learn most readily through their ears are called ear-minded. How to Reach the Customer’s Mind. The lessons from these simple facts of psychology for the salesman are perfectly clear. To try to sell the eye- minded must shew the customer the goods, point out the things that may be seen and give the customer the opportunity to look over the goods. The ear-mind- ed person must be appealed to by telling him the things he should know about the goods. Although he has eyes, he may not see until told, until appealed to through hearing. The eye-minded person understands what he sees the ear-minded person un- derstands what he hears, seeing, ears, are called eye-minded; person the salesman It seems that more people are eye- minded than ear-minded, but it may be stated that more people learn through the sense of touch than through either seeing or hearing. The sense of touch is a remarkable sense. Its contributions to the mind are not as definite as those from the ear and eye, but it seems to be no less pow- erful in helping the mind to form ideas. It is the oldest sense in the body. It begins to function before any of the others. It continues to work up to the point of death, even long after sight, hearing, smell and taste have passed away. The deaf and blind depend almost entirely up- on the sense of touch. Helen Kell- er’s wonderful achievement of a good education, ability to write and speak, are all due to her cultivation of the sense of touch. The Sense of Touch. Here, again, the lesson for sales- people is obvious. Get the mer- chandise into the customer's hands. Fit it on. Get the customer to feel it in some appropriate way. Appeal to the sense of touch just as you ap- peal to the eye and the ear. Every good salesman makes his appeal to the sense of touch. The machine salesman gets the customer to work the machine; the clothing salesman gets the customer to try on the gar- ment; the shoe salesman sells shoes by fitting the feet, and fitting means MICHIGAN TRADESMAN appealing to the sense of touch. Even the life insurance salesman appeals to the senses of touch by giving his prospect a card or folder to hold, something that will at least keep the touch nerves busy while he is trying to reach the customer’s mind through ear and eye. One of the reasons it is so difficult to sell insurance to some people is because they are neither ear-minded nor eye-minded. It is al- most impossible to make an effective appeal to them through these chan- nels. They are of the type who learn more through the sense of touch than through either hearing or sight. Without intimate knowledge of the customer it is impossible for any salesman to tell easily just which of the senses is the main highway into the customer's mind. This is a diffi- culty which can be surmounted by taking no chances. Appeal to every customer through as many senses as possible. Show the goods, tell about them, get the customer to feel them or try them on, and if there is odor or taste that should be known, get the customer to sample the goods in that way. Nearly all people who are not defective get some impression through all of their senses. It is bet- ter to have the impression reach the mind through two senses than one, better through three than two, even about the same identical point. Every Idea Has Its Effect. Another fact of psychology that has enormous significance in selling is this: Every idea which enters a person’s mind is accompanied by some feel- ing; and this feeling is either good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, satis- factory or unsatisfactory. There is no idea so small that it does not pro- duce some feeling causing the mind to like it or dislike it. It is easy to see how significant this fact is in sell- ing when one recalls that everything that the customer hears, sees, smells tastes or feels may result in an idea, and that every idea, whether fully formed or not, is classified by the mind as satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and therefore helps or hurts in mak- ing the sale, The store’s advertising, its archi- tecture, the window trim, the door- way, the store arrangement, the ar- rangement of goods, the appearance and dress of the salesperson, the voice, speech, breath, etc., all pro- duce their effect in the customer's mind, and that effect either helps or hurts in doing business. Knowing this fact, the merchant and the sales- people can set out definitely to have all these items produce satisfactory rather than unsatisfactory results. Another fact of psychology is that very idea that enters a person’s mind tends to be expressed. Not every idea is expressed, but it tends to be expressed. There are dozens of ways in which this tendency of expression may show. Speech, exclamations, shaking the head, movements of the hands or body, the brightening of the eye, the movements of the muscles of the face, laughing, crying, blush- ing, are all forms of expression. These expressions of ideas that are within the customer’s mind are very valuable to the salesman. Every good salesman watches his customer’s ex- pressions with great care, for it is by these expressions that he may judge whether he is showing the right goods, whether he is pointing out that which is interesting to the customer, whether he is on the right track or not. Skilful salesmanship consists in in- terpreting the customer’s expressions quickly, making the necessary adjust- ments if the expressions seem to indi- cate that the salesman is on the wrong track, or pushing ahead forcibly if the expressions seem to indicate fa- vor. No one can tell in advance what ideas will appeal to a strange cus- tomer. Every salesman must take a chance at the start, present some idea, then watch the customer for ex- pression. If the expression is good or favorable, then the salesman knows that he may push ahead safely and positively. If the expression indi- cates disfavor, then the quicker the salesman turns some new_ idea or phase the better for him. Paul H. Nystrom. What Brings Success? It is the everlasting keeping at it that counts in the long run; it is the sitting up nights to get a new angle to the old story; it is the careful thought and investigation that will show results. There is no short cut to success; no ready made “scheme” that will produce the steady stream of business which pays the real profits. Then to get the new people inter- ested in the store, there is the leader. Some special item you have bought for the purpose, or something on which you want to have a real “clean-up.” To be successful, the leader must be a real bargain; something the people can understand is priced low. There is nothing magical about this, but it calls for all kinds of thought and efforts in buying, advertising and selling. It must be handled with care, so that the business in “leaders,” sold at a loss or at no profit, does not become too heavy for the sales of goods at regular prices. Got Him at Last. Old Eben was walking along the street one morning, and one of his arms was in a sling. Mrs. Horton, who had often employed the old fel- low for odd jobs, happened to meet him and said: “Why, Eben, have you met with an accident?” “Yes, ma’am,” replied Eben, “1 did. I’se done up now, fer sho’! You see, dis arm in de sling, ma’am don’t you?” “Yes, Eben,” said the woman, sym- pathetically, “what has happened?” “Well, ma’am,” the old colored man answered, “I'll be 71 years ole nex’ harvest. I done see lots ob trubble in my day, ma’am, but by de grace er God I miss de Ku Klux an’ I miss de Whitecaps, ma’am, an’ I miss de vig’lance committee an’ de regulators, an’ now, ma’am, here in my ole age dem waxinators kotched me!” —_++>_____ Among others, the forger appre- ciates a good name. ‘these points. September 15, 1915 Keying Up the Salesforce. Most of the larger stores and some of the smaller ones give the clerks a 10 per cent. commission on_ find- ings sales. One store, whose force at some seasons of the year runs as high as fifty people, posts a weekly bulletin for the benefit of employes, findings records At intervals, rivalry is fur- showing the sales ot each, ther stimulated by allowing a small premium to the high man on the week’s sales, in addition to his reg- ular commission. An occasional store even of the im- portant class allows no commission, for fear the practice would lead to annoyance of customers. This atti- tude is taken by a certain concern which gives considerable space to find- ings, and also carries hosiery. “We depend upon the appeal to the eye and in keeping what the public wants,” said the manager of this store. “No favorites are played on makes of goods, nor do we try to substi- tute. Our stock is sorted up fre- quently from the local wholesale houses. We buy in small quantities and stick to standard goods, being guided by what people come in and ask for. This has proved more profit- able than our former system of buy- ing direct and in larger lots. The does not make up for the dead stock one accumulates. Our findings department is growing stead- ily.” An answer to the argument about paying clerks a commission is found lower price in the experience of another large store. “A clerk that has not got enough tact to bring findings to the attention of customers without an- noying them is not the kind of per- son we want in any capacity,” stated its head. “The whole thing lies in intelligent, truthful presentation of the matter. Effort should be made from the viewpoint of benefit to the customer. “After we have sold a man a nice pair of shoes, we would not be doing our duty by him if we failed to let him know of anything we had in the store that would prolong the good appearance and life of the shoes. When this is done and he shows no interest in the matter we drop it right there. We permit no importun- ing. The same, of course, holds true in the case of women customers. “It is important, though, that a clerk should know what he is talking about. For instance, a dressing that is the very thing for some leathers might eat up a kid shoe, but there are dressings made especially for kid shoes. We train our clerks on all A commission is the Proper encouragement to a clerk. If he is allowed to abuse it there is something wrong with the manage- ment. Findings have a natural, grow- ing sale because of the tendency of all things toward refinement. Any- thing that really adds to good appear- ance and comfort needs no apology. The public is glad to know of it.” ——_ s+ s_ When a girl goes around boasting of the number of men who have made love to her it’s a sign they didn’t ask her to marry. September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN To our Friends and Customers: We always look forward with much pleasure to the time of the year when we hold our reg- ular West Michigan State F air, for it is then we have an opportunity to meet and entertain many of our friends and customers who do not get in at any other time. This year it comes later than usual, but it will be ‘Bigger’ and ‘“‘Greater’’ than ever. During that week our Mr. Edward Wells Mr. S. W. Johnson Mr. W. D. Bosman will all be in, and with the rest of us will do all we can to make your stay a pleasant one. ber the day and dates—September 20 to 24. Remem- We hope you can so arrange your business affairs as to give at least one day, and more if possible, to visit not only our Fair but ourselves as well. Yours very truly, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Foster, Stevens & Co. 33 Robyn-Kander Movie Ticket Corporation AN ee eee eee ote Pea eee oo tae acts ot Makes the Movies Make Money for You YOUR CUSTOMERS TO THE MOVIES . < 008 tee ot amr en tte lett NEL EAP TY Let your customers and your customers’ children go see Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and all the other favorites of the screen by giving them Universal Movie coupons, which are as gocd as cash for admission to Moving Picture theatres in the United States and Canada. This Plan Appeals to Every Movie Enthusiast which is only another way of saying that everybody lkes it, because everybody likes the movies. People who won’t bother to save a thousand trading stamps can get twenty Universal Movie coupons with a few purchases and they'll buy from the merchant who gives them this reason for coming into his store. Write immediately for full particulars of our plan. It won't obligate you in any way and it costs nothing to find out about it. It is the most effective advertising plan ever devised, there is nothing hard to understand; nothing hard to do; but, it vets action and gets it QUICK! Write immediately, because we give exclusive distributing privileges and will give the preferense to merchants who make application first. We want LIVE merchants and live ones always act quickly when opportunity knocks at the door. 18 E. 41st St., New York 34 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 MAIL ORDER COMPETITION. Slurs and Insinuations Will Not Com- bat It. Personally, I am not sure but it would do a community credit to have a big public bonfire of all mail order catalogues, because it would show a community spirit, a united desire to help the town by putting the home interests ahead of outside interests; but that is not the merchants’ hope for meeting and beating mail order competition. This competition is go- ing to continue and it must be treated in a business way. The great ques- tion is as to what means will be the most effective in keeping trade at home. There are a few points on which we can not meet the mail order houses in our stores. We can not get out big illustrated catalogues like theirs. We can not employ high-salaried experts to write our advertising. We can not carry such stocks as they carry. We can not put out extensive lines of goods under our own brands to give us a chance to make a long profit on their unknown quality. But we do have a big advantage over the outside competition. We are right on the spot and we know our customers personally. We have per- sonal acquaintances and friends who like to trade with us. We can ex- tend credit. We can show people the goods before they buy them, and we can make delivery without delay and without ireight or express charges. Our guarantee can be given and accepted at its face value, because the customer is right where he can come and make complaints in person. Without doubt the advantage is very largely with the home merchant. He has many things in his favor. One trouble is that he does not take the opportunity to make his advantages count. One of the greatest customer- getters and customer-holders is the personal service. Many of us are not as careful as we might be to make this service count. We do a great many things to accommodate our trade, but we don’t always get credit for them. We are asked to deliver a bottle of magnesia or a half dozen quinine pills to the far end of town and we do it, but we are grouchy about it. Prob- ably it is reasonable that one should requests. They are unreasonable. But if you are going to make the delivery it ought to be done cheerfully, so you will at least get the credit for the ac- commodation. You know how you feel about an accommodation extended to you with a scowl. You accept it, but you don’t feel under any obligation for it. It is the chap who accommodates us cheer- fully who gets the reward. It costs no more to extend accommodations and to give customers service than to act as if it hurt, and it makes a vast difference in the results. feel grouchy about such Everything you can do to extend your personal hold on your customers will help to keep them from sending their money off where they will never see it again. The wider the circle of your friends the wider the circle of your customers. Some merchants seem to be afraid to talk to their customers about the catalogue houses. The subject is ap- parently a forbidden one in some stores. Of course, it is a good rule ‘to avoid advertising any competitor by talking about him, but when the competitor is an outsider, one who is deliberately acting the part of a parasite, sucking the financial life out of a community to which he contrib- utes nothing in the way of support, the conditions are rather different. I believe it is good business for the merchant to talk to his patrons who are inclined to patronize the mail order houses, asking them what they consider the advantage to be, enquir- ing as to what purchases they think they have saved money on in that way. This always opens the way for a friendly consideration of the differ- ence between the offer of the cata- logue house and that of the dealer himself. The dealer who supplies himself with mail order catalogues and keeps informed as to what their offers are in competition with his own lines, will be able to convince his patrons, if he will talk to them in a pleasant way about it, that apparent savings often disappear when everything is taken into account. The mail order house can not work any miracles. It can not do business for nothing. Its expenses average about 30 per cent. of its sales, which is higher than your store expenses. It is not the manufacturer it often claims to be. It has to buy goods and it must pay the manufacturer a prof- it on them. If it does manufacture some goods, its manufacturing de- partment calls for an investment which must make its proportionate return. The catalogue houses pay ex- cellent dividends on their capital stock, bigger dividends than most dealers net on their investment. Compare Their Prices With Yours. You can take the mail order cata- logue and go through the pages de- voted to the lines you handle and find that your prices average very much the same as theirs. In some cases they are lower. In most instances where there is a marked difference in price in favor of the catalogue, there is a difference in quality, and often this quality difference is not dis- cernible by the consumer. Even in the matter of well known brands the brand may not necessarily guarantee the mail order quality, since the mail order house is looking for a chance to make capital of a known name, regardless of whether the goods name regardless of whether the goods give satisfaction or _ not. There are seconds of some known brands. There are job lots bought of discontinued numbers. Such differences in the main are not detected by the consumer, save as the goods do not give him value re- ceived. But how many of us really know how much wear we get out of a pair of socks, or how many meals we get out of a package of breakfast food, or how long a gallon of paint wears? As consumers, as users of goods we buy, we are woefully Jacking in knowledge of whether we get our money's worth or not. We_ think mainly in terms of the purchase price. When we are buying from a man we personally know to be honest, this is all right, but when we are sending our money away from home, we ought to buy goods we can judge on their merits. Unfortunately, the consumer is rarely an expert buyer. One dealer was puzzled by the fact that a certain very large Chicago mail order house sold for 98 cents overalls apparently like those for which he asked $1, and which the mail order house claimed sold in most stores for $1.50. In appearance the overalls were of equal quality. The dealer resorted to the scales and found the mail order article weighed one-half pound less than his. Rather a small discount, 2 per cent., when the differ- ence in weight was 25 per cent, He tried the same plan with the mail or- der cotton flannel and found his weighed more to the yard and that he sold the 5 ounce weight 1% cents a yard cheaper. Quality First. If the merchant allows his talk to be all on price, if he discusses mail order competition with his patrons on a strictly price basis, he will get the worst of the argument. Quality must be considered. It is not fair or safe to assume that a horse blanket, for instance, is a horse blanket. Get hold of a mail order order blanket and measure it. The dollar blankets of the merchant, number 60 by 76 will probably measure about 62 by 78 as compared with the mail order blanket of the same price which they claim measures about 64 by 76. Don’t take any mail order statements for grant- ed, and don’t assume one bit more than they say about the goods. Their descriptions run thirteen to the dozen and their goods sometimes run only eleven, A number of large stores are get- ting out little catalogues of their own, which they supply to the trade to combat mail order competition. They mail these to all families within a trading radius and agree to send the goods out on approval. One dealer with such a catalogue in the hands of the people of the surrounding coun- try made an offer of 5 per cent. dis- count to all teamsters and truckmen and R. F. D. men covering his sec- tion. This encouraged them to ac- cept commission from folks along the road, and when they did get commis- sions they brought them to that store. Another dealer with a little cata- logue of his own, after mailing it out, sent out and also advertised in local newspapers special offers on the goods on certain pages of his catalogue. As the special offers mentioned the page by number and referred the reader to the catalogue for details, it encourag- ed, almost compelled the keeping of catalogues in order to benefit by the offers. This was his way of getting people into the habit of retaining and keeping his catalogues easy of access. A provision dealer goes to all the the people big buyers in his town, who habitually send out of town for goods because they feel they must buy in quantity at the very lowest possible rate. He gets these people to agree to submit to him before send- ing it their list for any needs. It is rarely that he can not fill the order with the same quality of goods at the same price, and where he has not a cheap, mail order quality, he can show wherein his goods will give better sat- isfaction and prove more economical in the end. Dealers in all lines ought to get the people to submit their or- ders to them before sending them away. In one town the commercial organ- ization arranged to sell gasoline at cost to all comers in such quantities as they could take in their cars. The garage men favored this plan because they were tired of selling this com- modity at cost. It did not take long for the word to get noised around and pretty soon every motorist in that section was taking that town in whenever he could. A live country storekeeper who wanted farmers to come to his store often made a special price on oats for feeding the horses if the teams were hitched there at feeding time. It was cheaper to feed at his hitch- rack than at home. Such plans get people into the habit of coming to the local stores, and the more the people visit the stores the less they will send away from home for goods. The trouble with many stores, par- ticularly stores where there is the most complaint about mail order com- petition, is that there is nothing real- ly attractive to bring people to them. Buyers, especially the women, want the store to be a pleasant place. The mercantile successes worth while are those where stores are made so in- teresting and attractive that people will want to come again and again. The man who regards his store mere- ly as a place where people can buy things, hasn't the right idea. He is working along the wrong line. People do not send to the mail or- der houses because it is easier. They do not send because it is cheaper. They do not send because they do not like the local dealer. They send for reasons less easily defined. It is not always easy to determine just why they send. A former mail order man told of investigating some of the purchases made, with a view to discovering why they received such orders. One prov- ed to be from a man on 110th street, New York City. He ordered a cheap iron bed and mattress and springs. It took four weeks to get the goods to him. He could have found the same goods at Bloomingdale’s right in his own city and had them deliver- ed without delivery charges, within six hours. No sound reasoning could explain such an order. This same mail order man stated that the house had 5,000 bona fide re-ordering customers right in New York City within reach of better stores, better stocks and better prices. Some things about the mail order trade seem difficult to explain. Frank Farrington. . , 1915 a n for must Owest ple to send- It is order it the not a show r sat- mical ught r or- them 'gan- le at tities The sause com- long ound tin m in who store oats “ams time. itch- get x tO the they ods. par- the om- real- lem. vant 4 i The a are in- a ople @ rain. ere- =, buy | e is i or- ‘hey a per. : do , a end t is just | of ASes why rOV- eet. leap ngs. ods the ght yer- hin wuld ted fide lew tter ces. der 1. September 15, 1915 an. aan. di MICHIGAN TRADESMAN “ 8 eo Your customers like this kind of raisin bread because it is made with this kind of raisins Mr. Grocer: The enormous publicity campaign of the California Associated Raisin Company will increase the demand for both raisin bread and package raiSins. You will get the greatest increase in sales if you sell California Raisin Bread Made With SUN-MAID Raisins and SUN-MAID Raisins in packages We are spending $160,000 to increase our business by first increasing yours. By means of a big, convincing, comprehen- sive campaign we are teaching the house- wives of America to buy from you more Cal- ifornia Raisin Bread and more Sun-Maid Raisins. Wholesale bakers also are going to advertise this bread. They will advertise your package goods because they will adver- tise Sun-Maid Raisins. This selling campaign is just being started. You have seen the first full-page advertise- ment in The Saturday Evening Post and The Ladies’ Home Journal. Others will follow throughout the fall and winter. Altogether nine full pages will appear this season in The Saturday Evening Post and two full pages and two half pages in The Ladies Home Journal. And this is just the national part of the campaign, consuming only a minor part of the sum we are spending to make people buy a profitable specialty from you. Our local pro- motion work will help you specifically in your sales of raisins and raisin bread. How To Get Maximum Results This campaign of ours will make some money for you anyway—whether you identify yourself definitely with itornot. But it will help you much more if you sell raisin bread made according to our prize recipe so that your product can be known as “California Raisin Bread, made with Sun-Maid Raisins.” California Raisin Bread, made with Sun-Maid Raisins, is so delicious that it advertises itself—and it advertises Sun-Maid package raisins as well. Sell This Bread Your wholesale baker can supply you with California Raisin Bread, made with Sun-Maid Raisins. We suggest that you get in touch with him at once—also ask your jobber about Sun-Maid package raisins, Send us this coupon—get the whole plan. Learn how you can make our huge investment bring more business. Mail this coupon to our nearest office. Coupon Please send me complete details of plan by which I can make more money through increased sales of raisin bread and package raisins, 19 eee tae Street aie noi ener cern nea ona arnee eee em aee cong con City Heme e ee aa mmm nnn enn en ann anemennmnnnaranencacacsuansmanaanane tuaamocdcscensscoaccecs California Associated Raisin Company Home Office, Fresno, California Hearst Building, Chicago . V rE ei ee pss a BEES Ee ee ee i , , 113 Hudson St., New York Ee oe akc ta a ae Sat ane Le fa ae SS a & E x ES ba | 35 36 September 15, 19:5 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ’ t i | it W.L COLWELL, Secret F.C.LETTS, President C. ELLIOTT, Vice- President. WM. C.PHIPPS, 24.Vice- President 2 nes Se Nene DETROIT, MICH. CHICAGO,ILL. DETROIT, MICH SAGINAW “AIC DETROIT, MIC : NATIONAL GROCER COMPANY | P OWNING AND OPERATING OWNING AND OPERATING PHIPPS-PENOYER & CO. GENERAL OFFICES NATIONAL GROCER CO. NATIONAL GROCER CO. - Desh Oise ones Se ice, JACKSON GROCER CO. 29-35 LARNED STREET,WEST NATIONAL GROCER CO. age: MICH. ov C.ELLIOTT &CO a NATIONAL ee oe NATIONAL GROCER CG CO: nN ONY CRC Coe MUSSELMAN GROCER co. DETR OIT, MICH. NATIONAL GROCER CO. TRAVERSE CITY, MICE. GRriaoc MICH. NATIONAL | GROCER co. NATIONAL ¢ GROG LY STE.MARIE, MICH. oe MICH. We present herewith illustration of our new wholesale grocery establishment in Grand Rapids (44 to 54 Ellsworth avenue, corner Island street) which represents the latest work in construction of this character. Chis building is uniform with the other recently-constructed buildings of our corporation, | own buildings, auto trucks, larrie edly in evidence. The feature, carefully planned and rigidly carried out the olive green trimming peculiar to all our s. ete., being decid- along lines of utility and beauty, gives our buildings, transportation service and trade marked brands of goods a uniformity This building embodies most up-to-date ideas in wholesale house construction, no re and distinctiveness not enjoyed by jobbers generally. all of the newest and asonable expense having been spared in the introduction of features which contribute to the comfort of our employes, to the rs well and faithfully. expedition . of their work and to our ability to serve our custome | 1915 September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN an THE NATIONAL GROCER COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. BRANCH Appreciates The increased business the trade has given us since we have been established in our new quarters. The large and enthusiastic attendance of merchants on the occasion of our our opening. The large and satisfactory volume of busi- ness our new customers have placed with us. This attitude on the part of our customers —both old and new—we take as sufficient evi- dence of their appreciation of the expenditure we have incurred in establishing ourselves in such a modern building. xxperience has demonstrated that it paid us to modernize, because our customers are giving us a business that justified us in incurring the expense. We have absolute faith in the value of reci- procity and our faith has been fully confirmed in the realization that our customers appreciate our progressiveness. They have demonstrated their satisfaction by the increased business they have given us since we put ourselves in a position to meet their needs and necessities at the lowest possible expense. We embrace this opportunity to express our thanks to our cus- tomers for their generous treatment of our institution and to ex- press the hope that the pleasant relations so long maintained be- tween us may be even further strengthened and augmented in succeeding years. NATIONAL GROCER COMPANY 38 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN If Obliged to Work, Consider the Compensations. Written for the Tradesman. Frankly speaking, we all wish we didn’t have to work. Or at least that we didn't have to put in our days do- ing such ordinary and irksome tasks Ella M. devolve way as now upon us. Fate has made a blunder and dealt us the wrong kind of a hand. No person so delicately organized and possessed of such high aspira- tions fine sensibilities as our- selves should be obliged to live a life of such menial toil. Doubtless there are people—there certainly ought to be—who are grateful for the chance to do any humble sort of work. They in some and are fitted to that kind of thing. It is what wise old Nature designed them for, and they would be unhappy were they lifted to some higher plane. But as for ourselves, we were to the manner born, as witnessed by our in- nate circum- repugnance to lowly Rogers In our inner consciousness we know that we are worthy of better things. If we are unmarried and have to earn our own living, then as already suggested Fate has made some la- mentable blunder in our cases, even Stances and conditions. allowing that she has not been inten- tionally unkind. And there have been reasons, hindrances, gigantic obstacles that have made it impossible for us to achieve any great measure of suc- cess. Despite the fact that we have had to make our own way, we could have risen to eminence and ease had we not been thwarted. If we are married and are obliged to cook and wash dishes and sew on buttons when properly we should be directing a retinue of servants and oc- cupying a distinguished place in so- ciety, it is of course because our hus- bands, while excellent men in every other respect, are not successes finan- cially. to—often far superior to—women who We are in every way equal are at the very apex, occupying that exalted position solely by virtue of their husbands’ money. The married woman who has to work has a cer- tain advantage over her unmarried sisters, in that she clearly is entitled to attribute her unsatisfactory cir- cumstances all to her husbana. It is not from selfish reasons that we desire the place in life for which we plainly intended. Oh the good we should be able to do, if we had money so that we didn’t have to were BISHOP’S SPECIAL SALE OF MANUFACTURERS SAMPLES Saves You from and sometimes more September 15, 1915 work, and so that our time would be our own! To inherit great wealth— that is such a nice way to get it—to have it handed down from generation to generation and for so long a time that everyone has forgotten just how the money made in the first place, and no one thinks to muck-rake about to find out whether or not it is tainted! was Having the money, by in- heritance or otherwise, how we should enjoy going about in our automobile, tastefully dressed in a neat, stylish tailored suit of excellent material, OFFICE OUTFITTERS LOOSE LEAF SPECIALISTS Lo. 237-239 Pearl St. (near the bridge) Grand Rapids, Mich. 139-141 ™M ara GRAND RAPIDS 25 to 50 Per Cent $38 AYRY \ » AW aNAAGA aah \ \ “AWWW WAY \ \\\\ * \ : yl \ a \ ih } Hl : / Wis, f i F i ) S ft] fa SSS i TS Hy / 1) yhddd dd dubia dda UE Aah MI \ worth $90 AAA ‘\ \ N\\\\\\ ions. one-third its real value - $29.50 to $900.00 whole floor of Chairs and Rockers. enamel furniture, now so popular, as September Brides cannot fail to outfits. Ionia Ave. and Louis St. This luxurious Davenport (exactly like cut) is seven feet long covered in a handsome Imported Floral Tapestry: has three removable seat cush- Here is real comfort—real hospitality in this big lounging piece at An entire floor of Dining Room furniture, Everything for the comfort of the Living Room, scores of exquisite suites in both modern and Period styles—hundreds of Single pieces— one Our Bedroom Department is a real treat. We will be glad to offer suggestions for your new home. BISHOP FURNITURE On the way uptown from Union Station - Special Price $38.00 Complete suites from All the newest ideas in well as Oaks and Mahogany. be interested in our complete home COMPANY Pianos - Players -Victrolas Largest and Most Com All Instruments Sold plete Display in Western Michigan for Cash or Installment s» «& Bs 206 Monroe Avenue AND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 15 September 15, 1915 aiding the sick and the needy. And we would send every ambitious boy and girl to college, and help every struggling art student, and further every good movement. We could fill the role of Lady Bountiful in a way that would be worth while. Or perhaps, if we had the time, we should aspire to doing some great work ourselves, say in painting or in music or in writing. Possibly we decorate china or give music les- sons or write up society items now. But financial necessity being removed, we no longer need confine our efforts to potboiling stunts. We should be free to compose the great song or paint the masterpiece or write the famous novel that we know is in us. The person who doesn’t have these feelings of noble discontent with a life of commonplace toil, certainly is a very poor stick so far as ambition and imagination go. Every person ought to have such feelings. But would it not be well to forget them for a little time and take a cool, im- partial look at just how it fares with people who do not have to work? A shrewd epigrammatist said, “If you want to know what the Lord thinks of money, look at the people who have it.” He might have added, “If you want to realize the Almighty’s approval of work, look at the people who don’t have to work.” Work—just plain hard work—has a wonderful quality of holding the human being level—of keeping him or her sane and sensible and of compell- ing a fairly well-balanced develop- ment of all the great, essential pow- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ers and faculties of the mind and « tremely difficult to decide what phil- soul. When one is freed from the necessity for going through a regula routine each day and producing cer- tain definite and tangible results, the usual thing is to fly off at a tangent. This may not be noticeable in the older generation—the fathers and mothers who have made the money. Force of habit keeps them in the beaten paths long after the accumula- tion of wealth has made any further work unnecessary. But is crops out in the children and the grand-chil- dren. With some temperaments it is dis- sipation and all the excesses and in- dulgences of high life. With others it is the unreasonable pursuit of some fad or hobby or sport. Almost al- ways when the spur and stimulus of necessity is removed, there comes on a softness and flabbiness of the men- tal and moral fiber. A degeneracy from the strength of the parent stock is almost inevitable. Keenness ot vision and soundness of judgment are very apt to be lacking, because these develop only in the school of experi- ence. The son of a wealthy father, despite all the supposed advantages of education and travel, is in most cases far less of a man than the sire, whose training was derived in the great university of hard knocks. As to those dreams of the good we might do if we had money, we should be likely to find most of them im- possible of realization. At least the people who actually have money and conscientiously set themselves to help their fellow men with it, find it ex- anthropic activities are in the long run really beneficial. Dispensing wealth with lavish hand is easy. But to use money so that it will strength- en instead of enfeebling, uplift instead of pulling down—this is a problem that few have solved. And in a final analysis and valuation of utilities, it doubtless is true that more of good is conferred upon human kind by each humble worker who does his” un- heralded task in life, than by the wealthy philanthropist who scatters a vast fortune in ways most of which necessarily are of questionable bene- fife As to the masterpieces we believe we should paint and the books we imagine we should write, a glance at the lives of great men and women soon convinces us that often genius flourishes best when _— struggling against seemingly adverse circum- stances. The man or the woman who can not find time to write the great book while leading a workaday life, usually would not write a very great book if relieved of all need of toil. The literary and artistic efforts of those who have all kinds of time and all kinds of money often are pitifully feeble. To the overworked person suffering from some slight aifment, it usua'ly seems that rest—cessation from labor —would restore perfect health. Often it would. But long-continued idle- ness is most unfavorable to health, as witnessed by the appearance and by the actual illnesses of wealthy hypo- chondriacs who have nothing else to 39 do but think of their maladies and exaggerate their discomforts and pains. Many who have money never gain any real leisure thereby. Some never succeed in shaking off the cares of business. They are the slaves of their offices and stores and factories. Oth- ers while free from actual toil go in for club work or for society or for some fad, till they labor just as hard as if earning a living. I know a woman whose hobby is raising flow- ers. Pursued in moderation this is a most delightful pastime. Carried to the extreme dictated by Mrs. G—’s relentless energy, it ceases to be a recreation. Indeed she would work no harder if earning her bread at the washtub. Some who do not have to work fail to find other healthful interests and occupations, and, in consequence suf- fer from ennui. So it goes. With us who are obliged to work it seems that with leisure and plenty we should be perfectly happy. But a little observa- tion of those who have leisure and plenty soon convinces us that these will not satisfy. It seems to be the sensible conclusion that work is the great tonic-stimulant which we need: that better than anything else it keeps our brains clear and steady and our energies coursing in normal channels: that while we never may be entirely reconciled to it, we are better off for having it to do. Ella M. Rogers. —_>++>____ Did you ever hear of a president of this great and glorious country tak- ing a prize at a baby show? the best. You Need a Piano in Your Home Get the Best---The Bush & Lane The Bush & Lane is a leader among the best pianos because of its pleasing, lasting tone quality, easy touch, handsome appearance and beautiful construction. It is used in thousands of the best homes in America and is used and endorsed by many prominent musical artists and teachers. The Bush & Lane is the piano for your home if you want Your choice of many styles of Grands, Uprights and the famous Bush & Lane Cecilian—The Piano Anyone Can Play For further information address Bush & Lane Piano Co. Ome Holland, Mich. 40 DEACON BURTON’S LE How He Aptly Illustrated an O] roverD. you keep me on the jump from the time I’m out of bed until I get into it, and where’s for; don’t you think so: The didn’t think it best to answer that and left the boy to his meditations, were not cheerful. deacon moment his father Didn’t he that for a good while now he had been doing a man’s work and that his “keep” had earned many times over? Didn’t he know that a boy wants which just at that What did for? want to act that know Vay been a little change in his pocket and doesn’t he know that, when a fellow gets to be a man grown, it’s a good deal of a come down to have to ask for every cent he wants and worse than all after he has asked for what he has honestly earned, to be turned down with “Oh, I guess you c’n get without any half- dollar.” along MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ne anc Hang ” or not. Richard Malcolm Strong. around as if ask you for < be the amount work if I should one day in th Say SO, is soon said; Help me i and don’t bother me ever again about spending money. No. There you have it, No. Furthermore you want to keep away from that Hanson gang. You've got work enough right here to keep you busy and if you hain’t Vil sumthin. Come, get to work.” ’ Oo corn hunt up For half a minute the only sound in the granary was that made by the falling I'm going over to Hanson’s ’m to work one day in the week if get them to let me. If you are to whip me when I get back why y that before I go?” “Words had lost there; rhetoric was vain,” and white with seized a wrath Deacon walnut withe that chance had left leaning against the grain bin and with it uplifted in his passion- shaking hand approached the unruffled Bob who without waiting for his father rushed towards him and before the blow could descend grasped his father’s wrists and held them as in a vice. Burton “Robert Burton, let go of me””—He didn’t—“Let go of me, I say.” The boy kept his strong grasp. There was an attempt on the deacon’s part to wrest himself from the strong hands that held him. He might as well have September 15. two use ; stopped strugglin understanding D> ecause I’m lar more money th kind of young folks ike they invite me and I like but I have to do as the others hat takes more money and that’ want it for. I don’t care about going with girls, othe fellows take girls I shall have to and hat calls for more pocket money. Will you be willing to let me have one day a week and pay me for it as Hanson is willing to? It + full work but I want a full day’s pay and that will cost you $2.50. Wil agree to iff shall be a “Was that what Hanson was going to pay you?” “I was going to stick him for $3: but at home here, Ill do it for $2.50. Is it DY a go It was. The deacon hit on Saturday, the farmer’s day for going to town, but Bob had made his point and even y spent in town wasn’t especially profitable to men or boys. He found out some thing else and it hurt. that in dealing with men, even, if one of these were his father, business is business that the side that can make the sharpest bargain comes out ahead. He early saw that giving his father the benefit of the half-dollar mistake and that the deacon was going He found that his working day at home was both long and hard. own and Was 4a ¢ to make the most of it. Jobs were put off until then that were hard and disagreeable. On Saturdays “Come, Bob,” disturbed his morning slumbers—alw ays very precious to the boy of 16—as soon as daylight streaked the east; that the nooning if there was any was short and that the lantern’s dim light helped him finish up the day’s work. That this condition of things did not have a tendency to strengthen the kind- ly relations between father and son can be easily seen. It didn’t; and the effect on Bob not only awakened but fostered the determination of getting even with his father and then to forge ahead at every possible opportunity. The first strike-back was the home day job. After a month of trial, a month that taught Bob that affection and business had nothing to do with each other, he went again to the Hansons’ and transferred his working day from home to them. Of course there were words and a scene which might have ended in disaster. The deacon, however, knew which side of his bread was buttered and merely hinted to his son that he'd better hire out to Hanson and done with it, a Statement which Bob promptly met with the remark that Hanson wanted just ai September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ry ay a EEA NN IRAE A HOES as (7 VQ .: ia? The representatives of the following great wholesale houses dis- tributing carload upon carload of this superb coffee will explain those ‘‘reasons.’’ Your customers find them in the coffee itself---See! JOU ULUUUUUUU UU UU UU AULA ALIA UAL LAUER ap af - JUDSON GROCER CO., Grand Rapids LEE & CADY, Detroit—Kalamazoo—Saginaw BAY CITY GROCER, CO., Bay City BROWN, DAVIS & WARNER, Jackson GODSMARK, DURAND & CO., Battle Creek FIELBACH COMPANY, Toledo Re te De Pe oe CR er OR oer PRIA IIIA IDA IAA DADA IDA IDI DAI AA DAA AAS ASA AAAI SAS DAS SAS ASIA SAS ASSIA SA SAS SAAS AS AISA SAA ASSIA SSSSAASASAISSSASA SASS ASI SISASSSASSSSASSSSSASSASASA'CL - FRR toto ARO BRO OOO ROR UULUL UU ULL UL ULL UU UU. UCU. UU LULU. O UU. O ULL OULU ULL LE 42 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 that and that he was seriously thinking of it; that short hours over there was the rule and that there was to be no piling up of mean, hard jobs for the sake of having them done for next to nothing. So the month of December came and the restored half-dollar to his weekly in- come and with it came the extras which are attendant upon the Christmas holi- days. One of these had been taking shape in Bob’s mind all the fall, no more and no less than “a bang up” suit of clothes, made for him by Blum, the well known tailor in the city. That was an easy matter to master; but young Bob had now in his mind the half-dollar that his father had made him earn several times over and he concluded that now was a good time to get some of those hard-earned half-dollars back again, a job that from his recent experiences with his father did not promise to be an easy one. The clothes question was one that the two had often discussed, since the time the boy had out-grown the time-honored custom of wearing out the garments of his paternal ancestor, when the ready- made counter became a point making the discussion at times especially acute, the deacon insisting that “’s long’s your’e growin’ ‘t don’t make no differ- ence what you wear;” and the boy on the other hand insisting that he was big enough to have his clothes made for him and he was going to have them —a statement, however, he was careful to make under his breath. For a day or two after that, How? become an important question and the more he puzzled with it the harder it seemed. At last the young fellow came to breakfast determined to have it out and over with one way or another, and jumped into the middle of things by asking the deacon what he considered a fair price for “my” colt. “Your colt? I didn’t know you had had any colt.”’ “Star’s my colt, you gave her to me the day she was born. Didn’t he, mother? “He certainly did.” “And didn’t he say if I took good care of her she'd be the likliest mare in the state and that I’d get a good price for her?” Wes.’ “Oh, well, I suppose I did, but of course I meant that you could call her yours if you wanted to, but as long as you're a minor, Bob, that’s all such talk amounts to.’' For a moment fear and anger—the white banner and the red—fought for the possession of Bob’s cheeks. His swallowing troubled him. With the help of his coffee he managed not to let his angry passions rise; but to his mother, the red gathering in the boy’s cheeks showed which banner there had fallen. “Then old Speckle isn’t my hen? “No.” “Nor has Topnot been my rooster all these years.” “That’s right, my son.” “And all these 150 hens and chickens that are now on the place are not mine?” “Not a feather of the whole flock.’ “But, father, don’t you remember that you told me if I would take care of them and not call on you for their feed that I might have all I could make out of the eggs and poultry? Didn’t he say that, mother?” “That’s exactly what he said.” “And, father, for seven or eight years, those fowls haven’t cost youa cent. You helped me plow up that two-acre lot for a year or two until I was big enough to hold a plow and since then I’ve done it myself. You know I paid an extra price for both Speckle and Topnot out of my own money, and every fowl now on the place are chickens old Speckle has hatched. All that time every egg and chicken we’ve eaten and sold have been mine. Are you going to pay me any- thing for them? “Why, Bob,, they’re mine; why should I pay you for them. A minor can’t hold anything, and not until you're 21, when you will be your own boss, will anything be different. “Then what's mine yours and what’s yours ’s your own; is that it?” ‘hats just it. Bob?’ “Then nothing’s mine?” “Not unless I say so.” “And because I’m your boy I can’t buy a cent's worth of peanuts unless you say I may.” “That's the idea. You see until you are of age, I’m responsible for you. I’m bringing you up. I have to pay your bills.” “And if I should be in town and wanted some peanuts and didn’t have the money and the dealer should charge them, then you'd have to pay for them. “That’s the way it goes.” “Then I don’t see as there's any use in my trying to live until I’m of age.” And with that the morning meal ended, while the mother, like Mary of old “pondered all these things in her heart.” A month later Dawson, the village lawyer, had a caller who brought with him a bill from a tailor, Blum by name, for “suit for son $45; overcoat for same $60.” The lawyer read the bill carefully over. “Goods delivered all right?” Nes “Any same?” “Not that I know of,' “Well, then, so far as I can see all you have to do is to pay the bill and be thankful that you have a son worthy of the good clothes that Blum is sure to make.” “I'll never pay a cent of it.” complaints from wearer of Dawson looked the bill carefully over, removed his spectacles, which he held in his hand, and then turning in his desk chair until he faced Deacon Burton, his friend and neighbor for a good many years, said very kindly, “Deacon, with a discretion beyond his years Bob came to me before the bill was con- tracted and told me the whole story from the beginning to end. It isn’t a story that you would care to have*the gossips get hold of. If you were a poor man and couldn’t meet this paper with- out inconvenience you might have the sympathy of the community, but I judge not. You are not, however, a poor man —well heeled people call you. Bob, your son, needs the clothes and is willing to pay for them, and when you refuse, he, finding out in some way that a minor can hold his parent or guardian responsi- ble for his acts, goes ahead, gets what he wants and you pay the bills. That’s what you have got to do now, and you'd better do it without a word. For a man in your position, Deacon Burton, that deal about the horse and _ chickens doesn’t sound well. They are ‘skin games,’ both of them, even when played man with man and when it comes to playing them with a man’s own flesh and blood, it isrit just the thing. It hurts; and, Deacon, the greatest harm comes when the boy finds out that his own father has cheated him, for that fact once fixed in a child’s mind removes all respect, and a parentage without that can only be harmful. “So then, my friend, pay this bill cheerfully and, with a boy like Bob, you can well affqrd to pay others like it, providing there is the slightest tendency in so doing to establishing between you a companionship, which is the condition that both need most. Men with sons who are young men are apt to forget when the boy approaches the man line that once across that childish things are to be put away and there is no greater outrage for young manhood to put up with than the treatment belonging to a period, as the boy thinks, long past away. No, Deacon, there is no charge and if the time ever comes when you and Bob look upon each other as the best friend each ever had, I'll make believe that ] had a hand in it and rejoice with ex- ceeding great joy. When the next Sunday Bob came down in his new suit, great was his surprise to have his father admire it and tell him how well he looked in it. He insisted on helping him put on the overcoat and after looking it all over concluded that that same Blum was going to make him one as soon as he could get to town. What do you guess Bob had for a Christmas present that year? A state- ment duly signed that Star and the poultry were Bob’s to have and to hold as it pleased him; and the boy found in the carriage house a new rubbered-tire buggy and a new harness; and better friends than Bob and his dad are to be found nowhere. Richard Malcolm Strong. —_2-<__ Putting the Store on a War Footing. Business, no less than war, has its victories. Business, in fact, is a form of warfare, even though we carry it on in the most friendly way and avoid the slashing and cutting forms of competition. The only way to win in any form of wariare is to keep on a war foot- ing. If you are to be prepared for the unexpected moves of competi- tors, if you are to secure the advan- tage to be gained now and then by a quick movement of your own, you must be ready for the unexpected and you must be prepared to do the unexpected. If you let your stock run down to the point where an exceptionally good customer may at any time wipe out the entire supply of some staple item, you are taking chances of losing sales, due to the ordinary, average demand that will keep coming along all the time while your shelves are temporarily empty. If you keep merely enough stock of an item to take care of the average business, you will not be able to get the bene- fit of the nice, large exceptional pur- chase that comes along unexpectedly, It does not pay to carry a large over- stock of any line, even staples. ‘To have too much money tied up in stock is as bad as to have too little. There is, however, a happy medium, an amount of stock that will take care of the steady trade and of any ex- ceptional demand within reason, while not tying up so much capital that the overhead charges on it, interest. insurance, depreciation, etc., will eat up the extra profits coming from hay- ing enough goods for any demand. The store on a war footing should have a clean, staple stock; abundance of the goods that sell and the least possible amount of excess baggage— lines that sell little or not at all. There should be enough working capital to enable the manager to buy what he needs to buy when he needs to buy it without having to skimp on the purchase. There should not be more working capital than is ever needed because that causes a loss. There should not be an overstock of cash in the bank any more than an overstock of goods in the store. But far better to have more money than is really needed in handling the busi- ness than to be met with a lack of money at a critical moment. War- fare of the business kind as well as of any other kind needs enough avail- able funds to provide for emergen- cies, and while we donot expect emer- gencies, they come inevitably and they must be met. If there are in the store employes who are suspected of a lack of loyal- ty, they should be replaced at once. They should not be retained, even though there are none to take their places at the time. No business war can be waged successfully with trai- tors in the camp, and when a man ceases to be actively loyal, he is at least passively traitorous. Those who are not openly for us can usually be counted against us. The store must be manned by a force unhesitatingly devoted to its in- terests, willing to do all its duty and willing to go further and make any proper sacrifice in the interests of the business. Soldiers in business or in the army are of little value in a fight if they are willing to do only as much as they are actually and specifically paid for doing. The store that is go- ing to succeed in its battles with com- petition must have a force that stops at nothing short of the utmost pos- sibility, that is devoted to the suc- cess of the cause, of the business. —_++.___ Peculiar Coincidence. A passenger on a New York-Cleve- land sleeper, on awakening in the morning, found under his berth one black shoe and one brown one. He called the porter and directed his at- tention to the error. The porter scratched his wooly head in utter be- wilderment. “Well,” asked the exasperated pas- senger, “what’s the matter?” “Now, if dat don't beat all!’ ex- claimed the porter. “Dat's de second time dis mawnin’ dat dat mistake’s happened.” renee a alll September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Our Latch String is Always Out Make Your Headquarters Here During the Fair E are always glad to meet out of town merchants, not only those handling our shoes, but all who are interested in the manufacture of high class footwear. NEXT WEEK—FAIR WEEK—we will be especially pleased to take visitors through our factory. Comein. Let us show you the many operations required to make shoes. See them in the various stages of manufacture. An hour's time spent in our plant will prove instructive as well as interesting. We will expect you. Rindge, Kalmbach, Logie Company Grand Rapids, Michigan MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 SALESMAN SCORED. Scooped His Competitor Because of Keen Ears. Kedzie Afton stepped down on the running board of the street car and taking a heavy sample case in one hand and a small grip in the other, made ready to jump to the ground the instant the nearest point to the Union Station was reached. When the car had slowed almost to a stop he stepped off, bag and bag- gage, putting his foot on the edge of a hole in the badly worn paving and then sitting down abruptly in the near- est puddle, taking his impedimenta upon his lap with an abruptness that did not suggest a mother taking her tired child to her bosom. Funny as this may have been for the fellow passengers of Kedzie, it was not at all funny for him. He scram- bled to his feet and made his way as rapidly as possible, with some mis- givings as to his appearance from behind, into the Syracuse depot only to see that he was two minutes late for the “Empire” by the depot clock, and to be told by the gate man that he was five minutes late. Checking his baggage, he went out and soon returned wearing a new pair of trousers and a grouch two sizes too large for his countenance. He bought a magazine and found he had had the same one before, hav- ing bought it on the train minus a cover, the cover being retained by the newsboy to return. He cursed inwardly the custom of a few maga- zines accepting returned covers and got up and bought a New York morn- ing paper. While searching through this for a continuance of the news story that had been featured on the front page the day before, he heard a girl's voice saying the other side of the high back seat: “It’s a shame we can’t go to-day, but father promised a man he would be in the office at 5 this afternoon; something about buying a lot of oil before flaxseed goes up, ii you know what that means.” “I guess I do know. We had to have our house painted a few weeks ago. Flaxseed oil is linseed oil and it is something that they make paint out of and it goes up when your house needs painting and down after you have painted it.” The laugh that followed this re- mark was such a real laugh, such a contagious, enthusiastic laugh that Kedzie found himself chuckling over his newspaper, for he himself was connected with the paint trade. In fact he was selling oil. His chuckle gave place to a look of craftiness that would have done Sherlock Holmes or William Burns credit if either of them could live up to the look. Here was a dilemma presenting it- self horns first, and far from desiring to escape from the horns of this said dilemma, Kedzie was at once filled with a desire to grasp them both. Perhaps “dilemma” is not just the word here, but that is what he called it and that is good enough. Kedzie Afton called himself a con- noisseur in feminine voices. He could detect, so he claimed, in the voice of the hotel dinning-room girl the note that stamped her as the un- fortunate victim of the financial mis- fortunes of a dreamer father or the tone that placed her as a member of that dining-room girl class of hoboes which is the feminine counterpart of the tramp printer. Kedzie could not see over the back of the seat without standing up and looking over. Manifestly this would be 1ude. If he were to leave his po- sition and walk around by the end of the long seat he might miss just the word that would tell him who she was and give him the key to a car-lot or- der of oil and perhaps a chance to plan effectually a meeting with the girl whose laugh was all that was needed to place him on her waiting list. He looked at his watch. There was less than three hours’ time in which to find out who was buying oil and get there ahead of the 5 o’clock man. He ran over in his mind the local paint manufacturers he had seen. None of them had fooled him be- cause none of them had a daughter. He knew their family histories. There could be no other paint man in the city, for his salesmanager never miss- ed anything like that. The two girls talked on, but made no further refer- ences to paints and oils. But the girl with the father did make frequent references to Albany. It was evident she had recently moved to Albany from Syracuse and that her friend was just returning to the former city. Suddenly at the mention of a name, the name of a firm of Albany paint and oil jobbers, Kedzie jumped, jump- ed so quickly in fact that his hat went over the back of the seat into the lap of one of the girls. Kedzie himself followed it, so far at least as the top of the seat where he received it back from the girl with the voice he liked and a face he liked even better as he thanked her for the hat, and then he precipitately rushed to the checking counter and rescued his sample case. He had remembered of a sudden that this firm of Albany paint and oil deal- ers had just opened a branch jobbing house in Syracuse. Taking the first public conveyance he found outside, a dilapidated taxicab with a sputtering cough, he hurried to the office of Boswell & Upmann. “The buyer is waiting for me,” he told the boy and was soon in the pres- ence of Henry Upmann himself, for the cld tartar was taking personal charge of the new jobbing venture. Without any attempt to introduce himself since no introduction seemed to be expected, he said, “About that car-lot of oil, I have samples here I would be glad to have you see.” “Get ’em out,” said Upmann with- out stopping the signing of checks for the weekly payroll. The conversation that followed was of grades of oil and of freight rates and terms. At last an order was made out and Kedzie placed the blank in front of Upmann for signature. After careiully reading the items and terms, it was signed and Upmann bade the salesman “Good day.” As Kedzie climbed into his taxi- cab another drew up and a man whom he knew as Morgan of the Grinder Oil Company alighted and hurried into the office. “There’s where Smarty Afton’s house gets a notice to cancel an or- der for a car and a half of oil,’ said Kedzie to himself as his taxicab am- bled down toward Salina street. “It will take old man Upmann just about a minute to look up his copy of my order and see that the heading does not read ‘Grinder Oil Company.’ I might better have used what little good sense I have and told who I was and taken my chances.” About half way to the Union Sta- tion the driver of the taxicab got into a pocket and before he could get out he had stalled his engines Then fol- lowed a series of cranking experi- ments and shiftings of levers and pushings of buttons. In the mean- time Kedzie waited. He had missed one train and secured an order that would probably be cancelled if Up- mann could make the house see it as he saw. As a matter of fact, how- ever, there was a little clause in the order which stated that the same was a contract which could not be can- celled. Still, Boswell & Upmann in Albany had for years bought from Kedzie’s house through another sales- man, and if they wanted the order cancelled, the house after knowing how it was obtained, would probably cancel it. For half an hour Kedzie waited pa- tientiy, mainly because his mind was fully occupied in thought and he had nothing else to do. Eventually an- other taxi arrived and towed in the cripple and Kedzie at last took a later train to Rochester. As he settled into the one empty chair in the diner, opposite a hat with a feather that dangled across the table and nearly tickled his nose, the hat suddenly tipped back and he was look- ing at the very same girl he had met that afternoon in the station. “Why!” exclaimed Kedzie, 1 thought you left on an earlier train.” Then he blushed as he thought of the apparent rudeness of his speech and the assumption it contained that he had been eavesdropping. When away from the other girl this girl was not so very aggravating to the eyes. In fact she was percept- ibly good looking. She laughed. “Oh, you're the man who threw his hat into the ring and then ran as soon as he got it back.” “Yes, I’m the man,” said Kedzie, hts courage returning. “Isn’t Miss Up- mann traveling with you?” It was the girl’s turn to look sur- prised and she immediately accepted the opportunity. “Do you know Katherine!” she exclaimed rather than asked. “Only by sight,” replied Kedzie. “T know her father. I am connected with his line of business.’ “Then perhaps you know my _fath- er, George Morgan of the Grinder Oil Company? He is back in the next Pullman now.” Fortunately, at this juncture the waiter created a diversion by depos- iting two large chunks of ice on the table, surrounding them witha film of water in a tumbler, and presenting both the people with menu cards and pencils, . “Why, I—that is, I met your fath- er this afternoon out at the Boswell & Upmann place.” “Isn’t that nicer” said the girl. “He will be in here in a few minutes. In fact, I had been saving your place for him, but now he will have to sit across the car. Are you a salesman?” Kedzie hesitated as he was about to write “25 Bbl Coffee” and changed it to “One pot coffee” and said: “Why, yes, yes; sometimes I think I’m a salesman and then again I think maybe I’m just a kind of demonstra- tor for a nerve food. If you don’t mind I will change my place. I see a man getting up at the other end of the car and that will leave this seat for your father.” “T couldn’t think of letting you do that,” said Miss Morgan. “Father may not be in right away. He was not feeling very well when we got on the train and he told me to come and get dinner and he would come a little later. He is telling some friend about some order he didn’t get this afternoon and it may take him half an hour to get to feeling right,” and the young lady smiled with a remi- niscent look that indicated that she had seen her father feeling the same way before. hus reassured regarding the tem- porary absence of Mr. Morgan and assured of his unfriendly attitude when he should finally arrive, Kedzie looked at his watch and at his order and crossing out “Ghicken a la Mary- bowl shredded wheat and milk.” and handed the or- der to the waiter, saying, “That's all, George, hustle it, please.” As the girl looked up at the last instructions Kedzie explained, “I want to make room for your father. I’m not hungry to-night. I hardly ever eat anything much at night—on a din- er.” “Miss Upmann and I went to board- ing school together,” said Miss Mor- gan. “I’ve been visiting her and she and her father expected to come on to Rochester with me to-night, but some salesman kept her father and now they are coming to-morrow. The joke of it was we found out at the last minute that the salesman was my father and Mr. Upmann didn’t buy any oil after all. That’s what dad’s telling a friend about now. He’s pret- ty much disgusted. I don’t know much about it though.” Kedzie shuddered as he broke up the shredded wheat. In a few minutes Kedzie was through with his lunch and express- ing the hope that he might meet Miss Morgan again, he arose and started out of the car. The narrow entrance way was filled with two big men who came slowly through, the one behind saying in a voice that was easily heard, “Somebody must have got to Upmann. I couldn’t get anything out of him and he’d practically promised me an order, too. That was his part- ner, Boswell. we passed in the last car—came out trom Albany this after- noon—going back to Syracuse to-mor- 2 land,” wrote “One 45 ' Ye Olde Fashi “Double A’”’ on Every Piece Is good for young and good for old, It stops the cough and cures the cold. Grand Rapids, Michigan Horehound Candy Made only by Putnam Factor yy National Candy Co. September 15, 1915 it d t- st r- r- = os a a to 0 eS ee eS emt a OD CeO S206 > 6 46 row. I’m going to see him after din- ner and I'll get an order from him all right, and don’t you think I won't.” Kedzie stepped behind the head waiter to let Morgan and his friend pass by. “Boswell on the train,’ though Ked- zie, “and a prospect for oil too. Well, no doubt they needed oil at the Al- bany house and maybe Kedzie’s broth- er salesman in that territory had missed something good.” “Here, porter, find Mr. Boswell, Mr. J. C. Boswell, of Albany, in this car,” and he slipped a coin in the waiting palm. “Right there, sah; right in that fo’th right hand seat, sah,” said the porter as he returned. “Mr. Boswell, of Boswell & Up- mann?” asked Kedzie as he stopped before that gentleman. “Yes sir,’ said Mr. Boswell. “Will you sit down?” “Only a moment, Mr. Boswell. Did you know raw oil goes up 10 cents to- morrow?” “Ten cents above what it’s been sell- ing ior this past week!” exclaimed the paint and oil man with unfeigned in- terest. “No, I hadn't heard that. Who are you? Is that information straight?” “T am Kedzie Afton, salesman for the Michigan Oil Company. I had a wire from the house just before leav- ing Syracuse. I can sell you oil to- night at the old price. In the morn- ing you will have to pay 10 cents more from any standard maker. I am shipping a car to your Syracuse house and I would like to ship a car to Albany. You know our oil. You have it in stock. There is none bet- ter. Kedzie was slipping another order bearing the Boswell & Upmann signa- ture into his pocket just as Mr. Mor- gan and his daughter came into the car. Miss Morgan was ahead and saw Kedzie take leave of his cus- tomer. In the very front seat in the day coach right next to the baggage cars Kedzie found a place where he could stretch out his long legs and feel safe from interruption while he reviewed the day. The next morning in the Rochester station Mr. Boswell awaited the ar- rival of his partner. Mr. Morgan’s daughter accompanied him and wait- ed anxiously to tell Miss Upmann about certain events. Mr. Morgan himself hovered around in what might be termed the offing. With the arrival of Mr. Upmann’s train there was a general greeting and except for Mr. Morgan’s apparent reserve, evident Mr. Morgan was leav- ing on the same train and made haste to be off. Somebody must have said, “Oil,” yr Upmann said, “Well, he was right. y George, he’s onto his job all right. I wish I could find him this morning. Parker’s going to quit the road and we are up against it unless we can get a man to fill his place.” “There he goes now!’ exclaimed Miss Morgan as Kedzie raced across the waiting room to get the train just about to pull out. Kedzie did not see the group but good feeling. fc B MICHIGAN TRADESMAN he heard someone call, “Afton!” He turned and saw his worst fears real- ized. He hesitated. A minute prob- ably meant his train lost and his or- ders cancelled. Boswell called again. “Come over here. Let that train go.” He was introduced to the young la- dies and, with apologies, the gentle- men led him to a seat and suggested the desirability of his improving his opportunities by taking the place of the retiring Parker. “We have just bought a lot of oil that we must sell before the price be- gins to slump,” said Mr. Upmann. “I think you are the man we need to help sell it. Our house is not as big as the Michigan Oil Company, but there are compensation. We pay as big salaries to our best salesmen and we give you a chance to get into the firm some day. Don’t decide this now. Think it over a day or so and let us know.” Kedzie glanced from one partner to the other and then looked over the back seat at the young ladies. Miss Morgan’s friend looked up at that moment and smiled. “T’ll come,” said Kedzie. “It doesn’t take me a week to get an honest proposition through my head.” Frank Farrington. ——>- > ____ Maintaining Cordial Relations With the Customer. Written for the Tradesman. Goed will is more than asset—it is an advertising medium, and of all ad- vertising mediums the least expensive and the most productive. And you can’t have good will with- out cordiality. Therefore it is highly important that the store establish and maintain cordial relations with its patrons and with those whom it seeks to convert into regular customers. Cordiality is not a material, objec- tive something, but a purely psychic and subjective quality. It is what we may call the “atmosphere” or “the spirit” of a store. And when it comes to such things there is, as everybody knows, a big difference between one store and another. Let us get it out of mind that im- material, intangible and _ invisible things are unimportant. They are tremendous and vital in the affairs of this life. They are just as real as the most substantial of the objective real- ities we can know. When it comes to stability these unseen and intangi- ble things of the inner life (psychic forces) are vastly more enduring and consequent than objective and visible things. Profound and true is the statement: “The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” The spirit of a store, like the spirt of a person, is not an outward form. But it exists nevertheless—and makes itself felt. It creates its own atmos- phere and impresses all those who come within the sphere of its influ- ence. And it is a big factor in all present-day merchandising enter- prises that are going forward. From the Customer’s Side. Cordiality is a social virtue; there is the party of the first, and the par- ty of the second part. On the one hand the store with its merchandise; on the other hand the customer with his requirements. When correct rela- tions between the two are establish- ed and maintained, there is perfect accord—i. e. cordiality or good will. But in order that he may give his customers the kind of service to which they are entitled—a service that will permanently win them to the store —the merchant must cultivate the habit of looking at all sorts of propo- sitions from the customer’s side of the question. “What is your feeling toward your customers?” enquired an instructor in salesmanship, of a group of new clerks that were taken on by a certain metropolitan specialty shop to serve during a big clearance sale. It was a good question to start them to thinking. Many of them frankly confessed that they didn’t know what their feel- ing towards their customers was. They had never thought of it before. Some of them had extremely hazy and absurd ideas about the matter. From the treatment I have person- ally received in certain establishments that I could name and locate, I am inclined to think that the salespeople of those places were taught to look upon every customer as an_ easy- mark. In other places I have some- how acquired the impression that my presence was something of an impo- sition. And I presume my experi- ence has not been exceptional in these respects. A dealer’s feeling towards his cus- tomer communicates itself in an oc- cult manner; but it communicates it- self. The customer feels it. A sales- man’s feeling towards his customer is an important matter; for it conscious- ly or unconsciously determines his attitude, colors his words, gives sig- nificance to his movements and ges- tures, and determines the trend of his salesmanship. Had you ever stopped to analyze your own feeling toward your cus- tomer? Have you ever put the ques- tion to your salespeople? Think it Over. Your feeling toward your custom- er will evidently rise no higher than your conception of store — service. Therefore another question: namely, “What does the store want to do for the customer?” The store assuredly should aim to realize all that is comprehended in the term efficient service. If it isn’t in business to serve the public, why is it in business at all? And the an- swer to the riddle is, It won’t con- tinue to remain in business very long. So, in our effort to arrive at the answer to the question, “What is your feeling toward your customer?” it is important that we ask: “What is our customer’s feeling toward us, or our store?” The customer has her rights and expectations and fixed con- ceptions of what a store ought to be and do; of the kind of treatment she is entitled to; of the kind of service she has a perfect right to expect and demand. How do all these things look from the customer’s side of the fence? September 15, 1915 It will be well for the storekeeper to project himself over on the cus- tomer’s side of the proposition and have a good, honest look at himself and his selling institution from this standpoint. Local ideals in such matters, and the kinds of merchandise sold, will have to be considered, of course; for customers expect (and have a perfect right to expect) things in one com- munity that would be unreasonable in another. But, in a general way, it may be said that all customers have a right to expect prompt attention, sympa- thetic and intelligent salesmanship, and courteous treatment, whether they buy or not. They feel them- selves to be guests of the store, and they appreciate being treated as such. They belong to the class whom the store is supposed to serve. Cordiality Makes a Big Hit. The dealer or the clerk who is really glad to welcome the customer and do the honors of the store, quick- ly and surely gets into the customer's good graces. If the people who wait on us have the right sort of feeling towards us, we know it. We don’t care to be treated effusively or in a gushing manner; neither do we want to be re- ceived coldly and stiffly. And we don't want to be treated in a patroniz- ing manner. We are purely human, of average intelligence, and our time is fairly valuable. We have come in to have a look at something or other that we really need, or in which we have a degree of interest be- cause we have read about it in the newspaper announcement or observed it in the window. We fre mindful of the fact that our mere presence in the store places us under no moral obligation to buy, if we are not so inclined. To all in- tents and purposes, then, we put the whole proposition up to the store- keeper or his salesmen; and the man- ner of the salesmanship is as deter- mining a factor as the matter of it. The selling arguments may be good in themselves, but bad in the way they are presented. We may detect a false note somewhere, or jarring, discordant something in the mind of the person across the counter, that promptly decides us we don’t want the commodity in question; in fact don’t want anything at all—from that store at that moment. More and more, as I look into the matier, I am inclined to think that the big leaks in business are due in the main to breaks in the upkeep of cordial relations with customers. And while I am a profound believer in ad- vertising as an indispensable stimu- lant, I sometimes wonder if many dealers aren’t so much absorbed in advertising in the usual mediums of publicity, they forget to utilize to the full the greatest medium of all—good will. Frank Fenwick. 2-2 A Racer. “How fast is your car, Jimson, asked Harkaway. “Well,” said Jim- son, “it keeps about six months ahead of my income generally.” 47 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 WE MANUFACTURE Freight Elevators, Lumber Lifts, Special Machinery, Boilers, Smoke Stacks, Fire Escapes Patterns, Grey Iron Castings, Steam Forgings and Steam and Hot Water Heating Systems We Carry a Complete Line of Pipe Fittings, Mill and Factory Supplies GENERAL REPAIR WORK A SPECIALTY ADOLPH LEITELT IRON WORKS i 211-213 Erie St., Cor. Mill Ave. aI a I A Dish 48 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 CATALOGUE COMPETITION. How One Merchant Met and Over- came It, Dealers in all lines are affected to some extent by mail order competi- tion. How to win over customers who have the catalogue habit is often a perplexing problem. The methods outlined in this article are those which I have found successful in a small vil- lage where the majority of the trade comes from the farmers. Two fundamental things to be tak- en into consideration by the man who is going to fight the retail mail-or- der houses are: First: Recognize the catalogue houses as being legitimate competi- tors. Second: Know, by actual — study, their catalogues better than any of your customers know them. A third which might well be added is this: Do not let the size and the financial standing of the house you are going up against awe you into a state of mind where you cannot fight. My fight against these houses has been made through the medium of a store paper, a medium which is with- in the reach of any dealer who reads this article, Now as to the matter of recogniz- ing the catalogue house as a legiti- mate competitor. Too many mer- chants, when any such house is men- tioned in their presence, especially by one of their own customers, imme- diately wax eloquent in denunciation of it. To my mind this is wrong. My arguments to my trade contain nothing of local obligations, tax pay- ments, or the other worn and stereo- typed arguments. The people of my community owe me not one penny of business on any basis of charity any more than I owe it to them to lock my store during haying or harvest and work for them on their farms without remuneration. There is as much obligation for the one as the other. My appeal to my trade is this: You Owe it to yourself to get for every dollar which you spend, the maxi- mum return. If your dollar has more purchasing power with any mail-or- der house than in my store, you are foolish to spend it with me. In pur- chasing my merchandise, I aim to buy where I can buy the cheapest, quality considered. What is my privilege is most assuredly your own. This is my real honest conviction on the matter. It is not in any way a pose for the purpose of corraling a little trade. This sort of talk both through the medium of my store pa- per and verbal conversations, appeals to the average consumer. Whether he buys from me or not, he at least respects my stand. Now as to my second point relative to knowledge of the mail-order man's printed messages. 1 have copies ot all general catalogues and special bulletins issued by the leading mail order houses. I spend hours going through these with a fine-tooth comb, so to speak. I realize that I must be better posted than are the peo- ple whose trade I am soliciting. ne As a result of this study I find sev- eral things: First: That practical- ly every piece of literature thus put out contains statements which, so far as they pertain to my individual busi- ness, are not exactly in line with the facts in the These discrepan- to the attention of my trade through the medium of my store paper which they receive every month, Case. cies I bring Second: That it is the custom of these people to take merchandise of which the average consumer knows the value, and set a price thereon in many instances as low or lower than the jobbers ask us. Then, to offset this they will ask a big price for merchandise of which the actual value is not so widely known. Acting on the impression that what is good for one is good for another, I follow suit. I actually undersell them on some goods, for example, Shredded Wheat, Cream of Wheat, Grape-Nuts and other things. Thus I cause my trade to think, perhaps all unconsciously that there is not so much truth in the mail order man’s contentions. Of course, in emulating them thus far, I carry the matter to its logical and get my profits on the very class of merchan- dise where they get theirs. conclusion I meet all their sugar baits and special offers. If a man comes in with an order blank ef theirs for me to fill, I do not hesitate to fill it, with a smile on my face, regardless of whether I make or lose by the trans- action. For example: a few days ago, a stranger came into my store. As I met him just inside the door, I asked him if I could do something for him, He replied that that depended upon whether or not I was ready to make good on my offer and fill an order which he had made up from a mail order catalogue. Without Waiting to see his order | immediately told him I would be glad to duplicate their prices. He produced his order, I fill- ed it, took my pay, and he went out. After his departure, I figured up my profits on the deal. He had chanced to pick out nothing but leaders. My actual profit on the sale, which in- volved several dollars, was a paltry five cent piece. A poor deal from my viewpoint, do I hear you say? Wait! As a result of filling that order, I sold the same man_ within a two weeks’ period, several large bills of goods, with no reference to any mail order catalogue, merchandise, as it happened, which carried a good mar- gin of profit. Without my original offer to meet or beat any mail order offers in my lines, the man would never have brought his order to my store. Bringing it, and having it filled exact- ly in accordance with my offer, he came again and again. The leaven had worked. He no longer believed implicitly the statement of the mail order man that his local dealers were bleeding him. By that one transac- tion I gained his confidence. Now as to the third point: Many retailers are frightened by the size of the mail order houses. Without any a investigation or study, they throw up their hands and declare themselves whipped. True enough, these houses have lots of money behind them, but their selling expenses are many times yours and mine; there are overhead charges we do not have. True they buy some goods cheaper than we can buy them. But, equally true, the in- crease of their selling expenses over ours, eats up this saving. Do not let the fact that they are million dollar corporations scare you into submission. You have every ad- vantage, you know your trade and they know you; you can deliver the goods when your customers want them, not in from a week to a month; and last and most important, you can meet or beat any retail mail or- der offers, saving your customers money in the aggregate of their pur- chases, and at the same time make a nice margin of profit for yourself. I took over my present business thirteen ago. Prior to that had conducted the He had a good healthy trade and his last year in business was one of his best in point of sales. My first year, closing December 31 last, showed an increase over the preced- ing year, of nearly 30 per cent. in volume of sales. With the country- side from which we draw our trade Practically unchanged, the increase was this amount. Where did it come from? Almost every dollar of it was business taken away from the mail-order houses. H. S. McIntyre. —_~+--__ Price Maintenance Upheld by United United States Court. The all important question of “The Resale Price” (Price Maintenance) is now looming up all over the land, and we are pleased to note that a de- cision of the utmost importance in the great fight between the manufactur- ers of the United States on the one hand and the cut-rate retailers on the other has been handed down by Judge Hough of the United States District Court. He has denied an injunction sought under the Clayton law, to compel a manufacturer of a trade- marked article to furnish its goods to be sold at other prices than those fix- ed by the maker and seller. which months father same store, time my The plaintiff was proprietor of a chain of grocery stores that had been supplied with the article (Cream of Wheat) at wholesale rates, and they had undersold the retail trade. Ac- cordingly the makers took measures to prevent the plaintiff from obtain- ing the goods to be sold at other than the fixed prices. This was represent- ed to the court by the plaintiff as the exercise of a monopoly, unfair com- petition and the practice of a boycott, The decision is interesting beyond the immediate application of the case, for it declares that there is no dis- tinction between fair and unfair com- petition under the Sherman and Clay- ton acts. Under both restraint of trade to be actionable must be unrea- sonable, comments the New York Times. The sort of competition prac- ticed by the plaintiff is not the sort of competition which the law favors in the public interest. The only com- petition restrained by the practices of the defendant is the competition between sellers of the same article at different prices, and the only trade restrained is the commercial warfare of the large seller against the small seller, or “that of a merchant who for advertising purposes may sell an article at a loss in order to get cus- tomers to his shop, and then persuade them to buy other things at a com- pensating profit.” Price regulation is not an unreasonable restraint of trade, but cutting prices in the manner of the plaintiff would take from every retailer in the field of cut-price com- petition the incentive to buy this ar- ticle, “and collectively such retailers are more important to the public and the defendant than is the plaintiff,” said Judge Hough. Under the Clayton law, a seller may select his customers provided such selection is not unreasonable in its effect upon the trade, and the Judge therefore could not understand how it could be unreasonable to refuse to trade with a would-be customer who expresses an intention of injur- ing the seller. Neither the United States nor any individual can compel any one to part with property against his desire, because that would de- prive such person of his property for a private purpose and force him un- willingly to contract for the sale of his property on terms not according to his will, : It will be remembered that there have been in the past, various other decisions to contrary effect regarding the legality of cut Prices, notably Bauer’s Sanatogen, Dick’s Mimeo- graph and the Victor Talking Ma- chine cases, but they have, in the main, hinged upon questions of pat- ent, copyright, or other considera- tions. The present case was decided upon broader considerations and the gist of the decision is the right to fix prices, choose customers, or if desir- able abstain from business. a Love is blind, so what’s the use Ot wasting gas on it? 572-4-6 So. Division Ave. WHEN IN NEED OF ADVERTISING REMEMBER THE Grand Rapids Stationery Company THE CALENDAR HOUSE . Grand Rapids, Michigan Seen September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 49 A World’s Exposition of “NOW” Merchandise WORLD-WIDE EXPOSITION of General Merchandise that has been gathered from all over both hemispheres despite the world-wide war— this is what you can see on display NOW in our sample rooms. Never was there a greater buying triumph than this. To be able to assemble merchandise from all quarters of the globe in this year of strife, of blockades, of undersea terrors, is an achievement in which we know you will grant us the right to feel at least a little pardonable pride. Fall goods are here, Winter goods are here, CHRISTMAS GOODS are here. The showing in every line is all-comprehensive. The goods are conveniently placed for your inspection, thus making buying EASY. The prices are indicated in plain net figures, thus making buying SAFE. The values are the great ones made possible by five houses buying and the ability to control the outputs of entire factories and markets, thus making buying PROFITABLE. When will YOU come? BUTLER BROTHERS Exclusive Wholesalers of General Merchandise NEW YORK CHICAGO ST. LOUIS MINNEAPOLIS DALLAS 50 THREE COMPONENT PARTS. Relative Value of Character, Capac- ity and Capital. Many of you perhaps have read that weird and mournful story, entitled “A Man Without a Country,” which depicts the wandering and changeful life of a man who was banished from the United States never again to set foot upon these shores. This story made a deep impression upon my mind; and if you have read it, I am sure it could not have failed to in- spire you with a strong feeling of af- fection for our beloved country, with all i: means to every true American. Since I perused this story I have often wondered if I would not write one having for its title, “A Man Without Credit.” I have pictured in my mind what such a man would be—a man who would neither give nor receive credit from any one. Did you ever stop to think what such a condition of affairs would mean in your life? You could hardly exist. Take a simple il- lustration: Your breakfast must be prepared on credit. The cook trusts or credits you for her services for the time she devotes to making ready the morning meal. You could, of course, after a fashion, cook your own breakfast; but imagine the spirit in which you would begin the day’s la- bors under such circumstances. An employe extends credit to his em- ployer, trusting that he will pay him his wages or salary at the end of the day, week, or month, and if he does not give credit to the extent of the volume of his services, he would have no earning or producing power. You might, however, say, “{[ may have property left me in the shape of stocks bonds and money in the savings bank and therefore do not seek credit.” Very true, but in such a case you virtually loan the corporation issuing the stocks or bonds, or the bank, your money when the stocks and bonds are purchased or the money deposited and you are consequently giving them credit to that extent until such time as the principal and interest are paid. But you say, “I can get an educa- tion without credit” at the public school. You must, however, give credit to your teacher when you en- trust your mind to his care, and you expect him to impart to you knowl- edge he has acquired. I might go on in this way indefinitely, and by care- ful analysis demonstrate to your sat- itsfaction that your life and mine de- pended on credit from the very be- ginning. To find a man utterly with- out credit, would be to find one whose very existence is imperiled. This be- ing the case, it must follow, that to live in the truest sense of the word and to accomplish all that God has given you to do in your place at the end of this nineteenth century, you must do all that lies within your pow- er to establish your credit upon the highest plane, so that it may be of the very best. Nothing short of the highest grade credit should satisfy you and me, for if others enjoy a bet- ter standing than we do, we should realize that we have not reached the attainment of our desires for which we daily strive. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Notice that credit is not money. I am not asking you to acquire all the money you can. There is a wide dif- ference between money and credit. A thiet who has stolen a million dollars may have money, but he certainly has no credit. A great deal is said now- a-days about capital and labor. Some have more money; others less. Credit we can all have in greater or lesser measure. What is credit? The term “credit” was derived from the Latin word “credo,” I believe, and its op- posite word “debt” from ‘“debeo’—I owe. There can be no debt without credit and no credit without debt. The word implies the belief of one of the parties to a transaction in the promise made by the other and an obligation acknowledged by one party as due the other. The new Century Dictionary defines “credit” as a trust, contidence reposed in the ability and intention of the purchaser (of mer- chandise, or borrower of money) to make payment at some future time, either specified or indefinite. For the most part we buy and sell merchan- dise, agricultural products, stocks and bonds, real estate and everything that can be bought or sold, not for money paid down, but with promises to pay money, to be fulfilled at some future date. The humblest citizen as well as the greatest manufacturer, feels the power and recognizes the influence of credit. The finality of all credit rests with the individual. The three component parts of cred- it are character, capacity and capital; these three, but the greatest of these is character. Character counts con- tinually for credit, and I intend to speak to you for a moment upon the question of character in its relation to credit. George Washington, in his first in- augural address, said: “The foundation of our National policy will be laid in the pure and inimitable principles of private morality,” and in reply to this address of Washington by the Senate of the United States, these words were used: “We feel, sir, the force and acknowledge the justice of the observation, that the foundation of our National policy should be laid in Drivate morality. If individuals be not influenced by moral principles, it is vain to look for public virtue.” A well known writer says, “What we are, sooner or later shows in what we seem.” Our character unconsci- ously, but inevitably, expresses itself in our actions, our speech, our man- ner, our looks, and finally it is seen by our fellows as they observe us. What is character? It is an indi- vidual matter. You can not have an- other’s character. You may try to imitate, perhaps the character of some great man; but to the man himself who is his master, his character stand- eth or falleth. Character is that something within you which receives and impresses upon your mind and writes in indelible letters on your heart your thoughts, words and deeds. Character is the fine tone of your heart strings or else it is the dull thud of life which seems to chill you through and through. Character is that something which points you on- ward and upward in life’s work, or else drags you down to lower and lower depths as it becomes foul with the heavier material of life’s dregs. Some one has well said that “charac- ter is not something that is added to your life, but it is life itself.” Character building is not the work of a moment or a day. You cannot jump into character as you would a suit of clothes, unless it be an assum- The man with an as- sumed character is a hypocrite, whom we all despise. Character building is a slow process. It must be worked at continually, and we are building even when we are not conscious of it. We are adding to it each day by little things—little deeds of kindness, loftier thoughts of our better moments; as some one has truly said character building may also con- sist of little wilful misrepresentations, impure thoughts, mean motives, hours of stolen pleasure, and doing things ed character. ideas, and that your own conscience disapproves. The right kind of character is created by hammering one upon another the sheets of gold leaf of opporunity. James G. Cannon. Subsidizing Jobbing Salesmen is “Bribery.” “The policy of subsidizing sales- men is wrong in principles,’ says the National Wholesale Bulle- tin of this month. “It is a form of bribery that tends to demoralize the sales force and destroys that confi- dence between manufacturers and dis- trbutors which is the foundation for fair trading. “It violates one of the ‘objects’ of this association and opens the way to flagrant abuses. It should be dis- couraged, and can be eliminated en- tirely by the wholesale grocers them- selves. “Don’t furnish the names of your salesmen to any manufacturer. In- struct your office force accordingly. The evil of the subsidizing practice may not appear as harmful as it real- Grocers’ ly is, yet how few principals in the wholesale grocery business know that the names of their salesmen have been furnished to manufacturers by depart- ment men, who may be interested with the salesmen in a division of the subsidy or bribe. “How seldom, if ever, is a subsidy offered on a free seller in which your capital is invested and for which a demand is created? Subsidies ‘are usually offered on a new article or one on which the manufacturer wants to make a ‘drive,’ as it were, and in sub- sidizing your salesmen improper methods are employed and illegiti- mate practices introduced. No man- ufacturer should be privileged to bribe your salesmen and thereby un- dermine your selling organization, and no manufacturer will do so with- out your consent. “Tt the subsidizing practice is to be ended the individual jobber must be alive to the evil and correct it before some manufacturers have more con- trol over his sales force than the em- ployer has who pays the salaries and supplies the capital invested.” ——__>- > _ Consider the balded headed man; he combs not, neither does he brush. September 15, 1915 Brighten the Corners. There is a man in Kansas City— there may be hundreds of them, but this one we know—who hates to hear the whistle blow at 5 o’clock. It means that he must go home to a scolding, nagging wife, and he is a cheerful, happy man in the office, and tries to be the same at home. In the same office is a man who hates the routine of his work even to loathing. He is as a prisoner chained to his desk, always growling at his lot in life. His corner is not bright and the other men keep away from it. He married a bright, cheery girl. She tried her best to be happy and to make him happy, but it was no use, and gradually she has_ be- come as gloomy as he. So many lives are ruined gloomy, scowling, sour, disgruntled, grouchy attitude toward life. And every one of them could be changed and uplifted and glorified with a smile. Probably the sions from a sate of sin and unhappi- ness to one of the right living and good cheer is simply a shifting of the mental viewpoint of things. Billy Sunday knew what he was at when he set a city to singing “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.’ It started them by tens of thousands down the sawdust trail—kRKansas City Star. —_2--. _____ The Deadly Tree. : Once a man went raging into the office of an electric light company and declared that one of the company’s wires had killed a pet tree on_ his premises. “That tree,’ said he, ‘has standing there for twenty years, and we regarded it as one of the family. My children played they were babies and it is associated with some of the pleasantest mem- ories of my life. When it began to die we all mourned and we could not imagine what ailed it until yesterday, when I noticed that a wire was lying right across a branch. My tree had been killed and I feel as if murder has been done in my house.” by. ai majority of conver- been under it when Considerably moved, the agent of the company went to view the scene of the tragedy. When he came to trace the wire, he discovered one end nailed to the roof of an old barn and the other twisted around a discarded pole. It had been cut off for at least two years and forgotten. The agent made the following re- port: “Tree alive, wire dead. Wire evi- dently killed by tree. Bill inclosed.” —_2>+.__ Good Enough Reasons. The teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, he said: “Now boys, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I should turn red in the face.” “Yes, sir,” said the boys. “Then why is it that while I am Standing upright in the ordinary po- sition the blood doesn’t run into my feet?” A little fellow shouted, “ Cause yer feet ain’t empty.” " September 15, 1915 : MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 51 The Home of the Hazeltine & Perkins Drug Co. Corner Oakes Street and Commerce Avenue Three Hundred Feet from Main Entrance to Union Depot HE latch string is always on the outside of our door. Just pull it and come in without knocking and have a good time. Our specialty men are now at home for the fall season and incidentally we invite you to inspect our most complete and extended line of druggists’ sundries and holiday goods for the season of 1915. Our merchandise in this line is coming in freely and we are particularly anxious to have you make us a visit at the earliest possible date so that we can give you the best selection and prompt service as to the time of shipment. We make a liberal allowance upon the expense of visiting buyers. Our goods are all marked in plain figures, and we sincerely repeat our invitation to you that you come and make us the usual visit as in the past. Hazeltine & Perkins Drug Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. RETAILING MEATS. How the Business Can Be Done at a Profit. When we realize, according to reliable statistics or trade reviews of Dun’s or Bradstreet’s, the enormous large num- ber of failures in our business, we ask Tt is the lack of education in this business. The what is the underlying cause? last five years 9824 per cent. of the retail butchers have not shown a profit above a lawful interest on the capital, only 11% per cent. showing a decent profit. Are we one of the happy 1% per cent., or are we one of the 9824 per cent. who are just barely living? It is sad truth to know these figures, but we had better be sure than ashamed. Good handling and refrigeration, be- ginning at the source of production, refrigeration during transportation, and finally, refrigeration at the market, mean not only the saving of vast quantities of perishable products, but an improve- ment in quality of all grades. After slaughtering beef should be hung until well ripened, three weeks or longer. The muscle fibers of beef when first slaugh- tered contract, and only relax after a few days in storage. There is also a chemical change in the muscle fibers which develops flavor and tends to make the meat more easily digested. Good beef will be fine grained, firm and a bright red after being exposed to the air a few moments, lf the meat is well ripened it. will have a moist, juicy appearance. The fat is clear and a light straw color. The quality of, beef, as well as of all meats, depends largely on the age and feeding of the animal before slaughtering. The “stall fed” beef which used to be so popular was not allowed to roam. To- day it is realized that some exercise improves beef, so cattlemen allow a little exercise and generous feeding with grain to produce their prime product, Most butchers follow what is called the New York method of cutting. This is the method 1 was taught and am the most familiar with, so will try to de- scribe the process. The beef creature is divided in two, down the backbone. These halves are divided next into a hind and fore quarter. The loin. rump, round, leg and flank are included in the hind quarter and the ribs, shoulder. crossribs, brisket and plate are included in the fore’quarter. Each side of beef is divided one rib on hind quarter loin cut full; seven ribs cut ten inches from chine bone; shank cut close to body joint, There are very few cattle the hind and front quarters of which weigh the Often there is a difference of from six to twenty-five pounds. The first cut in the fore quarter which de- serves mention is the neck. Neck meat is tough, but very juicy. It is desirable for hamburg steak and for casserol> dishes where long cooking can be de- pended on to make it tender. This good lean beef, when we can not sell it in same. boneless stews and boils, will bring a good price in hamburg steak, chili meat and mixed sausage or bologna. We should think of our sausage mill before we sell a piece of good meat at a bar- gain. The chuck ribs, or first five, include the shoulder blade. This means a gen- MICHIGAN erous weight of bone and cartilage. In heavy beef, chuck ribs may be used for pot roasts with economy, but usually the proportion of bone is large and makes a sceming economy more costly. Usual- ly a cut without bone at a somewhat higher price will be found more truly economical. Many butchers cut a cross rib or shoulder roast. This is solid muscle covering the first five ribs just below the shoulder blade, nearer the belly of the animal. This is one of the cheapest of roasts and if cut from good beef will be satisfactory. If properly boned and rolled, they may even be used as roasts. Following the chuck ribs come the roast cuts. The ribs next the chuck will have a thin piece of cartilage, the end of the breast bone, but there will be no bone proper, and the value of the cut is not lessened. The seven prime ribs represent probably the very best cuts for roasts. All roasts are im- John I. Bellaire. proved for having a certain amount of bone; the flavor is far better. But be- cause of the proportion of bone the cost is higher than for certain other cuts. The loin cuts adjoin the prime ribs. Steaks and roasts, probably the very choicest, especially of the former, are the cuts found in the loin region. Sirloin steak is composed of two mus- cles, the tenderloin and the loin proper. These muscles are on different sides of the backbone process. The tenderloin muscles taper from the rib to the hip, and porterhouse is the name given the steak which has the maximum quantity of tenderloin. Delmonico is another name given to the sirloin which has little or no tenderloin muscle. Occasionally a slice of rib steak is sold for this short or Delmonico steak. Hip, or thick sirloin, includes the muscles just over the hip bone, between the loin and round sections. When cut by the “New York method” into round- bone, flat-bone, and hip-bone | steaks, there are both tough and tender por- tions in each steak. This is due to the fact that the hip region is made up of many muscles whose fibers go in dif- ferent directions and only the muscles cut cross fiber will be tender. The second slice of the round is very tender and juicy. It makes a very good steak, or cut thicker may be used for a roast. The aitch-bone, a triangular cut, which takes in the greater part of the hip bone, is often used for a roast. Round steak, both upper and lower round, is juicy, TRADESMAN but somewhat tougher, growing more so as it reaches the skin. Meats for corning may be any one of the’ number of cuts. The “rattle rand” or plate piece takes its name from the fact that it contains the lower thin ends of the ribs and the rattle of the bones when the meat is shaken back and forth caused the name. If corned beef is to be used cold this makes a good cut, as it can be boned after cooking and pressed under weights. With this treat- ment it cuts as smoothly as a piece of cheese, each slice consisting of alternate layers of fat and lean. The navel piece, another cut taking in the bottom of the forequarter ribs, is good for corning. There is less bone in this than in the plate piece. Perhaps the first choice for corned meat is the brisket, a long narrow cut taking in the ends of the last six or check ribs and the breast bone. The brisket has a thick and a thin end. The thick end is the muscle just in front of the shoulder and is nearly all clean meat; the thin end represents the “streak of fat and streak of lean” which many people prefer in corned meat. And there is reason, for the presence of fat prevents all the juices from being extracted by the process of salting. One of the hardest problems we have to solve is to establish the dif- ference in value of the hind and front quarters; therefore, supply and demand When we are forced to reduce the prices on must largely govern us in this. one cut, we must advance on another to make up the difference. I have laid particular stress on beef, for in more than half the butchers’ shops beef comprises the greater part of their business, and it is easy to sell at a good profit if we are masters of our business; on the other hand, it is the easiest of all to lose money on if we do not thor- oughly understand our business. To be a successful butcher, we must be a good salesman as well as a mechanic. Both of the traits are very essential to success. We never get too old to learn, and if we will carefully survey our surround- ings and make note of the facts that happen every day in our business, we can find many things to improve our knowledge. I believe we should read every authority and his ideas on our business and get all the knowledge we can, and with knowledge get understand- ing. How many we see who have been in the meat business for years who have never stopped to figure the differentials on a carcass of beef, veal, pork or mut- ton, and to save their lives, lots of them —yes, more than half of them—sell at this or that price just because the “other fellow” does, and do not figure the actual cost to sell, and then wonder at the end of the year, and sometimes in the evening of life, why they do not make money. In retailing beef it should be divided as follows: Rounds, loins, rump, flank and cod, suet and kidney, shanks, ribs, plates, chuck, neck, trimming and waste. Taking a side beef weighing 250 pounds as an average weight, it should be divid- ed as follows: Per Cent. Lbs. Round, (2000... 1....13% or 33 oie 1534 or 39 atin Toast ........ 6 ior 7 Back round ........ 244 or 7 September 15, 1915 Flank and cod ..... , 4 or 10 Bieta 2 on 5 Shank 6. ....) 2252/96 or 18 abs |... Bc | 1136 or 29 Chuck ..... sec. eeos Of 56 Neck) 2.255552... 2 or 5 Trim and waste .... 2 or 5 Plate 22.0... 1114 or 28 The proportionate cost, per pound, for the different cuts at the wholesale price of cow beef to-day will be as follows: Side costing 11%c per pound— Cost per Lb. ROUNd 215 14% Wert ee 1814¢ Rump TOASt .......0.. 52 12%c Back round ............ 10%e Plank and cod 29: ...:. 2 5c Suet 2... Sees 1.) 5c Sank 35.02.00, 3c BIDS 62, 16%c Wate Te Chuck (45) 10'%e Neck 2, -2 66 dnim and waste 0)... .. Loss This proportionate division will apply to any weight carcass. The meat deal- ers’ cost chart, generously distributed by the Dayton Money-weight Company, gives a scientific division of a side of beef, pork, veal and mutton, and the proportionate cost of the different cuts, and used with their profit per- centage chart in connection with a com- puting scale, forms a system that reduces the meat business to a science and is hound to bring success. By actual tests with the cost and selling chart I find to get the desired results we must get the following prices. Scale Accord- Our ing to selling Cost chart. price. Round ......... Wy 191% 22 om 184 2414 = 24-26 Rump Roast .... 1234 1614 18 Back Round .... 10% 14 18 Blank and Cod 2: 5 61% 6 Suep 5 6% 6 Shank (0 1. 3 44 5 oS U 1614 att 18 Plote: 7 914 12 Ghucke 10% 14 16-18 Neck ....5.5.5.. 6 8 12 Waste and trim about five pounds to each side of beef loss, Tf we have a ready market for fresh loins, split the hog through the middle of the backbone with the saw. Cut off the hams about two inches forward of the pelvic bone, slicing nearly at right angles to the foot. across the carcass the ham will be pointed. If you cut at exactly right angles to the foot the ham will be square, but you will have to trim the bacon a little more. Compromise be- tween the two extremes. Cut off the shoulder about on a line between the third and fourth ribs. To separate the loin from the belly saw through the ribs just below the edge of the loin muscle and then cut clear through with the knife. Trim off the back fat from the loin, being careful to remove none of the lean. Turn the fat side of the loin up and trim off the excess of fat. The loin is now ready to be disposed of for pork chops or loin roasts. If you If we cut square do not dispose of the loins fresh but plan to use the lean muscle for sausage, do not saw through the middle of the backbone. Trim out the backbone close ae 2 e Septemb er 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ad Sabet A Suggestion to Salesmen . your customers and prospects by telephone, especially if the list is long and involves out of town trips. along definite lines. This enables you to work Many orders can be closed by telephone, but when this is not possible, the telephone call paves the way for a personal visit. Use Bell Local and Long Distance Service. ‘b Michigan State Telephone Company ERYSTAL eG OS LF = 2 © t wel pin | a A Domne 3 Watch the Turnover HERE is nothing in your store which moves faster than sugar. It flows in and out each week with the regularity of day and night. Your problem is to secure a moderate profit on each sale of sugar, so that multiplied by thousands of sales, your final profit will overtop the slow, large profit sellers. 1lo¢ SUGAR XS 1CAN SUGAR REFINING COMPANYS THe AMER! = wey , — “ — == a 7° ET = MS ee : urneys oo = wre at the source-perfect at the Jourmee = The solution is in Crystal Domino Sugar Products—a right one for every purpose, always in sealed cartons, with weight and purity guaranteed. They save the multitude of small losses constantly present in over-weights, leakage, bags, twine and the open barrel. The 10c. retail price of this carlon makes these half-size tablets for tea and coffee a convenient purchase for everyone—everyiwherc, American Sugar Refining Company AIIARAT AMAT AMA ANAn Am ATAmAnAMARAMATAnATATAnAmATAMAMAnAnAL NAGS: Aalv7Na vols ais NG Saale ANG NANG NAGI NN Sele ANG SANG BAS Ag PANG BANG BAS PAS Aa Ne e n ) CuO WOTYOVOVOUOV OT OVOLI OVO ! 1 ! ! OUYOUOLONO OUOWOIC OUONO) 53 54 2 or full, as desired. After the bone is removed cut the carcass in two and cut off the ham as before. Remove the neck bone as a part of the spare rib before cutting off the shoulder. In removing the spare rib cut from the back side toward the belly and hold the knife flat so as to avoid gouging the piece of bacon. The gristle ends of the ribs should be left in the side. The lean loin muscle can now be removed and the side trimmed up for bacon. The size of the hog and quality of the bacon to be made will govern the trim. Unless there is a use for very fat bacon the sides of heavy hogs should be trim- med very close. All the trimmings will be rendered into lard. Trim the flank of the ham to a point and allow the fat to project beyond, as this will give bet- ter shape to the cured ham. Remove all pelvic fat; it will soonest get rancid. Trim off the inside ham fat to expose considerable of the lean, so it will take the pickle well. Trim up the back edge of the ham to make a well rounded piece. The fresh fat makes good lard and an excess is not wanted in the cured ham. Wa5th very large hogs it will pay to skin the hams well down to the back, Cut off the foot a little below the joint. The ham will have a better ap- pearance than if you cut higher up, but you will have more waste. With a large | demand for sausage the shoulder lean may all be used in that way and the fat for lard. If a long-cut shoulder is wanted, to give a greater amount of cured meat, simply trim up the rough shoulder after the removal of the neck bone. Cut out enough to remove the excess of fatty tissue and the blood vessels. Also trim off the brisket fat so as to expose more of the lean sur- face. Cut off the foot below the joint and the long shoulder is ready to be cured. : The picnic shoulder is a short-cut shoulder with just about half of the upper portion removed. It leaves for curing a piece that has a high percentage of bone, but is low enough in fat so the percentage of lean is a little more than that in the ham. When the plenic shoulder is made the lean butt of the upper part may be used for sausage and the fat for lard, or the cut may be so as to leave a piece of the shoulder blade with the fat, making a boneless butt for pork steaks and a good plate for bacon. lf the bone and practically all of the lean are removed we have the Boston butt and a clear plate for lard or for fat bacon as desired. By making long cut shoulders, or butts and Picnics, and using the loins fresh, it is not necessary to have Jean trimmings for sausage to the extent of more than 3 per cent. of the weight of the dressed hogs. The proportionate cost and selling price, taking a 150-pound hog as an average when the whole carcass costs 12 cents a pound wholesale, the cost and selling price of each cut will be as follows: Cost. Sell. 1824% Ham or 28 pounds .. 14'4¢ 20c 16 % Shoulder, 24 pounds 12c 16c 12 % Loin, 18 pounds 14%4c 20c 1024% Bacon bellies, 16 lbs. 15¢ 20c 4 % Leaf lard, 6 pounds... 1334¢ 18¢ 624% Head, 10 pounds ... 74c 10c 343% Feet, 5 pounds ...... 4c 5c MICHIGAN 8 % Trimmings, 12 pounds 834c 12c 2 9% Neck bones, 3 pounds 5%c 7 1%% Waste, 2 pounds ......Loss This table is compiled to give the dealer a gross profit of 25 per cent. over the cost of the goods. In the calcula- tions allowance is made for a reasonable amount of trimming and waste, which is unavoidable in any retail market. On hogs at the present high prices we must get more out of the inferior cuts to get the desired results than when the whole- sale price was lower. It is the best, if we are not equipped with the proper machinery to make good lard and good Sausage, to buy the pork cuts from the packers. In doing this we must consider that we must pay the packer a profit on the man’s time wha cuts the hog up. The proper cutting of meats is where the secret of making money we are en- titled to lies. We aim to cut our meats as near as possible in a manner to utilize the whole piece for sale. We prefer to slice the meat as needed, as it shows a better color and looks best if cut as required, although when a busy hour is expected a quantity is sliced up in advance. The piling up of wasteful scraps should be guarded against. We have no trouble with unsalable scraps of our salt meats, ham and bacon, or in fact any kind of meat. This useless loss is up to and the fault of no one but the meat cutter, In handling smoked ham, bacon, bolog- na and sausages, we must allow for a certain amount of shrinkage, especially if we cut and sell less than the whole piece. If not kept in a refrigerator they will shrink from 5 per cent. and more. The following cost and selling prices by actual test I have found to work out satisfactorily. An average weight (say 15 pounds) smoked ham, costing 17% cents a pound wholesale to-day would have to sell by whole ham for 22 cents ($3.30). The same ham sliced would have to sell and be divided as follows to get the same results: 11-pound sliced ham, 27 cents 2 2.07 31%4-pound shank and rump,10cents 35 Peponnd wasie Loss $3.32 Boiled ham, Say 10-pound average, costing 25 cents a pound, would have to sell and be divided as follows: 8%2-pound sliced boiled, ham, 35c. .$2.98 1-pound shank, 10 cents .......... -10 Pepi waske Loss $3.08 It would sell at 30 cents a pound by the whole ham, or $3. A large number of our customers, common laborers and farmers, buy a great deal of smoked ham, bacon and salt meats. We make a difference in price from 3 cents to 5 cents a pound between the whole piece, whole ham, shoulder or bacon than when we slice it. What are the best methods to hold our trade? There are three things that have never been beaten for that, and they are: quality, service and value. Add to these reliability and we have all the essentials. Quality consists of giving the best meat possible for the price, and value consists of but the reverse of that. Ser- vice is a thing that can not he exactly defined, but it is the sum of all those TRADESMAN things which go to make up what is known as good will. Reliability con- sists of having your customers know that they can telephone for a. sirloin steak and be sure of getting the same quality as if they went to your shop in person and picked it out themselves. Be sure of all those things and we will have no trouble in holding our trade, provid- ing we take care of the personal side of our dealings with our customers. It is the catering to the desire of our customers and satisfying their demands that makes the best success. Every class of people has different wants. Before we can satisfy these we must find out what they are. Business success con- sists to a great part in discovering the paths of the least resistance and follow- ing them out to their logical conclusion. The retailer who thinks that he knows more than his customers do about what they want is not the butcher who is going to make the big success. He will be engaged in a hopeless struggle all his business career, with nothing to show for it in the end. J. I. Bellaire, Blaney, Mich. ——_2++~+___ The Only Safe Road in Salesman- ship. Written for the Tradesman. In salesmanship, the truth is al- ways good business. To misrepre- sent goods for the sake of putting them across the counter may secure temporary advantage; but such a pol- icy is apt to hurt future sales. Suc- cessful business is built, not upon the immediate sale, so much as upon the satisfied customer. The sub- stantial and enduring of business structures are built upon the founda- tion of “Satisfaction guaranteed or your money refunded.” Particularly is this true in the dry goods business, where customers as a rule make a practice of “shopping round,” and where, in the course of a purchasing tour, a woman may visit half a dozen different shops before completing her purchases. A lady recently entered the curtain department of a dry goods store in a small town. It was the store at which she usually dealt, and she was well known to the salespeople. The salesman showed her a “spe- cial,” a net at 35 cents. “Ts this the latest thing you have in dining-room curtains?” enquired the customer. “We have a new house and I want to have the curtains up to date.” “This is the very latest,” the clerk assured her. “It is the regular bunga- low net.” He did not offer to show anything else, and the customer bought the net at 35 cents, although evidently she was not fully satisfied with the goods. She then discussed parlor and was shown a similar line but higher priced, at 90 cents. She did not purchase these, however, not hav- ing the money with her. most curtains, Ten minutes later, making a small purchase at another store, she enquir- ed of the clerk: “By the way, what is the thing in curtains.” “The marquisette js very popular,” returned the clerk. “It is al] the rage just now.” latest September 15, 1915 A few days later, returning to the first store to purchase living room curtains, the lady remembered what the second clerk had told her. “Have you any marquisette curtains for a liy- ing room?” she asked: and the same clerk who a few days earlier had push- ed the sale of net, Promptly proceed- ed to show her Marquisette. “This is very popular,” he assured her. “We sell a lot of it.” The lady liked the curtain. “But what have you she asked. He showed an edging with color- ed tassels, several colors alternating. “But they don’t use this for outside curtains,” protested the customer, “| have never seen it except on inside drapes.” in edging?” “Oh, it’s used on both outside and inside curtains,” the clerk her, assured The lady wasn't quite satisfied. how- ever. She visited another store, to look at curtain edging, “Have you the kind with tassels on?” she enquired, after being shown some plain edgings. “Yes,” rejoined the clerk, “but it’s never used on outside curtains; just for inside drapes.” The upshot was that, instead of buying her living room curtains at the store at which she had tomed to been accus-- deal, the lady purchased marquisette with a plain edging at an- other store. “IT am not going to buy at that place any more,” she declared after- ward. “All that man wanted was to sell me some old stuff: he didn’t care whether I was suited or not. Well, he sold me that net for the dining room, but he lost the sale of the liv- ing room curtains, and a lot more stuff besides.” Pushfulness is an excellent quality in a salesman. But there are times when a salesman may be injudicious- ly pushful. To clear out old goods is good policy; but it is hardly good pol- icy to represent them as the latest Style. To find out as quickly as pos- sible just what the customer wants, and to supply him—or her—with that article, or with something a shade or two better, is good business. In this instance the net had its good selling points which could have been strong- ly urged—such as its attractive price (a special offering) and its handsome appearance and good texture; and a customer induced to purchase on these grounds would have no room for com- plaint. But a customer who wanted and asked for the latest thing was en- titled to at least see the goods which, in that particular town and at that Particular period, were admitted to be the vogue. Even after showing the Marquisette a good salesman could Probably have pushed and sold the net on its merits and attractiveness. As it was, the customer’s confidence was badly shaken. And the confi- dence of the customer is something which every modern business house puts forth its utmost efforts to secure and hold. It is the strongest bulwark of the small town business against mail order and other competition. William Edward Park. agua an REA gt lai September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN wb a A cordial invitation is extended to merchants and _ their friends to make our store headquarters while visiting the West Michigan State Fair. e oO Grand Ragits Dey Goods Co. Exclusively Wholesale a Grand Rapids, Michigan A Steady Seller . and Profit-Maker So steady has been the demand for Grape-Nuts that it is a staple with grocers everywhere. The steady pull of advertising its true merit, month after month the year ‘round, combined with good profit for dealers, has made this ready-to-eat wheat and barley food The Leader In Its Class And still the sale of every package is guaranteed. Grape-Nuts deserves the hearty support of all grocers! “There’s a Reason” 56 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 PRATT & SPOFFORD. Striking Difference Between the Two Partners. Written for the Tradesman. Does it ever pay to be dishonest? We all call to mind the old school copybook with its ever present leg- end: “Honesty is the best policy;” also, “Be virtuous and you will be happy..” They tell us there are ex- ceptions to all rules, which reminds me of the life story of two men who were both successful, even though each pursued a different policy in busi- ness. John Pratt and Zeke Spofford pooled their little capital, consisting of a few hundred dollars, and went into the mercantile business, They had been schoolmates together and imag- ined they could do business in com- pany without a hitch. Two natures more unlike formed a copartnership. John was liberal as a boy, even nrore liberal in thought and action as he grew to manhood, while Zeke was the antithesis of all this, a veritable miser in his dealings with money matters. And these two men went into busi- ness together, For a time everything slipped along without a hitch. Zeke put in prac- tice the most pinching economy. It was in the days of kerosene lamps, and one day John caught his partner lighting up, successfully using one match to light five lamps. At last he burned his fingers, uttering an excla- mation. “You saved a few matches, Zeke,” smiled John, “but if it takes a dime’s worth of ointment to cure the burn you'll be money out in the end.” “There'll be no ointment in this case,” growled Zeke, ruffled over the incident. “T notice that you are very careful of the pennies, Zeke—” “Well, that’s the way to make mon- ey, John,” retorted little Zeke. “It was in that way that Dad Ellis made his money, and I mean to die rich, as he did.” “Well, perhaps that’s good logic, Zeke,” consented the other, “only it seems to me I'd rather live rich, even if I die poor.” “You'll die poor all right, Johnny Pratt.” snarled the little partner. Now this was but one of many in- cidents that went to make up the ir- ritations that decided John to dis- solve with his partner at the first opportunity. John was in a way eco- nomical, yet he would never go.a mile that he might save a penny. never The two were together about three years, at the end of which time John suggested a change. His partner was so very close he offended customers with his pinching ways, such as break- ing a stick of candy in two to make exact weight. He never gave down weight, since that would count against the merchant in the end. “Be care- ful of your weights and measures, John. That’s where a lot of men fall down and go into the hands of a re- ceiver. Old Dad Ellis never failed and he died worth a lot of money.” “Which his relatives quarreled over,” from John. “What if they did, he had the sat- isfaction of enjoying it while he lived? It is some pleasure to know that you can’t be carted off to the poorhouse in case of a general bust up of busi- ness.” John found that many customers were turned away because of his part- ner’s penuriousness. Everybody lik- ed John Pratt. He was genial, gen- erous to a fault, and when the church or school needed any help the women knew when to call at the store of Pratt & Spofford for assistance. Zeke had a way of rubbing his hands, pleading poverty, dull business when called upon for a donation. John was always smiling, always ready with his aid. The difference between the two men was most striking. Peo- ple often wondered how two such op- posite natures could work in company. At the end of three years there was a dissolution of partnership, each go- ing for himself. Pratt retained the old stand, Spofford going for himself in another building in the same town. Both merchants prospered in a way. Both were honest, one in a close, pennywise manner, the other with an open, whole-souled liberal] way that took the public by storm. As the years rolled on there came a noticeable change in the affairs of the two. one-time partners. John Pratt enlarged his business as pros- perity came to him. The extra money he made he put into the business until he owned one of the largest depart- ment stores in the town. Despite his liberal methods Pratt was not above looking after the small things that go to make up a store’s technicalities. While dealing honest- ly, even liberally, with his customers, he yet exacted a close attention to details. Every clerk was instructed to treat customers with the utmost respect, from the wealthiest citizen in the town to the lowest Arab of the street. The few pennies of the street-clean- er’s child were as valuable as the dollars of the millionaire’s overdress- ed offspring. Nothing was left un- done to make customers welcome. Re- dress was always amply made for any mistakes of salesmen. Even faked stories of damaged goods were ac- cepted rather than to offend any. “You are welcome here,” was the cheerful motto of the Pratt Emporium of trade. Riches multiplied until Pratt had more than enough to satis- fy the most exacting person. John Pratt passed beyond some years ago, his memory kept green by those in humble walks of life whom he aided. Zeke Spofford’s little store still runs, small in profits, yet pay- ing a fair dividend on the in- vestment. Zeke, old and gray, is worth perhaps twenty thousand dol- lars, made from a pinching economy that gratified his narrow tastes and penurious soul. He is not called a dis- honest man, yet nobody quite likes his methods, and few there be who will cherish his memory after he is gone. Old Timer. —_2>+.___ If they sell parrots at a bird store must one go to a saloon to get a swallow? Importance of the Retail Grocer’s Aid.* The retail grocer is an important factor in the policy of manufacturers in our Association for the distribu- tion of our merchandise to the con- sumer. The retail grocer is a hard working man. He works early and he stays late, and he is entitled to his fair compensation for services render- ed. Available records indicate that in the United States there are 156,000 retail grocery stores and 162,000 gen- eral stores, and as most of the gen- eral stores sell groceries, it would be fair to say that there are 300,000 re- tail outlets in the United States where groceries may be purchased. Figuring the present population in the United States of America at 100,- 000,000, this population might be di- vided into 300 customers to a store and there would still be 10,000,000 people not allotted to any store for its individual customers. So you can see there are 10,000,000 people in the United States, who, by arithmetic, are possible customers for some stores selling groceries. With 10,000,000 peo- ple in New York State. you might stretch your arithmetic a bit and reck- on what it would mean if the gro- cers of New York State had 10,000,- 000 more possible customers to care for. The responsibility of the manufac- turer to the retailer and to the job- ber, as the initial distributor, is great. The manufacturer produces quality goods. The guarantee must be his, for he is responsible. The manufac- turers, composing the membership of the American Specialty Manufactur- ers’ Association, believe in this qual- ity guarantee, and they are satisfied to be responsible for the product which each ships. In San Francisco, in May, it was my pleasure to attend the annual conven- tions of both the National Retail Grocers’ Association and the National Wholesale Grocers’ Association and on behalf of the American Specialty Manufacturers’ Association, invite them to meet through committees our Organization for the mutual discus- sion of legislative policies and develop as far as possible the promotion of uniform and effective pure food laws. This proposal was accepted by both the Retail and Wholesale Grocers’ Associations, and it is planned to have the first joint meeting between the retailers, jobbers and manufacturers early in September. I think you will agree that this points the way toa far better understanding of our mu- tual problems and must develop a feeling of confidence. As a constructive thought, I want to say, without any offense, that no retail grocer is all the time as thoughtful of his customers as he should be. Without customers there would be no business. Therefore, is it not a reasonable statement when we say that customers are the life of the business—your business and mine —that we should use every method to *An address before the New York State retail grocers at Niagara Falls, by Walter . Cherry, President American Specialty Manufacturers’ Association. please those customers and _ retain them? Let us go further, if you please, and strive always to develop new methods of service for our customers—the life of our business. It is always easy to be courteous, to be thoughtful and to be considerate, and it should be the study of every man selling goods, or responsible for those who do sell them, to try and treat the customer in such a way that the customer will not only appreciate the merchandise bought, but the courtesy that went with the sale. One of the greatest retail selling organizations in the United States, the United Cigar Stores Company, has a school for salesmen, where the men are taught the courtesies of business. The next time any of you go into a United Cigar store watch the clerk. Service, gentlemen, is the world’s greatest commodity. It costs less and it brings greater dividends than any- thing you have to offer. I submit that it is no special credit to you men that your stores are clean, whole- some and attractive; that your goods are well displayed; that your merchan- dise is acceptable. Those conditions are all matters of self-preservation, Without them you could not last in trade. It is service I lay before you as the greatest asset the groceryman can have. You can make it as great as you will, and the more service you give the greater will be your returns. Service spells success. How Josh Fooled Himself. Old Josh Lee was a miser, and he breakfasted every morning on oat- meal. To save fuel he cooked his week's supply of oatmeal on Sundays. This supply, by the time Saturdays came round, was pretty stiff and tough and hard to down. One Saturday morning old Josh found his oatmeal particularly unap- Peuzing. It had 4 crust on it like iron. He took a mouthful of the cold, stiff mixture; then he half rose, thinking he’d have to cook himself some eggs, But he hated to give up. He hated to waste that oatmeal. So he took out the whisky bottle, poured a gen- erous glass, and, setting it before his plate, he said: “Now, Josh, if you eat that oat- meal you'll get this whisky; and if you don’t you won't.” The oatmeal was hard to consume, but Josh, with his eye on the whisky, managed it. Then, when the last spoonful was gone, he grinned broad- ly, poured the whisky back into the bottle again and said: “Josh, my son, I fooled you that time, you old idiot!” =o Not Quite as Many. A clergyman, having performed the marriage ceremony for a couple, un- dertook to write out the usual certi- ficate, but, being in doubt as to the day of the month, he asked: “This is the ninth, is it not?” “Why, parson,” said the blushing bride, “you do all my marrying, and you ought to remember that this is only the third.” September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 57 Globe Knitting Mills Established 1897 Grand Rapids - Michigan E. A. CLEMENTS H. M. LIESVELD President Sec’y-Treas. The Home of Globe Underwear For Men, Women, and Children UALITY is the keynote of the whole Globe Underwear industry— Quality is the foundation upon which has been built an enviable rep- utation for this Concern and its ‘‘Globe Underwear” which is now sold and highly recommended by the greatest Retailers in America. The makers of “Globe Underwear’”’ believe in the goods they make—they have the fullest confidence in their continued success because they know that honest goods at honest prices and a square deal to all will always win. Merchants who are not yet sellers of Globe Underwear for men, women and children should tie up to the “Globe Line’ without delay. Every Globe Garment sold by the retailer is an advertisement for him as quality speaks louder than words. LOBE LOBE Tailor-Made TAILOR MADE Union Suits for children have all the improvements and features of the Globe men’s and women’s union suits and are made from the same non- G TRO AT LOBE Tailor-Made Union Suits come in many styles and many weights and are made in cotton, wool and silk. For Every Purse—Every Taste —Every Occasion. shrink fabric. In Grand Rapids the entire line of Globe Underwear for men, women and children is retailed exclusively by Herpolsheimer Co. LOBE Trowser Seat Union Suits are well made—buttons are sewed on tight with six cord thread. Seams are twice sewed and will not unravel. Button holes are tailored and will not tear out. 58 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 => ~~ = — = = uctti(( STO = a — — = ~ = = ~~ ~ ~~ = x — — TAN TSAI VES «x> HARDWARE SS Zz. ~ = . - — = : ~ = = = — — — — =. 2 zs = 4 2 _ = = —_ 3 _= = 4 — —_— q AWAY Michigan Retail Hardware Association. President—Frank E. Strong, Battle Creek. _ Vice-President—Fred F. Ireland, Beld- _ J. Scott, Marine Diphines-auamec Moore, Detroit. ear erent eee Appealing to the Sporting Goods Trade. Written for the Tradesman. An experienced hardware dealer who has for many years made a spe- cialty of sporting goods, was asked to name the most important items in building up this class of business. He unhesitatingly named the tollow- ing: Intelligent displays. Giving the goods a Prominent place in the store. Taking a personal interest in see- ing that every customer’s needs are satisfied, Building up a reputation in the community as a devotee of all forms of clean and honest sport. In short, this man’s advice was: “Get right into the game.” His suc- cess proved the value of his advice. A fact that every hardware dealer should bear in mind, in this connec- tion, is that a successful sporting goods season this fall means more than the immediate sales and inci- dental profits. He carries over to next year, and the years that are to come after it, an enhanced reputation as a dealer in sporting goods. Such a reputation is a very important fac- tor in catering to this line of trade. Once secure recognition from the sportsmen of the town and surround- ing country as “the sporting goods house,” and these men will swear by you and stick to you with whole- souled loyalty. Conversely, the newcomer who wants to make a success of his sport- ing goods department must get right into the game; it is the one sure way to get a foothold. Just now, sporting goods displays should be featured regularly. Nor does it pay to give all your attention to one particular line. At this sea- son of the year every hardware deal- er recognizes the advisability of giy- ing guns and ammunition a lot of Prominence. Yet there are a lot of young fellows in every community interested in football] supplies and gymnasium outfits. Just here is an important point. The average young man wants to be physically well developed. Yet in a good many towns you can’t find a sin- gle store that caters to that very nat- ural desire. I know for a fact that in many communities young men are sending out of town for books on physical culture, for gymnasium equipment, and the like, just because the local dealers neglect to cater to this opportunity. This very natural desire for good physical development is bound to in- crease as a result of the war. Physi- cal prowess will count for more than formerly. The shrewd hardware dealer will try to get a line on this business now. This does not mean that he should lay in a huge stock and tie up a lot of money. He should tackle the gymnasium outfit business in a tentative way, should try out his community, get in touch personally with young men, and at the start—if he feels timid about the business— sell from catalogue rather than stock. But it will probably pay any hardware dealer, particularly if in his own town the business had not been tried out, to talk up physical culture, and make a determined effort to start things. Not merely gymnastic apparatus, but books on physical culture can logic- ally be handled. The gun and ammunition trade is not an experiment, however; it is one of the old standbys of the sport- ing goods department. This, too, should develop as a result of the war. Here, as in other lines, it pays the dealer to get into the game. One in- stance of getting into the game—with profitable results—was chronicled a number of years ago. A hardware firm, single handed, pulled off a shoot- ing tournament. The firm provided all the prizes and paid all the ex- penses; although on the contra side of the account was the publication of a programme advertising space in which was sold to sporting goods manutacturers. The tournament con- tinued three days, each day having its special programme and being devot- ed to a specified kind of competition; thus contestants could plan their en- tries. The first two days were de- voted to clay targets, while on the third day there was a special pro- gramme of live birds. In addition to the announced prizes, a number of consolation prizes—scarf pins, hunt- ing accessories and the like were giv- en. While the average small town sporting goods dealer couldn’t under- take so large a Proposition, neverthe- less, there is no sporting goods deal- er who cannot at least take the lead in the promotion of a shooting tour- nament. More than that, he can do- nate prizes, or a trophy shield or cup. For advertising Purposes, the mer- chant’s active participation in the event and the preliminary arrange- ments is quite as valuable to him as the publicity secured by the prize or prizes he offers. Make Out Your Bills THE EASIEST WAY Save Time and Errors. Send for Samples and Circular—Free. Barlow Bros., Grand Rapids, Mich. SHELDON AND OAKES GRAND RAPIDS, “MICHIGAN. The Ventilation of School Rooms Is a State Law Requirement For years the heating and ventilation as applied to school houses has been one of our special features. : We want to get in touch with School Boards that we may send them descriptive matter. A record of over 300 rooms ought to be evidence of our ability. : i Steam and Water Heating with everything in a material line. Correspondence solicited. AND ALL SKIN AND SCALP DISEASES SUCCESSFULLY TREATED Puritan Plaster Method for External CANCER REMOVAL Interested persons are invited to investigate our methods of treatment. Prompt and permanent relief must be accomplished before settlement is made, —— A. T. HOXIE, M. D., Supervising Physician ALVAH BROWN, S. V. MAC LEOD, President Secretary THE WEATHERLY Co. 218 Pearl Street Grand Rapids, Mich. zema Booklet JESSE J. FOX, Superintendent MRS. MAE HAUCK, Supt. Ladies Dept. — ‘* Sunbeam ”’ Luggage ' SSuN BEAN Se TRUNKS, SUIT CASES Py ; 6 FIRE UNDERWRITE™ SHINGLES Reynolds shingles are called the Fire-Safe Shingle because they are fire resistant. They WILL NOT ignite from flying sparks or brands. The Underwriters Lab- oratories submitted them to severe tests—tested them for their fire-resistant qualities—and after they stood the tests Reynolds shingles were given the approval of the Fire Insurance Underwriters. It's a big thing to KNOW that your house is protected with a Reynolds Fire-Safe roof. If you are intending to re-roof your house this fall, you'd better get it done while the nice weather lasts. H. M. Reynolds Asphalt Shingle Co. “Originators of the Asphalt Shingle” RIGHT NOW is the time to stock up on these excellent values, with the spring and summer tarvel just ahead of you. “Sunbeam” Luggage will withstand hard service—‘‘they are made to wear.” They will build up a foundation for a bigger and better business for you. Your order will be shipped Promptly and you will find the goods just as represented. Our new catalogue not only shows you “what's what” in the Luggage line, but it actually places them within your reach at prices that will surprise you. If you haven't a copy, send for it to-day—NOW. Brown & Sehler Co. Home of Sunbeam Goods Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids, Mich. Public Seating For All Purposes Manufacturers of American Steel Sanitary Desks In use throughout the world World's Largest Manufacturers of Theatre Seating €merican Seating Company General Offices: 14 E. Jackson St., Chicago; Broadway and Ninth St., Grand Rapids, Mich ASK FOR LITERATURE Foster, Stevens & Co. Wholesale Hardware ut 157-159 Monroe Ave. 151 to 161 Louis N. W. Grand Rapids, Mich. _— aa. ae a ‘September 15, 1915 Personality—the personality of the ‘dealer who mingles with sportsmen ‘as an equal associate—is as vital a - factor as any in the upbuilding of a “sporting goods department. The per- sonal touch, the knack of discussing with each individual his own pet hob- by, the eagerness to be of service and to call attention to new things—these items count for a lot in the ultimate total of business. There appears to be some diversion of opinion as to the wisdom of rent- ing guns. Many experienced dealers, - however, are firm in the assertion that it helps to build business. They state - that not only is it a good way of mak- ing a profit on old stock, but that it paves the way for future business. Thus a young man, invited out for a day’s sport, has to refuse because he cannot borrow a gun and there is no place to rent one. If the merchant supplies him, however, he is apt to have a good time, come back a con- firmed enthusiast, and get into the game by purchasing a weapon. In any event, besides the rental price of the gun, the sale of ammunition and incidentals is worth considering. Of course, the merchant should not rent brand new guns; but quite often a store has one or two old weapons in good condition—either old stock, or second hand guns taken in trade— which can be used for renting pur- poses. It is worth while with a view to future business to see that these guns are kept in good condition, The more Satisfactory the day’s sport, the more likely is the amateur sportsman to become an enthusiast. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Quite often the competition idea is employed to boom business. For in- stance, one merchant trimmed _ his window with shells and_ offered a hunting coat to the sportsman guess- ing nearest the correct number of shells in the display. In this instance the competition goods—the shells— could be so arranged as not to crowd Competi- tions of this sort are good so long out an effective display. as they do not spoil the window for display purposes. The best competition in the sport- ing goods department is, however, that which grows naturally out of the business—as the offering of a prize for the best shot, the biggest pair of antlers, the biggest fish—or the biggest fish story. Whatever helps the sportsman to better sport will help the dealer to build business. One merchant keeps in touch with the sportsmen and the sporting districts in the immediate lo- cality, and bulletins in his window the news received from them regard- ing the outlook, and what luck the “early birds” are Such a system of bulletins will draw sports- men to the store and familiarize them with it, not merely as a recognized sporting goods house but as an in- formation bureau in regard to local hunting possibilities. Similarly, the results of athletic events of one sort and another can profitably be bulletined. The aim of the shrewd merchant will be, to close- ly identify himself and his store with all such events. William Edward Park. having. The Momentum of Success. The assurance that a man will reap as he sows is not merely a deterrent for the evil-doer; it is also and with equal emphasis an encouragement for the man who is making the fight for good. It is a gospel that should ap- peal particularly to the business man, when the climb ahead of him looks specially steep. There comes a time in every man’s experience when the first eager im- pulse in an undertaking is gone and results have not yet come, when the prospect looks gray and unpromising. This is most strikingly the case with the young advertiser. He has a propo- sition in which he believes, and he knows that to get a market he must introduce it to an uninterested public, which already has a thousand and one claim upon its its attention. To make the introduction costs money. You can't figure it any other way. Miracles don’t happen in modern business. The young advertiser sees his money going out, and little coming in, and, unless he has been born with the grit of a gambler, it is perfectly natural that his nerves should try to play the mischief with his brain and start a panic down his spinal column. It takes a lot of faith, in a case like that, to just stand pat. 3ut the point is that if he does stand pat, success is inevitable. It looks like taking a chance to drop a seed into the ground and expect it to grow, down there out of sight with nobody tending it. And yet it is no chance at all. Given those conditions, and nature herself couldn't prevent 59 that seed from sprouting and grow- ing. The little hard green button on the apple tree doesn’t turn into a luscious apple by some _ miraculous chance, not to be figured on. The only way to prevent its growing into a real success as an apple is to break it off, half done, and stop the work you began before its own momentum has carried it to the point where its success is apparent. The success is there, folded up in the seed, from the very beginning. The seed planted must sprout. It has no choice. And the law holds just as certainly in human affairs. There is a momen- tum in every beginning that is simply bound to carry the effort on. The advertiser who pulls down his apple in discouragement before it had time to redden in the sun has no one to blame but himself. Least of all has he any right to doubt that the sun would have gilded it, in due season, if it was the right kind of an apple in the beginning. The momentum of growth doesn’t stop, so long as the conditions are right. Again, when success has once been won, its own momentum will carry it on. And here, too, is a danger for the young advertiser to recognize. Success now seems so easy that he is apt to think that it will go on for- ever of its own impulse. So he is inclined to slacken up himself, — sit back and take things easy, and be- lieve that his golden age will go on forever. But no harvest will seed it- self. The seed must be renewed with the season.—Will B. Wilder in Fame. Offices and Warehouses: Moseley Brothers Grand Rapids, Michigan Corner Pleasant St., Hilton Ave., Grant St. and Railroads, S. W. Wholesale Dealers in Farm Products Will Buy and Sell You Beans, Seeds, Rye, Potatoes, Fruits and Farm Products Moseley Brothers Offices 210 to 222 Pleasant St., S. W. Both Telephones 1217 Grand Rapids, Michigan 60 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 BEFORE THE WAR. Comparisons of Present-Day Prices and Methods. The subject of this article js sug- gested by one that was in your val- ued journal some time ago, over the signature of my good friend A. C. Bartlett, in which he stated that the methods in the conduct of the hard- ware business to-day, as compared to those used twenty-five years ago, are as different as daylight and darkness, or words to that effect. Therefore, a little bit benetit of the younger members of the I am going to “reminis” —especially for the hardware fraternity, who may perhaps not have a realizing sense of the changed con- ditions that have occurred during the lifetime of some of us who are mem- bers of the “Old Guard.” When I entered the business—Jan- uary 1, 1856—as a boy, it was with the house of Child, Pratt & which firm afterward became Pratt & Fox—and I= served years, under a stipulated agreement of a salary of $150 for the first year, Co them three $200 for the second year, and $300 for the third year—all of which was ful- filled faithfully by both parties to the contract, Most Hardware Was Then Imported. At that time perhaps 80 per cent. of the goods we sold were imported; in fact, I should think the amount would be more than 80 per cent.; consequently, the hardware business dealt almast exclusively in foreign goods. Even such common, every-day items as log chains and trace chains came all the way from England, and I recall dis- tinctly that the only horse nail that was known was made by one Griffin in Sheffield, England. They came in small sacks—25 pounds each—and it then was one which to handle frequently, which caused me to conclude that there were points through the gunny-sack as there were nails inside of it, as evidenced by my torn and lacerated fingers from fell to my lot as a boy, those nails very as many sharp protruding the result of catchine and piling those 25-pound sacks of horse nails. The price of horse nails at that time was 25 cents a pound. I will state prices in this article for the purpose of comparison, because, as you know, there are better nails made now in this country, put up in 25-pound boxes and in 5-pound boxes, in fact, in more convenient ways for the retail deal- er, and better nails, for, say, from 9 to 13 cents a pound. Ox chains, commonly called log chains, were sold at 12 cents a pound, but occasionally somebody would cut the price, so that they were 10 cents a pound. The two files that were most popular then were those of W. & S. Butcher, and Spear & Jackson. They sold at $5 to the pound sterling, which brought the mill files up—say for 12 inch—to about three times the present price, at which such standard goods as Nicholson or Disston’s are sold. In all fairness, however, it should be stated that these files were cut by hand, and also that there was a heavy duty on them, because we had high tariff then. The only hand saws that had any standing at all with the trade were Spear & Jack- son’s, made in Sheffield, Engiand, and as near as I can recall, the lowest price | ever heard on them was $24 a dozen, On January 1, 1859, I entered the employ of Wilson, Levering & Wa- ters, which firm afterwards became Waters & Company. I was admitted as the junior partner of that firm. Shortly after that, Mr. Levering died, and the firm became Waters, Simmons & Company, and from that, by two or three different steps, evolved the ware Company. Levering, Simmons Hard- Few Exclusive Hardware Stores. From the time I entered the house of Wilson, Levering & Waters, I commenced selling goods, and have continued it, more or less, directly and indirectly, ever since: consequent- lv, I have been constantly familiar with the methods of business, and also with prices. In those days there were very few exclusive hardware stores, in fact, I think it is a fair state- ment to say that there were none. There were general stores, which kept a little of everything, and in each of these general stores there was a small hardware department, usually tucked off in one corner of the building, in some dark place, and a most unsight- ly and unkempt part of the business it was. To sell goods, we had to fight for trade with the general merchant —the man who had to buy dry goods, groceries, drugs, shoes, hardware, etc. Asa general proposition, he was not well posted about the hardware business. He bought goods on six months’ time, giving his note, and then if he could not pay at the end of six months, the note was renewed; but the profits were in proportion. | think it was fair to say that the gross profit on the goods we sold then was two or three times as great as it is to-day with the average hardware jobber. Smartest Man Got the Business. The ingenuity displayed in those days to get business, and to sell a around and pricing—because they all “came merchant who was looking to market” at the early period—was very ingenious, indeed, and sometimes showed great shrewdness, but it was the same old game that existed be- fore and has continued ever since; i. e., it was the triumph of mind over mind—it was the brightest mind and the smartest man who got the busi- ness. It was a case where the sales- man had to dominate the mind of the merchant buying the goods in the line that the salesman had to sell. There was an immense amount. of. baits out to merchants in those days to get him started. It was a thrown common custom to sell him the first eight or ten articles at much less than cost, in the hope and belief that they could make it up afterwards. Prac- tically, there were no regular selling prices—it was a “go-as-you-please-and get-all-you-can-game, While I am dictating this there comes to my mind one case that I en- joyed very much. A merchant from Burnham, Stoepel & Co. Exclusively Wholesale Dry Goods deg, Detroit - Michigan Franklin Carton Sugar Is Made From Sugar Cane Don’t forget to tell your customers that FRANKLIN CARTON SUGAR is made from SUGAR CANE, because there is a decided preference for cane Sugar on the part of the consumers and that makes it easier to sell. It is also true that FRANKLIN CARTON SUGAR is refined by the most modern Processes, and then packed in the substantial cartons with the head of Franklin printed in blue on them, and sealed against dust, dampness and insects. It therefore comes to you as the sweetest, cleanest, daintiest sugar you can offer your customers, and the ready-to-sell cartons save you time and prevent loss by overweight. Original containers hold 24, 48, 60 and 120 Ibs. FULL WEIGHT of all CARTONS and CONTAINERS guaranteed by us THE FRANKLIN SUGAR REFINING COMPANY Philadelphia September 15, 1915 the South, who was doing a large business, wanted a pretty good bill of hardware, as bills went at that time. After he finished buying his dry goods and his groceries, he got around to the hardware business; he priced from a competitor of ours, and was waited on by my old and warm personal friend, John Cantwell. At that time there was a great deal of rivalry between Mr. Cantwell and myself—both boys—as to who could sell the most goods and we were usu- ally put forward to sell the dif- ficult trade. This gentleman’s name was Darrah—I happen to recall that while I am dictating—I have not thought of it for years, He came to see me after having priced at the other house. He had his little memorandum book, and one of the first things he asked me was, “What is the price of nails?” Of couse my price was going to be what- ever was necessary, regardless of cost. I knew he did not want very many nails, and I knew there was a good big bill dependent, to ‘some ex- tent, upon the influence of the low price on nails. Please understand, these were cut nails, because there were no wire nails made at that time. The regular price was $3.25 per keg; the cost about $3.10. i asked him how many nails he wanted, which question was only put to gain time and to do a little thinking, and inci- dentally to see if I could, by glanc- ing over his book, see what he had put down there as the quotation of the other house, but he was. too watchful for me, and I could not see his book; but I rather made up my mind that my competitor had quoted $3 a keg. After fencing for time with a few more questions, I said to him, “What kind do you want.” He opened his book again, peered over it, and then said: a) want t,o. b mais, If said, “Well, that’s just the kind I have, and they are bully good nails, too.” He said, “Well, what’s your price, Simmons—what’s your price?” 1 said “How would $2.85 strike you?” He opened his little book again, held it up close so that I could not see it, and then shut it up, turned to me, and said, “Damn that fellow down the street, | knew he was asking too much; he asked me $3 for nails. Get your book, Simmons, you are the man I want to buy from’’—and I sold him about a thousand dollars’ worth of goods, and I made a corking good profit on them. If we could make half the percentage of profit to-day that I made on that bill, I should be delighted to continue the hardware business, and find it more encourag- ing than I do now. I have merely recited this little in- cident and stated some prices in order to tell some of your young readers about what was going on and the methods of business “befo’ de war.” My contact with merchants in my travels as early as 1859 and 1860 con- vinced me that no retail hardware merchant, who had any self-respect, would sell anything he bought at a profit of less than from 100 to 500 per cent., usually averaging about MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 200 or 300 per cent. profit. I wonder how many of your readers who are conducting retail hardware _ stores would like to sell their goods at this profit to-day, if they could. If I were addressing a lot of them in some hall at the present time, I would ask whoever would like to do this to hold up their good right hand, and I believe every hand in the house would pop up. Prefers Present to the Old Way. All the same, notwithstanding we sell goods now at an exceedingly small profit, as compared to that which prevailed in those days; that we sell many of our customers not once in six months, but every week, and quite a large percentage of them every two or three days by mail or- ders; and that instead of taking a week or two to execute and ship the goods, we ship most of them the day on which they arrive at our various stores, because there is a great ri- valry between the hardware jobbers of this country in the way of good service, and it is a very justifiable am- bition for any house to be able to give the best service possible, and one that is very satisfactory to the retail deal- ers, who support them, and who fa- vor them with their patronage; then, again, that the time limit is sixty days, instead of six months,'as it was then, with the privilege of six months’ renewal; and another advantage of to-day’s methods is that our repre- sentative visits, personally, in the stores and homes of the merchants, and can therefore keep posted as to their general characteristics, habits, business ability, and the progress they are making, also their standing in the community in which they live; then, again, each man who deals with any particularly large jobbing house has, practically speaking, right in his store, the entire stock of that large jobbing house, as shown in a charm- ing picture book, sometimes called a catalogue or a hardware encyclo- pedia, and so arranged that the mer- chant can easily ascertain the price of anything he wants to take an order for, and therefore he can make sales from that catalogue, which, if prop- erly used, is, to him, invaluable; but, as above stated, take it all in all, even with the lesser margins of profit and with the absolute necessity of the most modern and up-to-date system, and with promptness as the motto in everything that is done—in buying, selling and collecting, and in the ex- ecution of orders, as well as in keep- ing up the stock—I would prefer the present way to the old one. It shows more brains, more human intellect, and more fairness in its methods of dealing. There is very much less “baiting” and price-cutting, and buy- ing of business by “jockeying,” “jug- gling,” and by methods which passed current in those days, but which at the present time would be consider- ed entirely “below the belt.” Some Have Much to Learn, It is true that many of the retail merchants, and some of the whole- sale, still have much to learn as to the best methods of conducting their re- spective business. I have a peculiar, 61 Newaygo Portland ement Co. eee aes » Sales Office Grand Rapids Mich. SUN-KIST Canned Fruits are a quality unto themselves—they are SUN-KIST Quality—a quality distinctly peculiar to SUN-KIST—a quality specially selected for people of critical taste— Delicious canned fruits—no better grown in California—the pick of a mil- lion case pack and fine enough for any table in the land. If you want satisfied customers, connect with the SUN-KIST Kind. NATIONAL GROCER CO.’S Houses ASK THEM 62 particular and distinct advantage over most people engaged in this line of endeavor, in the fact that I have been a retailer in a large way: also a job- ber in a moderately large way: and I have also been a manufacturer, and am yet to-day. Experience in these three different divisions of the busi- ness teaches a man a great deal more than if he has experience in only one of the divisions; and if a man does not learn by experience, there is no other method by which he will ever attain sufficient knowledge to keep up with the active, sleepless competition that confronts him on all sides in the present wonderful era. I have about the which I am more or less well known as a “crank” on the subject. A a few notions hardware business for man to be suc- cessful must keep his stock up thor- oughly complete—he cannot do a suc- cessful A retail merchant should never buy more than a ninety days’ or four months’ stock (from the date of invoice) so as to make his “turn-over” fully four times a Year and it because business otherwise. times, cannot do a He must recognize and practice that old and true say- ing that “No trade is a good trade unless both possible, five otherwise he healthy business. parties prosper.’ He must have a deep conviction to be honest in every sense and construc- tion of that work—not because it is He must consult the best interests of his policy, but because it is right. customers first, and give preference to them’over his own interests, be- cause if he not will close his doors in failure. satisfied sooner or later He must realize that, “Promptness is the es- sence of all he is does have customers, he good business,” and if not a good collector and a prompt payer, he had better hane out the flag and sell out before the sher- iff gets him. Better Merchants To-day. On the other hand, there are ten- fold more good merchants to-day en- gaged in the wholesale and_ retail hardware business than there were twenty-five or fifty years ago. Some of these have had a pretty hard time during the last four or five years to make a good showing. The jobbing hardware business is an exceedingly close and difficult problem. I think it is safe to say that the great ma- jority of those engaged in that busi- ness to-day would, if they could get their money out, be glad indeed to shut up shop and let somebody else carry on the burden, and invest their money in stocks or bonds, on which they could get quite as good dividends in the way of interest as they can and are doing in the conduct of a large, wearisome, never-ending and unceasing, laboring effort to conduct, successfully, a large jobbing hard- ware business. Era of Prosperity Coming. But, my friends, there is a better time coming, and it is right near. It is my judgment that 1916 will com- mence an era of prosperity the equal, if not superior, to anything we have ever known in this country. The tariff question, which has been a MICHIGAN TRADESMAN “bugbear” anda cloud of depres- sion, is out of the way and the troubles in Mexico must come to an end before a great while. It seems impossible that they continue much longer. can Since writing the above I have re- ceived another communication from my old friend, E. B. Purcell of Man- hattan, Kan., and he enclosed an in- voice of June 22, 1867, from the firm of M. Diveley & Co. of Kansas City, Mo., for a carload of salt. The car- load contained sixty-six barrels, at $4 per barrel—making a total of $264. He states that at that time he sold this salt in Manhattan at $6.50 per barrel, and that it came in barrels, the staves of which were oak, and the packages had the having been left by Noah when he closed the door of the Ark on the Mount, to be sent to Kansas City at a later date. He now sells nice, bright, clean Sali, im a barrel with red hoops—salt that he buys from the Morton Salt Company, Hutchinson, Kan.—and_ his price for that in Manhattan is $1.35 a barrel. appearance of He is unable to get the freight rate in 1867, but my present recollection is there was no railroad then. He, however, has the freight rate of 1873 —after the Kansas-Pacific Railroad was built, and the rate on salt at that time was 56 cents per 100 pounds, from Kansas City to Manhattan. At the present time, the rate on salt from Kansas City to Manhattan is 8’ cents per 100 pounds. This gives a fair comparison of the difference in freight rates between then and now, and I think it ought to be convincing to anybody that freight rates now are not only very reason- able, but exceedingly low.—E. C. Sim- mons in Hardware Age. HICA BOATS Graham & Morton Line Every Night September 15, 1915 Its Loose Leaf Opens Like a Blank Book SHIPPED ALL OVER THE WORLD Write us Made by EPR Grand Rapids, Mich. Bi ) a0 S uCCESS, the Result of Effort D° not get a name for being indifferent to the welfare of your trade. People are not going to run to the store of the dealer who makes no effort to repay them for their coming. People nowadays are quick to sense such an attitude. They shun the dealer who makes no effort to please them. Me “Why don’t you try Jones’ grocery? You can depend on everything he sells”—is the kind of conversation that spells ruin for one dealer and success for another. It bespeaks lack of effort on the first—presence of great effort on the other. Sell dependable goods—play fair and your busi- ness will grow—your reputation is made. Sell National Biscuit Company products and you are building upon a solid foundation, for N. B. C. goods are known as absolutely dependable. People have confidence in them and buy them by the millions of packages. NATIONAL BISCUIT COM PANY THERE IS ONLY ONE BEST merican Laundry DRY CLEANING GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. September 15, 1915 “Travel Coupons” Fail to Carry Hold- ers Far. Another sensational coupon scheme has hit the rocks; this time the American Scrip Co., of Los Angeles, Cal., which sold “travel coupon” stamps to merchants at $3 to $5 per thousand, a stamp being supposed to be given with each dollar purchase. Each stamp was good for a mile of travel over any railroad or steam- ship line in the country. So good did the proposition look that half a dozen or more imitation concerns mushroomed, but one by one they have disappeared and now the father of them all has struck the rocks. Admitting that the American Scrip Co. is insolvent and that it has no as- sets to pay indebtedness approximate- ly between $65,000 and $75,000, circu- lar letters have sent creditors of the short-lived concern by an or- ganization styling itself “Liquidating Committee for American Scrip Co.” “The company is insolvent,” it says. But a number of directors of the concern have banded themselves together to pay the com- pany’s outstanding notes and 35 cents on the dollar in settlement of claims. In the following sentence the con- tributing causes are set forth as the members been It has no assets. tee see them: “The downfall of this company has been brought about in the attempt to run a new and untried business by inexperienced agents, a number of whom have been utterly reckless in the expenditure of mon- eys and the company in heavy debts without the knowledge of the officers of the company, al- though trying hard to prevent same, and also the company’s very unwise move in undertaking to do busi- the East when neither the time, the condition nor the capital paid in justified such a movement, and also the springing up of competi- tors, like mushrooms over night, and which competitors destroyed our once very prosperous’ business, but, like Samson of old, they likewise destroy- ed themselves.” Despite the fact that the merchants who bought scrip paid from $3 to $5 a thousand for the coupons, they are now being redeemed only at 1 cent. While none but the officers of the company know how many are out- standing, it is said that fully 1,000,000 scrip coupons still are unredeemed, involving ness in ——_>~++___ Advice to Salesmen. Do not fail to be polite and agree- able. Do not misrepresent goods. Do not get fresh or smart with a customer. Do not wait for a come to you. customer to Do not lose your temper. Do not give short weight; if you can not be on the square, there is no place in the store for you. Do not miss a sale without report- ing to the boss. Do not be a machine. man. Do not think that it is not your business to help keep down expenses. Do not wait to be told. Find things Be a sales- of the liquidating commit-. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN to do. Do not forget that your salary depends upon your ability to bring customers back, Do not sing, whistle, or yell while in the store. Do not use bad language. Do not be careless and leave cash tickets strewn about. Do not fail to stop what you are doing to wait on a customer or to answer the phone. Do not loaf. Do not fail to be accurate. Do not fail to remember that no matter how valuable a man may be, if he does not follow the system of the store he becomes a_ stumbling block in the way. of that store’s progress. Certainly these “do nots” could be profitably heeded by the clerk in any store. New Parcel Post Order. Postmaster General Burleson has ordered that the size limit of pack- ages for parcel post shipment be in- creased to a conbined length and girth of eight-four inches, which will permit the mailing of standard-sized fruit and berry crate. The old limit was seventy-two inches length and girth, and there has been a widespread de- mand for its increase. The Postmaster General also au- thorized the establishment of a receipt system for parcel post packages sim- ilar to that employed by express companies. “The new regulation,” says a De- partment statement, “provides that on payment of 1 cent the postmaster at the mailing office may give the sender of an parcel of fourth-class mail a receipt therefor. A postage stamp to cover the charge for the receipt will be affixed to the parcel, and the name and the address of the addressee shall be written in the receipt by the sender.” ordinary Wisconsin Retail Grocers. Efforts to change the name of the Wisconsin Retail Grocers & General Merchants’ to the Wis- consin Retail Merchants’ Association at the recent convention in Oshkosh failed; the grocers, who are largely in the majority, opposing the sugges- tion and persuading the convention to refer it to a committee which will re- port at the next convention. The As- sociation has had a remarkable de- velopment under President Finger; no less than 1,500 new members hav- ing joined during his term and al- most 600 during the past year. But all efforts to persuade him to stand for re-election failed. Association Canada’s Apple Prospects. Telegrams to the fruit branch of the Canadian Department of Agricul- ture, from producing districts report that in Nova Scotia, apples are col- loring well and growing fast; in the Lake Ontario district apples will not average more than 40 per cent. of last year’s crop; in the Niagara dis- trict the weather continues wet, but cooler, and in some cases Triumph peaches have rotted before ripening. ———_+ A popular minister avoids touching the sore spots of his congregation. 63 Holland Crystal Creamery The Oldest Creamery in Western Michigan Established 1886 C. J. LOKKER, Manager b HOLLAND, MICHIGAN Send Us Your Cream and Receive the Most Money Eq A Ee IIT ITO ION PATA IATA ATIC When the guests go away, Don’t you want them to say: ‘Those folks certainly have : elegant Furniture” a Klingman’s 5 The Largest Furniture Store in America e = q Corner Ionia Ave. and Fountain St., i Grand Rapids, Michigan 4) v Py, NS Do You Sell Kodaks and Cameras? If so, Send Us Your Address We know that we can increase the profits in this branch of your business. We have one of the best equipped plants in this state, yes in any state— of experience—during which time we have made careful study of the possibilities of amateur Photography. It does not matter what line you handle—how large or small your kodak business is to-day—we know our proposition will appeal to you because it has proven profit making, bet- ter business making, and opens up the possibili- ties of this field. Drop us a postal to-day and get our de- tails—it will pay you. the result of years The Camera Shop, Inc. Walter K. Schmidt, Mer. 16 Monroe Ave. Grand Rapids, Mich. 64 TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYES So They Will Easily Forge to the Front. “Come on, Stanford! Come on, Stanford!” This was the cry that rang out over the glorious Hudson late one afternoon the past June. The boat race was on, and the California eight, representing Stanford University, were being beaten by Cornell. This memorable and splendid event was made pathetic by the downfall of the lionhearted California giants who made up the Stanford eight. Here were these boys. 3,000 miles from home, with but few of their friends to cheer them on to victory, hearing the words of encouragement shouted from the river’s bank by the assem- bled thousands to the crews of Cor- nell, Pennsylvania, Syracuse, Colum- bia and the others, when suddenly, above the cheers and shouts of all these thousands, rose a clear and sten- torian voice, which reached the ears of the Stanford eight, electrifying them to put forth super-human effort. “Come on, Stanford!” was the cry, and the stentorian voice from which it came belonged to a stalwart Califor- nian, who felt that on him alone evolved the tremendous responsibility of so cheering on and inspiring the Stanford boys that they would win the honors for his beloved California. Rarely, if ever, has a crew ever strug- gled so gallantly as did these boys who had come 3,000 miles, and had made heroic personal sacrifice to win the honors for their university and annual intercollegiate ‘varsity their State, and perhaps never before had a ‘varsity eight been spurred on by a spectator whose sympathy and interest were so intense that, although a physical giant, he dropped uncon- scious when the defeat of his favorites Was witnessed. The Californians cer- tainly had the intense desire necessary to success; they had bulldog courage and tenacity, for no gamer crew ever started in a race Well, then, what did they lack? Was it physical strength? No: for they were man for man, many pounds heavier and stronger than the Itha- cians. Why was it that Stanford. the strongest and gamest crew, and the crew to which winning furthermore, varsity meant the most, lost, while Cornell, a crew not extraordinary in either strength or gameness, and lacking the intense purpose of the Californians, won? Because the latter lacked training. Never until now has the world real- ized that training means so much. Training wins, wherever applied, whether in sport, in business, or in war. The past year the world has had a demonstration of the unbeliey- able power of achievement of train- ing as expressed in military opera- tions. The military forces of the United States of America are insig- nificant because we have known that. if the need arose, millions of loyal Americans would, within a week, place themselves at their country’s service, and, not appreciating the value of training, we have believed this will- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ingness on the part of our citizens to serve their country when needed con- stituted an adequate National defense. The past year, however, we have been made to see what training does in military affairs, and now we know that to send our millions of men against a modern army, without years of thorough training, would be to annihilate them. Training wins. A young man who had graduated irom college was speaking about his career. He had taken an electrical and mechanical engineering course, and, when asked if he intended as- sociating himself with one of the large electrical concerns, replied, “No,” and gave as his reason “that these con- cerns, although you may be a col- lege graduate, require an additional three or four years’ training.” All about us, more and more, we are coming to see the importance of thorough training. If you go auto- mobiling you want a trained chauf- feur. If you have an occasion to em- ploy a lawyer you don’t want an amateur barrister, you want a thor- oughly trained man. If you are ill you want an experienced and _ thor- oughly trained physician, and the men’s apparel merchant, if success is to be his, wants, yes, must have, train- ed employes. This is especially true of the men’s apparel merchant in the smaller cities. The big stores in the metropolitan cities are attracting the major part of the business, and in an effort to hold their trade men’s apparel mer- chants in the smaller cities are do- ing two things. They are endeav- oring to impose upon the people of their community a_ sense of duty, which, it is hoped, will cause the peo- ple, from a feeling of loyalty, to trade in their home town, and they are at- tempting to attract the trade of the home people by some novel idea or method, In principle the case is somewhat analogous to the efforts of clergymen in New York City to get people to attend church. York City may or may not be as re- The people of New ligious as heretofore, but at any rate they are at present disinclined to at- tend church, and clergymen are do- ing two things to get them to attend. They are seeking to make people feel that it is their duty to attend church, and they are resorting to various novel and unique ideas and methods. Both of these two things have failed, so far as substantial or permanent re- sults are concerned. There is one clergyman, however, in New York City whose church is always filled, but he neither at- tempts to make people feel that they must attend church because it is their duty, nor does he offer novel enter- - tainment as a bait to attract people. This clergyman attracts people sim- ply because he gives them that for which they feel the need, and, Mr. Small City Merchant, if you will merely give the people of your city that for which they feel the need, you will hold them, even though your met- ropolitan competitor has several dis- tinct advantages over you. Greater purchasing power, closer proximity to the markets and centers of trade and the big city fascinations may be factors of as great advantage to the metropolitan competitor over you as were the factors of greater weight, strength and determination an advantage to the Stanford ’Var- sity eight over Cornell’s, but, Mr. Small City Merchant, if your em- ployes are “Courtney trained” you will give the people of your town that for which they feel the need, and you will win the race from your big city competitor. Now, what must you do that your employes may be “Courtney trained?” First of all, get the right sort of ma- terial. “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,” neither can you make business-winning employes out of people who are devoid of gump. tion. Before purchasing a horse you look him over. You make sure that he has sound feet and limbs, and that his wind is all right. You notice if he has a good eye and is well coupled, and you put him through his paces to see how he handles himself. Don’t you think your employes are as im- portant to you as the horse you buy? Well, then, look them over carefully before taking them on. Observe their mental processes and test their mental faculties. Find out whether or not they can think straight. After you have looked them over and tried them out, and are sat- ised that they measure up morally, mentally and physically, take them on, and then train them. Teach them, Mr. Merchant, first of all, your view- point concerning their work and your attitude towards Make them that your idea of right business methods is thai no employe shall leave the place at night until he has put his customers. understand work in such condition that, were he never to return, it would be carried on with- out the slightest hitch. Teach them that thoroughness, precision and com- pleteness is your idea of business effi- ciency. Make it clear to them that dropping unfinished business and rushine out the minute 6 o'clock your idea of correct business meth- ods, and, if they expect to please you and meet your requirements, they will complete the ticket they are mak- ing out or put the stock that is dis- arranged in order, or do anything or everything there is to do in order to fully round out the day's work. In- completeness is in the class with in- temperance as an element of weak- ness. When you start a piece of work see it through. comes is not Make your employes understand your attitude toward customers. That wrapper who made an angry re- tort to the unreasonable customer who nagged him would have refrained had he understood your attitude to- ward the trade, because he would have known that, in your eyes, the customer is always right and must be deferred to, He would have realized that, while it is a customer’s privilege to fly off the handle and go up in the air, the September 15, 1915 merchant or his employes must al- ways remain complacent and respect- ful. Having taught your employes your views and your viewpoint, proceed to train them in their work. When you place an employe in a new position see to it that he is thoroughly taught the work of that position from A to Z. For example, if a green man is to be broken in, as, for instance, a wrap- per, have a person who is an expert wrapper, and who is a capable in- structor, take this green man in hand and drill him until he knows all the many vitally important elements about. wrapping goods. In like manner, every function throughout your business, whether it be that of wrapping goods, sweeping the floors or serving the customer, should be performed only by a per- son who is an expert in performing that function. Train your employes, Mr. Small City Merchant, and you will not have to worry about your metropolitan competitor getting your business. When you learn the truth so effec- tively taught by the late Robert Tay- lor, namely, that the most ordinary task, even that of digging a ditch, may be transformed into skilled la- bor, you can give a service that will be the talk of the town. Smith, in commenting on your store and ser- vice, will remark to Jones: “Say, Jones, the next time you need any men’s apparel go to Brown & Co.'s; that is the store where you get ser- vice. Everyone about the place, from the bottom up, is an expert in his everyone with whom you come in contact is om the job and knows his business, and there is not the slight- est hitch or bungle. line. I tell you, Jones, it is a delight to trade at Brown & Co.'s, and they will get all of my busi- ness from now on. I have been trad- ing with Jackson & Co., over at the big city, but it is Brown & Co, for me henceforth,” Yes, training your employes is the thing that will win for you, Mr. Smal] City Merchant. Your efforts to hold your trade against metropolitan com- petition, by means of freak stunts or by appealing to the sense of duty of your townsmen, will fall short of the mark. But train your salesmen until they know what size to put on a customer, and how to handle that customer, not like a novice, but like a master. Train your cashier until he can make change with dispatch and accuracy; train your stock clerks to so keep the stock in order that it will be at hand at a sec- ond’s notice, and train everyone to be right there with the glad hand, the pleasant smile and perfect team work, and when your employes are so trained, although your competitors in the race, in a desperate effort to rally their forces at the finish, cry, “Come on, Stanford,” until they collapse, it will not avail, for your “Courtney trained” employes, working like a per- fectly balanced and oiled machine, will forge easily to the front and cross the finish line winners.—George D. Briggs in Apparel Gazette. September “15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN oe a SRIIIIIIIIOII III IIIS IO OO IIIS OOOO III aK I CI CI; . Citizens Telephone Service Is valuable to the Grand Rapids Business Man Because it reaches the points he a does business with 14,120 Telephones in the Grand Rapids Exchange 2,289 in Kent County Outside of Grand Rapids DIRECT COPPER METALLIC LONG DISTANCE LINES Connect with All Important Points in the State Detroit 85,000 ee Cadillac 1,012 telephones Lansing 3,017 Ludington 830 - Muskegon 2,300 “ Jackson 2,782 Traverse City 1,716 - Saginaw 3,177 Holland 1,114 . Owosso 1,650 And All Intermediate and Connecting Points a! INDEPENDENT a ee sea [ake VY PIA AAIA AAA A AAD AAD AAA AAA AAA AA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAAI ADA AIA SAS A SAA AIA ASI AA AA AA AAA AAA AAA AAAS ASA ASBESI AAA AAS AAA AAA AAAS AAS AA AAAASASSAASASASASAAA. Best Service—Most Satisfactory Rates Citizens Telephone Company tottotininotointototototototctok HR FABRA OE 66 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 THE MEAT MARKET L An Old Time Butcher to His Son. Many a man sets up a theory in or- der to have the pleasure of knocking it down, which reminds me of what friend Schmidt has doing lately in his market up here. Schmidt used to be dead set against the use of trading stamps or any oth- er kind of premiums to get business. He couldn't through the largest telescope ever made. He said my been see them that the butcher who put them in his market was mighty foolish, for what was the sense of giving some outside > fellow. 3 to 5 per cent. of your gross business in order to do just what every other butcher was doing? Just a year ago | passed Schmidt's market one morning and what was my surprise to see a large brightly print- ed sign reading, “Double Vermilion Stamps To-day Until 12 o'clock.” And inside the shop were a dozen other signs all screaming the above it, same magnificent offer. PHelle! said 1 te Schuudt; “1 thought you were sure that stamps were a mighty poor proposition for the butcher. Seems that you have changed your mind now.” “Well,” said Schmidt, with a grin, “ain’t that my privilege? I used to think stamps were rotten, but I’ve come around to them like everyone else.” And then he went on to the old clap-trap arguments stamp had loaded with stamps, taking a huge enjoyment in knocking down the theory which he had stuck by for years. I didn't say a word; I don’t give advice to any friends; it’s bad enough the way give all that the salesman him up my son takes it. Well, Schmidt continued the stamps up until about a week or two ago. At first he was enthusiastic about them, just like every convert is, but gradually his enthusiasm be- gan to wane and he began to avoid the subject. Asked how was, he’d invariably say O. K., but his wholesaler told me one day that Schmidt’s orders weren't what they used to be. I was in his market yesterday and asked him in a joking sort of way what caused him to throw out the stamps. 1 told him that I thought anyone who was so enthusiastic over them as he had been would be going into them harder than ever, instead of doing away with them all together as he had done. “Well, old man,” “that was a mighty that got that stamp contract out of me. In 10 minutes he had me kick- ing myself for being such a fool as to have passed stamps over for so to give business says Schmidt, slick salesman Niany years; and in 20 minutes I was convinced that the only way I'd ever get enough to retire upon was by the use of those red stickers of his. But I've had a rude awakening, me. “At first things went fine; my cus- ‘em. Several new people came to me the first week and, of course, I put that down to the stamps right away. But in a little while the interest started to drop off. The other fellow down the block put in stamps and offered double ones at that. Those customers of mine that wanted a rocking chair in a hurry went there, of course, so to hold them I had to meet his offer. It turned out later that the stamps he was us- believe tomers seemed to like ing were cheaper than mine, and I was holding the basket. “The salesman had told me that stamps would increase my _ business. He told it so well that I fell for it, hook, line and sinker. But I never noticed that any woman bought any more meat from me _ because she would get a few more stickers. She simply bought as much as she need- ed, just as she had done before I got to giving away things. “He told me that it would create steady trade for me. I can’t see where it did. I do know, though, that by giving stamps I managed to edu- cate a good number of people to want them who had never thought about them before, and, presto, when some- body else offered a greater number of stamps with a purchase than I did, away they went and I lost them. “The fellow who persuaded me to put them in showed me in black and white that the increased volume would more than make up for the in- creased overhead expense. They say figures don’t lie; maybe they don't, but they indulge in legal fictions then. The overhead in- creased all right, but the volume— well, my year’s balance sheet shows a decrease in volume, and a nice, neat one, too. “Tl didn’t buy stamps. What I bought was that salesman’s gift of And the first opportunity I had Now I have to go it’s my belief gab. out they went. to work to build up my business on a legitimate basis, or, in other words, begin pretty nearly all over again.” That’s Schmidt’s experience. He'd held onto his theory until a really capable man had come along and shown him, by a smooth tongue, that there was nothing to it. Result: Schmidt is out a good many dollars, but I don’t know but what he’s the gainer, anyhow. Think of all the ex- perience he has!—Butchers’ Advo- cate. Preparing Pigs’ Feet. In preparing pigs’ feet the feet are usually used, as they are bet- ter shaped feet to prepare than the hind feet, and, besides, the hind feet are more or less disfigured through hanging the hog on the gam stick. The hind feet are usually used’ for preparing a low grade of glue. The method of preparing is as follows: The feet are first scalded, after which they are scraped and cleaned. They are then placed in a plain pickle, 90 degrees by salometer test, six ounces of saltpeter having been added for each 100 pounds of feet. The left in this pickle show a bright red when cooked, which is usually about six or eight days. If this red appear- ance does not show entirely through the feet when cooked they are thor- oughly cured. left in the pickle longer than neces- sary to cure them, for when they are fore feet should be until they appearance They should not be too heavily salted before cooking it has the effect of making them break After the feet are properly cured in the salt pickle, in the cooking water. they should be cooked in a wooden vat (an which is provided with a false bot- tom about six inches above the real bottom, so that the direct heat from the steam pipe does not come in di- rect contact with the feet themselves. The water should be brought to a temperature of about 200 degrees F., and held at that temperature until the feet are sufficiently cooked. The wa- ter should never be brought to a boil- ing point, as that will cause the feet to become badly broken, which nat- urally injures their appearance. After they are cooked they should be split through the center either by machine or hand. They should then be put in a white wine vinegar pickle 45 de- grees strong in open vats in a refrig- erated room, where the temperature can be maintained at 38 to 40 degrees F. When the feet are to be held for iron vat. discolors them), some months, however, it is advisable to put them in barrels and tierces, as is required, with vinegar of 45 de- grees strength. The packages should be stored at temperatures of 45 to 50 degrees F. —_2-->___ Compound Lard. Compound lard is made of cotton- seed oil and oleo stearine or tallow, or both. The formula on this article varies according to the relative value of the ingredients. The generally ac- cepted formula is 80 per cent. cotton- seed oil and 20 per cent. oleo stearine. If the market price of oleo stearine this formula is substituted: 5 per cent. cottonseed oil, 714 per cent. tallow, 17% per cent. oleo stear- cold weather a is high z ine. In smaller per cent. of stearine may be used and a proportionately larger per cent. of tallow. G. B. READER uccessor to MAAS BROS. Wholesale Fish Dealer SEA FOODS AND LAKE FISH OF ALL KINDS Citizens Phone 2124 Bell Phone M. 1378 1052 Ottawa Ave., N. W. Grand Rapids, Mich Dandelion Vegetable Butter Color A perfectly Pure Vegetable Butter Color and one that complies with the pure food laws of every State and of the United States. Manufactured by Wells & Richardson Co. Burlington, Vt. Mr. Flour Merchant: You can own and control your flour trade. Make each c'erk a “salesman”’ instead of an “order taker.’ Write us to-day for exclusive sale proposition covering your market for Purity Patent Flour We mill strictly choice Michigan wheat, properly blended, to producea satisfactory all purpose family flour. GRAND RAPIDS GRAIN & MILLING CO., Grand Rapids, Michigan HART BRAND CANNED GOODS Packed by W. R. Roach & Co., Hart, Mich. Michigan People Want Michigan Product: bacon and fresh eggs. those who want the best. PEACOCK BRAND. Breakfast Appetites can be encouraged and well satisfied with a nice rasher of _Go to your grocer’s and get some of | the famous Peacock mild cured bacon and fry it, pouring off | the grease as quickly as it forms. This makes it crisp. Pea- cock Hams and Bacon are cured by a special process—brine is not used—so they are not salty. They are especially pre- pared by Cudahy Brothers Co., Packers, Cudahy, Wis., for Cudahy Brothers Co. Packers Cudahy, Wisconsin { i | ; | Vereen SNR TNS mee eS LRT NN September 15, 1915 Wholesomeness of Butterfish Em- phasized. The Bureau of Fisheries of the De- partment of Commerce emphasizes the value of butterfish as a food, in connection with proceedings which took place in New York late in June. At that time an interdiction had been placed on the sale of this fish in New York City by the local health officials on the ground of parasitis infection. Prompt action by the bureau averted a serious situation which might have prevented the marketing of several million pounds of cheap and whole- some food fish, with consequent in- jury to the fishermen, the fish dealers and the ultimate consumers. The bureau considers that the trap fisher- men along the coast would have suf- fered especially, as the butterfish represents a large portion of their catch each year. The Bureau of Fisheries, in refer- ring to the results of its action, says that if the embargo had been once put into effect it would have ruined the butterfish trade for some time to come and might have affected the use of other popular food fishes. The em- bargo was prevented as a result of the course of action which followed the sending of a telegram by Secre- tary of Commerce Redfield asking the New York Board of Health to sus- pend judgment, while Dr. Edwin Lin- ton, a recognized authority on the parasites of food fishes, went at once to New York to appear before the Board of Health. It was finally de- cided that such parasites as were actu- ally found in the fish would have MICHIGAN TRADESMAN been removed by cleaning and wash- ing in the ordinary preparations for cooking and that the value of the fish as food was in no way impaired. —_>+>—____ Reindeer vs. Beef. Alaska is acquiring a surplus of reindeer meat and is likely to enter the American market one of these days as a factor in the food supply. Sheldon Jackson’s experiment has succeeded. It is possible. that rein- deer chops may not prove acceptable to the national palate, and various other objections to the extension of the reindeer industry may be discov- ered, but the fact that Alaska is actu- ally in a position to raise food for export is iuteresting nevertheless. Alaska is about twice the size of Tex- as, and while not all of it is reindeer territory, still there are immense areas available for that business, if it ever becomes a business in a commercial sense, and that is only the beginning of the possibilities. The reindeer belt is circumpolar, so that the thought of what may happen is something to inspire the imagination of Col. Mul- berry Sellers himself, and the reality behind the possibilities is consider- ably more substantial than the found- ations of that celebrated gentleman’s promotions. The price of food will have its ups and downs and statis- tically minded economists will try to make people worry about world-star- vation, but the truth is that the re- sources of this old earth are not half explored yet and the world will find a-plenty to eat. Pork Sausage. Use only clean, fresh pork. To each three pounds of lean pork add one pound of fat pork. As the pork usually used for sausage is the shoul- der and neck trimmings, the sausage is extremely liable to be too fat. Re- move the extra fat and use for lard. Mix the fat and lean meat together for chopping. Whena rotary cutter is used it is best to chop the meat twice. After it is cut the first time spread it out thinly and season. One ounce of pure fine salt, one-half ounce of ground black pepper, one- half ounce of pure leaf sage, rubbed fine, to each four pounds of meat will suit the average person. The season- ing should be sprinkled lightly over the cut meat and the meat again run through the cutter to mix the season- ing thoroughly. This method will give a more even mixing of the spices than can be obtained by hand. For immediate use the sausage meat may be packed away in stone jars or crocks, or, if desired, stuffed into casings. ———_++.—__ Thawing Frozen Poultry. Frozen stock should never be put in water to thaw, but should be al- lowed to soften in cold air. A house refrigerator will thaw a bird in 24 hours, and that is the best way to do it. More good frozen poultry is spoiled through a bath in cold water than by any one thing. Hane the bird to thaw. This is perfectly practical, Wire racks can easily be constructed and they are space savers. Don’t lay a bird down 67 any time in its history when it is out of its box if you can help it. You will gain in quality and appearance. Better than thawing the poultry is selling it to the consumer still hard frozen whenever this is _ practical. Such a course puts the birds before the public on their own merits where it is perfectly able to stand if prop- erly treated by the butcher himself. The public, which is prejudiced to some degree, must be educated to buy frozen goods in the storage season. ——_2.~-.>____ Dark Colored Hams. Dark coloring in the hams is not caused by any defect in the curing, as salt alone does not turn meat dark. Saltpeter is used to give a pink shade. Perhaps your hams turn dark because they are not sufficiently pro- tected from the chemical action of the air on the saltpeter, which causes the dark shade which you complain of. Hams that are kept moist will retain their right color. To cover the face of the ham with parafin will ex- clude the air and keep the ham up to the proper color, or take ten parts of flour, one part of salt and one part of lime water (enough to make a heavy wash), dip the hams into this, then hang up; this will seal up the pores in the meat and also prevent skippers from getting into it. Look well to your salt, as it may contain a certain percentage of lime that will turn the meat dark. —_——__++. A wise married man never praises the gown of another woman unless his wife has one more stylish. WHOLESALE FLOUR, FEED, HAY, BAGS, TWINE Bakers’ Supplies and Machinery Waxed Paper, Bread Wrappers Dry Milk Powdered Egg Cooking Oil Compound Everything for Bakers, Flour and Feed Dealers + + ROY BAKER Wm. Alden Smith Building GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN A COUNTRY STORE. How Its Reclamation Was Eventual- ly Accomplished. Two men sat on a bench at the edge of Boston Common and watched the tide of business flowing down Tre- mont street. William Rathbun of Northern Vermont was one of them, the other, James Reynolds of Massa- chusetts. Each had reached the age of 40 and had the well-groomed and alert appearance which distinguishes the American traveling salesman. After a short pause Reynolds spoke, harking back to an earlier remark of his companion: “I think—I know—that you are planning to make a serious mistake. To throw up one’s job at our age is worse than a mistake—it would be a calamity. You and I can't pull down fifteen hundred a year as easily again as we did some years ago, There is more trouble in breaking into another concern than formerly—more talk about “organization” than was thought of then. It is not so easy, either, to get out of the salary hab- it—” “That is just it,’ broke in Rath- bun. “It gets harder to give it up with every passing year. And when you call it a habit—you have used the proper definition of it—like every other habit, it saps one’s vitality— takes the initiative right out of a fel- low. I have no cinch on this job of mine—nor have you on yours. A trade combination may throw us out —a new tariff adjustment close the doors on us—a new method of dis- tribution make us superfluous. I feel it is now or never with me—” His eyes followed the movements of squirrel making its domestic arrange- ments for the coming winter—‘“T ought to have as much forethought as that little chap, but so far I have not—” “What is the name of the town where you are planning to make your debut as merchant prine?” asked Rey- nolds, with an obvious attempt at sar- casm. “Peaktown.” “Peaktown! Not Peaktown out in Worcester county? Well, I am jig- gered—Peaktown! Now, say, Rath- bun, I know something about Peak- town—you have seen the place. of course, a Massachusetts hill town of a marked type. You know that ly- ing up some eleven hundred feet a railway is out of the question—not even an electric line. The nearest station is nine miles, and it will never get any nearer. I used to court a girl in Peaktown some years ago and know the place well—had to study it up to make weekly conversation—a New England girl wants something besides goo-goo talk. Peaktown was founded while we were still a part and parcel of the king—it had 2,000 people in its township back in 1830 and 600 in the village. Now it has 750 and 250 respectively—but the scenery is the finest in the State and always has been. There are—and always have been—a_ store, a tavern, several churches—and you know what. it MICHIGAN TRADESMAN means to have business and religion in those proportions. Then there is the regulation common, with elms and all that. I say, Rathbun, if you really must, go to Peaktown and buy a cemetery lot, but don’t, as you love your familiy, build so expensive a tombstone for yourself as a business would be. Are you figuring on start- ing a new venture?” “No, I am negotiating for the old stand on the Common. It has run down some, but I can build it up.” “What is it doing now?” “Thirteen thousand a year.” “Then, take my word for it, Rath- bun, you will do well to hold it at that. Peaktown won't mark that.” “I don’t expect the town to grow, but the business shall.” “Why don’t you go West, Rath- bun?” grow aly, “It would cost me over $500 to move West, and I can. use that amount in buying this business. If I went West it would be to run up against the keenest competition in the world. If I use the same methods in business in Peaktown, Mass., as they do in the State of Washington I ought to make a record—and I am going to do so too.” In October, 1898, William Rathbun moved his family to Peaktown. He already had made an arrangement with Mr. Layberg, the owner of the principal store, to clerk for him to the following April at a salary of $15 a week, with the option of buying the September 15, 1915 business on any date he might choose up to that time. The stock was val- ued at $4,000 and the good will was figured at $1,000. The terms were half cash and the balance in deferred payments of $500 every eight months. Mr. Layberg’s health was not good and he wanted to get away. The store was operated with two clerks, besides the proprietor, and with the driver, who spent his time hauling freight from the nearest sta- tion, and in delivering goods to vil- lage customers. The stock consisted of groceries, dry goods, boots and shoes, some hardware and little con- cession to the summer boarder in the way of postal cards and perfumes. The store building belonged to the local grange, and, exclusive of the grange hall, was rented by Mr. Lay- bere at $250 a year. Layberg was also postmaster at an annual salary of $500—a position that passed with the store, the new incumbent finish- ing the term as an assistant. There had been some talk of a rural route, but this had met with no encourage- ment from Layberg, who reasoned that patrons coming in for mail meant a bigger revenue for him. Rathbun had visions of bringing both the post office and the store to the very doors of his customers—but that was yet in the future. Peaktown village was made up of one broad street, well shaded with elms and lined with colonial houses, each set in a large lawn. Besides the main thoroughfare a mile in length, there were three short cross streets shipment. WE ARE now showing for late fall and early winter wear an exceptionally attractive line of Trimmed Hats for the general store trade. Prices $18, $24, $30 and $36 per dozen. Open orders solicited on con- dition that customer keeps two- thirds of the amount of total All new up-to-date merchandise trimmed in the latest fashion. same day they are received. Orders filled Corl, Knott & Company, Ltd. Manufacturers of Trimmed Hats And Jobbers of High Class Millinery Commerce and Island St. Grand Rapids, Mich. September 15, 1915 devoted to less pretentious residences and to a couple of smaller shops. On the Common, which was’ merely a widening of the main street, were the churches, the inn, the town hall and the grange, in which was the Lay- berg store. On Thanksgiving day Mr. Layberg was taken ill, growing worse in the week that followed. Anxious to get South, he made a more _ favorable proposition to Rathbun than had been embodied in the option held by that gentleman, namely, he would not in- sist on the baok accounts being collected by his successor, but would leave them in the hands of a relative —provided that Rathbun would imme- diately take possession. Now, the credit system practiced by Mr. Lay- berg had been a thorn in the flesh of Mr. Rathbun. Accounts had been al- lowed to run indefinitely—with foth- ing more than a pretense of a yearly balancing. They had been handed down to Layberg by his predecessor, who in his turn had inherited them from a still earlier merchant. In fact, one farmer, nearly 80, boasted of the fact that in his sixty years of trading in the Peaktown store he had never had a settlement, simply paying on account as his means and humor dic- tated. Nothing could have been more wel- come to Rathbun than this unexpect- ed concession, so on the third of De- cember he took possession of the Peaktown store. On the fifth of the month each resident of Peaktown, whether a customer or not, received MICHIGAN TRADESMAN a neat announcement of the change in proprietorship, and an invitation to visit the exhibit of Christmas goods beginning December 15. This liter- ature was also sent to a group of farmers living in the adjacent town- ship of Macedon, but with roads fa- voring Peaktown. In the meantime Rathbun spent a couple of days in Boston selecting such knick-knacks as he fancied might sell well, and see- ing the stuff packed and shipped. The wiseacres of Peaktown said that Rathbun would have his fling of city ways and then settle down to doing business in the good old meth- ods of his predecessors, to whom Christmas had meant nothing in a business way except the closing of the store for the day. Yet all Peak- town, and not a few Macedons, paid visits to Rathbun’s store between De- cember 15 and Christmas Eve. Ai midnight of that last day the new merchant found not only that the cheaper stuff had been cleaned out, but an encouraging inroad had been made on the more expensive articles, even the Doulton ware candlesticks at $2.50 each having been sold. The month of January was spent by Rathbun in going over his stock carefully. Every item that was shop worn or out of date, or in any way undesirable, was thrown aside, to be later tagged with an attractive price. February 1, in accordance with his announcements, Rathbun opened his “First Annual Clearing Sale,’ which for a week continued to draw not only all of Peaktown, but an increas- ing number from Macedon. At its close the Peaktown store had less of stock in it than for several decades past—and room for new goods. The cats and dogs of many years had been cleaned out. Rathbun, however, was slow in stocking anything but staples —he was studying his customers. The hauling of his own freight had never appealed to Rathbun as an eco- nomic plan, so he made arrangements with a local carter to do it for $2 a ton, the carter having enough other business to justify daily trips to the nine-mile-distant railway station. He also got in touch with the nearest Standard Oil distributing depot and convinced its management of the wis- dom of establishing a route through the hill towns of Worcester county so that oils would be delivered at each merchant’s door. This service cost a fraction of a cent a gallon, but was a distinct saving over the form- er methods of barrel delivery. The store team that had been used for freighting purposes Rathbun now utilized for deliveries, arranging a winter schedule for one service a week on the principal highways of the township and more frequent trips in the village. This enabled him to car- ry out a plan he had figured on from the first—that of buying up such farm produce as eggs, butter and dressed fowl. Layberg had been content to let that sort of commodities go past his door on the way to the nearest large market town, losing sight of the fact that for every egg and chicken that was hauled past his store to an- 69 other market as much in value came back into his customers’ goods he had not sold. homes of Rathbun having reasoned the mat- ter to a logical business conclusion, sent out notices that he would buy eggs, butter and dressed poultry, pay- ing half a cent less a dozen or pound than the going price in the nearest railway center, the difference being the cost of hauling the products to town. If the farmer should attempt to perform a like service for himself it would cost him several times the amount. He made it clear that he would pay in trade but that his prices would always compare favorably with those of surrounding towns, even of railway centers where the merchants had no nine-mile haul to absorb. Rathbun inaugurated this plan with the hope of breaking even on the pro- duce he purchased, but of profiting by his increased sales. In the long run it became a most remunerative part of his business—he working up good markets for this produce in both Boston and New York. Eventually he increased the lines to include ap- ples in season, but that was years later. The immediate results of the innovation were several new accounts and a lot of free advertising, a Bos- ton journalist, hungry for copy, writ- ing up the plan. Rathbun went one step farther. He had his delivery wagons on their regular trips pick up the produce and bring it back with them, insuring still more himself to his fresher commodities and favorably advertising trade. Rademaker-Dooge Grocer Co. 28-30-32 Ellsworth Avenue Grand Rapids, Michigan on Wholesale Grocers “The House of Service and Quality” 70 Rathbun was essentially a salesman. twenty years of his life having been spent on the road. He had learned to go after trade and not to wait for it to come to him, also the possibility of working up a demand for better goods. A monthly letter went to every customer with a little reading text and a few prices. If the cus- tomer had an account the letter went in the same envelope as the statement for the preceding month. It was an inexpensive form of advertising, yet had a personal touch about it that made it very effective. Certain classes of canned and bot- tled goods had never been carried in stock by Layberg. Rathbun laid in a few samples, put the bulk away on the shelves but kept some of each kind on a table in the center of the store so that the labels might become familiar to his customers. Nor did he fail to mention them in his month- ly sales letter. It was not long be- fore the village folk began transfer- ring these luxuries from Rathbun’s shelves to their own, but many a month passed before the first can of Spanish Pimentos or Golden Mush- rooms was tucked away under the seat of a farmer's buggy. That day, how- ever, Rathbun looked upon as a red letter date in the history of his Peak- town career. The rest would be much easier, he knew. And he felt a great step had been taken when the last pair of men’s $4 shoes was taken out of the case. It had taken four months to move that first case—Layberg’s limit had been MICHIGAN TRADESMAN $3—but the second one would move much faster. And it did. So it was in clothing as well as other commod- ities where the value went with the increased price. The approach of the first summer brought with it problems to Rathbun. The inn filled up with guests who had money to spend and time to spend it in. The homes of the wealthy, which for eight months in the year stood with closed blinds, were being open- ed, and that meant more money which Rathbun felt should come his way— would come, if he had enterprise enough to reach out for it properly. He wanted this transient trade, yet could not permit himself to become overstocked with material unsalable to his all-the-year customers. The question of handling fruits and vegetables—a vexatious one even to the dealer in a railway town, and a problem with Rathbun—he had solved by persuading a nearby farmer to make a venture in market gardening, and in encouraging a Macedon widow who in Past seasons had been marketing her garden pro- duce in other villages, to make daily visits to Peaktown. Both ventures proved profitable, the widow being able to supply enough fruit to meet the wants of the summer trade. In order to meet the other prob- lem squarely, Rathbun sent out an an- nouncement of the stock he carried, which would be augmented imme- diately upon the suggestion of any pa- tron. For extraordinary wants he outlined a plan by which any order serious reaching him by 1 in the afternoon would be telephoned to Boston and would come out by express the same evening. The scheme worked to per- fection, the first day bringing an or- der for a ream of typewriter paper from a budding author, followed a few minutes later by another from the author’s fiancee for a skein of linen to finish an antimacassar. Both wants were filled that same evening. Mr. Rathbun in a few weeks of in- tense merchandising made a reputa- tion with Peaktown’s summer popu- lation of being an up-to-date busi- ness man and they left themselves in his hands. That sell Boston and Worcester daily pa- pers at their regular prices, instead of a cent’s advance, as is still the custom in Massachusetts. ed so popular a feature that he main- tained it ever afterwards—both sum- mer and winter. By this time he had increased his delivery schedule to daily trips in the village and tri-weekly service in the country. He was the first to agitate for a rural route mail delivery and carried it through the following win- ter. This added not a little to his popularity with the citizens. He was first and foremost in attempting to cajole a group of financiers to build a line of electric car service from Worcester—but the scheme fell through. At the end of Rathbun’s first year in Peaktown he had made a new sales record, $16,000, a 25 per cent increase summer Rathbun began to This prov- September 15, 1915 over Layberg’s best year. But mor: than that, Rathbun realized, was i: that he had laid the foundations of a solid and growing business, Hoe had practically everyone in Peak- town as a customer—and an increas ing trade from Macedon. His system of book accounts, which he had feared would be a handica} to him, had proved the opposite, Hi: frank statement that he did not have sufficient capital to Carry open ac- counts and that settlements must no; be delayed beyond sixty days, the balance being paid in cash or pro- duce, had won friends for him. He closed that first year with very little outstanding. Deacon Weeden, as yet had not settled the account with Layberg and his prede- cessors, now in the hands of a focal agent, seemed to take a special pleas- ure in appearing before the little win- dow of Rathbun’s office every other month and paying his bill, either in greenbacks or produce. But it was a settlement. Mention has been made of Rath- bun handling farm produce and that he eventually added apple buying to his other departments, so that in it- self is worthy of a separate article. It made a nice profit for him and in a few years changed the ancient methods of apple culture in Peak- town as well as adjacent territory to modern, scientific modes. The re- sult of that venture is best seen in the increased valuation of certain farms as recorded in the assesor’s books. who 60-year Established 1862 Visiting Merchants Are Invited to Make This Store Headquarters During Fair Week WE shall try to make you feel welcome All our accommodations are yours. You are to feel not only ‘“‘at home” but very free to make appointments with friends and utilize the Store’s facilities to the utmost for your pleasurable convenience. and at home. All our departments are filled to overflow- ing with new Fall Merchandise at right prices. We would be glad of the opportunity of show- ing you, but no feeling of an obligation to purchase must exist. welcome here whether you buy or not. You are courteously Paul Steketee & Sons Wholesale Dry Goods Grand Rapids, Mich. September 15, 1915 So year by year Rathbun studied his business and his customers, bring- ing the two together. That a plan had proved efficient one year was no reason with him that he should blindly follow it the next and ever after. Continually he was abreast of the newest idea in selling and buy- ing. On a July afternoon in 1911 two men were climbing one of the Dana Mountains in an automobile. We recognize in them Rathbun and Rey- nolds now enjoying their first meet- ing since that memorable day on Boston Common. The steep gradi- ents on the route from Springfield had kept Rathbun’s attention on his machine to the exclusion of any con- versation except the briefest of sen- tences. Now a mile long climb gave a chance for the two men to exchange experiences. “Well, how goes it Reynolds, old man? You really have grown fat— and rich I suppose.” “Rich!” and. Reynolds laughed scornfully. “You must be the mil- lionaire, coming to meet me with a 40 horsepower machine. Well, I went West, as you know, and struck a $2,000 job; it looked as big as the moon to me. I worked hard and made good, the boss holding out half a promise that he would make it $2,- 500 at the next raising day. Then they put in as salesmanager a young cub from college with efficiency meth- ods taught by a professor who ab- sent-mindedly walked around in his night shirt day times. Well it was the old story of an old patch on a new garment, I the patch, of course. The young task master called me down about twice a day, was satis- fied with what I sent in to him in orders but wanted me to do my work differently, acording to the rules of that professor whose family had to follow him around with a pair of trousers. So at last I had to go, not because I did not get results but be- cause I got them in my own way. I got new jobs, of course, but that cub was chasing after me with a char- acter for being an old fogy. At last I grew tired of being tagged, and landed with the old concern back in Boston and there I shall be next week. But how about you—touched that 13,000 mark yet?” “No sir, that was Layberg’s mark, not mine. I touched the 40,000 bull’s eye last year and little better this year, | will go a hope. “Forty thousand, you must be in more than one business then.” “Tam, but now I am talking about my store.” “Forty then must have grown some.” “No, as you will see in ten min- utes, it is the same old Peaktown.” “Well, then, where does your trade come?” “Mostly from Peaktown. My pred- ecessors simply scratched the sur- face, I have worker it, intensive sell- ing, that is all.” “Say, old man, I want a half inter- est in this game, I have enough cash laid aside.” thousand, Peaktown MICHIGAN TRADESMAN “Reynolds, there is not another person on earth that I would rather have for a partner were I addicted to that vice. But I can’t agree with myself half of the time and how would it be if I had a partner to line up with?” There was a short silence while Rathbun guided his machine around a sharp curve. “You always were a smart chap, Rathbun, had the rest of us beaten to a frazzle.” “No, I was just the opposite, but in one respect I was different, I had more nerve.” “You must have worked like thun- der” “No, on the contrary, I worked harder when on the road. Here I knew that as long as I followed fair- ly correct business methods I would succeed. There I might lose my job any day and not be at fault either. Here I have been almost free from worry, and there I had it for dessert with every meal.” “How big a pay roll do you keep up?” “Four clerks, two of them on my motor truck delivering, almost the en- tire day. Then a young woman book-keeper, who assists in the post- office and between times has an eye on the dry. goods counter. Then I am on the job myself.” “And $40,000 a year! You should have gone West, Rathbun, this is too small a field for you.” “And why West? There I would have to compete with men with just such ideas as I have won out with here, and better. Here I don’t step on any man’s toes and no one on mine. I have not had to go away from old friends to make a living, a railway ride of two hours in any di- rection puts me in touch with them. And,” the car had reached the sum- mit of the last hill, from which Peak- town could be seen, “here I have old friends to greet me, Wachusett at sunrise, the Berkshires at sunset. Why should I go away? Not for scenery, nor for profit, for it is here, too.” Reynolds viewed the familiar scene: “Well, I'll be jiggered! Here I came years ago to court a girl and I never saw the opportunity right at my feet. I overlooked that and, I lost the girl too! And now I am going back to $1,500, a bachelor at that. You are not a lucky chap, Rathbun, but a plucky one, and you deserve all that is coming to you.”—D. L. Hanson in Oppportunity. ——___+~--—___ Confidence in Country Is Needed. It is the common practice of finan- cial writers to dilate only on such topics as might indicate a prosperous business or financial situation in their own or the general business com- munity. This practice is of such long standing, and so well known, that when they have a message of unusual good cheer to impart, its force is more often than otherwise discount- ed. This seems to be the present sit- uation in this country for notwith- standing the fact that general condi- tions are sound and business is show- ing daily improvement, it is hard to convince an over-plus of skeptics that we are actually on the upper arc of the cycle of a long deferred prosper- ity. One excuse for this skepticism lies in the fact that there have been so many setbacks since the upward trend commenced; another is that the war has brought about a very un- equal distribution of business, which has benefitted some men to an un- heard of degree, while not directly affecting the majority, although the entire community is, ultimately, bound to feel the results of and profit by this enormously lucrative business. At the last analysis, confidence is the one and only element that will bring about a full measure of prosperity, and as long as uncertainty exists, whether caused by the war in Europe, fear of war with Mexico, politics, the 71 tariff, we can never have that degree of confidence necessary to induce the ordinarily prudent risk his savings in a new enterprise, and until man to that point is reached we can not have prosperity with our Bank of commensurate desires.—A merican San National Francisco. —_—_>~-++—___ If we were selling arc-lamps we wouldn’t show an eight-candlepower incandescent as a sample of our product. If we were selling bread by sample we wouldn't make that sample of half flour and half saw- dust and trust to the flour to make the sale. There business reason really is no good why we should be ashamed to show our best in our talk and in our actions. It is good busi- ness to be direct. Thomas Dreier. Grand Rapids Holiday Goods Post Cards Stationery School Supplies WILL P. CANAAN COMPANY 3 Ionia Avenue N. W. Michigan cs B a 8 y o=k % e/ y} j 3 S WS 2g AF aA a , farming. Bell Phone M1271 Grand Rapids Tractor Demonstration The Mogul 8-16 Oil Tractor This I H C 8-16 Farm Tractor will be demonstrated on the north end of the grounds, every day during the West Mich- igan Fair, at Grand Rapids, September 20-24, for the benefit of farmers, dealers, and all who are interested in power You are cordially invited to make the I HC Building your headquarters during the Fair. International Harvester Co. of America (Incorporated) 168-178 Wealthy St. Citz. Phone 4313 Michigan 72 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 SIX ESSENTIAL FACTORS To Secure Successful Business With the Farmers. To every merchant in the smaller towns comes the problem oi increas- ing his sales among the rural inhab- itants of his territory. This involves not only getting an initial order from the farmer, but holding his patronage in the months and years to come. This problem can not be handled in any set or stereotyped way, but every effort should be put forth to secure new and interesting features to bring the farmer to your store. Co-operation is the key-note for suc- cessfully securing the friendship and loyalty of the farmers. Every person in the store should be instructed to make the farmer and his family feel that the store is to serve the interests of the customer. Have a restroom for the tired farmers, their wives and children, with all conveniences for their comfort; in fact, make them feel as much at home to meet their friends in your store as in their home, An essential factor is to have a complete stock of the right kind of merchandise to meet the demands of your locality. There is only one suc- cessful way for this to be done, and that is to go into the homes of your rural customers and study their needs. Every store should have a man that thoroughly understands the needs of the farmers to go out quite frequent- ly, and keep in constant touch with the farmer and study his actual wants. The farmer depends on the dealer to furnish the material with which to make his crops, and thereby make his living. The dealer in the smaller town depends on the farmer for his livelihood. The increase in the ef- ficiency of the farmer depends en- tirely on the up-to-dateness of his machinery, and as he prospers so also does the dealer, the jobber and the manufacturer. By keeping informed and co-oper- ating with the farmer you put your- self on a plane with him, and are placed in a better position to serve him and study his requirements. The dealer should study the trade papers, crop and agricultral reports. Thus he is enabled to teach the farmer how he can increase his productive capaci- ty. Suggest to him how others have successfully unraveled the knotty problems of the farm, In this way you are sure to gain his confidence, and draw him as a magnet to you in a way that will help you build up a suc- cessful business. The Department of Agriculture at Washington will gladly send you agri- cultural bulletins and special reports. Keep these on file in your store for the information of the general public, especially the farmers. Send out per- sonal letters inviting them to come to your store and take advantage of these bulletins. If you sell imple- ments keep a live mailing list and see that the farmer is kept in touch with the new machinery handled by your store. Have special demonstrations of the new farm machinery. Make appointments with the farmers of each locality to meet at a given place on a special day to discuss and ex- amine all new machinery you are try- ing to introduce. You will find this a wonderful help in combating com- petition of the mail-order houses. Remember the needs of the farmer to-day are very similar to the needs of the town man. The farmer enjoys practically the same facilities, and the things that once were luxuries are to-day, even on the farmi, necessities. The telephone can be found in prac- tically every farm house. This is a great asset to the dealer. Although a farm may be a half-day’s journey to your store the farmer is only a telephone distance away. How easy it is for the manager or one of the salespeople having found out the prac- tical need of some farmer to call him on the ’phone, and mention in a casual way this special appliance, ask- ing permission to demonstrate it, or better still asking that he permit it to be sent on a few days’ trial. We have found this a very successful way to get people interested in cream separators and kindred articles. Pick up a farm paper, or a magazine, and see how many articles are simply cry- ing out for a free trial. The mail- order houses found out long ago that this method is one of their greatest factors in selling special appliances Why should the local dealer not profit by the same plan? See that your show windows reflect the true character of your stock. Make them educational as well as attrac- tive, and you will be surprised to see their wonderful drawing power. Take a shot at the mail-order house through your show windows. Order from one of them a special assortment of gro- ceries; add freight and other expenses, then take the same amount from your regular stock and note the difference. Don’t be afraid to put cards on the two assortments and bring special attention to the fact that your articles are all standard brands. The weekly newspaper is another great help to the retailer, provided the advertisements are sincere, con- vincing, and above all, truthful. It is far better to advertise an article to be worth positively a dollar and sell it at a dollar than to say it is worth double that amount. It seems that we dealers do not take advantage as we should of the won- derful amount of national advertising the manufacturers are doing. It is a proven fact that trade marked goods inevitably become the standard by which all other products of like char- acter may be judged. Tie your store up to this national advertising and impress upon the farmers that if they see an article advertised in their farm paper or magazine they will find it in your store. No class of people read advertisements more carefully than our rural friends, the farmers and their households. The mail-order houses found this out long ago, to our sorrow. If we do not furnish the ad- vertising literature the mail-order houses will. Make your advertise- ments of interest to the class of peo- ple you intend to reach and be sure you are able to deliver the goods. The farmer is sometimes a hard man to sell. He places a very high value on the dollar and he must be convinced of the value of an article before he will invest his money. But this does not mean that the farmer is not progressive. No group of people is quicker to adopt new labor-saving devices once their worth has been demonstrated, Efficient — salespeole, merchandise, fair prices, service, hon- est advertising, complete lines of merchandise, contribute six essential factors to build up a successful busi- ness with the farms. With this com- bination you will always be able to cash in your advertising, and make your store a household word—Roy F. Sharp in Good Storekeeping. dependable We are manufacturers of TRIMMED AND UNTRIMMED HATS for Ladies, Misses and Children, especially adapted to the general store trade. Trial order solicited. CORL, KNOTT & CO., Ltd. Corner Commerce Ave. and Island St. Grand Rapids, Mich. Hotel Hermitage John Moran, Mgr. EUROPEAN PLAN Grand Rapids, Mich. Rates without bath 50, 75 and $1.00 Rates with bath $1.00 and $1.50 per day CAFE IN CONNECTION C. W. MILLS 204--6 Ellsworth Ave. S.W. PAPER CO. West Michigan Distributors WRAPPING PAPERS, PAPER BAGS, TWINES, CORDAGE Paper Toweling Brooms, Baskets, Floor Brushes and Sweeping Compounds Briar, Meerschaum, Cob and Clay PIPES Holiday Paper Decorations, Notions and Novelties We sell the Ohio Blue Tip Matches, the Ohio Noiseless Matches, Silent Witch and Sure Shot Matches GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Night-gowns and Pajamas. Sell Lowell Garments and have pleased customers We “Guarantee” sizes, colors and workmanship Ladies’ Gingham, Percale, Lawn and Fleeced Housedresses, Sacques, Wrappers, Kimonos, Aprons and Breakfast Sets, Crepe Slip-ons, Middy Blouses, Outing Flannel Children’s Gingham and Percale Dresses, Middy Blouses, Out- ing Flannel and Crepe Night-gowns, and Pajamas. ——— Men’s Outing Flannel and Muslin Night-shirts and Pajamas. —e Out Sizes and Stouts for Men and Women a Specialty Lowell Manufacuring Grand Rapids, Michigan Co. September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 73 Lost the Customer Through Kind- not only helped the growth of the her, withdrawing her account, and Yes, Sip.’ ness. return goods abuse, but besides lost promising to take her trade else- [In a few minutes again. “They While there are many store men who trace the growth of the return goods evil back to the store itself, there are very few, however, who freely acknowledge, that they, them- selves, have played any active part in the encouragement of it. In discus- the seriousness of it all, what it costs the stores to submit to the injustice of it, these men are more apt to adopt the third person, singular or plural pronoun, than they are the first person, singular or plur- al. The other fellow is usually the one at fault. sing and Occasionally, however, one finds an exception to this rule, who will ad- mit that his store and he, himself, have been to blame as well as others. One of these men, a merchant who has long recognized the neglect of the stores in not getting together and taking united action on returns, re- cently in discussing the growth of the evil told a return goods story on him- self, which will bear repeating, be- cause of the common interest in it being typical of the situation as a whole. “The stores, themselves, are to blame for the existence of the evil,” he began. “I have been to blame, and so have others, simply through short sightedness; our vision has been obscured through a desire to increase the business of the store. If we had it to do over again, we all, no doubt, would go about it differently. “T remember a case in point, which a customer for the store to boot. Rather than offend a customer, I put an injustice on the store, believing that the continued patronage of the customer, which might otherwise be lost, would make it all right in the end. © “This customer I speak of, had been trading with the store on and off for a number of years. I, myself, had waited on her several times, until she know me. All went along nicely until the time I refer to came up. It happened that the woman in question had received a dozen pairs got to of gloves from Paris as a present, but the one who sent them to her sent the wrong size. Rather than send them back, this women thought of our store and called on me, asking if I would take the gloves from her, as they were size 5 and of no use to her, and she thought in view of the long patronage she had given the store we might accommodate her. “Well, if I were to do it over again, I would have refused, but I offered to take the gloves, provided she would buy a dozen pairs of our gloves. She agreed to this, left the gloves and took the others. Now, I simply did it to accommodate her, for I knew we would have a selling the gloves in such an unpopular size as 5. In our statement, which we forwarded to her at the end of the months, we hard iob allowed her credit for the dozen gloves, minus the duty on them. Straightway we heard from where. She thought it ‘mighty small’ of us to take off the duty charge. “So that is the way it goes. I encouraged the abuse, through the desire not to offend a charge cus- tomer, but lost the customer anyway. The return goods evil has thrived on just such incidents as this.” Why One Was Worth More Than Another. John and James had been in John- son’s employ for over five years. One day John came into the private office and said, “Mr. Johnson, James and I both went to work for you five years ago. You are paying James four or five times as much as I am getting. [ am worth just as much to you as James, and ought to be paid as much.”’ Mr. Johnson walked to the win- dow and after a couple of minutes he turned to John. “John, there is a lot of noise out here on the street. I wish you would find out what it is all about.” - “All right, sir.” In a few minutes he was_ back. “That noise is caused by some wa- gons. They say there are eighteen of them.” “What are they hauling?” “IT don’t know, sir.” “Will you find out?” OY es: sig’ In a little longer time—"They hauling wheat, sir.” “Where are they getting it?” “I don’t know, sir.” “Will you find out?” are ‘are hauling the wheat from Erie Ele- vator No. 10.” “Where are they hauling it?” “T don’t know, sir.” “Will you find out?” ES: After hauling Sir” a short interval—‘They are the dock.” “Where are they shipping it to?” '| don't know, sir.” “Will, you find out?” “Yes, sir.” wheat to In five minutes more—‘They are shipping the wheat to Liverpool, sir.” ‘Thank John. Sit down a Mr. Johnson pressed a but- you, minute!” ton. Send James in.” “James, are you very busy?” “NOt very. sin’ out what is causing all this noise in the street.” UYes, sip! “[ wish you would find In about ten back. “There are some wagons, eighteen they They are hauling wheat from Elevator No 10 to the dock for shipment to Liverpool.” minutes James was Say. ‘Thank you, James, that is all.’ Then he turned to John. “John, do the can afford to pay James more than I do you? He had the same instructions He got all the information in trip and you needed five.” —_++>___ Matrimony is a sort of pay as you go taxi—and the longer you go the more pay. you see reason [| had. one you you HAUSER-OWEN-AMES COMPANY BUILDING CONTRACTORS GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 74 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 (Y ») wih 14) trad ry))) WN arnt yy NVA WN) V5 ye) y} Y) ed (tr EVIEW °F SHO Gx Boor e [SE 4 ‘s - 4 We \ = ED, XY = =F = pas are —_ 2 eed pies fee ~ on = = gS 3 aul = 2 a = see 2 : a » 4 =~ — 6 \ go } \ NS : J eS SY fA FA ee Conserving the Health of the Feet. Written for the Tradesman. In this period of reaction from American prodigality and wanton wastefulness of our National resources and common goods, why don't we have more discussion of a construc- tive and practical nature on the con- servation of the health of the feet of our people? Children’s teeth are examined at our public schools—why not their feet? Defective teeth should not be neglect- ed, of course—neither should incipi- ent juvenile foot ailments be neglect- ed. Normal, healthy feet are even more vitally related to the general health, well-being and unhindered de- velopment of the child than sound teeth Not merely does the entire super- structure of the human body rest upon the feet as a foundation, but mus- cular stamina, nerve harmony and health, and mental vigor, poise and productiveness—all depend upon the health and correct functioning of the feet. The human foot is a mechanical masterpiece built up of twenty-eight bones (including the two sesamoids), firmly jointed and laced together with powerful tendons and muscles—a su- perbly formed, highly sensitive or- gan whose business it is to sustain the body, bear loads and provide lo- comotion. Obviously any mechanical injury to the foot, any excrescent growth, or diseased condition, is (or may presently become) a serious mat- ter. Children nowadays are taught a lit- tle of pretty much everything in our schools — mechanical aris, sewing, gardening and what not; it looks as if a little time might be taken to teach them how to walk correctly, how to know when the shoe fits, how to se- lect correctly built lasts, and how to co-operate intelligently with their par- ents or the family physician in coun- teracting incipient foot ailments or minor mechanical injuries to their feet. Parents often make the mistake of letting little people have the decid- ing voice in the selection of their footwear—and it is characteristic of little people to be governed largely by outward appearances. A shoe looks pretty—appeals to the child’s fancy—and that is the shoe mamma Or papa must buy. It may be too narrow, or too short, or too tight across the instep, or too pointed at the toe, or otherwise unsuited; but the child will insist that it “fits” and “doesn’t hurt a bit”—all because that particular shoe has made a hit with the youngster. Childish imagination is a perfectly marvelous thing; and the charm of a shoe’s externals often temporarily dulls the child to the pres- ence of poor fitting qualities on the inside. This is true of children of both sexes—but more particularly with little girls. Shoe dealers and clerks are often blamed without cause; but how can they help it when the kid is given carte blanche? It’s often the case that the salesman must either ac- quiesce in the child’s unwise selec- tion, or miss the sale? Can you blame him for yielding, after having done the best he could to bring about a better choice? The recent investigation of the sub- ject of footwear undertaken and car- ried through with characteristic thor- oughness by our Government, in or- der to ascertain the best type of shoe for our soldiers, has aroused a vital interest in the matter of correct foot- Wear, not merely in this country but in other countries as well. Now it is claimed that his shoes are the most important part of a sol- dier’s equipment. Soldiers are on their feet for long hours at a stretch. They are required to march fourteen or fifteen miles a day; and sometimes— especially when on trench duty—do not have an opportunity to remove their shoes for days at a time. And so strenuous are the duties of the soldier in actual warfare that the ay- erage life of his shoes is from a month to six weeks. Now it is imperative that a soldier be not merely able to accomplish long marches in a brief period of time, but he must also arrive at his desti- nation feeling vigorous and fit. He must be an efficient fighting unit when he gets where he is going. Ob- viously he cannot possibly be in fight- ing trim if his feet are inflamed, blis- tered and full of torture. And he is sure to be in that condition if his shoes aren't what they should be. The Government’s method of in- vestigation included a study of the footwear of the armies of other coun- tries, anatomical studies of the human foot, correct ideas in last-making, right materials and processes in shoe- making, and the fundamental essen- tials in a truly anatomical—i. e. cor- rectly-built, properly-fitted shoe. A great many interesting and in- structive experiments -and tests were made. It would require entirely too much space to go into them at any length, but here is one show- ing Gow easy it is to be de- ceived by the appearance and seeming fit of a shoe. A body of sev- eral hundred soldiers were told to go and select shoes according to their Rouge Rex Shoes Stock No. 4260 A real good shoe for real hard wear. The only true measure of shoe value is service; and when measured by this standard Rouge Rex Shoes are not found wanting. aN g Order now for your fall needs. HIRTH-KRAUSE COMPANY Hide to Shoe Tanners and Shoe Manufacturers Grand Rapids, Mich. BIGGER, BETTER SALES ARE YOURS If you will center your business on the H. B. HARD PAN (service) and BERTSCH (dress) shoes for men. It is extremely difficult to OVER-ESTIMATE the importance of HEROLD-BERTSCH quality in your shoe department. The extreme care taken to use only the best leather, trimmings, workmanship, etc., insures the same uniform wear-resisting qualities in every pair of shoes made in our factory. ARE YOU CAPITALIZING FULLY THE GoopD NAME THESE LINES HAVE ATTAINED? Think what their sale will mean to you in protection and profit. For your convenience in ordering we carry a large stock of each number on the floor. CONCENTRATE ON THESE LINES AND WATCH YOUR BUSINESS GROW THEY WEAR LIKE IRON HEROLD-BERTSCH SHOE Co. Mfrs. Serviceable Footwear GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. oe seas 2 September 15, 1915 own ideas; that they were required to go on a long march, and that it was highly important that the shoes be right so they'd arrive at their des- tination in good shape. This point was especially impressed upon them. Each man made his own selection and fitted himself according to his own.ideas. At the end of the march seventy-two of the men, by careful examination, were found to be suffer- ing from abrasions, blisters, or inflam- mation—due chiefly to short fitting. The foot is appreciably longer in standing than it is while one is sit- ting—and longer under a load than when one is carrying no burden. From a similar number of men, marching an equal distance under similar con- ditions—except that the latter were correctly fitted—only 22 per cent. of the men were found to have any abrasions or inflammation, and in the latter case most of the injuries were so slight as to be negligible. Just the other day I heard a very bright old lady tell of an experience through which she recently passed, which throws an interesting bit of sidelight on this subject. I said she is a bright old lady| The phrase is hardly adequate—her intellectual qual- ities flash like sapphires. And she is distinguished in looks, possessing that rare charm of mature womanhood— rosy cheeks and snow-white hair. She is a platform woman, and travels from 15,000 to 25,000 miles a year, deliv- ering lectures to young girls and women She said that about a year ago she found herself letting down. The strain was proving too much for her. Still she went on—driven forward by invincible determination; but often suffering torture while she l‘inally the collapse came. One day, in a Southern city, while facing an spoke. audience of a thousand women, she found her mind a perfect blank. The ideas she had so carefully gathered, and the sentences she had so studi- ously polished and rounded, suddenly went from her, leaving her grasping for thoughts and expressions that would not come. She was suffering from an exasper- ating painin the ball of the right foot that involved her limb and affected the whole nervous system. She walk- ed with pain—dragged along in agony. Her rest was broken, and her health strangely impaired. Some doctors told’ her it was sciat- ica—but, as such, it refused to yield to treatment. For a while she really thought her mind was going. When the final break came, she went to a private hospital, and the physician diagnosed the case and found that her trouble was due to a mechanical injury to the foot. He recommended a chiropodist, and the foot specialist found that it was a very simple case of metatarsalgia, which readily yielded to treatment. And in just a few weeks she was restored to perfect health. An ill-fitting shoe had done the damage. Cid McKay. —_++.—___ Other things are as scarce as the teeth of a hen—a rooster’s, for in- stance, MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Connecting Link Between Store and Public. Retail shoe salesmanship is a highly specialized vocation. The Retailer has repeatedly sought to lay stress upon the higher appraisement of it. An ad- equate knowledge of the responsibili- ties and possibilities of retail shoe salesmanship means much not only to the shoe dealer and the people asso- ciated with him in business, but also to people who patronize the store and wear shoes bought there. Selling shoes advisedly, i. e., with due regard to price, fit, and individual style—and wear.requirements—is a far more complex and - difficult matter than handing over the counter a thou- sand and one other articles of mer- chandise that might be catalogued. A shoe is not only an article of wear, it is also a scientific product. And one shoe differs from another shoe in particulars apparently small and unimportant, but not so in fact. So this simple word “shoes,” although we say it glibly and the uninitiated are not greatly perturbed by the sound thereof, nevertheless suggests a not inconsiderable body of facts, histories, traditions, dreams and_— splendid achievements to one who knows. The shoe salesman who ranks high in efficiency has added to his knowl- edge of human nature and the prin- ciples of selling quite a bit of clean- cut knowledge about knowledge of leather, lasts and shoe- making, and his skill in supplying his customers with shoes that really fit— inspire and command respect. shoes. His If you have a penchant for fine phrases you may call it an art, a semi- profession,’ or an expert service; but if you have personal experience of the difficulties of it, you will not speak of it flippantly. It isn’t that kind of a job. The shoe salesman, be it re- membered, fits under matter-of-fact, rather than ideal conditions—and fit- ting properly, in spite of price—and stock-limitations, to say nothing of adventitious restrictions often imposed by the customer himself—well, it is not as easy as it sound. The retail shoe store’s salesforce has been properly called the connect- ing link between the store and the public; and in order to keep this con- necting link free from corroding in- fluences and 100 per cent. efficient, the salespeople must not only be allowed, but actually encouraged, to act upon their own initiative and work out their salvation along the line of their nat- ural bent. Shoe salesmanship is not to be judged by its conformity to uni- form rules, but is best known by its sales. What the shoe dealer wants is results—Shoe Retailer. —_—_-o- He is a dangerous man who thinks he deserves credit for keeping out of jail. Backed by Quality Boosted by Consistent Advertising HONORBICT SHOES 75 The Greatest Rubber Boot Value Michigan Ever Saw Hood’s “Bullseye” Boot Special Pressure Cured process With White Rubber Sole and Side Foxing Every dealer should have them No one should be without them PRICE $2.90 NET Grand RapidsShoe & Rubber(o. The Largest Rubber House in the Central States GRAND RAPIDS NOW the Value of the product of your establishment and have the courage to ask a fair and consistent profit on work produced. Your customers will have more respect for you and you will also have greater re- spect for yourself. Judson Grocer Co. GRAND RAPIDS - MICHIGAN 76 THE FUSSY SALESMAN. Over-Anxiety Has Wrecked Many 2 Career, The fussy salesman is generally vis- ionary and a good talker, judging from the ease with which he dis- penses the “silvern” article. Oh, no! a little thing like talk never troubles him. It oozes away like molasses from a stave-sprung barrel. Once fairly started, you might as well try to stop Niagara Falls as to shut him Of Control? Te ic 45 foreign to him as to a kite without a tail. The speed with which he can talk a cus. tomer into a sale and out again causes the Twentieth Century Limited to look like a snow-plow doing duty On a Narrow-gauge track. : Talk is a mighty necessary thing in salesmanship, but an equally im- portant thing is to know when to stop talking. And the most essen- tial thing of all is to know how to talk and what to talk about. The garrulous salesman is a blue- white optimist, seeing figures that ex- ist only in the fluffy atmosphere in which he soars and soars. A few pounds of ballast accidentally taken aboard now and then allows him to navigate his airship close enough to reality in sales-making to convince the sales manager that he js not en- tirely shut out from view above the clouds of lost opportunities. In his futile efforts to “land” something worth while, he drifts aimlessly about with his drag-ropes out, lightly raking the field of opportunities over which he circles. If nothing goes wrong with the gas-bag, he feels that surely sooner or later he will hover long enough in the vicinity of a real prop- osition to permit his anchor to grap- ple and hold fast. It generally happens that while this aerial performance is going on and his customer’s patience is being tried with trifling things and meaningless sentences, Mr. Get Busy Salesman comes along and scoops up orders right and left under his very nose. The salesman who Wears his cus- tomer out with visionary yarns about himself, and what he intends to do but really never does, will amount to nothing more than a putterer. He is a constant source of concern to his house, until, conscious at last that “the jig is up” he takes himself off to other pastures where the grass looks greener. He floats around from one house to another, until, to his dismay, the truth is at last forced upon him that the richest fields on earth are not for him to enjoy. Pass- ing into oblivion is with him like the character in “David Harum,” on the death of whom, his neighbors, asking’ what was the complaint, were told, “No complaint at all: everybody is satisfied.” The fussy salesman and his over- anxious brother are in the same class in many respects. Each in his own way fails to accomplish results, There is hope that the latter will eventually enter into an active sphere of useful- ness on learning how to temper his anxiety with a reasonable amount of judgment by aid of the rugged road experience. The former may as well MICHIGAN TRADESMAN quit where he is and engage in some other line of business. Zeal is an admirable and necessary quality in successful salesmanship, the excess of which rarely develops intO a permanent or fatal malady. True, pitfalls are encountered now and then, but there is always a chance for the man with this failing, if he is honestly desirous of getting on in the world; while for the fussy fellow there is but a forlorn hope. He never seems to know how to get right down to business in dead earnest. At times I like to indulge in base- ball parlance, adapting the expres- sions of those engaged in the finest of all outdoor sports, the National game, to the qualities necessary in strictly up-to-the-minute business get- ting. Slogans of the diamond, such as “ginger up,” “get in the game,” “it only takes one to hit it,” and “take a long lead off” are quite appropriate in salesmanship, and can be adopted with good effect. Just here I am forcibly reminded of a character known as Fritz, who lined up with my home town _ base-ball team. It was in the year 1905. The team was making desperate efforts pennantward. The securing of that much-prized “rag” largely depended on the batting strength of the team. In every other respect they were thoroughly efficient candidates for the high honor that every man on the team was struggling with might and main to secure, Fritz, the catcher, was one of the best in the business, but when_ his batting qualities were in question he made an ordinary “sand-lotter’” look like a National Leaguer. It was al- ways Fritz’s turn to bat just when a hit was most needed to win the game. His intentions were of the best when he walked up to select his club. Most likely Fritz had never been told about the place that is paved with good intentions; but the “fans” had and when they saw him walk up to the plate their stock went down several points. The moment Fritz faced the pitcher he was attacked with stage- fright, and danced up and down so that he could not get his eye on the ball to save his life. He just stood there like the Fussy salesman and fanned and fanned and fanned, until the um- pire called him out on strikes. His Tone suit was “hitting the air’ and he was never broken of that habit. A good story is related of two men, both expert swimmers, living in an American city. Their powers of en- ‘durance was the subject of admiring comment among their friends, who induced them to compete in a swim- ming-match. There was neither wag- er nor prize, but only a friendly con- test to determine which was the bet- ter swimmer, there being an under- standing that the backer of the loser should pay for a dinner for the whole company of spectators. When the trial began for long-dis- stance swimming, one of the con- testants decided that he would force the pace from the outset. He shot ahead with vigorous, powerful strokes, and left his antagonist some distance behind. His friends cheered him ex- ultantly from the shore, and shouted to him to keep up his good work. Excited by these outcries, he re- doubled his exertions and increased his lead rapidly. Meanwhile, his competitor was swimming with steadiness, with a stroke which he could easily main- tain for the whole distance. He was not disconcerned by the frantic ap- peals of his friends to quicken his stroke. He was confident that his competitor was exhausting himself by over-exertion at the outset, and that the race would be won before it was more than half finished, The two swimmers kept on with- out changing their tactics until the half-distance stake was not far away. The leader had ceased to gain upon his rival, who was beginning to lessen the distance between them. The first man was showing signs of distress, while the other was swimming easily and was apparently as fresh as when he started. At the stake the leader threw up his hands and cried out to his rival to come to his aid. The second man, calling up his reserve power, forged ahead with a few strong strokes, and came up in time to save the exhausted leader from drowning. “Help me, ashore!” gasped the ex- hausted man. “The race iS yours. You need not finish the course.” The weaker man was kept afloat until a boat could be sent to rescue him. Then the stronger man turned the stake and completed the course, swimming with the same long, delib- erate stroke with which he had set out. When he went ashore to receive the congratulations of his friends he was apparently none the worse for his prolonged exercise in the water. His success was a triumph of judg- ment rather than of expert skill or physical endurance, while the other exhausted himself by Overstraining unnecessarily in the first half-mile. That swimming-match is a parable illustrative of many a failure in sales- manship and of many a _ successful career. Nothing is more dangerous than fussiness or Over-anxiety in sales- making. It is the long, steady, de- liberate stroke, with unused power in reserve behind it, that wins lasting success for the salesman, and makes him a candidate eventually for a jun- ior partnership in his house, T once had a friend who worked his way up in the dry-goods business from floor-walker in a retail store to the position of assistant silk-buyer- in a large wholesale house. The firm of which T was a member was situat- ed in the same block as the one in which he was employed. He came into my office one day and said: “TI want your advice. We started to- gether in the business race, but ap- parently you have been more for- tunate than I, for while I am only a buyer’s assistant, you are close to the head of your own concern. What is your formula?” “No formula,” said T. “Every man is the arbiter of his own business destiny.” I told him that fortune had. not favored me any more than it had favored him; that I did not believe in September 15. 1915 fortune anyway; and that the only way in which the success of any man could be achieved was by “keeping everlastingly at it.” I knew he had changed about considerably, and when he had seen an opportunity had not taken advantage of it. Finally, | frankly told him that I thought in his case retarded advancement was due to his restless disposition more than to any other one thine. He seemed disposed to argue the ques- tion, which I answered by saying: “In every large institution there are many opportunities for a man to make the most of himself in a business way.” “Opportunity,” said he, “that’s it. That is what I came to see you about. This is my fourth year with my present firm, and while they are splendid people, I see no chance ahead of me for advancement. At least, it is a case of waiting for dead men’s shoes. My salary of fifteen hundred dollars a year is inadequate for the support of a wife and three children. I have an offer from a large specialty house in another city to go on the road at an increase of one thousand dollars and it’s a sore temptation; yet I dislike to leave the old firm. On the other hand the duty I owe my family is staring me in the face and I really don’t know what to do. What do you think of it?” “Well,” I replied, “you also owe it to your firm and yourself to weigh this matter up very carefully. Per- sonally, I believe in ‘sticking to the bush.’ Your opportunity will come in time. I would not like to advise you positively in a matter like this. A thousand-dollar raise is a big thing for any young man, but I would cer- tainly consult with my firm, if T were you, before doing anything. Put the matter squarely before them. Let them advise you. They will not take advantage of you, and will no doubt make it an object for you to remain.” He departed, promising to do that, but the next IT heard from him was that he had accepted the offer made by the specialty house, and had left the old firm, where he was well re- garded. Two months later the head buyer of the silk department of that house dropped dead in the office of a New York hotel, and my friend’s old firm was obliged to go outside for some one to fill his place, a position that paid five thousand dollars a year sal- ary, into which there was not the slightest doubt he would have stepped had he refused the other offer and remained where he was. Many an Over-anxious salesman fails to win ultimate success because he does not realize the opportunity that awaits him through conscien- tious, faithful labor and continued service in some one place. The calico-wrapper opportunity of the moment seems to obscure his vision from the sealskin-sacque op- portunity of the future. He goes through life without any set purpose at all, with face turned away from the future and its rich possibilities, seem- ingly content to wander along, worry- ing in the present, anxiously occupied September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN =} ~]} : The Home “™ Dutch Master The Master Cigar By 6 5 Where Sanitation is Featured G. J. Johnson Cigar Co. : Grand Rapids, Michigan 78 with a superficial survey of things to the right and to the left, but never ahead and beyond. He is like the man who was so intent on watching what was Passing in the street that he failed to notice the open coal-hole directly in his path, until suddenly he found to his astonishment that he was rapidly disappearing into inky blackness. I actually knew a business man once who was quite handy with car- penter tools and enjoyed his annual outings at his summer home tinkering with all sorts of odd jobs requiring the use of saw and hammer. It oc- curred to him one day to build a boat-house over the river which skirt- ed his country place. While sitting on a scafforld directly over the river, he was engaged in putting on the finishing touches, and found it nec- essary to saw off a cleat that hin- dered his work. It was late in the afternoon of the last day of his out- ing. Desirous of finishing his work before leaving for the city, he was rushing things. Grabbing a saw, he began with vigor to despatch what he supposed was the projecting piece, and did not notice that he was ac- tually sawing into the scaffolding on which he was seated instead of the inoffensive cleat. The truth finally flashed on him with a crunching warning, and the next moment. he found himself floundering in the river, wildly waving his saw and calling for help. It does not pay to rush things. The Rome of salesmanship was not built in a day. It is said of the English General Buller that “he never went around anything that he could butt his head through.” And he continued that course in the Boer war, bringing all manner of disaster upon his com- mand, which caused dread anxiety to the home authorities until his recall stopped his mad career. He was re- placed by Lord Kitchener, the tac- tician, who was obliged to overcome Buller’s blunders before he could hope to win a victory for England's forces, which he did in the end by his sup- erior generalship. The salesman who hopes to win real success must change his negative qualities into positive ones, and then stick to some good reliable house where his chances for growth are assured. Returning from luncheon one af- ternoon, I was stopped just across the street from my place of business by a young man whom I had known as a boy, but had forgotten. Ex- tending his hand, he said, “Hello, Mr. Moody! Don’t you remember me?” Failing to recognize him at first, I replied: “You've got the best of me this time, my friend. Your face seems familiar, but I can’t recall your name.” “Why!” said he, “my name is B : Don’t you remember that we worked together as boys with the old firm oS. L. & Co? Vou had the linen and white-goods stock, and I had the laces, just across the aisle. “Yes,” I replied, “I do remember you now, but that’s a long time ago, MICHIGAN TRADESMAN and many changes, have taken place on the street. The old firm has re- tired from business, but I presume you are still in the dry-goods line.” “No. I remained there but a short time after you left. I thought I wasn’t suited to that line, and left to go into an insurance office. I soon found that insurance was not to my liking either, and then I tried the retail dry- goods business for a year or two. Realizing that there was no chance whatever in. a retail store, I entered a business college to study book- keeping, but left the course unfinish- ed on being told that -if I intended making office work my life’s aim T should commence at the practical end of things by taking a position in some large office; but—” Not Knowing where the narrative would end, but realizing that his story was a continued one, | interrupted him with— “What are you doing now?” “I’m studying electrical work in a big factory. No doubt there is a great field in that.” Then, as if by second nature, he asked: “What are you doing now?” Turning, I pointed to the wholesale store across the street which bore my name, saying simply, “I am connect- ed with that firm!” He seemed not to comprehend for a moment, but finally gasped, “You don’t mean to say that you are one of the firm!” Wes, 1 said “hi aaa” “Well! How on earth—” His face reddened and he did not finish what he was going to say. Instead he turn- ed eagerly to me with— “Can’t you give me a place in your store? I don't get much pay where Tam. Besides, I think that if [ could get in with some one who knew me and would take an interest in me I could do much. better.” And then came the wretched admission that he was a married man and had a wiie and two children. I knew that his case was hopeless. He had tried and condemned himself in the story he had related of his wanderings, but for old time’s sake { asked him to cal] at our Office the next day and I would see what I could do for him. We needed an extra man in the shipping room, and gave him the place at a weekly salary of $12—just double the amount he was receiving at the parting of our ways twelve years before. A raise of 50 cents a week per year for twelve years. Think of it! Yet there are many such cases. I heard nothing from him for a few days, and then one night the coor-bel! rang at my residence, and our new assistant shipping clerk was shewn in. [I greeted him hali-dressed, as T was going out for the evening In some surprise I asked him what could do for him. “Well,” he said, “you must excuse me for calling at your house, but as you have been kind to me T thought I ought to call and tell you that I am afraid I cannot do the work you have put me at. I don’t seem to under- stand it, and rather than make mis- takes which might embarrass you | have made up my mind to quit.” There was something delicate in that halting confession that touched me, but realizing that this was a case for vigorous action, if the man was to be saved for any good to himself or any one else, I determined to let my engagement wait. Taking a seat by his side, I gave him a heart-to- heart talk, in which matters were not minced regarding his past and check- ered career. I pointed out that he really had a good opportunity at last to make something of himself: that _L would go out of my way to help him and advance him as rapidly as possible, but that it was up to him to do the rest. Our talk seemed to bolster him up somewhat, and he left promisine to stick it out and do his best. Two months, however, of worrying along with him, in which many interviews took place, convinced us that he “was a confirmed ne’er-do-well, and we had to let him out to continue his searcn for something that “exactly” fitted bis capabilities. I never heard from him after that, but there is little room for doubt thar the unfortunate fellow is still look- ing for a job, a sad example of neg- lected opportunities and a lack of stick-to-it-iveness. Opportunities don't often repeat; mistakes do. The energetic, dead-in-earnest man creates confidence and success. Don't let the self-satisfied and thor- oughly contented persuade you that to-morrow’s triump will compensate for to-day’s inaction. To-morrow is a poor time to catch to-day’s opportunities. Nothing great is ever accomplished without trained enthusiasm, persistent energy, and 4 determination to win. The man who depends upon to- morrow’s efforts is ever a pall-bearer at the bier of lost hopes. and dead ambitions. Results are the golden nuggets dug from to-day’s Opportunities by earn- est endeavor and patient, systematic toil. The faint-hearted man lacks the power to draw others to himself. He dissipates confidence, and fails utterly to secure prestige with those above him in authority. A dead fish can float with the tide, but it takes a live one to swim against it. In this Progressive age a man’s usefulness, like that of the postage- stamp, consists in his ability to stick to a thing until he gets there. There is no use in mincing words. Let us look squarely at the facts as they exist, with a clear eye to bet- tering ourselves if possible. The fact is very clear and pertinent here, that we must meet our antagonists with their own weapons, hustle, There are many salesmen in the world who persuade themselves into believing that to-morrow, next week. the week after, or next year will surely bring them the results they should have obtained to-day. Not content with leaning on the broken reed of their own procrasti- September 15, ; 15 nating methods while others al! arou; them are getting away from them large share of business easily with: their grasp, they try to argue away the chief point adhered to by the more progressive brethren in the ra for sales,—namely, that “a bird the hand is worth two in the bush.” Again I must ask the reader's for- giveness in relating a personal ex perience which seems to fit in right here. My sole Purpose in relatine this incident is to point out the reason why, in a certain class of salesmen the negative qualities are outweighed by the positive. In any event, the reader will agree with me that our sins of omission, as well as those of commission, are traceable to our weaknesses, and also that a cure can be effected only through the develop- ment of strong qualities. Our firm had experienced consid- erable difficulty in drawing business from the West and = Northwest through Chicago to the smaller East- ern market in which our house was located. At different times we had employed two or three salesmen in that section without success. Qn looking the situation Over, we con- cluded that it was necessary for a member of the firm to go out there and do a little missionary work. Hay- ing traveled there at an earlier per- iod, I volunteered to make the trip. The time to make an advance trip with fall goods being at hand: I im. mediately mapped up a flyer for ten days, at the end of which I was to mect our buyers in New York. There was no time to lose and keep the Eastern engagement, so I laid out the trip to make close connections. The first town on the list was Osh- kosh, Wisconsin. I arrived there at 4:30 on a hot June afternoon, and planned to get through and leave. if possible, on the 9:30 train the same night. The sample-rooms were all taken at the Atherton Hotel, and I had to Open my trunks in the billiard room. which was used for that purpose when the place was crowded. I made no attempt at a regular display, but simply arranged the trays to be got- ten at handily, Rushing out of a side entrance to make my first call, I ran into Oley, the Swedish porter, who stopped me long enough to say that two rival salesmen- from Chicago had been there all day long winding up their summer business, Noticing my arrival and seeing me unpacking fall goods, Oley explained that they had said to him, “Hell have 3 fine time trying to sell winter goods with the ther- mometer 93 deg. in the shade. We have a small line of advance goods along with Our summer stuff, but haven’t tried to do any business. Why! You can’t even interest the trade in stuff for present use, to say nothing of goods they’ll not need for three months to come. He might as well close up and move on. We’ve been around sounding the trade, and that’s the verdict.” “Give them my regards, Oley,” I said. “Perhaps they are right, but I’m going to make a stab at it, any- oe ee MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 79 The Vinkemulder Company “a Grand Rapids, Mich. ee Ye) ae f Ci leceeteee talteeeeeliaal We are Headquarters for Peaches This is the best season for peaches the retail trade has known for many years. Peaches are cheap in price and good in quality and can be advanta- #) || geously handled in the small towns in straight or mixed carlots. Send us a - || memorandum of your requirements and we will fill your orders nght. Our ben Sais a Sid BAN ae saat IE Aan dt Pp CRT arantees Spigreeiun ne % jellies Si Satie Subaner, : Bo: “ ? e ee ES SSCS sis Wate eS aE Ia a Ae a RES Son A Se as - : a sisi tite i a EES RAT Serer Or PORE RSET oe SEBS AEE SRE AS ahaa ate caecum Unc te A ee nC tao IG RR ad Sg atk ies Reread 8 facilities are unequaled. | We operate at many outside loading points. Take advantage of our thirty years of experience. 80 way. Maybe things are not so bad as they predict.” It was a walk of but two blocks to my first customer's store. 2>—_____ British Makers Fear Loss. British manufacturers of motor cars and their agents are not unnaturally uneasy in regard to the effect that the American competition will have on their good-will after the war, accord- ing to The London Truth. “All are engaged on war work with depleted staffs, and they fully realize that nothing will be as usual when we have done with the ugly business on hand. They realize, too, that the good-will of a motor concern has nothing like the permanent value of certain other established trades. In- terests and opinions are ever chan:z- ing, and consequently a car that is popular to-day may be superseded by another and more attractive and cheaper one to-morrow. “The particular difficulty which they have to contend with at the mo- ment is not the shortage of men due 9 so many having joined the army, or the partial disorganization of thei- resources to meet the nation’s re- quirements, but. their impotency to arrest the incursion into their best SEDER RTOS SSeS ee MICHIGAN TRADESMAN markets of so many new American traders who seem to have waited for the war to let loose a flood of new designs at astonishingly low prices. Will they be able to get their trade back? Is what they are asking them- selves; and will the government, for whom they are making so many sac- rifices, come to their assistance by taxing American vehicles? “The issue is thus confused by in- troducing politics into business. Hap- pily they are all working at a profit while the war lasts. That is guaran- teed by the state, and as the value of good-will in the motor trade is large- ly sustained by judicious advertising, they are exhorted in a technical con- temporary to renew their publicity schemes in order that they may not be forgotten when peace comes. “This is sound advice, even though it is offered by an interested party. because the public has a short mem- ory; and a further reason why _ it should be acted upon is supplied by recent history, which records a larger percentage of new makers and new designs in the short space of two years than at any other period since the inception of the industry. Many of the leading firms are avoiding this risk by carrying out their contracts, even though they are unable in some cases to execute a single private or- der; but there are, as one publicity expert put it, many shirkers doing remarkably well, who, thinking to save a few hundred pounds, stand to lose thousands and their good-will into the bargain, King Eight Truths The King Eight will duplicate any stunt that any automobile, at any price, _ will perform, and the King Fight sells for only $1350. The King Eight can take any of Grand Rapids hills on high so easily that it makes the owners of luxury priced cars sit up and THINK. Fifteen to twenty miles to a gallon. Economical on Oil, Tires and Repairs. Make your Demonstration Appointment Phelps Auto Sales Company Western Michigan Distributors for The New King Car and the Apperson Supplies and Accessories Michigan Street and Lafayette Avenue Grand Rapids, Mich. 83 forgotten—it is service The New Cadillac Eight— The Ideal Family Motor Car Fror the man who is particular as to the car he drives the selection for the coming season should be easier than ever before. eight cylinder Cadillac is more than ever in a class by itself—for distinctiveness, for beauty of ‘design, for smoothness and for all around built- in value. The price of your motor car is soon makes or mars the pleasure of motoring. Buy a Cadillac Eight for permanent enjoyment and freedom from trouble. Exhibit at the West Michigan State Fair. The new and satisfaction that See the Cadillac It's Better to Buy a Cadillac Than to Wish You Had Western Michigan Cadillac Co., Ltd. OSCAR ECKBERG, Mer. 19-23 LaGrave Ave. PIANOS Chickering Vose Kurtzmann Herrick Irving THE HERRICK PIANO CO. 35 No. lonia Ave. Way To Depot GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. al the FAIR Sept. 20 to 24 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 191: POTATO BAGS | New and second-hand, also bean bags, flou; bags, etc. Quick shipments our pride. i ROY BAKER Wn. Alden Smith Bldg. Grand Rapids, Mich. | Make Us Your Shipments When you have Fresh Quality Eggs. Dairy Butter or packing stock. Always in the market. Quick returns. Grand Rapids, Mich. Kent Storage Co. Michigan Poultry, Butter and Egg Asso- clation. President—H. L. Williams, Howell. Vice-President—J. W. Lyons, Jackson. Secretary and Treasurer—D. A. Bent- ley, Saginaw. Executive Committee—F. A. Johnson, Detroit; Frank P. Van Buren, Williams- ton; C. J. Chandler, Detroit. How to Measure an Ounce. Here is a help for the busy house- Cut this out, paste it on a card, and keep it in your kitchen or cooking pantry where you can see it. Many a recipe calls for wife. “one ounce” of some ingredient and as scales are not always handy and weighing takes up valuable time, this table will prove a help and a time-saver: An ounce of granulated sugar equals two level tablespoonfuls. An ounce of flour, four level table- spoonfuls. An ounce of butter, two level table- spoontuls. An ounce of ground coffee, five level tablespoonfuls. An ounce of cornstarch, three level tablespoontuls. An ounce of thyme, eight level tablespoonfuls. An ounce of grated chocolate, three level tablespoonfuls. An ounce of pepper, four level tablespoonfuls. An ounce of mustard, four level tablespoonfuls. An ounce of salt, two level table- spoonfuls. +. ___ Tainted Corned Beef. If you find that the meat you are corning is absolutely sound before going into pickle, then the taint is probably due to your method of packing. All beef that 1s corned, and rump beef especially, should nev- er be packed tightly in the vat, as this prevents the pickle from permeat- ing the meat as it should. This will result in the outer part of the meat being corned properly, but in the in- ner part, and especially that part around the bone, being tainted, as the pickle has not been able to penetrate far enough to preserve it. Pack your meat more loosely; in fact, it is a good plan to let it float. Before go- ing into the vat the meat around the bones in the rumps which are to be loosened with a long, thin, sharp knife, so that the pickle shall have every which corned should be chance to penetrate it. —__>-~<- After Bad Eggs In Indiana. Orders have been issued from the offices of the State Board of Health at Indianapolis for all food inspec- tors of Indiana to special at- tention during Agust and September to the egg situation. give Regular inspections are to be made and dealers who handle bad eggs are to be prosecuted. The State depart- ment, under the leadership of State Food and Drug Commissioner H. E. sarnard, is making a special effort to stop the sale of uncandled eggs. In writing to inspectors regarding the ege situation, Mr. Barnard says: “When a man sells a bad egg, treat him just as if he sold bad meat or rot- ten potatoes. It is up to him to can- dle his eggs and know that they are sound.” ——_* 2. _____ Ju.t Country Relatives. She—Been away in the country, haven't you? He—Yes, visiting some people I used to know when I was a boy. She—Particular friend? He—Oh, no ;father and mother. Get your peaches from the South Haven Fruit Exchange SOUTH HAVEN, MICH. Quality and Pack the best you ever saw You can get car load lots or express shipments Telephone, telegraph or write for your daily supplies We know we can please you South Haven Fruit Exchange South Haven, Mich. Watson-Higgins Milling Co. Merchant Millers Grand Rapids et Michigan Every Housewife likes a change. Suggest Mapleine for delicious flavor where flavor is needed. Makes fine syrup. Order from Louis Hilfer Co. 1503 State Bldg. Chicago, Ill. CRESCENT MFG. CO. Seattle, Wash. The Vinkemulder Company Jobbers and Shippers of Everything in Fruits and Produce * Grand Rapids, Mich. Rea & Witzig PRODUCE COMMISSION MERCHANTS . 104-106 West Market St. Buffalo, N. Y. Established 1873 Live Poultry in excellent de- mand at market prices. Can handle large shipments to ad- vantage. Fresh Eggs in good de- mand at market prices. Fancy creamery butter and good dairy selling at full quota- tions. Common plenty and dull. Send for our weekly price cur- rent or wire for special quota- tions. Refer you to the People’s Bank of Buffalo, all Commercial Agen- cies and to hundreds of shippers everywhere. Churned Fresh Every Day MR. MERCHANT:~— Are you sure that the butter you are using is satisfying your trade? If not, try Blue Valley Butter | A perfecs spread which is carefully made by extert butter- makers who produce good butter from the finest material that the dairy farm can produce. Good dealers demand BLUE VALLEY BUTTER every day, because good butter alone gives them perfect Satisfaction.’’ Furthermore it cannot be duplicated because it is marked by its uniform quality that guarantees the trade the same quality at all times. Orders filled promptly. BLUE VALLEY CREAMERY CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. Largest Exclusive Manufacturers of Pure Cream Butter in the World Mail us sample any Beans you may wish to sell. Send us orders for FIELD SEEDS. Both Phones 1217 | MOSELEY BROTHERS Grand Rapids, Mich. _ eee September 15, 1915 The Business Salesman. There is a well-nursed delusion prevalent among business men hold- ing subordinate positions, that the fellow who sticks to his office desk and assiduously applies himself to the transaction of matters as they come in, will accomplish as much, if not more, than he who devotes a part of his time outside affiliating in a ‘convivial way with those from whom he hopes to obtain business. Inscrut- able perception is not necessary to pronounce this a grave mistake. The head of any commercial house will readily point to the salesman who is the best “mixer” as the man who turns in the largest volume on_ busi- ness annually. This need not be in- terpreted as placing a premium upon or indorsing over-indulgence in ef- fervescences, but rather the cultiva- tion and exercise of affability and conradeship, if they are not innate characteristics. To point out the greatest factor in business-getting to-day would be an act of arrogant assumption, but if one pauses long enough to consider the most successful business men among his acquaintances—men who occupy the most prominent and high-salaried positions—he will conclude that they are the cordial fellows who pass many hours hobnobbing with others, re- ciprocally, There was a time when orders could be secured by mere personal contact—a meeting in which cold business acumen, void of all sem- blance of urbanity, was displayed in a purely give-and-take manner. But it is not so to-day. Keenness of com- petition in commercial matters has created a demand for a different type of man. This is an age of “Special- ists’—the “all-around” man is sought for only occasionally. Wé4£th the revo- lution of business conditions there has come a demand for men possessing personal magnetism, inherent or ac- quired, compounded with astuteness, and withal, honesty. Several important corporations might be mentioned that make it 2 rule to maintain memberships for their employes in specific organiza- tions, for the sole purpose of cul- tivating personal acquaintance, the expense of which is considered a thor- oughly legitimate outlay. —_—_~¢2-_ Courtesy Brings Big Returns. After the nations of the world have Proved that they are through with war by melting up all their arma- ments, the great reform next in order will be that of instituting universa! courtesy. This reform may be said to be on its feet, even at the present time, but it is wobbly-legged and needs a great deal of encouragement. We have some very courteous in- dividuals in our midst, most of whom were born that way and who insist on staying that way despite all temp- tations to the contrary; but we have some who are almost hopeless. Courtesy is just another name for unselfishness: The greedy-self-cen- tered individual is never courteous, no matter what kind of manners he dis- Plays in public. Courtesy does not reveal itself for effect; it is not cal- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN culating. It acts out of the prompt- ings of consideration for the just claims and rights of others, and, in smaller matters at least, it is even willing to make sacrifices. It is the sense of services revealed in action. When you give your neighbor a smile instead of a frown you do him a real service for you cause him to smile and be happy. therefore, to smile. It is courteous, When you smother the needless word of criticism you save someone a pang. It is courteous, therefore, to control your tongue. It doesn’t matter very much at just what angle you tip your hat to a lady, although it is commendable to regard such points. The important thing is to look like you were glad of the op- portunity to tip it. courtesy. That is the real If the world would start out to-day to follow two rules—smile and avoid mean gossip—it would be almost Civ- ilized at the end of the year. —_~++-_ Heaven goes by favor, not merit. If merit won, your dog would go in and you would remain outside. Mark Twain. Light Double Driving Harness Bridle—54, box loop, overcheck. Hames—Nickel or imitation rubber. Traces—11{-7 ft. single strap. Pads—3 inch beaded edge hous- ings. Lines 1 in. x 14 hand parts. Neckyoke straps 1%, choke strap 1 inch, Nickel or Imi- tation rubber trimming, hand made from selected oak tan leather. Price $37.50. SHERWOOD HALL co., LTD. 30-32 Ionia Ave., N. Ww, Grand Rapids, Mich. 85 ‘Mothers Del ight” ESCENT FLOUR “Makes Bread White and Faces Bright” VOIGT MILLING CO., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Price $75.00 McGRAW ACCOUNT REGISTER Holds 260 Accounts Michigan’s Raincoat House AT YOUR SERVICE PATTON'S N COAT “it. 2. & FR CO! GRAND RAPIDS RAL! MICHIGAN The “Frog’’ Brand Coats are clean, well tailored garments. In grades from $2.00 to $10.00. Tarp (Squam Style) Fish Brand @ $2.20 per dozen Yellow or Black Copyright, 1913, by A. J. Tower Co, You know what the Tower ‘‘Fish’’ Brand slickers are. We have a full stock. Get our swatches and catalogues. Grand RapidsShoe @ Rubber THE MICHIGAN PEOPLE Rawl, W. disputed.""-—ATCH ware, Arlene, Mich. ” “We are highly pleased. This is the only way to keep accounts LEY BROS., Gen’! Store, Rankin, Tenn. “It saves us so much book work.”—A. D. WHIPPLE, DryGoods, Groceries and Hard- “It has taken the palce of a bookkeeper, which saving over,"'—WM. ANDERSON GROCERY CO., Detroit, Mich. GRAND RAPIDS Special Half Price '30-Day Advertising Offer $75.00 for $37.50 Protect Your Accounts Against Fire! Save the Time and Cost of a Bookkeeper Solid Oak Case, hand rubbed and polished A Beautiful Store Fixture The best material used in every part Will last a business life-time “Ship 1,000 Sales Books. The Register is working dandy.""—CRYSTAL SUPPLY ca. Va. and never have an account alone has paid for it several times Sign and Mail the Order Blank T to-day You cannot lose. We take all the risk. Use it 30 days. McGRAW ACCOUNT REGISTER CO. FREE OUR GUARANTEE The McGraw Account Register is sent out on a 30-day actual use test. under a positive guarantee to be the best method ever devised for keeping accounts. Try it out side by side with any other make. regardless of Price, and if we do not make good, return at our expense. COULD AN OFFER BE MORE FAIR? Detroit, Mich. Ship via Freight, as soon as possible, f. o. b. Detroit, One McGraw Account Register, at $37.50. To be returned at your expense within 30 days from arrival at my R. R. Station if not satisfactory. Otherwise I will keep the Register and pay 5 easy monthly payments of $7.50 each—total $37.50. ee ee eC ee 260 account capacity. OW eee Siiie i MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1975 CONQUERED A CONTINENT. America’s Greatest Opporiunity Now Confronts Her. Written for the Tradesman. When a man, sauntering briskly along, gets an unexpected jolt, he reels for a minute. Then he gathers himself together, and sails right ahead. If he lies down, and keeps on.lying down, you know he’s not a genuine man. America, this last year or two, has been jolted. The jolt hasn't stopped America’s progress. It has merely altered a lit- tle the manner of that progress. A few years ago it was a careless, genial saunter. Now it is a grim, determined, force- ful march ahead. America of to-day is the sum total of all the Americans who have gone before. The characteristic of Ameri- cans in all ages is that they have maintained the march of progress. Starting at the Atlantic is passed the Alleghanies, passed the Mississippi, passed the Rockies—through forests, across deserts and over mountains—- and flung an advance guard across terrible wastes to the North Pole it- self. And the America that has done this is merely the sum total of all the individual Americans who, in the past, as to-day, voluntarily constitute the republic. It is the individual American—ag- gressive, undaunted, resourceful—who has made the America of to-day. It is the American of to-day who has in his hands the making of the America of twenty years hence. If America in this year of stress has shown a hint of halting or hes- itancy, the remedy lies with the in- dividual American. That remedy is a new birth of cour- age. Between the Atlantic and the Paci- fic, between the Rio Grande and the Great Lakes, there is ample ground for courage to firmly plant its foot. In the record of the years behind, there is splendid example to stimu- late the American of to-day to great- er heights of endeavor and achieve- ment. What has always been the Land of Opportunity is, more than ever before, the Land of Opportunity. What is needed to open the doors of opportunity? Merely the courage to go deter- minedly ahead? What do American’ records of achievement tell? Who are the men who have done things? Who have made possible the impossible—who have achieved the unattainable—who have won where there was no chance of winning—who have planted a re- public of a hundred million on the site of a wilderness? The men who—in the face of all diffiiculties—have gone ahead. It is the individual American—re- sourceful, resolute, unconquerable— who has made America. National achievement, after all, is merely the sum total of the achieve- ment of the individual. That is a resolutely thought which must be hammered home. Insofar as old world nations have iallen and are falling short, the fault lies with the lack of room for individual growth. Insofar as Amer- ica has achieved and excelled, the credit must go to the greater scope for individual development. If there is any hint of faltering in America’s advance, individual courage and initiative must restore’ the momentum, The individual, left to his own re- sources, becomes resourceful and achieves. The individual, learning to rely upon his fellows, loses initiative and falters. If America seems for a moment to hesitate, it is because Americans have come to depend upon leaders and laws and policies toa much and too little upon themselves. The sum total of a host of hesitant, doubtful individual is a stagnant community... The sum total of.a host of resourceful, aggressive individuals is a progressive, advancing communi- ty. Michigan Knitting Co’ Manufacturer of Sweaters, Sweater Coats Hockey Caps, Gloves, Mittens and Knit Goods Specialties Above illustration shows our No. 510 Sweater Coat with shawl collar (single thickness), aa weight, any color de- sired. Illustrated catalogue on appli- cation or sample ‘assortment sent on approval. Michigan Knitting Co. Lansing, Mich. At“Purity Patent” Mills The Millers Are Expert Bread-Makers They have originated and always kept up the high standard of quality in Purity Patent Flour by knowing how to make good bread. Every single sack that leaves the mill is guar- anteed. Send us your order or write for exclusive sale on PURITY PATENT for your market. We are located at the corner Scribner Ave. and G.R.& I. R.R., close to all freight houses with minimum haul for all deliveries. Our Elevator, Flour, Feed and Hay warehouses have side track delivery. Wecarry a full line of Badger Dairy and Horse Feeds, Dried Brewer Grains, Beet Pulp, Oil Meal, Cotton Seed Meal, Bran, Middlings, Etc. YOURS FOR BUSINESS Grand Rapids Grain & Milling Co. L. FRED PEABODY, Manager A Recommendation For Investors in Stocks The Consumers Power Company (Michigan) con- trols water power and steam generating and electric properties supplying electricity for light and power to a number of prosperous and important communities in the Southern Peninsula of Michigan. Each year since its organization the Consumers Power Company has been able to increase substantially its earning capacity, both gross and net. For the twelve months ending July 31, 1915, this Company had gross earnings of $3,602,490, an increase of 8.43%, with a net gain of 17.80%, and an increase of 36.38% in surplus over the preceding twelve months, after all charges had been paid. The duplica- tion value of the property of the Consumers Power Company is materially in excess of all of its outstand- ing bonds and preferred stock. The Preferred Stock at its present price of 94 and dividend is, we believe, one of the most attractive investment stocks in the market. Tax Exempt in Michigan Send for Circular E-43 which contains full information Hodenpyl, Hardy & Co. Incorporated Investment Securities First National Bank Building CHICAGO NEW YORK CHICAGO * ” forward, no and ‘known without faltering. September 15, 1915 Insofar as America has achieved great things, it is due to the Ameri- can’s willingness to stand alone if need be for what is right, to attempt things single handed, to go resolutely matter what the odds. - America will continue to achieve so long as there lives in her sons that nD “same spirit which conquered the wil- derness, faced the dared the unafraid dangers of the un- Savage To lay firm hold himself upon this spirit of dar- “ing enterprise and, by his precept and his example, to infuse it into others, is the immediate duty of every Ameri- can who would be birthright. worthy of his Whatever external conditions may be, America is great in opportunity, self-sustaining in resources, and the same courage which peopled the wil- dernesses and conquered the deserts in the past is able to overcome what- ever difficulties may encompass the future. Analyzed, the direct difficulty is, not external, but within the in- dividual soul; the timidity which fears to venture upon untried paths, and will not breathe the pure, clear air of out-of-doors, so essential to health and because a gives hint of rain. vigor, distant cloud Exaggerated caution never made an individual wealthy or a nation great. Success is not for the man who waits - until the sky is clear and success as- sured, but for the man who ventures forth while the clouds still hang heavy and grasps the opportunities which his more cautious touch. fellows fear to “T lead; let others follow!” is the watchword of the true American. It should ring most clearly above the storm of stress of troublous It is the battle cry that quered a continent. times. has. con- It will conquer MICHIGAN TRADESMAN for America the greatest of her op- portunities, which now confronts her. Victor Lauriston. —_+~--___ It Doesn't Pay. It doesn’t pay to hate. It doesn’t pay to quarrel. l How often have I seen men who imagined they had a grievance go out on a search “in order to have an understanding,” as they expressed it; and: in brooding as they walked they would work themselves to such a state of frenzy that by the time they reached the object of their search they would be unfit to talk, much less reason. It doesn’t pay to hate anybody or anything. One may feel justified be- cause in the end he cannot injure the thing he hates. He can injure only himself by disturbing his peace of mind—and that gone, the satisfaction he seeks against others is his personal loss. The world is filled with trials, but after all they are only trifles. At least one can make them so by mapping out for himself a still higher sphere in which to move. When a man is surrounded by those who prove thorns in his side it is a simple lesson that if he would avotd his unpleasant look higher type of manhood. should broader and So, after all, he can blame himself for being out instead of in that channel where he properly belongs. It doesn’t pay to hate anybody. If can't condition he where there is a you love or respect a_ fellow creature, pity him and walk away. Look upward. Walk upward. —_+- > Pessimism dwarfs and dries up the soul; it kills ambition. ———__$23-2>-—_--___ ‘ A boy on mischief bent straight to the bad. may go Write for terms. SAXON SIX #785 The Equal of Any $1200 Car on the Market Territory in Mecosta, Ionia, Ottawa. Allegan and Barry Counties open for live dealers. delay if interested. See our exhibit Fair week. GRAND RAPIDS SAXON COMPANY 572 Division Avenue, South Do not iaaiieiatetieliaicimaiiadiintia tac nS 87 While at the Fair Stop at the New Pantlind Hotel Absolutely Fire Proof 500 Rooms Rates $1.50 up European Plan J. BOYD PANTLIND, Prop. Morton House J. BOYD PANTLIND, Prop. Rates from $1 up European Plan Unexcelled Cuisine Finest Grill Room in the State An excellent place to stay while visiting the West Michigan State Fair | Hong Far Lo Co.--Hong Ying Lo Co. CHAN HOY, Manager American and Chinese Cafes Extraordinary Across from the Pantlind Hotel While at the Fair eat with Chan Hoy 188 MONROE AVE. | CAMPAU SQUARE Over Idlehour The Old Familiar Place Special American Style Rare Dishes of the Orient Luncheon Served Daily Banquets and Mandarinic from 11 a. m. to 8 p. m. Dinners given Special Attention Chop Suey and American American Style Short Order Short Order Service any Time Service Featured from 11 a. m. to2 a. m. 11 a.m. to2 a. m. Here’s Your Opportunity to equip your store with Up-to-date Fixtures “New” or “Used’’ We will take your old ones in exchange Grand Rapids Store Fixture Co. No. 7 Ionia Ave., N. W. Grand Rapids, Mich. 88 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN = — = <= = — ASNT ATA TATNTINT pg Wut IMMERCTAL TRAVELE ; ? 5 — = —_ = =f S S e s if Wes A ca Grand Councll of Michigan U. C. T. Grand Counselor—Walter S. Lawton, Grand Rapids. Grand Junior Counselor—Fred J. Mou- tier, Detroit. Grand Past Counselor—Mark §. Brown, Saginaw. Grand Jackson. Grand Treasurer—Wm. J. Devereaux, Port Huron. Grand Conductor—John A. Hach, Jr., Coldwater. Grand Page—W. T. Ballamy, Bay City. Grand Sentinel—c. C., Starkweather, Detroit. Grand Chaplain—A. w. Muskegon. Grand Executive Committee—E. A. Dibble, Hillsdale; Angus G. McEachron, Detroit; James E. Burtless, Marquette: N. Thompkins, Jackson. Next Grand Council Meeting—Traverse City, June 2 and 3, 1916. Michigan Division T. P. A. President—D. G. MacLaren. First Vice-President—F. H. Mathison. Second Vice-President—W. J. Manning, Detroit. Secretary Brown. State Board of Directors—Walter H. Brooks, Chairman; Fred H. Locke, J. W. Putnam, J. E. Cronin, W. A. Hatcher, C. E. York, W. E. Crowell, C. H. Gall- meyer, Frank W. Clarke, Detroit. State Membership Committee—Frank H. Mathison, Chairman. ——— Secretary—Maurice Heuman, Stevenson, and Treasurer—Clyde R&. No Age Limit for the Man Who Sells Things. Next to being turned down in his first town, the youthful first-tripper encounters no greater discourage- ment than that of his initial meeting with the professional pessimistic old- timer, with his perpetual grouch. A few words with this erumbler cause the young man to feel that the whole world of salesmanship is a dismal slough; that nowhere in the great desert of commercial life is there a single oasis where the dusty, travel-stained wayfarer may rest his tired limbs and take fresh hope with which to renew his arduous journey. Nothing in the wide, wide world is as good as it used to be: everything is on the highway to perdition. If some genie could only come along and by a wave of the hand and a “Presto, change” turn the whole busi- ness world backward twenty-five or thirty years to where it was when he first took up his gripsack, then the traveling man chance. would have a fair Where is the commercial traveler who has not encountered him and given him a wide berth? He is to be seen in the hotel lobby, disputing his bill with the clerks because something or other went wrong. Next he is found quarreling with the baggage agent at the depot for charging too much excess on his trunks. In the smoking compartment of the train he is telling the boys—if he is for- tunate enough to have any listeners —that business has gone to the dogs. and that a traveling man’s life at best is nothing but a weary pilgrimage. If he has a beaten path, he is soon singled out as a bore and left to himself. For the same reason he loses business, his customers finding pleas- ure in giving their favors to the man who approaches with a light step and a cheery smile. Not all old-timers are of this class by any means, but there are enough of them to warrant a passing elance at the type. The best thing for any young man to do is to leave him severely alone to continue his grum- bling where no harm may be done. No character is more beautiful in the business world than that of the man of advanced years who has come all the way down through the trials and uncertainties of a busy career and preserved a cheerful disposition and optimistic temperament, keeping step with all the changes that be- token progress in any line of industry. You cannot go forward to any prize without leaving behind many things that seem desirable. Honest admiration for progress is an incentive to good work: it de- velops and gives streneth to all the ambitions. Among commercial] travelers there are many men of actual ability whose entire lives have been thrown away because of their bitter hatred for and constant opposition to progress of any sort. A habit of mind once formed is hardly ever lost: and there is NO more common habit, unfor- tunately, among this class than that of envy and bitterness toward inno- vations. Among salesmen how many words are wasted in decrying the real worth of others! A successful salesman, old or young, is too busy to think of changing times or of what others are doing, unless it be to look occasionally with approval and ad- miration at the Progressive and the successful and say, “I am glad that times are growing better,” or “] am pleased he is doing so well. I shall try to improve also.” Do we not all know instinctively, as soon as we hear a man talk optimist- ically or praise another freely and highly, that the man who talks thus is himself on the right track? And do we not all know that the man criticising, attacking, and real effort is small, and smaller? Unless the heart is light, we cannot keep pace with the times. “Bigotry puts blinders on the best of men.” belittling growing The value of keeping step is hu- morously illustrated in a story I once heard Alexander H. Revell, a prom- inent Chicago merchant and public- spirited man, tell on himself. In the year 1877 he joined a regi- ment of state militia. On a certain public occasion before Mr. Revell had graduated from the awkward squad, the regiment turned out on dress parade, he being given the end of a line in the march. He had a maiden aunt with soldier blood in her veins, inherited from colonial days. She, with others, had a prominent place in the store window facing the line of march. As the regiment appeatfed, her enthusiasm knew no bounds. The old-time spirit fired her blood, as she fairly glowed with satisfaction, com- menting on each company as it pass- ed. When the company arrived in which her nephew was marching, she was observed to wear an expression of perplexity, and was heard to remark: “Look! look at that company! Every single man is out of step except my nephew Alexander.” (Continued next week.) September 15. 115 Eat at Snyder’s New Restauran; while attending the West Michigan State Fair 41 North Ionia Ave. 4 doors north of Tradesman HOTEL CODY EUROPEAN GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Rates$1 and up. $1.50 and up bath. Livingston Hotel Grand Rapids Mich. + FINE CAFE IN CONNECTION + Entertainment Every Evening The Hotel Barry Hastings, Michigan Re-opened for Good Parlor Sample Rooms Free Auto to and from all Trains I will please you if given an opportunity Ask the Boys ——e GEO. E. AMES, Prop. » 4 OL Era a Ky Firepropf Hotel : 450 Elegant Raoms "10 per Day -up 5@ with Bath *2@ per Day-—up German Restaurent 4 ot OPPO C ever eoeee es ecoeceroceeeoeeeccece. eee esercccccere Ocecccccce Se eeccccsccccocccccsecece® Clark St. near Jackson Blvd. Chicago If your eyes need attention, don't hesi- tate. Get my expert advice now. Glen F. Smith OPTOMETRIST :: OPTICIAN Eyes Examined Glasses Fitted Steglich Jewelry Store 29 Monroe Avenue Company MANUFACTURERS OF PIANOS AND PLAYER PIANOS Extends an invitation to all Visitors to Grand Rapids, dur- ing Fair Week, to either visit our Fair Exhibit or our Sales Rooms in the Livingston Hotel Building. Cable Piano Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. “i September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 89 ‘| Signs of Prosperity An evening’s stroll along the beautiful White- Ways of our cities will show you many signs of prosperity—Electric Signs. And if you will take pains to notice, you soon will see that the prosper- ous concerns are those whose brilliant white electric signs are the most conspicuous objects on the dark background of the evening sky. It Pays to Attract the Evening Crowds Many of the people who crowd the streets in “7 the evening are out to make purchases for which they have no time during the day. Dark show win- dows and poorly lighted store interiors fail to attract attention, much less trade. The crowd seeks the well lighted streets, likewise the brilliantly lighted show windows. A good Electric Sign and a well lighted store is ‘‘A Profitable Investment. ’’ We are at your service. Consumers Power Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. re Sa i ests Was It a Moral Victory? Detroit, Sept. 14—I am aware that I dissent from the well-nigh univer- sal judgment of the American press, when I assert that the surrender of the German government in the matter of the submarine warfare is not a moral victory. A moral victory is won only when both parties yield to the force of moral reasons, when considerations of right, justice, and humanity determine the issue. The German government does not surrender to the force of moral rea- sons; it does not acknowledge the justice, the moral right of our conten- tion; it acknowledges no moral wrong, no violation of justice or humanity, in the submarine warfare against un- armed vessels. The German govern- ment does not yield to the force of Mr. Wilson’s reasons, his moral ap- peals, and, had he continued merely to make them with never so much patience, gentleness, and dogged per- sistency, he might have gone on doing so to the end of the chapter, and the submarine would have continued its murderous work. It was only when another appeal was made, another note was sounded—the only kind of note to which militaristic Germany can respond—that the German gov- ernment halted the submarine attacks. The German government has simply taken counsel of military expediency in deciding to discontinue these acts of aggression on our citizens. Our friendship is merely a military asset. For military reasons only the German government prefers to have us friend- ly instead of being in the list of the enemies of Germany at this present time. I admire the fine idealism of Mr. Wilson, his splendid reserve, his unwearied devotion to what he con- ceives to be the cause of National, of universal, righteousness and wel- fare, but what I appreciate in this eleventh hour, in his dealing with a nation whose supreme principle is force, is a manifestation of the spirit which all our great Presidents have shown in National crises. John E. Russell. —_o+__ New Fiber for Manufacturing. Saginaw, Sept. 14—There have been placed on exhibition in the Board of Trades rooms several handsome and substantial sweaters manufactured from the new Saginaw fiber discovered by Sidney S. Boyce of this city. Mr. Boyce has been working on this ma- terial for some time and is enthusiastic over its possibilities. He calls it ozone silk and believes it can be spun and used in manufacturing many articles, mixing it with silk, cotton, wool, etc. He has had the sweaters manufac- tured to show what can be done with the fiber and he hopes to arouse suf- ficient interest in Saginaw that a plant may be established here for the man- ufacturing of this fiber into all kinds of wearing apparel. The fiber comes from a plant which grows abundantly in swamps and has been considered as useless heretofore. Mr. Boyce’s discovery may, however, result in it being cultivated and in building up a new industry. He is well advanced in years, and is thor- oughly experienced in this work, hav- ing aided in the establishment of linen and other plants in the early days. The sweaters are strong, appear at- tractive, and clearly show the wide possibilities of this fiber. : oe! : Some men try to hide their light under bushel while some others make a fireworks display. — UNIVERSAL CLEANER Great for the pots—great for the pans Great for the woodwork—great for the hands. ORDER FROM YOUR JOBBER Ionia Ave. and Island St. The Panel Body Delivery Car. All New Studebaker Models will be Displayed at West Michigan State Fair Peck Auto Sales Co., DISTRIBUTORS $875 F. O. B. Detroit GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, The Preferred Stocks of the American Public Utilities Co. Wisconsin-Minnesota Light & Power Co. Utah Gas & Coke Co. are Excellent Investments for Conservative People Managed by Kelsey, Brewer & Co. Michigan Trust Building Grand Rapids - Michigan While at the Fair stop at the Hotel Herkimer EUROPEAN PLAN—75 CENTS AND UP Rooms with Private or Detached Baths Good Service Excellent Restaurant Courteous Treatment Dairy Lunch Room Everything Right Sensible Prices Five Main Car Lines to Door A House of Comforts— Wonderfully Clean Division Avenue at Goodrich Street, S. W. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Use Tradesman Coupons ay, a\ : _ September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 91 pou rs oa “Nope! Couldn’t Wait! Had to Get it Myself!” J Crescent has a reputation of 50 years’ standing—That means Easy Sales. Crescent is being aggressively pushed—the demand is large and constantly increasing— That means Quick Turnovers. Crescent is always uniform—it is made on honor and sold on merit—That means Satisfied Customers, Growing Sales, and an Enduring Foundation for Future Business. Any way you look at it, Crescent is the best. You can’t make a mistake when you stock it. Drop us a card for information regarding our new and unique co-operative advertising and selling campaign—it’s an epoch-making opportunity for live, wise Grocers. “Makes Bread White and Faces Bright” VOIGT MILLING COMPANY, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Bs 92 Extent of the Damage by Frost and Drought. Harrison, Sept. 10—Probably a con- Servative estimate of the damage would be 50 per cent. Corn was badly cut; also late potatoes. In most places only the tops of bean vines were cut and as beans were fairly well filled it may not damage them much; but on the low land it took everything, so a 50 per cent. estimate is about O. Kk. William Murphy. Lake George, Sept. 10—The loss in this locality is as follows: Corn, 50 per cent.; potatoes, 40 per cent.; beans, 40 per cent.; cucumbers, 90 per cent. Frank A. Luce. Edmore, Sept. 8—A. E. Curtis, of this town, who has several acres of white beans out on contract in this. vicinity, advises the writer that about one-tenth of the white beans have ben destroyed by the recent frost. We should judge that the same percentage would be fair for the potato crop. The writer has been at Stanton and Lakeview paying off our farmers for their pea crop and what information he could get from the different farmers, about 125 in num- ber, they do not seem to think that the sweet corn has been damaged to any great extent. When the writer was over through Howard City and Croton Dam Monday, I saw several big fields of field corn that had been completely destroyed. Just what proportion of the corn and lima bean crop has been injured I do not know exactly, but would figure around about one-tenth would be a fair estimate. Cc. J. Jones. ——_2-.____—_ Goldstein’s Tribute to the Tradesman. We take great pleasure in extending birthday greetings to the Michigan Tradesman on the thirty-second anni- versary of its birth, which is to be fit- tingly celebrated this week by the pub- lication of a 100 page paper. If more editors pursued ihe high ideals and hon- est policies which have been. guiding stars in the long and useful editorial career of E. A. Stowe, there would be fewer fakes in politics and business and the world would wag along on a much higher plane. Our ideas are often at variance with those of the Tradesman (and vice versa), but no one can for one moment doubt the editor’s honesty of pur- pose. No article was ever refused space in the Tradesman simply because its policies were not in harmony with those of the editor; in fact we honestly believe Mr. Stowe likes a man better who does not agree with him than he does a man who coincides with him on vital ques- tions of the day, because such difference MICHIGAN TRADESMAN gives him opportunity for an argumnet, in which he usually acquits himself well and frequently emerges triumphant. The writer considers it an honor to be con- nected with a publication whose editor cannot be bought, bullied and cajoled and who cannot be swerved one iota from the path of duty, as he sees it. Hon. E. N. Bates, formerly engaged in the mercantile business at Moline, has decided to locate at Lynn Haven, Florida. He has already purchased a small tract of land there and erected a permanent home thereon. Mr. Bates at one time conducted a very success- ful cheese factory at Moline and serv- ed the Michigan Dairymen’s Associa- tion as President. He was a member of the Michigan Legislature from Al- legan county four terms—two terms in the House and two terms in the Senate. He was Speaker pro tem of the House during one session. The removal of Mr. Bates from his long- time residence at Moline is a great loss to Michigan and a corresponding gain to Florida, which will have no more patriotic and public spirited citi- zen than Mr. Bates. The Grand Rapids Dry Goods Co. sold $600 worth of goods last week to the Warner Valley Mercantile Co., Plush, Oregon. The goods were shipped by rail to the nearest rail point to destination, whence they will be taken up into the mountains by eight-horse teams. ——_2>-+___ James M. Goldstein, the versatile dry goods salesman, is out on the warpath with his lines of underwear and hosiery. He will be in Grand Rapids in about a week and will, as usual, receive a warm welcome. ‘So Long as Cities Continue to Grow, Their Gas, Electric and-Transportation Properties Will Grow with Them” This makes for Stability of Power from year to year. investors. Reputable Brokers United Light & Railways Co. Controls Gas, Electric and Transportation Supplying Service to a Population Aggregating 538,117. The Communities Served are located in the most fertile section of the Middle West—in the States of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Tennessee. The growth of these Communities in the Census period of 1900-1910 was at the average rate of 33.17 per cent., an aver- age increase per annum of 3.32 State, School or Directory Census of these communities for 1915 indicates that this average increase per annum has been exceeded in the five years since the last Federal Census, show- ing a Prosperous Condition to exist. The Gas, Electric and Transportation Properties Serving These Communities Have Kept Pace with the Growth of their Population. Earnings Establishes Security.” The Bonds, Notes and Preferred Stocks of UNITED LIGHT & RAILWAYS COMPANY are based on such prop- erties, showing a high percentage of Increase in Earning Investment of Savings requires the most careful investiga- tion of all conditions surrounding the Securities offered to are supplied with all material details concerning the operations of this Company, and will impart this information on request. Properties per cent. Earnings, and “Stability of September 15, 1915 suggestion solved * this merchants « Problem ——_—_—— Macey makes a great many things to help merchants. One is a wonderful memory jogger for the business man—the Auto Memory Cal- endar, a simple little affair for your desk that is constantly on the job for you—it won't let you forget. Important papers, left lying loose on the desk, frequently get lost, and cause no end of trouble. Macey feather weight trays keep every letter and paper in orderly ar- rangement so that you can find it instantly. ay Are you risking the loss of valuable doc- : uments and records by fire? Somebody's store burns every day—yours may_ to- morrow. A Macey Helfite Safe will per- serve your records in the hottest fire—and at a very small cost. Helfite Safes are made in all sizes and interiors. The Macey Inter Service Association working out all kinds of business routine problems for merchants with similar busi- ness to yours, If you have some difficulty—how to keep a stock record, maybe—we will gladly show you the methods other merchant: have found successful, and devise a prac- tical working plan for you, If Macey products are not sold in your town we will send you a descriptive book- a : let and advise you how to secure them. The Macey Co Grand Rapids © Mich 15 ~ September 15, 1915 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ln ation aon ganna Annona ee 93 BE SURE and make your reservations in advance for accommodations at the GZ “a LT hud Union s Station <) i Sa at Vay Fire Proof New Hotel Mertens Fair Week. Rates $1 to $2. Cafe in connection Prices Reasonable C. M. LUCE, Proprietor REO THE FIFTH AND THE REO SIX are two of the most standardized cars in the world. Reo consistency has set a new world’s record REO Six, seven passenger 45 horsepower REO the Fifth, five passenger, 35 horsepower Write or Phone W. D. VANDECAR Citizens Phone 5088 129-131 Jefferson Ave. 12 Years a Reo Distributor Grand Rapids, Mich. C. E. BELKNAP, President COMMERCIAL AUTO BODIES LARRIES AND DRAYS MILK AND BAKERY WAGONS J. F. HENDRIKSEN, Secretary H. P. BELKNAP, Treasure r Belknap Wagon Co. FREIGHT TRUCKS FARM AND FRUIT WAGONS HIGH GRADE BUSINESS WAGONS Sole Manufacturers of the Belknap Patent Sleighs and Belknap Patent Orchard Wagons Grand Rapids, Michigan Thomson & McKinnon BROKERS 123 Ottawa Ave., N. W. Stocks, Bonds, Grain and Boston Coppers Members of all leading exchanges Telephone Main 218 Citizens 8063 H. N. Harris & Co. Stocks, Bonds, Grain and Provisions Private Leased Wire Suite 236 Powers’ Theatre Building. Telephones: Bell M. 1900; Citizens 5843 Peoples Savings Bank S. W. Cor. Monroe and Ionia Aves. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN —_——— ee Capital Stock....... rons... Domai. .... testes $ 100,000.00 162,696.68 eee 2,000,000.00 There is nothing in Safe Banking that we cannot do for our depositors WM. H. GAY, President E. D. CONGER, Vice President T. WM. HEFFERAN, Cashier WM. SMITTON, Asst. Cashier Our Holiday Sundry Line is Now in Grand Rapids To our Customers and Friends: You are all aware that we open our sale of Holiday Goods at Sault Ste. Marie in the month of July each year and thereby take care of our customers in the Upper Peninsula. This line embraces a carload of goods and we ship them for exhibition during August to Saginaw, and return them to Grand Rapids September Ist. They will be on exhibition and ready for visit- ing buyers in our large and beautiful sundry room on the morning of September 7th with our Mr. Dudley in charge. We extend to all our customers and friends an earnest invitation to see this line as early as possible so we may have the advantage of a little time to give your orders careful attention and fill them to the best possible advantage. It would be advisable to write us or telephone us, giving the dates when it will be possible for you to visit Grand Rapids. We will make as usual a liberal allowance upon the expense of the trip and again ask for an early acceptance of this invitation. Yours respectfully, Hazeltine & Perkins Drug Co. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 15, 1915 SPECIAL PRICE CURRENT AXLE GREASE 1 Tb. boxes, per gross 8 70 3 Tb. boxes, per gross 22 70 BAKING POWDER x ©. D 10 oz., 4 doz. in case 85 16 oz. 4 doz. in case 1 25 20 oz., 3 doz. in case 1 60 25 oz., 4 doz. in case 2 00 50 0z., 2 doz. plain top 4 00 50 oz. 2 doz screw top 4 20 80 0z., 1 doz. plain top 6 50 80 oz., 1 doz. screw top 6 75 Barrel Deal No. 2 8 doz. each 10, 15 and 25 oz 32 80 With 4 dozen 10 oz. free Barrel Deal No. 2 6 doz. each, 10, 15 and 23 Om 6.0 24 60 With 3 dozen 10 oz. free Half-Barrel Deal No. 3 4 doz. each, 10, 15 and OF, foe 16 40 With 2 doz. 10 oz. free All cases sold F. O. B jobbing point. A barrels and _half- barrels sold F. O. B. Chi- cago. CHARCOAL Car lots or local shipments, bulk or sacked in paper or jute. Poultry and stock charcoal. M. O. DEWEY CO.., Jackson, Mich. COFFEE OLD MASTER COFFEE —— Old Master Coffee .... 31 San Marto Coffee ..... Roasted Dwinnell-Wright Brands aT ORY uaa eae White House, 1 th. ....... White House, 2 th. ....... Excelsior, Blend, 1 tb. Excelsior, Blend, 2 th. Tip Top Bland, 1 fb. eeree Royal Biend ............. Royal High Grade ..... ce Superior Blend ........... Boston Combination ..... Distributed by Judson Grocer Co., Grand Rapids; Lee & Cady, Detroit; Lee & Cady, Kalamazoo; Lee & Cady, Saginaw; Bay City Grocer Company, Bay City; Brown, Davis & Warner, Jackson; Gods- mark, Durand & Co., Bat- tle Creek; Fielbach Co., Toledo. TELFER’S kos: COFFEE DETROIT samo, 1. tin |... ..034 eden, 1 ib. tin 7 2... 27 Belle Isle, 1 th. pkg. 27 Bismarck, 1 th. pkg. 24 Vera, 1 ib. phe 5... 23 moran, 1 ib. pee. .... 92 Telfer’s Quality 25 .. 19 MGBAG oo. ee: 18 Olialiey,: 20 65s: 16 W. Jo G. Tea... -. OL Cherry Blossom Tea 37 Welfer's Cevion: ... 40 McLaughliin’s XXXX McLaughlin’s xX XX package coffee is sold to retailers only. Mail all or- ders direct to W. F. Mc- Laughlin & Co., Chicago, I. FLAVORING EXTRACTS Jennings D C Brand Extract Lemon Terpenless Extract Vanilla Mexican Both at the same price. No. 1, F box % oz. .. 85 No. 2, F box, 1% oz. 1 20 No. 4, F box, 2% oz. 2 25 No. 38, 2% oz. Taper 2 7 No. 2, 1% oz. flat .... 1 75 SOAP Lautz Bros.’ & Co. Acme, 70 bars ...... 3 05 Acme, 100 cakes, 5c sz 3 75 Acorn, 120 cakes .... 0 Cotton Oil, 100 cakes 6 00 Cream Borax, 100 cks 3 90 Circus, 100 cakes 5c sz 3 Climax, 100 oval cakes 3 05 Gloss, 100 cakes, 5c sz 3 75 Big Master, 100 blocks 3 Naphtha, 100 cakes .. 3 90 Saratoga, 120 cakes .. 2 40 eo > Royal Garden Tea, pkgs. 40 THE BoOuR CoO.. TOLEDO, OHIO. Greate equs: ie best 1c kinds 80 - CANS - $2.90 BLUING Jennings’. Condensed Pear! Bluing Small C P Bluing, doz. 45 Large C P Bluing, doz. 78 CRACKERS National Biscuit Company Brands In-er-Seal Trade Mark Package Goods Per doz. Baronet Biscuit ..... 1 00 Flake Wafers - 100 Cameo Biscuit 2G 1 50 Cheese Sandwich .... 1 Chocolate Wafers .... 1 Hig. Newton ......... 1 Five O’Clock Tea Bet 1 00 Ginger Snaps NBC .. 1 Graham Crackers 1 Lemon Snaps ....... M. M. Dainties soe od Oysterettes .. Pretzeenos ae. Royal Toast ......., 1 00 Social Tea Biscuit ., 1 Saltine Biscuit ...... Saratoga Flakes .... 1 Soda Crackers, N.B.C. 1 00 Soda Crackers Prem. 1 Uneeda Biscuit ...... 50 Uneeda Ginger Wafer 1 00 Vanilla Wafers ..... 1 00 Water Thin Biscuit .. 1 00 Zu Zu Ginger Snaps 50 Zwieback FITZPATRICK BROTHERS’ SOAP CHIPS White City Tip Top No. 1 Laundry Dry....... Palm Pure Soap Dry....... (Dish Washing)........... ;: (Caustic)... MMO CO e ee C0 0s be cle sb 6 5 +2 6064000 6s 0s 0s ences es ho se ccee ee cece eee Teeeereecereeereresseeeserese G00 IDB: --6%c per lb Other Package Goods Barnum’s Animals .. 50 Soda Crackers NBC 2 oU Fruit Cake eae eos eeee 3 00 Bulk Goods i Cans and boxes Animals 12 Atlantics, Asstd. ween Ag Avena Fruit Cakes .. 1 Bonnie boon Cookies lu Bonnie Lassies ....,, 10 Banquet Wafers ..._ 2u Cameo Biscuit eee Cecelia Biscuit ...,, it Cheese Tid Bits ...., 20 Chocolate Bar (cans) Chocolate Drop Center 18 Chocolate Putt Cake 13 Choc. Honey Fingers 16 Circle Cookies se ots oe 12 Cracknels .........., 20 Cream Fingers .,..,, 14 Cocoanut ‘laffy Kar ,,. 16 Cocoanut Drops ...... i2 Cocoanut Macaroons 18 Cocoanut Molas. Bar 15 Cocont Honey tingers 12 Cocont Honey Jumbles 12 Cotfee Cakes Iced ... 12 Crampets 2000: . 0... 12 Dinner Pail Mixed .. 10 Extra Wine Biscuit .. 16 amily Cookies ...... 10 Fig Cakes Asstd. .... 12 Fireside Peanut Jumb 10 Fluted Cocoanut Bar 12 Frosted Creams ...., 10 Frosted Ginger Cook. 10 Frosted Raisin Sas. .. 10 Bull Moon 01.00... Ginger Drops ........ 13 Ginger Gems Plain .. 10 Ginger Gems, Iced .. 11 Graham Crackers ... 9 Ginger Snaps Family 9% Ginger Snaps Round 9 Hippodrome Bar ss 22 Honey Fingers Ass’t 12 Honey Jumbles ....., 2 Household Cookies .. 10 Household Cooks. Iced 11 ligperiain, 2 10 Jubilee Mixed ........ 10 Kaiser Jumbles ...... 12 Lady Fingers Sponge 30 Leap Year Jumbles .. 20 Lemon Biscuit Square 10 Lemon Cakes 10 Lemon Wafers ...... 18 Bemong) .2000 0c, 1 10 Lorna Doon .......... 18 Mace Cakes ......... 10 Mary Ann ........., 10 Manialay 5.20. i. 10 Marshmallow Pecans 20 Mol. Frt. Cookie, Iced 11 NBC Honey Cakes .. 12 Oatmeal Crackers ... 9 Orange Gems ....... 10 Oreo Biscuit ........ 25 Othello ..2503) 000. 15 Penny Assorted . .... 10 Picnic Mixed ........ 12 Raisin Cookies ...... 12 Raisin Gems ........ 12% Reveres Asstd. ...... Rittenhouse Biscuit .. 14 Snuaparoons .......... 15 spiced Cookie ........ 10 Spiced Jumbles, Iced 12 Sugar Fingers ...... 12 Sugar Crimp ,..,.... 10 Sultana Fruit Biscuit 18 Sweethearts ......... 25 Vanilla Wafers ...... 20 Butter Boxes N B C Square ...... 7 Seymour Round .... 7% N B C Sodas ......... 7% N B C Picnic Oysters 7% Gem Oysters ......... 7% Soda N 8B C Sodas ........ TM Premium Sodas ...... 8 Select Sodas ........ 10 Saratoga Flakes .... 13 Salfines 2222...) ...... 13 Oyster N B C Picnic Oysters 7% Gem Oysters ........ 7% SNe Ce ee 8% Sugar Wafer Specialties AGOTA oo. 1 00 IN@DIBCO coo ook iss. 1 00 NBDIBCO 6s. ols. 1 75 BMeStioG <.52.0.520.. 1 50 Pestino .............,. 2 50 Lorna Doone ........ 1 00 BNO 202 sae. 1 00 Champagne Wafers .. 2 50 Above quotations of Na- tional Biscuit Co., subject to change without notice. BBLS. --210 Ibs...... 8c per lb. .-250 Ibs...... 4c per lb. .-225 Ibg...... 5c per lb. OY a) OY a) _ September 15, 1915 PACORC GGT sect lehecmb tt sats mitten ete head for two cents a w MICHIGAN TRADESMAN | BUSINESS-WANTS DEPARTMENT continuous insertion, Cash must accompany all orders. 95 : Des GtL Ms Selb GAME Tele Mel CMe Ten aos cs in ael atten OMT AeR ike No charge less than 25 cents. BUSINESS CHANCES. For Rent—-Modern store building, 22 x 129 feet, well lighted and ventilated, new display windows; best location in thriv- ing college town, 44 miles east of Chi- cago. Terms, liberal. Address, J. W. Sieb, Valparaiso, Indiana. 446 Good opening for general merchandise stock in small town. For particulars write, B. B. Basore, Galva, mimeae A For Sale—Electric shoe repair shop. A. 1 proposition. Invoice $1 200, sell for $650, half down, balance time. Audress EK. J. Orton, lb. Box 117, St. Charles, Michigan. 449 Sale—Florist business with large Seven-room dwelling; 4- For greenhouse. acre lot. All kinds of money made. No competition. All for $2,700. Mrs. Waldo, Chillicothe, Illinois. 442 Opportunity—We want to make a con- nection with a few good business men to act as wholesale dealers in the sale of our products, we to furnish all neces- sary capital and to carry the accounts. It will be necessary to spend at least four days each week on the road. We con- trol the output of the largest factories manufacturing enamel ware, a.uminum ware and other steel products. The Con- solidated Potteries Co., who are con- manufacture china, glass- ware, crockery, flower pots and other clay products. Address the United States Steel Ware Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Give references. 443 trolled by us, For Sale—Long_ established general merchandise business in_ village sur- rounded by fine farms. Money making location. Long time lease. Good rea- sons. WwW. FEF. Beatty, New Lothrop, Michigan. 444 Attention, Merchants!—W. A. Anning has conducted special sales continuously since 1908. Recent records accomplished: Sold over $3,400 in cash in one day; real- ized $22,000 cash in 25 days in another sale; $8,000 cash in 10 days for another merchant. References: Wholesale houses, banks and hundreds of merchants. Wire or write to-day. W. A. Anning, Aurora, Illinois. 445 For Rent—Store room in block, splen- did location for general store, room 50x 100, good shelving, counters and office, electric lights, 24-hour’ service, room next door to post office, third door from bank; block all occupied except this room. Only one dry goods store in town and that must be sold within two years, as provided by will. Sheldon, Hlinois, has a population of 1,200, on Big-4 and T. P. & W. Ry., 86 miles from Chicago, Illi- nois. Many miles of stone roads, fine paved streets, ornamental street lights, splendid school, four churches, no sa- loons. In corn belt and best farming section of Tllinois. A most exceptional opportunity for a live merchant, but must have capital enough to run first- class general store. Don’t write, come and see. Address, the Bank of Sheldon, Sheldon, Tilinois. 433 A snap if taken at once. Stock of dry goods and millinery; located in good vil- lage of 1,500 population. Business in- ventories $5,600. $3,000 cash will take it as we have other business. Address No. 440, Michigan Tradesman. 440 Form—140 acres well improved, all in cultivation, no rock or waste land. Join- ing town of 1,500 Eastern Kansas. Price $12,000. Want general merchandise. Give full description and location to _ get answer. Box 357, Altoona, Kansas. 435 Would you like to get into a good pay- ing retail dry goods business at a sacri- fice price? Stock now $7,000. Best town of 3,000 population in Michigan. Ad- dress No. 436, Michigan ae Wianted—To exchange for real estate $5,500 stock of dry goods and millinery located in good factory and summer resort town of 1,500 population. Address No. 441, Michigan Tradseman. For Sale—General stock in town of 600 in best farming community in State, or will sell lease and fixtures and dispose of stock to other parties. Will pay ex- penses if we make a deal. Address No. 418, care Tradesman. 418 For Rent—Best location for new 5 and 10c store, boot and shoe store, drug store, men’s clothing store or ladies’ clothing store in the fastest growing city in Southern Michigan. New modern steam heated block now being built for first- class tenants on the main business street and in the line of transit between railway depots. Newest and finest moving picture house in the same block. Address J. F. Walton, Sturgis, Michigan. 420 Clean stock groceries and shoes; town of 500; close to lake and resort. Only one other shoe stock in town. Invoices $1,400; take $1,150 if taken soon. Lock Box 34, Silver Lake, Indiana. 422 For Sale—General stock of groceries, meat and dry goods in Northern Colorado town of 500 people. Invoices $3,500. Cash sales $50 per day. Rent, $12 per month. An exceptional opportunity for a live merchant. Address Caillet Brothers, Wellington, Colorado. » 428 For Sale—Clean stock consisting of groceries, drugs, dry goods, footwear, shelf hardware, farming implements, auto accessories, meat business. In- ventory around $5,000 including fixtures. About $15,000 yearly business. Have several good agencies. Nice living rooms in connection. Long time lease with buy- ing privilege. Low rent. Have telephone exchange. Address No. 424, Tradesman. 424 For Sale—Meat market and grocery store, including un stairs and three lots. Good corner for business. On the Lake Harbor road. Mrs. M. Bachanski, 140 Beidler street, Muskegon, Mich. 425 For Sale—Clothing, shoes and furnish- ings; old established business. Clean up-to-date stock in one of Michigan’s best towns of about 1,500. Can reduce to accommodate purchaser. Address No. 427, care Tradesman. 427 For Sale—Restaurant centrally located city of 50,000, doing profitable business. Address No. 428, care Michigan Trades- man. 428 Money making opportunity awaits you, The best paying little store in Central Michigan. You have to see it to appre- ciate. Investigate quick. Good reasons. Address No. 429, Tradesman. 429 For Sale—Retail grocery, well. estab- lished. Stock and fixtures the best in new building with barn and garage. Will sell for cash or improved real estate only. Rent reasonable. Short or long term lease. Address No. 417, care Mich- igan Tradesman. 417 % to % of your stock turned to cash in a ten day selling campaign—not the best but the worst will go by our system. Prominent merchants will back our as- sertion. Merchants National Service Co., National City Bank Buiiding, vee For Sale or might exchange for mer- cantile business in Northern States, clean general stock doing $2,200 cash monthly; located in fruit-belt of Texas. Splendid opportunity for merchant want- ing to move South. Box 306, Lindale, Texas. 400 For Sale—Tin shop and _ sheet iron works 20x40 feet, fully equipped. Pop- ulation 20,000. Only shop. I have other business. Write Barnesboro Tin and Sheet Iron Works, Barnesboro, Penn. For Sale—Stock of general merchandise consisting of dry goods, shoes and gro- ceries. Will invoice about $6,000. Situ- ated in town of 1,500, having woolen mill employing 100 hands, flax mill and can- ning factory. Will sell cheap for cash if taken at once. a rough G ean nan se Ee th a ie is a hig! er We would be pleased to have you drop in at our downtown show room, 50 ; oistecies: ce es So. Division Ave. We will give you a demonstration and take you to the Fair as our guest. E. H. KERSTETTER Oldsmobile Distributor 50 So. Division Ave. Grand Rapids, Mich. GR-ADV-CO: Is your store prominently located? If so, an illuminated sign will insure the GREATEST BENEFIT to be derived from your location. Or, is your place of business a bit out of the way? In that case such advertising CANNOT FAIL to bring new customers. In EITHER CASE, the appearance of your store will be greatly improved, and will have an added interest for your old customers. Write us for ideas. Painted Displays The Grand Rapids Advertising Co. Commercial Signs 15 Market St., N. W. Grand Rapids Ever Ready Flash Lights Are Profitable We will send you Attractive Window Displays C. J. Litscher Electric Company Wholesale Distributors Grand Rapids, Michigan Naturally you are interested in pushing the sale of such articles as will repeat and will induce sales in other departments of your store. ‘Little Buster’’ Popping Corn does that. It is a constant, persistent sales force. The customer who purchases a package of “LITTLE BUSTER,” in addition to being pleased with her purchase, will buy butter, salt, chocolate, lard, eggs, honey, flavoring, etc. You make a handsome profit and give the customer the largest obtainable value for the money—16 full ounces for ten cents. Order a case from your jobber to-day. Full cases 48, half case 24—1 pound packages. THE ALBERT DICKINSON COMPANY Chicago, IIl. Economic Coupon Books They save time and expense They prevent disputes They put credit transactions on cash basis Free samples on application AK Tradesman Company Grand Rapids, Mich. The Best at Any Price No other baking powder will raise nicer, lighter bis- cuits, cakes and pastry, none is more pure and wholesome Then Why Pay More? The above is one of a series of advertisements we are running in daily papers throughout the country. We are spending thousands upon thousands of dollars doing this to help the sales of i K C BAKING POWDER THIS ALSO HELPS YOU. All grocers like to eell standard goods—particularly if they comply with the Pare Food Lawa and pay a profit. Of course you sell it. JAQUES MFG. CO., CHICAGO “Unite with The United”’ The United Line is the achievement, the last, best and mature work of motor truck engineers, whose instructions were to produce the best medium and heavy duty motor-propelled, commercial vehicles, money could build. No expense has been spared. With practically unlimited capital at their disposal, exhaustive experimental work gives to the business world an efficient, economical and dependable motor truck. Their performance in sand and on hills exceeds motor truck requirements. Engineers of world-wide prominence, state without reservation, “your trucks stand head and shoulders above any trucks built.” Built with the careful workmanship which characterizes the fine furniture that made Grand Rapids famous, United Motor Trucks are going out into the nation, emphasizing the reputation of their parent city as a manufacturing center that knows no superior in the realm of quality products. 2 Ton Worm Drive Chassis, $2250 3% Ton Worm Drive Chassis, $2900 5 Ton Worm Drive Chassis, $3400 Left or Right Side Drive United Motor Truck Company “Made in Grand Rapids, Michigan”