NOTICE TO READER. When you finish reading this magazine place a one cent stamp on this notice, hand same to any postal employee and it will be placed in the hands of our soldiers or sailors at the front. No wrapping, no address. A. § Burleson, Postmaster General. AN CS SAFES SLO BTEC LIEN oy RATER OSG ID RR ORY We ee ONS POPE K a a ED) A AS ee aN TN IAG aC RS Ne eS (mee AOE AE A A Re ON aN eS ee: AY ISS we SG 7 EA VARIA A CaS ee DIY 41 aA6sG EEE 6 CVC TEN Z : D Kw KG ( g 7 7 od ON ©) ey AG 6 st ®) GY =, Fy tae FLY: S CARS p, Ace. eee ME RN 2A EEE NWN OU MLB DE S ZN ee C2PUBLISHED WEEKLY (Oak = 78 TRADESMAN COMPANY, PUBLISHERSR<—ss 3 ST. 1883 4 SOS SO ONL AES LOS NG EELS LE De Thirty-Sixth Year GRAND RAPIDS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, '!918 Number 1826 : 7 2 : FOI IIo otcticick CLEAR THE WAY. Men of thought! be up, and stirring Night and day: Sow and seed—withdraw the curtain— Clear the way! Men of action, aid and cheer them, As ye may! There’s a fount about to stream, There’s a light about to beam, There’s a warmth about to glow, There’s a flower about to blow: There’s a midnight blackness changing Into gray; Men of thought and men of action, Clear the way! Once the welcome light has broken, Who shall say What the unimagined glories Of the day? What the evil that shall perish In its ray? Aid the dawning, tongue and pen; Aid it, hopes of honest men; Aid it, paper—aid it, ty pe— Aid it, for the hour is ripe, And our earnest must not slacken Into play. Men of thought and men of action, Clear the way! Lo! a cloud’s about to vanish From the day; And a brazen wrong to crumble Into clay. Lo! the Right’s about to conquer; Clear the way! With the Right shall many more Enter smiling at the door; With the giant Wrong shall fall Many others, great and small, That for ages long have held us For their prey. Men of thought and men of action, Clear the way! Charles Mackay. BOINI IOIIDIICIOIIIIIIII IIOIIII IO I a C CO MII FOI III Oj a IK BRR OIRO CLO CLULU LLL UOC ULU UU LULU LOU UU OULU UU LOU U GUC OOOO OOOO UL... LK dnd A buh ah, RARER baby aed, died ro ae kk ge eg ais RRARARKRRKKKAKKKAKKAKKKAKAAAAARAAKKKR é ee eee + é + ms ee ke . 6 6 6 ae Ae RRR ARKRKRKRAKRARAKRARR healealeite-iie die beret heh belie wh ct ahh A 4 RRA RRR RRR RAKRKRRKRKRERRK é rs s af + es + ee 4 s L282 .9.2.9.9. 9 9 © © © @ @ « 4 ae 4 + Ai so bh he RRR KRKRRRKRK + oh wip wh é beech ch 4 ee L.2.0.0.9.9.9.9.9.9 ¢ 9 © @ @ 4 how Chicago Red Crown Gasoline for Power The modern motor and improved carburetors have demon- strated. beyond question that gasoline made especially for motor fuel—as Red Crown is made—will give the most power—the most speed and the most miles per gallon. Red Crown, like your automobile, is built to specifica. tions and Red Crown specifications have been worked out by the most eminent petroleum chemists and auto- mobile engineers available. Red Crown contains a continuous chain of boiling point fractions, starting at about 95 degrees and continuing to above 400 degrees. It contains the correct proportion of low boiling point fractions to insure easy starting in any temperature—the correct proportion of intermediate boil- ing point fractions to insure smooth acceleration—and the correct proportion of high boiling point fractions with their predominence of heat units to insure the maximum power, miles and speed. These are the things that make Red Crown the most ef- ficient gasoline possible to manufacture with present day knowledge. For sale everywhere and by all agents and agencies of STANDARD OIL COMPANY (INDIANA) U.S. A. Ceresota Flour Always Uniformly Good | Made from Spring Wheat at Minneapolis, Minn. Judson Grocer Company The Pure Foods House Distributors GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN WENO | (RYSTAL The. Salt thats abksakt- ee Kal DIAMOND CRYSTAL SALT CO., ST. CLAIR, MICHIGAN. “Loose” Sugar Means “Losing” Sugar Careful tests have proved that a man cannot fill 175 two-pound. bags out of a 350-lb. barrel of sugar. The loss of sugar runs from one to five pounds. When you handle Franklin Package Sugars you not only save that loss but you also save labor and the cost of paper bags and twine—an item that is becoming more important every day as prices rise. The Franklin Sugar Refining Company PHILADELPHIA *‘A Franklin Cane Sugar for every use Granulated, Dainty Lumps, Powdered, Confectioners, Brown Bia rn te nN pe a cose ADESMAN Thirty-Sixth Year MICHIGAN TRADESMAN (Unlike any other paper.) Each Issue Complete In Itself. DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF BUSINESS MEN. Published Weekly by TRADESMAN COMPANY Grand Rapids BE. A. STOWE, Editor Subscription Price. Two dollars per year, if paid strictly in advance. Three dollars per year, if not paid in advance. Canadian subscriptions, $3.04 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; issues five years or more old, $1. Entered at the Postoffice of Grand Rapids under Act of March 3, 1879. THE DRY GOODS TRADE. National war developments during the past week have served to change the views of many dry goods mer- chants. During the next six months the Government calls upon all to give their very best in the way of assist- ing the war plans that are afoot, and that means many radical changes. The changes forecast by the registra- tion last Thursday appealed to mer- chants because many of them cou'd see where draft calls would disrupt their organizations. With such pos- sibilities ahead of them many could see new reasons for greater conser- vatism in forward purchases and in making long-term engagements. of any sort. The reduction of credit require- ments urged by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York struck merchants with new force and it is doubly neces- sary now that there shall be no over- buying, a postponement of non-es- sential construction and expansion, a further reduction in stocks carried, and the taking of steps within the trade for the enforcement of all kinds of business and merchandise economies. There will be more opportunity to buy knit goods from manufacturers, where cotton goods will serve, bm all things point to a greater contrac- tion in the supply of wool goods for civilian purposes. Silk is not on the list of priorities issued by the Gov- ernment and that has served as a new warning that nonessentials in silks shall not be produced as in normal times. To do otherwise may force further Government restriction, a fact some conservative silk mer- chants have urged on the trade for months. Everything possible should be done within the trade to prevent any exploitation of luxuries that may provoke public demands for restric- tions. The same thing applies to novelty production in many other lines of the textile industry. A poorer crop outlook, a drive for GRAND RAPIDS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, the Liberty Loan and constant agita- tion at Washington of legislation af- fecting revenues and incomes will tend to increase conservatism in the purchase of, nonessential things, many of which go to make up the daily business of dry goods men. And this conservatism will be asked for in every channel, for more and more the popular desire grows that the business of war be furthered, to the exclusion of the business of peace. The harder the force of war is ap- plied the sooner the works of peace may be undertaken. Wholesouled energy and co-operation are going to be urged because so many million people are going to keep their minds on the sacrifices of fighters, and their eyes out for all those who will stand in the way of the Nation winning the war right. The cotton goods trade has been setting its heart on an advance of fixed prices for yarns and cloths by the Government by October 1. The developments of the day, foreshadow- ing a_ stabilization of raw cotton prices through Government control for its own and its Allies’ needs, make it: very doubtful whether such a rise will occur. An advance may only tend toward widening a vicious circle of speculation and doubt at a time when a reduction would be far more popular. Throughout the trade the question is frequently asked: “Why should the trade strive for high profits on nonessentials, when war profits promised are good, and when the Government will take a larger share of them all, the higher the ratio of profits goes?” Private cars are disappearing for the duration of the war. Some time ago, as active travellers on the track of the country, they became non-ex- istent; dead storage claimed them very soon. Now, however, the Rail- road Administration contemplates taking them out of camphor, ripping out all their beautiful mahogany, satin-wood, Circassian walnut inter- iors, and changing them into ordinary sleeping and chairs cars. Mayhap, even, the special that once flashed the famous Death Valley millionaire across the continent, to a world’s amazement, will shortly accommodate the limbs of a lot of hard-fighting soldier boys. Your millionaires and railroad presidents will now admit that private-car travelling was always a bore, anyway. There is nothing like a seat in a really “thick” smok- ing car, listening to the tobacco- drenched gossip of the Average Man letting the world know what he thinks of his railway administration. Being forced to play Haroun al-Ras- chid will not hurt our railroad heads. THE ALLOCATION OF WOOL. A somewhat erroneous impression seems to have been created, de- signedly or otherwise, as to the pur- port of a statement from the Wool- ens Section of the War Industries Board the other day. What was an- nounced was, not that there was an absolute lack of wool for civilian uses, but that none of that in the Government possession or control would be allocated for such pur- poses for the present. As a matter of fact, however, the mills—or the more important of them—still seem to have wool in quantity which 1s not being used for military require- ments. The Woolens Section wisely refrained from giving details of the wool now in this country. It is a curious circumstance that no one representing the vast garment indus- tries of the country is a member of the section, although that interest is a larger one in value of output and in numbers employed than is the woolen manufacturing industry. At the head of the section is an ex-selling agent of a woolen mill, and, now that its number has been added to, the new members’ also represent woolen manufacturers. So far as the gen- eral public is concerned, it has no representation in the section, unless a member of the Market Bureau of the Department of Agriculture re- cently selected as an adviser be so considered. To many, the exclusive composition of the section seems a drawback to its usefulness. The sudden death of Samuel A. Freshney, district manager of the Consumers Power Co., is a great loss to the business interests of the city and the community as a whole. Mr. Freshney, unlike too many public utility offilcials, was as approachable as a merchant or banker. No one who had business to transact with him had to send in a card and await the pleasure of the recipient. Every caller was given an immediate audi- ence, whether his mission involved a matter of cents or thousands. Hav- ing served as a traveling salesman in the early days of his business career, he realized the value of time to the man who has a mission in life and never threw unnecessary burdens on those who had occasion to call on him. While he weighed every propo- sition presented to him in the light of experience, and with due regard to the interests of his employers and the public, he reached his decisions quick- ly and stated them so clearly that there could be no mistaking the meaning he intended to convey. Kindness and courtesy were cardinal features of his career. He never of- fended any man, intentionally, and never uttered a word that would 1918 Number 1826 wound the feelings of a woman or child. Liberal in his views on all questions of life and action, broad in vision, firm in method and lovable by nature, Mr. Freshney leaves an en- viable record which will be recorded in history as one of the priceless heritages of the city. Velvets, velveteens and various fur plushes have been very much in evi- dence in the fall trade in women’s garments, and_ local representatives of mills making these matertals report that they are pretty well sold out for the rest of the season. There has not been the usual array of new novelties this fall, either in the way of weaves or of colorings, but ready-to-wear business in staple lines and those fancies which have almost come to be looked upon as staples has been sufficient to keep factories working as hard as they could under present conditions. Few mills are seeking, or in fact will ac- cept, further business for the present season and all are considerably more concerned with the question of keep- ing deliveries up to schedule than with anything else. ee een eenete ae The assurance that cotton wanted by the Government will be priced in accordance with the President’s sug- gestion, which is, of course, in line with the suggestions made by the chief of the War Industries Board, is taken to mean in the goods market that prices on.cloths and yarns for the Government will be controlled in large part by the action on cotton. Anxieties among coarse goods and coarse yarn manufacturers have been multiplying since cotton went above 30c a pound, and the President’s an- tended to nouncement has relieve them. Government workers are looking forward to a thorough combing out of many of those who were employed in various departments to help during the emergency of adapting industry Some of the workers in cotton goods sections ex to war conditions. pect to be invited to put on uni- forms and get into more strenuous war work in the near future. Merchants think that a great deal of needless waste occurs in the fre- quent demands for the submittal o! bids when prices are known and when the Government has full power to apportion orders with those who can fill them. eee eee eee The good business ideas in your trade paper will get business for you if you put them in practice. If the ideas don’t fit to-day, file them away where they can be wanted, found when 2 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September i8, 1918 HEAVY HAND OF HOOVER. It Is Likely To Fall on Alleged Profiteers. Washington, Sept. 16 — Using mathematics, philosophy and_ food prices in proper combination, the U. S. Food Administration has over- come a baffling difficulty in compar- ing nutritive values and prices of food on a large scale. For the first time, prices paid producers for all products, as a group, can now be compared on the proper basis with- their wholesale prices even though many of the foods have passed through mills, canneries, packing houses or-have been transformed by other manufacturing processes. Two formulas make the comparison possi- ble. Step by step commodity experts in the Food Administration have un- dertaken to reduce the “spread” in prices between producer ind con- sumer, especially of the more impor- tant staple commodities. But obsta- cles encountered in determining the relative importance of different foods in the program of control seemed to * baffle solution. Plainly it is of less consequence to have the price of eggs advance 20 per cent. than to have the price of wheat advance 1 per cent., because wheat means vast- ly more in keeping the Nation ade- quately nourished. But in other cases, the relationship was less ob- vious. Efforts to compare pounds of meat with bushels of potatoes, or cases of canned fruit with quarts of milk resulted in problems of amazing complexity. Besides, the Food Administration had to consider international needs, nutritive values and price policies for maintaining adequate production. The additional war factor of quick decision made the need for a simple method of calculation imperative. If an inordinate rise occurs in the price of some staple food which is a main- stay of a nation’s nutrition, the pop- ulation will be undernourished. Such a condition must be __forestalled. Algebra and Index Numbers. Dr. Raymond Pearl, the Food Ad- ministration’s chief statistician, has now produced an algebraic method of using so-called “index numbers” in such a way that all foods, to- gether with their prices and nutri- tive values, can be compared quickly. Here are some of the relationships already apparent and having popular interest. Some of the statements may seem familiar but the reader should bear in mind that these con- clusions are not general observa- tions but are derived mathematically from actual prices: The level of prices received by producers fluctuates considerably more than does the wholesalers. Prices paid producers are slower :than wholesale prices in getting un- der way in any general change of price levels. When the general rise in the level of food prices incident to the war began, in the latter part of 1915, the farmer was two months later in get- ting off the mark than the whole- saler. But the lack of alacrity in starting was more than compensated for by the vigor and persistence of the climb. once it was under way. The general level of producers’ prices was 116 per cent. higher dur- ing May, 1917, than it averaged dur- ing the three years before the war. The rise of wholesale prices of staple foodstuffs which had been con- tinuous and at an_ ever-increasing rate since the autumn of 1915 stopped abruptly in May, 1917, when Mr. Hoover, with the approval of the President, began to attack the prob- lem of food prices. Prices to producers have con- tinued to rise with some fluctuations but at a generally less rapid rate than prevailed in 1916 and 1917. The general level of prices re- ceived by producers in May, 1918, was 2 points higher than in May, 1917. During the same period, the level of wholesale prices declined 14 points. A “point” is a figure de- rived by mathematical means and takes into consideration the relative amounts of different foods marketed and properly compensates for ‘the various units of weight and measure, The new method of calculation 1s usetul in judging the merits and true food values of substitutes for staple products, and for checking up .tood data of various kinds. It contributes definitely toward removing the vari- able factor of human judgment and making food administration more nearly approach an exact science. Output of Mill Feeds. To acquaint farmers with con- ditions prevailing in the mill feed industry the Food Administration outlines developments that may be useful as a guide when. purchasing feeds. Most of the European coun- tries have gathered their harvests and afe now grinding wheat. The foreign demand for flour from the United States has slackened and has been replaced by a considerable de- mand for American wheat. Shortage of animal feeds prevails among all the Western Allies, which now prefer to purchase wheat rather than to buy flour and mill feed separately. Wheat can be loaded very rapidly aboard ship on the American seaboard by mechanical conveyors. This operation con- sumes much less time than loading the equivalent of wheat as flour and its by-products and saves space. One result of this development is a temporarily light production of wheat mill feeds in the United States. It should be recognized, however, that even with normal production of such feeds, the demand was expected to exceed the supply since the schedule of fair prices established for feed at the suggestion of the Agricultural Advisory Committee has made it very cheap, much cheaper in fact than it is worth compared with other feeds of equal nutritive value. The reduced output of wheat mill feeds is accompanied fortunately by an unusually large production of cer- tain .coarse grain products. Food Administration regulations provide for an extraction from barley of only 55 per cent. flour, leaving nearly 45 per cent. of the barley berry for feed which is remarkably rich and nour- ishing. Barley feed in itself is not a substitute for bran, but needs to be mixed with other light material, such as oat feed, to give bulk. There is an ample supply of oat by-products at prices averaging less than the cost of bran. As a result of the large wheat crop the “Fifty-Fifty” rule requir- ing the’ purchase of equal amounts of substitute cereals with wheat flour has been modified and this is ex- pected to increase the output of American flour mills and result in more mill feeds. The Food Administration recog- nizes that the amount of brewers’ grain is less than normal and dis- tillers’ grains have almost disap- peared from the market. Corn by- products, although uncontrolled in price, are plentiful. The period for which these conditions are likely to prevail is undetermined, but the sit- uation will be materially changed when foreign orders for flour from this country are again being filled. Wheat Marketing Developments. For the guidance of wheat growers in selling their 1918 crop, the Food Administration outlines develop- ments in marketing conditions and suggests means of procedure during local car shortages. The movement of wheat to primary markets, for the period July 1 to Augtst 23, 1918, was 105,500,000 bushels, which is nearly quadruple the movement during the corresponding time jin 1917 when 28,750,000 bushels moved to market. This enormous migration of wheat from producer to milling and con- suming areas had made it difficult for growers to secure cars when de- sired. The movement of corn and oats, which is also greater than last year, has aggravated the grain-car shortage. Under these conditions certain elevators and grain dealers, it is learned, have sought to reduce the price paid for wheat to an extent that some offerings were below the price which farmers expected. May Store Wheat Temporarily. The Food Administration is now collecting data and information up- cn which to base conclusions as to what is a fair remuneration for a country elevator, dealer or operator to receive. In the heart of wheat producing areas where a large volume of business is handled, and where ex- pense of operating is low, present conditions indicate that five cents per bushel is an ample charge. In other districts where facilities are not modern and where the volume of business is smaller, eight cents is perhaps not too much. In special cases the margins may fall outside this price range which is only sug- gested. Actual determination of a fair huying margin must depend on local investigation. Farmers who are able to get cars are protected because they can ship directly to the Grain Corporation at the nearest primary market. Where cars are unobtainable the producer’s lest alternative is to store his wheat rntil he is offered an acceptable price by his local operator. Farmers may learn from the Fed- eral Food Administrator in their state what price is approximately fair and they will not be considered unpatriotic for holding their wheat until they are either offered a satis- factory price or can secure a car in which to ship to the Grain Corpor- ation. Avoid Mixing New and Old Grain. When wheat is to be stored on farms, special care should be taken to clean the granary thoroughly ana avoid mixing the new crop with old grain. A clear statement entitled “The Plan of Wheat Flour Control for the 1918 Wheat Crop” has been prepared by the Food Administration and has already received wide circu- lation through the press, official channels and the grain trade. It is now in the form of an eight page pamphlet which may be secured by persons having difficulty in market- ing their wheat. In addition to dis- cussion of the general plan, the pamphlet contains a list of the pri- mary markets with fair prices, gives directions for shipping wheat to the Grain Corporation and_ discusses wheat grades over which the U. S. Department of Agriculture has juris- diction. Additional relief of the situation is expected to follow arrangements for the purchase of wheat by Buffalo, Cleveland and Toledo markets under control of the U. S. Food Adminis- tration. The prices to be offered at these lake terminals will directly re- flect Government seaboard buying prices and will relieve dealers of present extraordinary risks in buying grain that must be stored, owing to the absence of Government buying at crowded terminals. —_—_—_o---+___- Insurance Premium. He Pays. A Kalamazoo retailer, in renewing his subscription, writes as follows: Kalamazoo, Sept. 17—I pay $20 for a $1,000 insurance policy on my stock on the assurance that in the event of my store and stock being destroyed by fire I will be indemni- fied to the extent of $1,000. Likewise, I pay $2 for a_ yearly subscription to the Michigan Trades- man, not only to keep me thorough- Cheapest ly posted on wholesale prices: and market conditions, but also to pro- tect me against sharks and cheats who constantly prey upon the honest merchant, seeking to inveigle him into all sorts of questionable schemes by means of clap trap statements and catch contracts. The Tradesman has already saved me several hundred dollars in this manner because of its fearlessness in denouncing such con- cerns as the Partin Manufacturing Co. and the numerous fraudulent concerns located at lowa City, Lowa, which prey on the credulity of the average merchant, invariably ap- proaching him at a time when he is too busy to give the proposition due consideration. That is why I call the Tradesman the best insurance policy any merchant, large or small, can possibly possess. It is a posi- tive protection against imposition and fraud, because I have learned, with much pleasure and satisfaction, that any scheme which has not been passed upon by the Tradesman wil be promptly investigated by the edi- tor in a much more thorough man- ner than any merchant can do it. I have received so much assistance along these lines that I would not hesitate a moment if the publication found it necessary, during the stress of war time, to increase its subscrip- tion price from $2 to $5 per year. Being a stockholder in local paper milis, I know something about the unparalleled advance in book paper, such as Kalamazoo mills make and the Tradesman uses, and it would not surprise me in the least if the Tradesman was soon forced to in- crease its subscription price as a war measure to enable it to keep its head above water. When that time comes I want to be the first merchant in Michigan to enroll my name as com- mending the advanced price, because no matter what price the merchant pays for the Tradesman, he is still ahead of the game. He gets more than he pays for every time. no mat- ter how large or how small his busi- ness may be. ——-—.. >> — Abandon Use of Tin in Containers. Chocolate and cocoa manufacturers have signified their willingness to effect substantial savings in tin and steel by packing their products in containers made of other material, as set forth in resolutions adopted by the Committee of Cocoa Bean Grinders and Consumers, in confer- ence with the Food Administration. Manufacturers will adopt new con- tainers not made of tin or any other metal as soon as present stocks are used up, which must not exceed a period of five months at most, ac- cording to the resolutions. These containers will be square or oblong, instead of round, to save packing space. It was further recommended that cocoa and chocolate, sweetened or unsweetened, in powdered form, shall be put up in packages not smaller than one half pound, or in packages of one, five, ten, twenty- . five, fifty, or one hundred pounds, and barrels and cases. This elimi- nates certain sizes and will effect a saving of labor and material. The committee requested that all cocoa and chocolate manufacturers in the country be notified by the Food Administration of its action. ——_+-..—_—_— Hell Not Hot Enough. A place for the Hun, A place in the sun, A place where no water or shade is; A place in the sun For this son of a gun A million times hotter than Hades, SSeS — September 18, 1918 UPPER PENINSULA. of the Cloverland of Michigan. Sault Ste. Marie, Sept. 17—Thos. Schimmens, manager of the Soo 5 and 10 cent store, returned last week from a prolonged automobile trip through Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. Mr. Schimmens was accompanied by his wife and from all reports had a very enjoyable trip. The bankers’ convention held here last week. was an enjoyable affair. They arrived just after a heavy rain, but the weatherman had it all fixed up so that the weather was ideal dur- ing their stay here. They visited the locks and were entertained by the Canadian bankers with a trip through the steel plant. They also enjoyed a luncheon at the Sault Club and dinner at the Country Club. They left here with many happy memories of the Soo. “Some men can’t be civil while wearing a corporation uniform,” Henry Stewart, the world walker of the Panama-California Exposi- tion, was a Soo visitor last week on his way from Los Angeles to New York, He will go by way of the Panama Canal and from there back to Los Angeles where he expects to arrive by Christmas. He left there April 9. Since Feb. 1, 1910, he has walked 60,000 miles. Every day from the time he left. he has left a record in the hands of people he had never seen before. When he arrives at Los Angeles, he will write a book on his travels. Mr. Stewart was born in England. He must have been going some and will have to go some more. The Soo lost one of her esteemed citizens in the passing away of ex- Mayor John G. Stradley. For many years Mr. Stradley had been afflicted with asthma and a complication of diseases. He had been confined to his home for the past six months. Recent News MICHIGAN TRADESMAN He is survived by a widow and two sons. he remains were taken to Cresco, Iowa, the former home of the departed. “Men with witty opinions are will- ing that anybody should weight them.” William Bertram, of Brimley, has sold his farm and household goods and is moving to Detroit to swell the population, which is much needed in that city, Mr. Bertram will be greatly missed in Birmley, where he is well and_ favorably known. There will be more light in Trout Lake next week, as W. Smith, well known proprietor of the Trout Lake House, is installing a new light- ing plant which will put more light on the subject. It will be especially enjoyed by Charles Hass,’ the Uneeda biscuit man, who spends much time at Trout Lake at night, writing his orders. “In general, pride is at the bottom of ‘all of our mistakes.” J. A. Roburg, who has been con- ducting a meat market on Spruce street for the past two years, has sold out to Bye Bros., who will con- tinue the business after Oct. 1. Mr. Roburg expects to engage in busi- ness at Manistique. Bert Bye will conduct the business for Bye Bros. Fred Bye, senior member of the firm, is running the Soo Meat Mark- et, which he has successfully con- ducted for the past year. Bye Bros. are both hustling young men and will undoubtedly make a success of the new venture. Max Schoenman, who formerly conducted the Model clothing store, has removed to Cleveland, O., where he expects to engage in business. Mr. Schoenman made many friends while here who will regret his de- parture, but wish him every success in his new field. The toll of war is beginning to show in the Soo, LY Yy GZ as some of our Zp home boys have been killed in action while others are severely wounded. C. W. Black, for the past two years cashier for the Cornwell Com- pany, has tendered his resignation to accept a position as credit man for the National Grocer Co. From all accounts, the annual fair at Pickford last week was a great success. George Watson, one of the directors, did some acrobatic stunts which surprised the natives. While driving in the speedway in the 2:14 race, his horse turned a somersault, which was followed by Mr. Watson, doing the same stunt. He landed on his horse and was down in time to hold the horse’s head, while the sulky was separated from the horse. This stunt alone was worth the price of admission. William G. Tapert. —_>2~2—_____ Brubaker Pays His Compliments to His Critics. Mears, Sept. 17—Your last issue of the Tradesman gives me more pub- licity than Newberry received from any Michigan daily during the late campaign, I notice Jim Goldstein, Honest Groceryman and e. p. monroe (no capitals required in this case, as he is small potatoes) all had an idex that it was an opportune time to slam me. They are the kind of guys that we tie up in bunches and sell six for a nickel—dull market—slow sale. These three have no kick at the present time. The scarcity of men is the reason some fellows who should be on the shelf hold _ their jobs. Sorry, Jim, but I can’t follow your advice and forget the lady barber. You see my wife reads the Michigan Tradesman and she won’t let me for- Ret, | 3 No. hrother Honest Groceryman, you will never have the honor of meeting Homer Bradfield. He is somewhat particular about his choice CCGG “SS 3 of friends and acquaintances. Never- theless, come up and see me in Mears, as you promise. I have a solid oak welcome awaiting you about 3 feet long. You got me wrong, monroe. | did not mean that business was bum. It is too good and is working me to death. Don’t worry, I still have a line of credit with Dick Prendergast and Perry Barker and you haven't noticed my name in the bankruptcy column yet. As to washing my face, no one ever accused you of having your face washed. Bet you a yellow cur against a piece of german money and that is the meanest bet on record—that you have not saved two soap wrappers in the past decade. Now, I wish you three knockers would say something real nice about me and fool the readers. To settle a bet, please inform me whether Mon- roe street was named after e. p. be- cause it is crooked or simply to play a joke on Grand Rapids. Chronic —_>->—___ Kicker, Handbags Are Popular. Although the great bulky knitting bag of last season is now somewhat out of fashion, various handbags a trifle less cumbersome but still well suited for holding a few small pack- ages are proving to be very popular. They dre seen in various shapes, although perhaps flat oval bags are most sought. Beaded bags are liked but there are many others, of chiffon velvet, for instance, which also sell well. In this latter type, solid colors such as black, taupe, and various tans and grays figure extensively, while attractive combinations of sev- eral colors are also resulting in con- siderable business. WI a eI 7 4 the butter you sell having that rich, golden color produced by Dandelion Brand Butter Color. Your customers expect it. Just specify Dandelion Brand Butter Color WELLS & RICHARDSON CO, BURLING Manufacturers of Dandelion Brand Butter C THE COLOR WITH THE GOLDEN SHADE We guarantee that Dandelion Brand Butter Color is PURELY VEGETABLE and that it meets the FULL REQUIREMENTS OF ALL FOOD LAWS-—State and National TON, VERMONT ot MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 18, 1915 AM sae Noe = IAN == Movements of Merchants. Eaton Rapids—Frank Rank has en- gaged in the harness and harness re- pair business, Ishpeming—E. P. Lundin succeeds George H. Bell in the merchant tail- oring business. Eaton Rapids—Howard Rank has closed out his stock of bazaar goods and enlisted in the U. S. army. Saginaw—The Winkler-Lucas Ice & Fuel Co. has been organized with an authorized capitalization of $30,000. 000. Owosso — Mrs. George Frischke will conduct the meat market during the absence of her husband, who has gone to war. Kalkaska—S. J. Poucher has pur- chased the D. N. McDonald meat market and will continue the business at the same location. Corunna—Thomas Avery, recently of Imlay City, has taken over the Grand Central hotel and opened it for business, September 14. Plymouth—The store building oc- cupied by Campbell & Pettingill with their grocery stock collapsed Sept. 12, causing a loss of about $20,000. Plymouth—Fire completely de- stroyed the two-story store building and general stock of A. J. Lapham, Sept. 16, causing a loss of about $40,000. Iron River—J. P. Hayes has sold his stock of clothing, shoes and dry goods to Chicago parties, who will re- move it to that city and dispose of it at special sale. Sheridan—M. H. Gooch is closing out his general stock. The sale is being conducted by C. N. Harper & Co., of Chicago. The sales the open- ing day were $1,100. Dowagiac—Dennis Onen, hard- ware dealer, has enlisted in K. C. war work and will sail for France Sept. 23. The business will be continued by Miss Nellie Onen, his sister. Ithaca—Henry E. Lewis has sold a half interest in his stock of general merchandise to C. M. Hays, formerly of Clare and the business will be continued under the style of Lewis & Hays. Grand Ledge—L. Levinsohn, of Saginaw, has purchased the Peterson & Bryant drug stock and store fix- tures and will continue the business until he can find a purchaser for the stock. Belding—E. C, Lloyd, A. L. Spen- cer and Arthur Fitzjhon, of this place and J. C. Ballard, of Sparta, have or- ganized the Ballard-Lloyd Co. to en- gage in the furniture, house furnish- ing goods, crockery, stoves and un- dertaking supplies and carpet busi- ness, Oct. 1, “ course. Sault Ste. Marie—Bert Passmore and Harvey Paquin have formed a co- partnership under the style of Pass- more & Paquin, Inc., and engaged in the shoe business at 317 Ashmun street. Wexford—K. D. Connine has pur- chased the general stock formerly conducted many years by Connine & Son and will continue the business at the old location. The purchase includes the bank building and fix- tures. Lansing—Charles H. Sheldon has removed his grocery stock from 721 East Franklin avenue to the store building occupied by Frank Wimble, who recently sold his grocery stock to Mr. Sheldon. Mr. Wimble will en- gage in war work. Manufacturing Matters. Detroit—The Stuart Foundry Co. has been incorporated with an auth- orized capital stock of $100,000. Detroit—The Detroit Heat Treat- ing Co. has been incorporated with an authorized capitalization of $10,- 000. Alpena—The Beck Malting & Brewing Co. has changed its name to the Beck Creamery, Cold Storage & Beverage Co. Grand Haven—The Smith Baking Co. has sold its stock and equipment to J. Biegel, who will continue the business under his own name. Owosso—The Connor Ice Cream Co. has purchased the Hauck hotel building and will convert it into a garage for its trucks, a shipping and store room. Adrian—A sizeable addition is be- ing put up at the plant of the Page Steel & Wire Co., to be used as a warehouse and storage room. The extension will cost between $5,000 and $6,000. Houghton—They are working in “overettes” at the stave mill in Arn- heim, near this place. Women, of They do not want it said that they wear “overalls,” as this ap- plies to men only, so they say. At the mill the women’s work is de- clared to be as satisfactory as that of the men. Detroit—The Liberty Starter Co. has been organized with a capital stock of $50,000, of which $25,000 has been paid in. The incorporators and stockholders are: William J. Hart- wig, Clara Hartwig and Fred Hart- wig. William Hartwig is secretary- treasurer of the William J. Hartwig Co., an old established concern deal- ing in electrical supplies. Jackson—The Hackett Motor Car Co., which was organized two years ago to manufacture Hackett motor cars, is now a thing of the past, in- terests in Grand Rapids having taken over the machinery and equipment. The building which had been occu- pied by the Hackett company may be taken over by the Briscoe Motor Car Corporation, whose war orders make it necessary further to increase its facilities. Unlawful For Merchant To Treat Customer. The Federal Trade Commission has just issued an order which makes it a violation of law to “treat” a cus- tomer in order to win his trade. Cigars, liquor, dinners, candy, are all held to be “unfair” competition, according to the ruling of the Trade Commission, and render the firm giving them liable to severe penal- ties. Merchants who do a credit busi- ness~-should post a card in their stores, bearing some such inscription as this: Accord:ng to the ruling of the Federal Trade Commission, delivered Sept, 9, 1918, it is contrary to law for any mer- chant to give employes of customers, customers, or pro- spective customers any cigars, entertainments or other gra- tuity for the purpose of in- fluencing the purchase of supplies. This store will, of course, comply with the order of the Federal Trade Commission. —_»-2 Accused of Unfair Methods. The H. L. Hildreth Co., of Boston, makers of “Velvet” molasses candy, has been named by the Federal Trade Commission in a formal complaint which states the Commission has reason to believe the concern is prac- ticing unfair trade methods in main- taining standard resale prices on its products. The concern is charged with forcing dealers to resell at prices dictated by it, and with refusing to sell “Velvet” to dealers who desire to resell to the public at their own prices. The Berlin Fair. On September 24, 25, 26 and 27, Berlin will celebrate its sixty-third annual fair. From all appearances this will be the largest fair ever held at Berlin. They have more free at- tractions than ever and some of the fastest horses known on the speed- way. This fair has always been known as having fine races, and this year will surpass all. >.) Morning Sunbeams. Bright, busy beams Bringing blinks to me Drowning my dreams In your radiant sea How do you know When my eyes should ope? Where did you go For your cheer and hope? Whence do you come Soon as gone the night Entering my home With a fiood of light? Were you afraid That the darkness deep Captives had made And a world would sleep? Charles A. Heath. _—— >» Nothing surprises some men like their owam success, Peach Pit Drive This Week. The American Red Cross has noti- fied its chapters throughout the coun- try of a War Department request to gather peach pits and other fruit seeds that may furnish charcoal needed in the manufacture of gas masks, Chap- ters will gather the seeds, and for- ward them to collection centers, whence they will be shipped to the gas-mask plants. Schools, churches, and Sunday schools will be asked to aid in the campaign, and letters re- questing co-operation have been sent to the Department of Agriculture, the National War Savings Commit- tees, the Boy Scouts, the Hotel Men’s Association, and the Salvation Army. By holding contests in the schools the Red Cross expects that every peach pit found by the children will be thrown at the Kaiser. Expense of carrying on the campaign will be borne by the War Department. In each State several centers will be established for the reception of parcel-post packages of seeds from Red Cross agents in smaller towns or from farmers and other persons who are unable to forward the seeds to their own chapters. The best material for gas masks is cocoanut shells, but it has been found that many other fruit stones and nut shells provide an excellent quality of charcoal or carbon. They include peach, apricot, cherry, prune, plum, and olive pits, date seeds and the shells of the brazil nut, hickory nut, walnut, and butternut. Materials may be mixed together indiscriminately, the announcement says, although all must be dried by oven-baking or sun- drying. —~»+-»—___ Kellogg Puts Out New Product of Corn, Consistent with the desires of the Government to utilize corn in as many products as possible, the Kel- logg Toasted Corn Flake Company is introducing a new product called “Cornioca,’ which resembles and is to be used the same as tapioca but is made from the starchy part of corn. Its principal food value consists of carbohydrates, which form a_ very important part of our daily dietary. Cornioca is made in two styles, granulated and pearl. Both styles are practically instant products, due to the fact that they are partially cooked and do not require much soaking, but are ready for immediate cooking. The following is a comparative analysis of cornioca and tapioca, but cornioca sells at a slightly lower price than tapioca: Cornioca Tapioca Moisture’ ....5..554 LES 11.4 ASH 0 eee: A fe Protem. ¢..5 5.2.50. 6 4 Habs J Ba Carbohydrates . 87.51 87.9 —_+---- There can no longer be a doubt about the Kaiser going down in his- tory. He is hitting the down-grade pretty fast now, and without any stop-over privileges. Se In Iceland they are paying $80 a ton for coal. But there are other handicaps to living in that far-away country, PrP we = -- FM 63 Df mn September 18, 1918 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN CERY«»» PRODUCE MA _ ~_ = KET ~ = = y } ’ ’ ‘ \ Review of the Grand Rapids Produce Market. Apples—Maiden Blush, $1.50 per bu.; Pound Sweet, $2 per bu.: Wealthy, $1.50; Wolf River, $1.50; Strawberry, $1.50@1.75. Bananas—$6.50 per 100 Ibs. Beets—$1 per bu. Butter—The market is very firm, due to extremely light receipts in all grades of creamery and a large con- sumptive demand. The average qual- ity is showing up well and the stocks are very light. We look for continued high prices in the immediate future. Local dealers hold fancy creamery at 54c in tubs and 56c in prints. They pay 42c for No. 1 dairy in jars and sell at 44c. They pay 32c for packing stock. The Food Administration has issued an order prohibiting prints being put up in less than % Ib. pack- ages hereafter. The Administration has also promulgated a ruling fixing the credit-delivery store’s profit on butter at 6c per lb. net, and the cash and carry stores’ profit at 5c net. The ruling defines profit as “margin over delivered cost,” which must mean, if it means anything, that the retailer is permitted to make 6c net—6c in ad- dition to the cost of selling. That is not so bad; it amounts to about 10 per cent., which is somewhat fairer than the 10 per cent. gross which the retailer is allowed to make on flour. Cabbage—$3.75 per large crate and $3.25 for medium. Cantaloupes—Hearts of Gold from Benton Harbor command $3.50 for standards, $2.25 for ponies and $1.50 for flats. Carrots—$1 per bu. Cauliflower—$1.75 per dozen. Celery—30c per bunch. Crab Apples—$1.50 per bu. for early varieties and $2 for late. Cranberries—Early varieties are ex- pected in about October 1. The price will range around $9.75@10 per bbl. Cucumbers — Home grown com- mand 85c per dozen for No. 1 and 65c per dozen for No. 2. Eggs—The market is firm, with quotations about the same. The re- ceipts of eggs are light and the aver- age quality fair. There is a good de- mand for eggs at this time. No ma- terial change is looked for in the im- mediate future. Local dealers pay 40@41c per dozen, loss off, including cases, delivered. Egg Plant—$2 per dozen. Grave Fruit—$3.50 per box for all sizes Floridas. Grapes—$3 per doz. for 4 lb. bas- kets of blue varieties and 35c for 7 Ib. baskets; $2.50 per bu. Green Corn—20c per dozen. Green Onions—18@20c per dozen. Green Peppers—$1.75 per bu. Honey—35c per lb. for white clov- er and 30c for dark. Lemons—California selling at $8 for choice and $8.50 for fancy. Lettuce—Garden grown, 65c per bu.; home grown head, $1.25 per bu. Musk Melons — Benton Harbor Osage, $2@2.50 per crate of 12 to 16; Honey Dew, from Benton Harbor, $3 per crate. Nuts—Almonds, 2ic per Ib.; fil- berts, 20c for Grenoble; Brazils, 18c; Mixed nuts, 16%c. Onions—Home grown stock now has the call, commanding $2 per 100 Ib. sack, Oranges — California $9.75@10 per box. Peaches—Elbertas from Utah com- mand $4 per bu.; Prolifics, Kalama- zoos and Banners range from $3.50@ 4. Pears—Clapp’s Favorite, $2.75 per bu.; Bartlett, $3.75 per bu.; $3.75 per box for California Bartlett. Pickling Stock—Cucumbers, $1.75 per % bu.; white onions, $1.75 per Y% bu. Valencias, Plums—$3.50 per bu. for Green Gages and Black Diamonds. Pieplant—$1 per bu. Potatoes—Home grown command $3 per 100 lb. sack. Radishes—15c per dozen. Summer Squash—60c per bu. Sweet Potatoes—$3.50 per 50 Ib. hamper and $9 per bu. for Virginia. Tomatoes—Home grown command about $1.25 per % bu. for ripe; green, $1.50 per bu. Wax Beans—Home grown, $2 per bu. —_—_2+2-.——___ Deacon Ellis denies that he had any part in promoting the candidacy of Osborne for United States Senator. He says he voted for Henry ford, because of the business relation he sustains with the ford bank at De- troit. He also insists that he did not support any one of the four candi- dates for sheriff. He also denies that he has any aspirations to succeed Congressman Mapes, as was current- ly reported early in the year, before the political alignment assumed defi- nite shape. 2-2 _____ Harry C. Rindge (Rindge, Kalm- bach, Logie Co.) leaves Friday for New York, whence he sails October 8, for France, where he will devote his time for some months to come in Red Cross work. The Lynch Sales Co. has just con- cluded a special sale for. Mrs. Muenk, dealer in dry goods at 1418 Gratiot avenue, Detroit. ~The Grocery Market. Sugar—tThe principal subject of in- terest to the trade this week is the announcement of the change in the price of sugar which will mean an increase of approximately a cent and a half in the cost to the retailer. In Grand Rapids the price of the jobber to the retailer on the new sugar is $9.764. This will make the consumers price 11c a pound. This price is in effect since Monday, although whole- sale grocers and retail grocers are expected to continue to sell supplies on hand at the old cost plus 35c a hundred for the jobber and a cent a pound for the retailer. Sugar other than bulk granulated will be based on this price in accordance with the standard list or differentials. The wholesaler or retailer will not be al- lowed to increase prices on any sugar bought before the advance, neither will it be permissible to average costs on any different lots of sugar. Tea—Buyers wants in tea appear to be of very modest dimensions at present, but as with few exceptions stocks of old goods are at an unusu- ally low ebb, while new goods cost very much more now than present spot market values, the tone is nat- urally strong. The strength of the situation is enhanced by the fact that the Government is in the market for a large quantity, and particularly be- cause requirements for the army will draw heavily on stocks that are in a state of marked depletion. Coffee—The market continues very firm and shows a further advance of a small fraction for the week. The reason is, as stated last week, Gov- ernment purchases, plus the need of replenishing stocks in Brazil and the fact that Brazilian sellers are holding very firm. The activity has produced some business. Milds are also a frac- tion higher in sympathy with Brazils and because they were too low. Canned Fruit—This market con- tinues on a nominal basis because of the lack of offerings either of spot goods or of futures. Canned Vegetables — The entire market is very quiet and jobbers hav- ing covered their immediate require- ments seem to be willing to hold off until the packing season is further advanced and costs are better known. Canned Fish—There is very little salmon to be had on the spot but in a nominal way red Alaska is quoted at $2.95 and pinks at $2.05. Sardines are held at the full maximum. Dried Fruits—The trade was anxi- ously awaiting further reports on Saturday as to how much damage had been done to prunes by the rains in Santa Clara county, Cal. That this would be considerable there was no disposition to deny because rain at this time is the last thing that is wanted in California. Furthermore, the prune crop has more than a mon- ey value this year because such a large part of it is wanted for the use of the army, and it was easily seen that if there should be any further curtailment of production it would be the civilian population that would have to bear the loss. So far as the army is concerned, it is a ra- tioning proposition that has nothing 5 to do with commercial profits. In other words, it is the food that is wanted and must be had, so that the _ civilian population, if need be, must turn to other foodstuffs that are not so readily adaptable for feeding an There was also some anxiety for fear the rain might extend further south and do damage to raisins, but apparently this is not the case. Rain in the raisin area just now would be a calamity and would be more so as the drying season advances. In the meantime, there is a very strong spot market for all dried fruit. New crop apricots are on the way, which are ex- pected to arrive the latter part of the month, but these are not yet being Old.crop extra choice Roy- als are being offered ex cold storage in twenty-five pound boxes faced at 17%4c. There are some old crop fan- cy peeled Muir peaches offering at 153%%c. Stocks of fancy peeled have diminished very rapidly and there is practically nothing else offering until the new crop arrives. Sugar Syrups—Business is kept within narrow limits by the paucity of offerings and there is nothing in the situation calling for special men- tion. Molasses—Quiet conditions prevail, but are without influence upon prices, which are firmly sustained by the fact of light supplies. Tapioca—The market is quiet, but firm, under restricted supplies. Rice—Conditions in this market have not changed, supplies, except for a little foreign, still being lacking, while urgent enquiries come from all quarters. Cheese—The market is very firm, due to a good home consumptive de- mand and moderate receipts. The average quality is good for this time of year. Provisions—The market on lard is firm, with quotations ranging about the same as last week. There is a moderate supply and a good demand. The market on lard substitutes is firm and unchanged, with a fair supply and a good consumptive demand. The market on smoked meats is very firm, prices averaging 1@8c higher than- previous quotations. There is a very light supply, with an active demand. Dried beef is firm, with quotations unchanged, with a light supply and a good demand. The market on bar- reled pork is steady, with quotations ranging about the same as last week. There is a moderate supply and a light demand. The market on canned meats is firm, with quotations the same as last week. — Joseph P. and John L. Lynch are conducting a nine day sale for Man- dell Bros., dealers in dry goods and furnishing goods at 1407 Mack ave- nue, Detroit. The stock inventories about $60,000. The sale starts Sep- tember 19. army. offered. a The Rindge, Kalmbach, Logie Co. has been awarded an order for 50,000 pairs of marching shoes for the U. S. Army. The order aggregates $322,500, being at the rate of $6.45 a pair. co Everybody expects everybody else to set a good example. ~ 6 Gabby Gleanings from Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids, Sept. 17—It is a matter of congratulation all round that Fred Z. Pantlind has taken the management of the Pantlind Hotel, thus lifting a heavy load from the shoulders of his father, who has naturally grown weary in the har- ness. The junior Pantlind possesses all the elements of a successful hotel man—experience under able teachers, affability, energy, resourcefulness, shrewdness and a_ disposition to shirk no task which will contribute to the happiness of his guests, the good of society and the well being of the city. The senior Pantlind has long looked forward to the time when his son would share the cares and responsibilities which have weighed so heavily on the father since he assumed the managerial di- rection of two hotels and he turns over the detail work to his son with a sense of relief and _ satisfaction, knowing that the wonderful record he has achieved in the past half cen- tury will not be dimmed by any act of his son and co-worker. H. D. Bullen, who has served the Tradesman so long and acceptably as Lansing correspondent, fired by pa- triotic devotion to his country, has taken his place behind a lathe in a Lansing factory, where he is work- ing ten hours per day, turning out war munitions for the U. S. Army. He has been offered several good road positions, but has declined them all, believing that he is serving Uncle Sam to better advantage behind the lathe than he would be selling goods on the road. Thomas Ford, who went to France about six months ago as hut manager for the Y. M. C. A. and who has been located for some months in the open country, near an army camp, has been transferred to a village of consider- able size, where he is located in a beautiful chateau, H. J. Vermeulen, formerly en- gaged in the grocery business at Alma for several years, but for the past two years manager of the Conine general stock, at Wexford, has taken up his residence in Grand Rapids. He will resume the business of con- ducting special sales, in which he was quite successful for years, oper- ating under the name of Stevens & Company. Oscar L. Schutz, formerly on the road for the Michigan Tradesman, but more recently publisher of the Hardware Trade and the Twin City Commercial Bulletin, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.. has become sales manager of Butler Brothers’ Minne- apolis house. The appointment was made by L. C. Burr, manager of the Minneapolis house. Mr. Schutz used to call on Mr. Burr for advertising and strongly impressed him with his aggressiveness and his seemingly natural acquaintance with merchan- dising. Hence, when Mr. Schutz sold out ‘the Commercial Bulletin Co., a few months ago, Mr. Burr saw an opportunity to get the kind of sales manager he wanted. Selling conditions have undergone a wonderful change during the past two years, and as we converse with the traveling salesman to-day, we find that he is not the same man at all that he was two years ago. The salesman of to-day of necessity fills a good many different offices. The trade in general has gone through and is going through at the present time a reconstructional per- iod, adiusting itself to the conditions as they exist to-day. In this the salesman from his vast experience cuts quite a big figure. He is the instrument in the hands of the different commodity administra- tors of the United States, and it is largely due to his efficient work in advising his customers that the wishes of the Department are so suc- cessfully carried out. The terms of sale have also changed since the beginning of the MICHIGAN TRADESMAN war. Credit has been shortened and the sellers are calling for their money more promptly than jbefore. The salesman’s duty in this phase of the game is to enlighten his customers, . advising them as to how to curtail his credits in order to pay his bills more promptly. In this day and age the modern up-to-date traveling man can count all his customers who do not discount their bills on one hand, and it is his business to con- tinually shorten the average days outstanding on his account. For in- stances, if in July his average out- standing was 18 days, if in August he reduced it to 15 days, he has re- leased 3 days’ sales in cash, and this extra helps a lot in carrying on the war to a successful end. Then, again, we see him as a student of human nature. This he is anyhow, but more so now than ever before. He must know his custom- ers and handle them in such a man- ner that, unconsciously, his cus- tomer will see things in the same light as he does. He must impart his interest and enthusiasm to the customer so as to cause him to steer out of the old rut and old ways of doing business into the new way and up-to-the-minute plan. The whole industrial world has been and is now undergoing and passing through a_ reconstruction period which is second to none in the whole history of the United States and, indeed, the whole world. In this work I am sure the traveling salesmen shares quite a responsibil- ity, and he has adapted himself to the circumstances; studied the vari- ous angles of the game; his cus- tomer’s interests have been his, and to this end he labors diligently each day performing the tasks that each succeeding day brings forth to the best of his ability. Do you know that if every grown person bought one Thrift stamp a day that we would be loaning the Government $2,000,000 per day? Did you ever stop to think about it? Get the habit! Buy a stamp each day. You high-salaried guys buy 10— don’t be so darn tight! Clare Shaw, of Davy & Company, Evart, says he knows one article that the flour substitutes hurt the sale of materially to certain farmers and that is Blatchford’s calf food. The following two articles taken from the Biglow Magazine were thought good enough for our readers —attention: Very frequently a salesman can learn much about his products; the selling reasons that appear, from the user or somebody very near to the user. In this case it happened to be a retail dealer. The other day at one of the Salesmen’s Employers Conventions at the plant of one of the Middle West’s big stove manu- facturers the salesmanager and chairman of the meeting called on a likely looking young dealer ~from Erie, Pa., to tell why he sold more of their ranges than any other; why he rushed them to the exclusion of other makes. “Well, in the first place,” he said, “St will do all that any other ranges will do, but the main reason I push them is that they will go through the average door of the average house without having to be taken apart.” “T figure I save $5 per sale by not having to take your stove apart and put it together again—in other words, I make $5 more on your stove than on any other make at the same cost.” All the other salesmen in the room jumped at least an inch out of their seats, so did the president of the company and other officials who were present. They all had been shocked with an idea; a dealer’s sell- ing reason for their product which had not occurred to any of them— a good profitable reason—a latent merit in their range they did not know about. This probably cost a good many thousand dollars to as- semble all these salesmen and deal- ers at this plant, but they will get it all back many times over from this one idea they obtained from this wide-awake dealer from Erie and which he expressed in less than a hundred words. Goods have latent merits just as they have latent defects. We-learn the defects quickly enough from the dealer, and we can learn the merits with equal haste if the salesman will just draw him out. An _ individual salesman need not await a conven- tion to do this. Most salesmen and particularly salesmen of new de- vices should be certain to have created a desire in the mind of the prospect before they begin to de- monstrate. The reason old success- ful salesmen seem to get orders so much more easily than the less ex- perienced man is because they ob- serve this rule, After the desire is created, the demonstration becomes a comparatively simple matter, The prospect gives his entire attention to the salesman’s word. If he did not want the machine the demon- stration would be wasted, he would pay no attention to it. In the creation of a practically un- iversal desire for automobiles, ad- vertising has played a large part with pen and words. The shrewd auto men have pictured the joys of the automoblie. True some manu- facturers have contributed not «# cent to this general publicity, yet have cashed in on it, but that does not alter the fact that somebody pays to create the desire. This same con- dition was once a fact in the bicycle business. A decade ago there was a universal desire for bicycles. The selling problem was merely one of demonstration. To-day the desire must be created if the volume of sales is to be maintained. In his present frame of mind the writer of this would not buy the best bicycle vou could manufacture—he has no desire for it, and any salesman who would try to sell him one would have to create a desire before such things as brakes, easy-riding saddles and puncture proof tires would in- terest him. The same things hold true with the phonograph business. A_ few large companies spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on general ad- vertising, creating a desire for the phonograph. A hoard of smaller companies are now cashing in on this expenditure by a price appeal. The problem of their salesmen has been greatly simplified. Create the desire, then demonstrate the goods. Remember we have two eyes and only one tongue, Do twice as much seeing as talking. We can all save time and money by learning as much as possible from the experience of others. D. F. Helmer. —_—_2+-2—____ Black and White Waists Sell. Waists of georgette crepe in effec- tive combinations of black and white are proving to be very popular, not only with women wearing mourning, but with others as well. In those waists designed more strictly for mourning wear black is made the predominating shade, with white delicately used for trimming. In others the whole front of the waist is white, embroidered perhaps with a floral decoration in black silk or beads. Frequently the white front hangs down below the waistline half way to the knees, forming the popu- lar apron effect, and is edged with black silk fringe. Some high col- lared models appear, although the majority are collarless with the round neck effect, so much in vogue just now. September 18, 1918 Jobbers to Restrict Profits. Wholesalers of cotton fabrics have fixed maximum prices to be charged for them, after a conference with the ‘Price-Fixing Committee of the War Industries Board. The purpose is to restrict the jobbers profits on these fabrics so that the consumers may not be too much exploited. Job- bers are asked,'in a recently issued circular, not to ask more than the maximum prices on the articles named. It is added that “any jobber may sell these goods at as much less than these prices as he may desire, or as competition may require, and it is expected that in many cases they will be so sold. These prices are simply the maximum, which should not be exceeded under any circumstances.” Laudable as is the action proposed, it is doubtful wheth- er it will have much effect so far as concerns what the consumer will be obliged to pay. The reason is that jobbers’ profits in this line have rarely been large. The margin on which they have usually operated has been a very reasonable one, and they have depended on a large volume of sales to make their business pay. This is so much the case that, in many instances, it is doubtful if the consumer would pay less if the job- ber were wholly eliminated. In fact, it is quite possible that the con- sumer would have to pay more, in places remote from the centers of mill production, without the inter- vention of the jobber. The latter has been more and more obliged in re- cent years to justify his right to exist at all by performing a real service at a reasonable price. ——-_>-s-—___- Used in Fall Millinery. Beaver cloth is an assured success in Fall millinery, according to The Bulletin of the Retail Millinery As- sociation of America, as it is soft and flattering and lends a “dressy” ap- pearance to even the plainest models. For facings, entire brims, on flanges and crowns, it is much used here on large and medium hats. Turbans and tams of beaver are popular, but The Bulletin says a large hat must be made in a combination of beaver and some other material, as the effect of a hat made entirely of beaver is too bulky. As the material blends well with fur, there is little doubt that it will be favored far into the winter. All the dark fur shades—brown, sand, taupe, and black—are popular. The Bulletin says also that several of the wholesale houses are showing tinsel flowers. They are- either in gold or silver, and in flat or natural effects. Sometimes three or four of these flowers are used on a hat. [n some cases they lie flat on the brim. Others are used in small clusters, drooping somewhat off the brim at the side. Still others are combined with flowers made of materials to match the hat. ——__>--s— Stores and their advertising reflect the .morals, manners, customs, habits and desires of the community. Bra- zen big type, blatant, extravagant ad- vertising is evidence that your town has not reached the right stage in civilization. September 18, 1918 GONE BEYOND. One of the Old Wheel Horses of Trade. Herbert Baker, the veteran travel- ing salesman, died at his home, 1210 Jefferson avenue, Sunday, Sept. 15. The funeral was held at the family residence Tuesday afternoon. Inter- ment was in Oak Hill. “Hub” Baker was born at a coun- try house near Youngstown, N. Y., April 4, 1845. Working on the farm summers and going to district school winters constituted the greater part of his experience, until “war time,’ when he attended school at Wilson and Lockport, N. Y., graduating from the latter institu- tion im 1866. Having arrived at the age of 21, he thereupon set about to see the world, his first move in this direction being to go to New York “ The Late Herbert Baker. City, where he worked for a year in the book and stationery store of G. W. & J. Cross. Tiring of that busi- ness, he came West, settling at Glen- bula, Wis., where he spent three years learning the blacksmith’s trade. For eight years subsequently he tilled a farm of his own near Flint. Then he went to Milwaukee and worked in the shops of the C., M. & St. P. Railway. Next he turned up in Grand Rapids, where he worked for a year for a Canal street clothing house. Forming a liking for the grocery business he entered the em- ploy of John Caulfield, with whom he remained one year, covering the C. & W. M., North and South, the G. R. & I, South, and the Michigan Southern. On the advent of ‘L. H. Randall & Co., he cast his fortunes with that house, taking the G. R. & I. and C. & W. M., both North and South. One year wound up the ex- istence of that concern, and on May 12,-1884, Mr. Baker entered the em- ploy of Shields, Bulkley & Lemon, with which house he remained until it was consolidated with the Worden Grocer Company. Since then he has traveled continuously for the latter house, with the exception of about five months early in the present year, when he was confined to his home by illness. Mr. Baker owed his success as a salesman to indefatigable industry and persistent effort, coupled with MICHIGAN TRADESMAN genuine integrity, which enabled him to command the confidence and respect of all with whom he came in contact. He was one of those men who “wear well,” as the expression goes, and to this fact is to be attrib- uted the decided success he attained and the friends he retained during his long career as a road salesman. The nickname by which he is uwuni- versally known, Hub, was given him through no personal application, and the reason for its origin is a mystery, Possessed of an agreeable exterior, a big heart and a clear mind, Mr. Baker had every reason to look back upon his long career on the road with supreme satisfaction, which en- abled him to face the final summons with the courage of a hero and the faith of a stoic. Tribute of a Friend. Mr. Baker celebrated his 71st birthday in Alden in company with his long-time friend, Charles H. Coy. On the evening of that day—April 4, 1916, Mr. Coy wrote the Trades- man as follows. Alden, April 4—Genial Herbert Baker the well-known representative of the Worden Grocer Company, celebrated his 7ist birthday at Alden to-day. After living the allotted three score years and ten, Hub now proposes to rip off another ten years, with good prospects of making the grade. Mr. Baker is as active and well preserved as the average man of 50, and when it comes to landing grocery orders for his house, he leads the younger salesmen a merry chase. Hub, ‘as he is familiarly called, attributes his long and vigor- ous life to keeping good natured and cheerful. He is a natural optimist and the well-known Hub Baker smile is irresistible. Hub has a reputation for two things, One is that he never stuffed an order and the other is that he is the greatest story teller who travels out of Grand Rapids. His many friends on the road, as well as his many acquaintances among the retailers, wish him many more years of the best things of life. Mr. Baker first saw the light of day in the good old State of New York and came to Michigan in early life and has had a long experience as a traveling salesman. Recently. he was asked, “How long have you traveled in Western Michigan?” He replied in his typical way, “Boys, it is a long, long time—so long that when I first commenced to travel] in Western Michigan they had just commenced digging a hole to put Lake Michigan into.” Charles H. Coy. —_>- Neckwear Business Improves. Since Labor Day there have been a great many buyers of women’s neckwear in town and they are plac- ing some very substantial business, according to reports from several large manufacturers in this city. Large neck collars of fine quality or- gandie, made for wear on the collar- less waists now in vogue, are very much in demand. They are made _ with openings on both shoulders, and frequently are trimmed with little frills of Valenciennes lace. Deep back collars of georgette trimmed with lace are also taken. Quite a few guimpes are selling, many of them with high collars. ——-->-+-e Alimony may not be income, but it is a penalty for a man making a fool of himself, Let the Work You Do Every Day Be Dedicated— To the memory of the little boys in the invaded districts of Europe who have been crucified—that your own boy may not be in danger of being crucified. LET the work that you do every day be dedicated— To the memory of the babies of France and Belgium who have been impaled on bayonets and carried off over the shoulders of German soldiers—that your baby may never be in danger of a like death. LET the work that you do every day be dedicated— To the memory of the little girls of Belgium and France who have been carried into a slavery far worse than death—that your daughter may not be in danger of thus falling a victim to German barbarians. LET the work that you do every day be dedicated— To the memory of the mothers of Europe who have seen their children slaughtered and their husbands with bound hands driven away to a fate unknown, that the mothers here may not see similar processions in your own streets. LET the work that you do every day be dedicated— To the white-haired women of Belgium and France who have seen honest men dig their own graves—that the white-haired of your family may not suffer a like agony. LET the work-that you do every day be dedicated— To the memory of the Allied soldiers who have been crucified upon doors because they fought for civilization and justice—that justice may be done you and yours. LET the work that you do every day be dedicated— To the memory of the beautiful cities, villages, orchards, and fields of Europe, now blackened wastes—that your own beautiful towns and fields may not be turned into places men will avoid. LET the work that you do every day he dedicated— ‘ To the memory of the once happy homes of Europe which the Hun burned after murdering the inmates—that your home may not become the funeral pyre of your family. LET the work that you do every day be dedicated— To the memory of the nations that have been crushed and scattered—that your own nation may not be destroyed and that your people may not be driven forth like the exiled multitudes who have died in the fields and the highways. LET the work that you do every day be dedicated— To. the manhood that is in you—that you may not desert your brother who has gone to the battle-front, that you may not desert your nation now that it needs you, that you may not be tricked into imperiling the safety of your wife, your daughter, your mother when the smooth-tongued enemies of your country come whispering to you. LET the work that you do every day be dedicated— To the manhood that is in you, that you shall have no remorse when broken men come back from the battle-front—so that empty sleeves and sightless eyes shall not as instruments of your own conscience reproach you by day and haunt you by night because you at home failed to support our men while they fought in France. This space contributed for the winning of the war by WORDEN (GROCER COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS—KALAMAZOO THE KAISER’S SPEECH. Those who know the Kaiser per- sonally say he is either a clever actor or a consummate hypocrite. But the speech he is just reported to have made at the Krupp Works in Essen does not give any alternative; he is both. As an actor he administers an oath to German labor that it fight and hold out to the last. As a hypo- crite he compares the present war with the unending struggle between Good and Evil, with Germany, of course, the Good. About twenty years ago a German philosopher published a pamphlet to prove that conscious self-deception is the essence of art enjoyment. He aroused some controversy at the time, but as he was apparently only amusing himself with psychological trickery, he soon lost his vogue. Cur- rent events, however, show that the state of mind he described is very common in Germany. Germans have, on a colossal scale, been practicing deception, both of others and of themselves, for many decades. Hence in 1914 it was easy for all Germany, at a word, to inoculate itself with an almost genuine conviction that it was fighting a “defensive war.” The imitativeness and absorbtive- ness of Germans are a commonplace. The Kaiser’s subiects show a facility in appropriating other people’s prop- erty, mental or physical, and treating it as their own, that might excite ad- miration if it did not excite feelings quite different. Pillage -and exploita- tion of conquered countries is only one phase of what Germans would call “aneignen.” With equally inno- cent acquisitiveness they appropriate other people’s ideas. In this way everything good and worth while is, or becomes, German. Naturally all evil remains with non-Germans. In the Allied countries we each individually have a solemn conviction, without having been commanded thereto by an All Highest Emperor, that to-day, if ever, we are engaged in a war in which the powers of Evil are ranged against the powers of Good, and that Germany is the Evil. Now this conviction looks so inter- esting to the German Kaiser that he immediately absorbs it unto himself, converts it into German property, and calls upon his “Gott” to witness that it is Germany that is fighting for the Right. Says the saintly Kaiser, “We only know the honest wrath which deals the enemy the blow, but when he lies prostrate and bleeding we extend to him our hand and see to his recov- ery.” (Pity he does not offer as proof the prisoners of war, the en- slaved civilians, the murdered and outraged children and women.) In Germany alone are the qualities of mercy and of humanity to be found! Envy, quite naturally, is the attri- bute of the Allies. Lazy and over- prosperous nations who wished to recline comfortably on their laurels were aroused by the “industrious,” “meditative,” “assiduous,” “imagine- tive’ Germans, until they began to fear for themselves, and hence came most bitterly to envy the Germans! Germany’s enemies alone entertain MICHIGAN TRADESMAN hatred which “manifests itself only among peoples who feel themselves beaten. If, therefore, such terrible hatred exists among our enemies, it owes its origin to the fact their cal- culations have been wrong.” Far be it from Germany to mobilize its na- tional hate, now against England, now Russia, now Italy, now America! It is reserved for us, feeling our- selves beaten, to hate the patient, peace-loving, Gott-fearing Germans! CANNED GOODS SITUATION. The general feeling among tomato buyers is that prices will not go low- er. There has been this feeling for some time but the present levels have been maintained now for several days but only in a nominal way because buyers have shown little disposition to enter into further contracts on the basis of $1.85. Although attempts have been made by brokers to put business through at $1.80 they have not succeeded except in a few in- stances. Now, however, it is reported that the big packers are buying and the market has stiffened. Consider- able discussion is coming up just now as to the legitimacy of prices that formerly prevailed. When the mar- ket was at $2.10 it was claimed that this price represented a definite pari- ty with the price of the raw ma- terial, which canners had contracted for at $30 a ton. The market for raw material has since fluctuated consid- erably, but the point is made that with canners paying 50 cents a bas- ket, which is held to be the equivalent of $30 a ton, they are now willing to sell at $1.85. Thus there is a dis- crepancy of 25 cents a dozen on what are believed to be similar costs and the argument is therefore that either the $2.00 price was too high or that canners are selling at a loss in accept- ing $1.85. The general belief is that $2.10 was too high and that there may be some rebates coming to buyers at the end of the packing season. If Gray’s bard had had longer vision he would have delighted in predicting to the ruthless king the day when the United Kingdom would pass under a Welsh statesman. Welshmen take such joy in honor- ing Lloyd George that they are now accused of regarding England as a mere appendage to their own coun- try. The deep sense of nationality cherished there is evinced by the figures on the surviving users of the various Celtic tongues, presented at the recent Birkenhead Conference. In Scotland there are about 200,000 who speak Gaelic, in Ireland about 600,000, but in Wales some 2,000,000 speakers of Welsh. That is, there are four times as many Welsh- speakers as Irish-speakers, and ten times as many Welsh-speakers as Scotch-speakers of Gaelic. Prof. Gwynn Jones pointed out also that the Welsh have excelled in bringing their language up to modern liter- ary, civic and commercial demands, and that while, on the one hand, newspapers in Welsh flourish, on the other some English critics have de- clared the the best contemporary Welsh poetry is better than any in English, MUST USE BETTER SEED. Before the war, food production in this country was not keeping up with the increase of population. The late James J. Hill predicted that there would be trouble unless __ special measures were adopted to stimulate agriculture. Much has been done since that time, especially in the in- crease of acreage of wheat and other cereals. Now Luther Burbank comes forward with a way of increasing the wheat crop by many more millions of bushels without the expense of a dollar for labor or fertilizer. In his latest circular, entitled ‘“Burbank’s New Standard Grains,” printed at Santa Rosa, Cal., he relates! how, eleven years ago, he asked himself the question why the wheats of the United States and Argentina were so inferior to those grown in Australia, Canada and Italy. Investigation led him to the conclusion that what we needed chiefly was not better soil or methods of culture but education in the use of good seed, and he set him- self the task of growing superior wheat specially suited to our soil. He pays enthusiastic tribute to Wil- liam Farrar, of New South Wales, who “died fifteen years ago unno- ticed, unacknowledged, unpaid and unappreciated, not having lived to see the marvellous forces which he had set to work, but now a $500,000 monument is being erected in mem- ory of this pioneer: in Australian wheat improvement.” Burbank’s own experiments have been “expen- sive beyond the imagination of ordi- nary growers,” for every kernel had to be planted by hand and harvested and threshed with the old-fashioned sickle and flail, but now he has ready several improved varieties, one of which yields nearly twice as much as the ordinary wheat. He is probably not’ over-sanguine in expecting that these, and his new varieties of oats and barley, will go so far toward revolutionizing the grain trade as his improved white potatoes and decidu- ous fruits have done to revolutionize their markets. COMMIT THIS TO MEMORY. Every dollar’s worth of unsalable merchandise in a retail store to-day was at one time salable, and at a profit. Lack of attention put it in the scrap heap, and the longer it re- mains there the less valuable it be- comes. One day in the week should be set aside for inspection of your entire stock. Goods that are not moving should be displayed. A little reduction in price at the proper time will enable you to turn it into cash without taking a big loss. Don’t complain that you are not making money unless leakages of this nature are carefully looked after. The gasolene situation is not so bad, according to the figures furn- ished by the Fuel Administration to the Senate, as such headlines as “Gasolene Supply Fast Running Low” would indicate. It is not the supply, but the reserve, that is “run- ning low.” Dr. Garfield states that the stocks on hand at the beginning of this year amounted to 8,400,000 barrels, and that the estimated stocks September 18, 1918 on August 1 were 7,800,000 barrels. The year’s production, according to _the figures for the first half year, may be set at roughly 85,000,000 to 95,000,000 barrels. The news sum- mary says that Dr. Garfield’s figures indicate “a deficiency for the year ot about 1,000,000 barrels’; that is, a total reduction in stocks on hand of that amount. One-eighty-fifth or ninety-fifth of the annual production is not such a deficiency but that it can be made up by such requests as that recently issued for motorless Sundays. The disquieting part of the figures deals with the summer months, when the consumption of gasolene reaches its “peak.” Between January 1 and April 1 we increased our gasolene-naphtha stocks from 8,400,000 to 11,000,000 barrels, and it is the heavy demand since April 1 which has brought us to our present enforced economy. “Down with the furnace-man,” is the Fuel Administration’s cry to the patriotic householder, Every ton of coal should be carefully nursed by the person most interested in seeing that it gives the last heat-unit to his fam- ily. Furnace-men pile up the furnace at five o’clock so that it may last all night. What interest have they in economy? They have not had to beg on bended knee for the few tons of coal the dealers have deigned to give them. They have not had to beseech drivers and shovellers with tears in their eyes and cash in their hands to put the coal away in the bins. They are not threatened with being frozen out of house and home when the. coal gives out. Dr. Garfield need not wor- ry. Householder will do his own stoking this winter; he will have to use, not a shovel, but a teaspoon, while feeding the furnace, and he will weigh each lump as though it were sugar. The question which presents itself to tenders of furnaces is: Does Dr. Garfield himself live in a resi- dence where he has to do his own furnace-feeding or in a steam-heated flat? There could be nothing more light- hearted than the German Admiralty’s admission that U-boats are being sunk almost as fast as they are being built. Sitting snugly in a swivel chair, a Von Tirpitz thinks it feasi- ble to point out how German seamen must go on throwing themselves in- to the hungry North Sea day after day so as to keep sinkings of British, American, French and Italian ships at the current minimal figure. But what will the German people, whose — sons cannot sit in swivel chairs and figure out profits and losses in terms of human lives, think of this Admi- ralty confession? It is one thing to take a chance, with thousands of others, in battle, or even, on occa- sion, to volunteer for a forlorn hope; but it is quite another thing to be de- liberately drafted for a service that spells sure death. Such a _ cold- blooded proceeding, freely admitted, will hardly be calculated to blow pa- triotic enthusiasm, already gray ashes, back again to a _ glowing flame. paneer pacvor ts Ta a a ene oe rea i . September 18, 1918 USEFUL CHRISTMAS. GIFTS. That the Council of National De- fense desires not to work a hardship on anybody, whether retail dealer or store patron, is evident from the careful manner in which it prepared its recent statement to the trade. All that the Council is endeavoring to do is to bring about a restrained, rational, eminently sensible Christ- mas; and this is a good thing not only for the duration of the war, but for all time. All good things under the sun have been abused. This was especially so of our beautiful Yuletide. Prior to the war these abuses had become so flagrant that a decided reaction had set in. And there were many local associations of retail dealers—especi- ally in the larger cities throughout . the country—that were interested in suppressing some of the evils incident to our manner of Christmas shop- ping. This high governmental en- dorsement of a constructive program on the part of retail dealers will be of tremendous value in putting across some much-needed reform measures. Take, for example, the idea of use- ful gifts. Why should anybody ever buy gift commodities of an impracti- cal, showy nature—something mere- ly to look at and enjoy for a moment, and then cast aside as useless? The time and effort spent in the produc- tion of such commodities are wasted, The money spent in purchasing them is squandered. The enjoyment afforded by the giving of them van- ishes with the occasion. And the whole idea underlying such gifting is wrong. Time and again in the columns of this paper and many other trade publications of this country this silly sentiment has been rebuked and retail dealers have been urged to encourage a more sensible kind of giving. The rapidly increas- ing cost of living during the period just preceding the outbreak of the “war lent encouragement to this cam- paign for practical Christmas giving; and now that we are in the midst of the war, and the demand for the ut- most conservation of man _ power, material, and transportation is upon us, the 1918 holidays should be a period of practical giving. The “shop early” idea has been be- fore the public for several years; but this year it should receive an em- phasis which hitherto we have been unable to put upon it. Delayed holi- days’ shopping means, for the dealer, crowded aisles, increased overhead during the shopping period, confu- sion, mistakes of clerks, items handed over the counter but not charged— clear losses to dealers— and many other inconveniences ‘and disadvantages too numerous to cat- alogue. And why ail this? Simply because people in every hamlet, town and city throughout the country had gotten into the habit of postponing their holiday shopping till December —often until the very last week pre- ceding Christmas. There was no reason for it. It was just a silly, un- justifiable habit. In order to accom- modate himself to it. the dealer had to take on extra holiday help and keep his store opened until ten or MICHIGAN TRADESMAN eleven o’clock in the evening. He and all his salespeople were dead tired at the end of the day, and by the end of the holiday period many of them were almost nervous wrecks. For many a poor, dog-tired salesman or salesgirl, the very word Christ- mas was another name for hard work. The Government has now said that the people may have their Christmas holidays, and they may buy their gift commodities, but they must use a little common sense in their buy- ing: they must buy, for the most part, sensible commodities, and they must shop early. The dealer must not employ extra help for the holi- day period, and he must keep his store open no later than his usual hours. People can just as well buy their holiday merchandise some time during the months of October or November as later. It will be far better for them as well as the store, if they will do so, If they do not ‘and persist in having the same old unreasonable Christmas, more drastic measures may be taken by another Christmas. The President’s trip to the Pacific, now abandoned, would have con- sumed not less than a half-month of his time, and the communities that flooded the White House with invi- tations cannot’ mingle much surprise with their disappointment. It is a penalty the Nation pays for its size that it cannot see its leaders in war- time as England sees Llovd George or France Clemenceau. We shall not lose a Presidential message to the people, for Mr. Wilson can find other opportunities to deliver speeches whenever he sees fit. We need count no loss to the Liberty Loan caim- paign, for the loan will succced with- out the stimulation of a Presidential tour. What we lose is a translation of the unified and heartfelt sentiment of the country into an ovation ex- pressive of the enthusiastic popular support of the war-aims the Presi- dent has done more than any one else to define, But we can do with- out any such symbol of National feel- ing. It isa time for the uninter- rupted application to war tasks, of which the President gives an ex- ample. It is to be hoped that the President’s example will be followed by Crown Prince McAdoo. In the first place he cannot talk worth cold beans. In the second place he is needed at his desk to decide the many great questions which are arising daily and should be settled without delay. War exigencies have been made the pretext for many changes in commercial ways and for putting an end to abuses which merchants them- selves had countenanced and were afraid to discontinue. These ran all the way from extended credits and absurb discounts to indiscriminate- ness in permitting the return of goods that had been sold. Now the self- same merchants who encouraged the pernicious practices are thankful at having a plausible pretense for stop- ping them, and it will be a long time, if ever, before they are resumed. Not the least of the objectionable things was the getting out of a needless multiplicity in styles of articles. All along the line manufacturers were getting out too many sorts. There were too many varieties of pots and pans and tools and screws just as there are too many kinds of hats and shoes. Sometimes the variation was a matter of whim or caprice, the de- sire to make something different. At other times the idea was to meet or create some freak taste or desire. Rivalry of competing manufactur- ers emphasized the evil and made it costly to the dealers as well as to the public. Now a great deal of this has been stopped in obedience to the suggestions of the War Industries Board, and none are gladder than those who were originally responsi- ble for the existence and continuance of the practices now abandoned. There was just enough of a re- minder of the approaching Autumn in the weather of part of the past week to stimulate retail buying. But, as a matter of fact, the merchandis- ing season is governed much by the date of school openings which bring many families back to the cities. Children’s clothes have to be re- placed and, quite naturally, the buy- ing for their elders has to be con- sidered at the same time. It is as yet too soon to determine what ef- fect the increased prices will have on the volume of buying, although indi- cations are that that will be reduced. Delays in purchases for men’s wear are expected until after the results of the registration for the new draft are known. A factor likely to aid in early buying, especially as concerns luxuries and the higher-priced arti- cles of wear and household adorn- ment, is the prospect of a tax on such purchases. Buying in the pri- mary markets is rather at a lull for the present. There are too many un- certainties as yet as to costs of pro- duction, and then, too, there is a very wise conservatism on the part of banks against loaning on specula- tive purchases while prices stay at their present high level. Quite a close tab is also kept on collections which continue to be very good. Except Holland and the three Scandinavian countries, practically all of Germany’s merchant marine outside German harbors in August, 1914, has been seized either by ene- my or indignant neutral nations. Chili and Peru are the latest to take control of German shipping interned in their harbors, following Spain’s example. At the present time a very large part, placed by some at nearly one-half, of her whole merchant ton- nage has been taken from Germany and put, either directly or indirectly, at the Allies’ disposition. While the war goes on these sequestrated ships daily prove of aid and comfort to Germany’s foes. After it has ended, she will then have to start her com- mercial life over again, as it were on crutches, much handicapped in the international race. BEASTLY AND BRUTAL. All the German princes, including the Crown Prince, are known to be rotten with disease which unfits them for association with decent peo- ple. It was an abomination for Crown Prince Rupprecht to marry the young Princess of Luxemburg. He was the death of his beautiful first wife, partly from reasons which the Tradesman would not think fit _to print, partly neglect and general unkindness. His wife was the only beauty among the Bavarian royal women. Many of the young German Prin- cesses are pretty, but quite inane. Princess Rupprecht had a dark, spir- ited face, full of intelligence, but tragic and sad. Her unhappy story is quite well known in Europe and is the subject of constant talk and in- dignation. Germans of the brutal type—which includes all members of the royal family—liked Rupprecht; he was 100 per cent. male, and a “good fellow,” but no woman de- -fended him. As a husband he was below even the German standard which God knows is bad enough. Crown Prince Rupprecht, by the way, believes that -he is entitled to the throne of England through his descent from the Stuarts. So, when this war ends, he will be dis- appointed in more ways than one. Penmmmniaaeamneeiaememmnssmamamndimmamannninstl Federal authorities are not quite certain whether it will prove practi- cable for all our men in the army to vote in the coming elections. The soldiers and sailors stationed on this side of the Atlantic are not to be de- prived of their right to cast ballots. They can all be reached easily enough, and the public is will- ing to await final news of re- turns until their votes can be counted. With the men in France or on the high seas, the situation 1s different. Yet, even here, every ef- fort should be made, every facility should be availed of, so that a man who is fighting in the trenches some- where in France, or standing watch on a patrol boat in the North Sea shall have the opportunity to express his will as a voter. During the Civil War the Government considered it the part of wisdom to permit the men who were preserving the union to have their say in the final decision. So now, although the political issue this fall is much less momentous than that of 1864, the soldiers and sailors are entitled to every possible oppor- tunity of exercising their preroga- tives of citizenship. Bismarck acknowledged and_ re- gretted that English was the lan- guage of North America. Attempts were made by Germans in America to modify this great fact, but Ger- many has now rendered them abor- tive. The language of Shakespeare, of Chaucer, of Milton, of John Bun- yan, of Wordsworth and of the Scriptures, is the language of North America—and nothing can change this mighty fact. Those who are liv- ing on this continent must accom- modate themselves, and their preiu- dices to this fact. 10 Michigan Poultry, Butter and Egg Asso- ciation. President—J. W. Lyons, Jackson. ee Hurley, De- troit. Secretary and Treasurer—D. A. Bent- ley, Saginaw. Executive Committee—F. A. Johnson, Detroit; H. L. Williams, Howell; C. J. Chandler, Detroit. Basis of Returns Established By Food Administration. The U. S. Food Administration has issued a further statement in regard to the relations of shippers and re- ceivers of produce as affecting the basis and character of returns. The statement follows: Dealings . between receivers and shippers of poultry, eggs, butter, and other produce have been the source of many disagreements because of the absence of a definite understand- ing as.to how the commodity was to be handled and sold for the shipper. The greatest difficulty has resulted from the lack of an agreement be- tween the receiver and the shipper as to whether the goods were to be sold on commission or were bought by the receiver, which has opened the possibility of giving a receiver an unfair advantage. A statement on this point has al- ready been made, but a more de- tailed explanation of the stand of the Food Administration seems de- sirable. In receiving goods shipped in to him a licensee handling produce acts in one of two capacities—either as an agent of the shipper in selling commodities or as a purchaser of the commodities from the shipper. Some licensees are engaged in both forms of business and confusion has arisen in the minds of shippers as to exact- ly how their shipments are to be handled. Licensees should be gu ded by the following principles: 1. If the licensee acts as an agent for the shipper in disposing of goods he must render an account sale show- ing the sales made for the account of the shipper, the amount deducted by him for compensation, and any other charges. In some cases it is the practice for commission mer- chants to take to their own account goods which are consigned to them as agents. Where an agent so takes to account, it is required that this fact be noted on the account sales. The shipper will then know the nature of the transaction. This re- quirement is in addition to any ob- ligation at common law resting on the receiver to obtain the consent of the shipper to such a transaction. Licensees who handle commodities for shippers for a certain compensa- tion even though not expressed in terms of percentage or called a com- mission, are none the less commis- sion merchants, and must comply with the regulation governing com- mission merchants. 2. If the licensee is not acting as agent for the shipper, and the inten- tion is that the licensee shall pur- chase from the shipper, this should be clear to the shipper as well as to the receiver. The use of expressions by the receiver in connection with such a transaction which would lead the shipper to believe that the re- ceiver is acting as an agent for the shipper is misleading and unfair. Purchases are made under dif- ferent arrangements as_ to _ price, usually in one of the following ways: (a) The receiver agrees to pay the shipper a definite price upon ar- rival of the goods. (b) The receiver agrees to pay the shipper a price having a definite relation to the market price on the day of arrival. (c) The receiver agrees to pay the shipper a price to be determined by the receiver on the day of arrival. Such agreements are not prohibited by the Food Administration. In the third case (c) it is clearly implied in the agreement that the price to be paid by the receiver shall not be arbitrary but shall be reasonable un- der the circumstances. The Food Administration will so construe such agreements, and the parties should so understand them, Where a dealer is handling com- modities in several different ways, the only method of making clear the nature of any particular transaction is a definite written or oral under- standing. Cases, however, have been called to the attention of the Food Administration where a_ licensee never does any commission business, always purchasing outright. In such cases the nature of the business may be entirely clear to the shipper with- out a definite written agreement. The buyer should show by a memoran- dum of purchase exactly what the nature of the transaction is, includ- ing the purchase price and any de- ductions permitted by the contract of purchase, and he must not use any expression which will lead the ship- per to believe that the transaction is an agency transaction. In order to avoid misleading statements’ the Food Administration has _ insisted that the licensee shall discontinue. the use of the term “net return basis” to describe purchases. “Net return basis” implies that there is a gross return and that something has been deducted to reach a net return. It is an expression applicable to an agency transaction and not to a purchase. SERVICE PIOWATY QUALITY Largest Produce and Fruit Dealers in Michigan Fancy Figs and Cluster Raisins Beautiful stock. Write us for prices and place orders promptly. This is very necessary. M. Piowaty & Sons of Michigan MAIN OFFICE, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Branches: Saginaw, Bay City, Muskegon, Lansing, Jackson, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Mich., South Bend and Elkhart, Ind. We Buy We Store We Sell GGS GGS GGS We are always in the market to buy FRESH EGGS and fresh made DAIRY BUTTER and PACKING STOCK. Shippers will find it to their interests to communicate with us when seeking an outlet.’ We also Offer you our new modern facilities for the storing of such products for your own account. Write us for rate schedules covering storage charges, etc. WE SELL Egg Cases and Egg Case material of all kinds. Get our quotations. Kent Storage Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan E. P. MILLER, President F. H. HALLOCK, Vice Pres. FRANK T. MILLER, Sec. and Treas Miller Michigan Potato Co. WHOLESALE PRODUCE SHIPPERS Potatoes, Apples, Onions Correspondence Solicited Wm. Alden Smith Bldg. Grand Rapids, Mich. Mr. Retail Grocer: A large amount of money is being spent by this Company in forceful advertisements to the housewife to “Buy Coffee From Your Grocer Only.” The big effort is Anti-Peddler Anti-Premium Anti-Mail-Order. Your co-operation, and it’s needed, will yield you a good profit and bring you satisfied coffee customers. Ask our representative or write for par- ticulars. The Woolson Spice Company TOLEDO OHIO —— September 18, 1918 porrot ncaa EES a i ; September 18, 1918 Farmers Should Select Their Seed Corn Now. Written for the Tradesman. D. R. Van Atta, county agricul- tural agent for Ohio, is urging farmers to adopt preparedness for next year, by selecting their seed corn at once. Looking ahead to next year’s crop is very important at this time in order to avoid the un- fortunate conditions that prevailed last spring. Now is the proper time for farmers to select their seed corn, says this authority on corn; for, by selecting their seed corn now, they can avoid the shortage that occurred last spring. Many farmers last spring paid as high as $10 a barrel for seed corn, and were lucky to get it even at those figures, but there will be no old corn left to fall back on for seed as was done last spring. It is the patriotic duty.of every farmer throughout the country todo his part in helping to avoid a gen- eral seed corn shortage. Every one who fails to select his seed corn this fall and properly care for it dur- ing the winter is running the risk of not having good seed next year, and is also endangering the security of the country, for food is absolutely essential to the winning of the war, and good seed is the first prerequisite to a good crop for next year. The importance of corn can hard- ly be overstated. Indeed we may say that corn is king among the crops of the United States, and in order to produce next year the big- gest corn crop in the history of America, corn growers should select their seed corn at the earliest possi- ble moment. Many farmers seem slow in realiz- ing the tremendous importance of good seed corn. As a matter of fact many of them hardly give it a thought until a few weeks before planting. This was the situation with many of them last spring. When they went out to the old rail pen to select their corn, or to the crib with the leaky roof, they dis- covered that they had no corn that would germinate’ properly. The early frosts and freezes had almost ruined it. Much of it had to be left standing in the shock until late in the winter. Good seed corn was scarcer last spring than it had been for years, and that in spite of the fact that we had an immense corn crop in this country. As a result farmers had to take such corn as they could.get for planting. Much of it was very in- ferior. Corn grown in one locality would be secured for seeding land in some other state, and it often happened that it was too large for the soils in which it was planted, or too late to mature in the climate. And as a result there was a shortage in many instances due entirely or for the most part, at least, to improper seed. Frank Fenwick. + -. Ohio Packing Company Contributes to Red Cross. The Columbus Packing Co. dis- tributed among it officers and em- ployes for their personal use 500 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN pounds of sugar secured on certifi- cates for use in curing meats. All of this sugar issued to officers and employes for personal use and still in their possession is to be re- turned at once to the place of busi- ness of the company and will be dis- tributed to consumers on canning certificates issued by the Franklin County Food Administration Com- mittee at cost price. In addition to ordering the return of the sugar, the Food Administration suggested that as a further penalty it could suspend the license of this company for a cer- tain period of time. In lieu of that penalty, however, the company agreed to donate $500 to the Colum- bus Chapter of the American Red Cross. —_+--+_____- No More Half-Pound Prints. The following special rule govern- ing manufacturers, dealers, brokers and commission merchants in butter, has been issued by the U. S. Food Administration: “Rule 5. Manufacture and Sale of Prints of Butter Weighing Less Than One Pound Prohibited. On and after September 15th, 1918, no licensee shall manufacture or sell units of butter in print form that weigh less than one pound; provided, that this rule shall not prevent a re- tailer from cutting a unit weighing one pound or more and selling a portion thereof to a consumer.” _———-> oo Cold Storage Eggs Defined. The Food -Administration an- nounces the following revised defi- nition of cold storage eggs to apply under its existing rules and regula- tions: “For the purposes of the regula- tions governing wholesalers, re- tailers, and all other dealers in cold storage eggs, cold storage eggs are eggs that have been held in a cold storage warehouse for thirty days or more at any temperature, whether above or below 45 degrees Fahren- heit.” ———_2.---————— It wasn’t flag-waving and speech-, ifying that raised the splendid crops with which our land is blest to-day. It was digging, toiling, sweating— all in accordance with a wise plan and high-strung resolution. Nature does her part when we do ours. Re- solve, plan, work and stick to it— that alone will win the war. Knox Sparkling Gelatine A quick profit maker A steady seller Well advertised Each package makes FOUR PINTS of jelly SIDNEY ELEVATORS Will reduce handling expense and speed up work—will make money for you. Easily installed. Plans and instructions sent with each elevator. Write stating requirements, giving kind machine and size platform wanted, as well as height. We will quote a money saving price. Sidney Elevator Mnfg. Co., Sidney, Ohio ir Ask about our way BARLOW BROS. 11 Grand Rapids, Mich. Rea & Witzig Produce Commission Merchants 104-106 West Market St. Buffalo, N. Y. Established 1873 United Seates Food Administration License Number G-17014 Shipments of live and dressed Poultry wanted at all times, and shippers will find this a good market. Fresh Eggs in good de- mand at market prices. Fancy creamery butter and good dairy selling at full quota- tions. Common selling well. 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, Uncle Sam Wants the Whole Dairy Family Bossy her father and brothers—the man, woman or child who feeds and milks her —the man, woman or child who makes her milk into butter, cheese, ice cream, condensed milk, milk powder or any other shape or form, and the man, woman or child who used her milk in any form, all the folks who make or sell machinery and equipment she makes necessary to go to the National Dairy Show Columbus, Ohio October 10th to 19th Where he is going to deliver to each one A great war message On the team work he wants to do with the dairy people And how he wants The dairy people and the consumers of their products To work together. This is a call of duty and opportunity. GO plete line of staple drugs. MOORE'S LAXATIVE COLD TABLETS The best known treatment for COLD and GRIPPE contains BROMIDE OF QUININE, retailing 25 tablets for 25 cents. Right now is the time to get in your winter supply. furnish you with a full line of Proprietary Medicines as well as a com- We can We specialize on Grocery Drug Sundries and have made a study of the needs in this line of General and Grocery stores, we can therefor give the best of satisfaction and service. THE MOORE COMPANY TEMPERANCE, MICH. GRAND RAPIDS Onions, Apples and Potatoes Car Lots or Less We Are Headquarters Correspondencej Solicited + Vinkemulder Company ~: MICHIGAN APPLE BARRELS Get our prices for prompt or fall shipment. Reed & Cheney Company Grand Rapids, Michigan Send us your orders Both Telephones 1217 ALL KINDS FIELD SEEDS will have quick attention. Moseley Brothers, GRAND. RAPIDS. MICH. DEE RE ERS SEG EE RTT PN TE RE GSR MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 18, 1918 12 . an = =~ = s 2 oe == = @ = : Se a = = 4 = = = - a Sf. =’ FINANCIAL: :} = = 2 : = = to conan rad — en —_ = = tr 6 t J p ly - SSD n » % Y t — —— Washington Activities As Viewed Congress regarding the proposed By a Grand Rapids Man. Washington, D. C., Sept. 18—The more one sees of Washington de- partments the more one is impressed with the colossal size of the business of running this war. Take one in- stance alone—the S. O. S.—‘Service of Supplies.” From confusion and intricacies when the army was young in the present war to. efficiency which now renders it almost perfect, efficiency is the record made by the Quartermaster General’s department. As fast as a division is formed at any of the cantonments, rations and sup- plies of all kinds are listed, so much for each man for a certain ‘period, and thereafter at certain periods these rations and supplies are issued automatically. The procuring of these is an immense job. With 1,600,000 men now in France, what will it be when we have 4,000,000 men in France. This brings us into the divisions of purchasing, produc- tion and transportation, all of which have been reduced to a complete system, but one can well see that it takes an army of capable men to take care of the multiplicity of de- tail in order that our army promptly receives the food and supplies nec- essary for its subsistence. To this end everything is being speeded up in all departments, as prompt service is imperative. If the service over here and “over there” is not up to the mark, the wires sizzle with re- marks of the higher officers. Ex- cuses do not go. The men at the head are like the city editor of a morning paper who when a reporter tried to explain why he fell down on a story said. “H—l, I can get a boy for $3 a week to make excuses. What T want is results.” The consequence is that all departments here in Wash- ington, so to speak, are on their toes working from 8 in the morning un- til 6 at night for the general em- ployes, and no limit for the lieuten- ants, captains. majors, colonels, etc.. in charge of the various branches of the “S. 0. S.” The ordinance de- partment is another division of the service which is performing a gigan- tic work. The office building at 9th and B_ streets is more than two blocks square and the various de- partmental divisions occupy more than a thousand rooms’ where thousands of clerks and_ stenog- raphers are emploved. It is a veri- table beehive of clerical industry. Although not officially stated, it can be said that the policy of the Government is to send into active service the younger set of men, com- missioned and civilian, and replace them with the older men who are qualified in the various branches of industry and commerce to fill the various desk positions through the transfer to active service of the pres- ent incumbents. Men of experience and ability will find no trouble in en- tering the Government service, but the Government cannot afford to make mistakes and will probe into the careers, character and qualifications of the applicants. It is also said that men of ability who are above the draft age will be eligible to desk positions. ; Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo has made a sensible proposition to war tax bill, and that is that Liberty bonds be partially exempted from sur taxes. His proposal, disclosed in a letter to Congressman Kitchin, holds that it is well to stabilize the market price of bonds, and hints that a higher rate of interest will be necessary hereafter if the high sur taxes are to be applied to the in- come from Liberty bonds. It is be- lieved Congress will heed this recom- mendation, as the elimination of the bond income will make a broad and liberal market for Liberty bonds. Another development of great in- terest not of, but interwoven with the financial, is the definite an- nouncement that Congress will at this session give the American peo- ple relief from the high cost of living. The first step in a comprehensive programme destined to lower food costs, chiefly, will be the introduc- tion of a bill putting the country’s meat supply in the hands of the Government. This measure comes as a result of disclosures made by the Federal Trade Commission of the large profits packers are making and the methods by which they make them. It will open the whole ques- tion of the soaring cost of living which to-day is causing Congress much concern. Other measures will follow, aimed at other evils. The eyes of Congress have been opened to the tremendous drain upon the pockets of the breadwinners, where legislators themselves are victims of the profiteers. Thousands of letters are pouring in to them, the general tenor of which is that a _ patriotic Nation, willing to give “until it hurts,” is being forced to “give up” or go without food necessities. The bill to take over the packing houses probably will be opposed by Presi- dent Wilson and Food Administra- tor Hoover. President Wilson has indicated to the Federal Trade Com- mission that he believes legislation of this kind is not necessary at the present time. Members of the Com- mission do not agree with the Presi- dent and Mr. Hoover. The bill has been drafted, Some of its sponsors are about to begin long speaking tours in the approaching Liberty loan campaign, hence for the present the bill will not be pressed for en- actment until late in the session. The Farmers’ National headquar- ters are up in arms regarding the water power bill which has already passed the House. Representing the bulk of agriculturists in the country, George P. Hampton, managing di- rector of this organization, has writ- ten a letter to the President, in which he says, “We ask most earnestly that if by any chance the water power bill with the recapture and the long term lease is passed by Congress, you will veto it. We feel it would be unjust to our soldiers and sailors to commit the Government in any way to a policy of leasing the natural re- sources, The pending water power bill will make life harder for every returned soldier.” The bill provides that natural water power sites owned by the Government may be leased to private individuals or corporations for development on long term leases. The writer overheard, in one of the principal hotels here, a spirited Wm. N. Senf, Secretary Fire Insurance that Really Insures The first consideration in buying your fire insurance is SAFETY. You want your protection from a company which really protects you, not from a company which can be wiped out of existence by heavy losses, as some companies have been. Our Company is so organized that it CAN NOT lose heavily in any one fire. Its invariable policy is to accept only a limited amount of insurance on any one building, in any one block in any one town. Our Company divides its profits equally with its policy holders, thus reducing your premiums about one-third under the regular old line charge for fire insurance. MICHIGAN BANKERS AND MERCHANTS’ MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE CO. FREMONT, MICHIGAN Going |to France? If you are going to France with the Govern- ment forces, you can relieve your:wife and family of all business cares while away by placing your financial affairs in‘the hands of this Company. There are many things we can do for you— collect and receive your income from all sources and deposit it to your credit so that you or mem- bers of your family may draw checks against it— take care of the payment of your insurance pre- miums and your taxes—place your securities and valuables in safekeeping. In short, we willtake entire charge of the business management of your affairs and in addi- tion will gladly give you or your family any ad- vice or suggestions developed from our twenty- eight years of trust and investment experience. THE MICHIGAN TRUST Co. OF GRAND RAPIDS Send for Blank Form of Will and Booklet on Descent and Distribution of Property. Audits made of books of corporations, firms and individuals. Clay H. Hollister, President William Judson, Vice President. Carroll F. Sweet. Vice President. —— Capital $800,000 ESTABLISHED, 1853 Surplus and Undivided Profits: $1,029,158.35 Resources: \ Sag mA [a Dee gt S)NAL BANK $14,930,647.35 Willard Barnhart, Chairman of the Board. G. F. Mackenzie, Vice President and Cashier. H. A. Woodruff, Assistant Cashier. H. Van Aalderen, Assistant Cashier. THE OLD Monroe at Pear! Grand Rapids, Mich. - xs - , rneane m - cota i . = REET renee ee ence nena nec ee a aE area Te aaa ciiall September 18, 1918 discussion on the Sunday gasoline saving order issued by the Fuel Ad- ministration. A gentleman from New York City said if Fuel Admin- istrator Garfield would look around him he would discover some gross inconsistencies and cited one instance of a Wall street banker who travels between his home and his office in a high priced, high powered machine. The round trip covers 60 miles and he consumes about one gallon to six miles and each round trip consumes 10 or more gallons. For six work- ing days at least sixty gallons are consumed. At 27 cents a gallon the cost is $16.20. There is a clerk in the financial district who maintains a ford. He goes to church Sunday and is wont to give the family a Sun- day afternoon outing. He travels about 60 miles Sunday at the rate say of 20 miles to the gallon. This clerk consumes three gallons a week at the cost of 81 gents. “Fuel Ad- ministrator Garfield’s order, this gentleman concluded, “says in effect, It is highly consistent for the banker to consume ninety. gallons during week days, but the banker’s clerk must under no circumstances con- sume three gallons on Sunday.” This interested me because I am in the three gallon class. Paul Leake. ———_+ +. The Supreme Peril—It is German- ism Still. Yes, although we lick military Ger- many out of its boots we may yet be conquered by industrial Germany af- ter all. This is the biggest menace that confronts America to-day. You hear a lot about “interlocking direc- torates” among our own “captains of industry” through which many in- dustries are said to be controlled and ruinously exploited by a favored few. This is one of the standard bogies which some of our adroit politicians love to “view with alarm” for two weeks before election day. But do you realize that Germany for over a generation has been work- ing unceasingly to get just this kind of a strangle-hold on American in- dustries? And she has gone a long way toward success. At the outbreak of this war she practically dominated our metal mar- ket through the American Metals Co. and its branches. Their heavy interests in a few of the more valu- able and indispensable metals would eventually have put our vast iron and steel industries practically at the mercy of German capital if war had not waked us up. And this is only one item. The same practice has been going on steadily and progres- sively along many other vital lines of Amercan industry and commerce. And Germany is now planning after the war to resume this “commercial invasion” business at the same old stand. Shall we go to sleep again and let her do it? Now is the time to wind up the American Big Ben and set it to go off loud and continuous on the day we have the enemy back of the Rhine. A venomous spider among the nations, Germany persistently gathers up and spins anew the broken strands in her impalpable—almost invisible— web of intrigue, her tireless effort to ensare all people in her skein. We must begin now to sweep the whole mess out of the door. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN FOOLISH FRITZ. Written for the Tradesman. I have so often wondered Why! Fritz you’re such a fool If the facts you’ve fully pondered Though you are of German school, As to believe the specious stories Which the Kaiser tells his folk And cannot see he glories In making truth a joke. The world is so enlightened No matter where you go— From southland to those brightened With eternal caps of snow That the gink in Afric’s jungle Or the dub in Arctic zone Would never err nor bungle On the dog that wants the bone. Pray what’s the hallucination What is the dose of dope The menial aberration Hot-air or pure soft soap That a race who should be wiser Than the Eskys round the pole Are hoodooed by a Kaiser Who would a world control. You have a land of plenty Where stretches far the Rhine If ten times as rich or twenty We'd gladly say ’twas fine, But somehow your old Kaiser Like he’d nothing else to do Pretends to put you wrser Lest we take it all from you. And in his crazy night-mare He comes to think as true The bunk he gives in o’er-share And passes out to you. ’"Stead of some one wanting Deutschland What does the old Hun do But just turns loose his war band Seizes France and Flanders too. It’s time the German nation Inspects the Kaiser’s head And for their own salvation Get a saner one instead. His works belie his story See the France-Belgian tand! It is your shame! not glory— And the Kaiser’s mailed hand. Charles A. Heath. —_>+___ New Policy of War Financing. Enough has leaked out of the con- ferences attendant on the switching of control over war savings efforts to indicate that the change marks an entirely new policy of Government finance. The fourth Liberty loan was too nearly organized and at hand when the new policy was adopted to permit of any marked change in its floatation, but follow- ing the campaign the tendency ‘will be toward financing the war by con- tinually increasing sales of short term securities which only at distant intervals are converted into long term bonds. The first manifestation of the ten- dency is to be a continual war sav- ings certificate drive, in which the effort will be to draw from every self-sustaining person in the United States a stated weekly investment in savings securities; instead of an occasional drive for stamp sales, a stated proportion of the income of every patriot will be diverted to war savings. This development is expected ‘to do away entirely with the sale of Liberty bonds on weekly payment plans. Such bonds will be sold only under the Government plan of four, five or six payments, spread over a comparatively short time. It is also planned to do away with $50 bond sales, and possibly, although not probably, with the $100 bond. The $50 bond costs the banks and the Government more in time and expense of sales explanations and handling, coupon cashing and con- version details than the $1,000 bond. By eliminating it the person whose patriotism is appeased by buying a $50 bond twice or three times a year might buy a $5 savings certificate every week. There are only two operations in handling the savings certificate. The sale and payment five years thereafter. An ultimate development of the present program is expected to be the popular sale of Treasury certifi- cates, such as are now sold to the banks, although they would be of somewhat longer maturity and would be ‘handled similar to the method of selling short term British bills. This is a sour world for the man with a sour disposition. 13 139.141 Mon St re Con GRAND RAPIDS. MICH. OFFICE OUTFITTERS LOOSE LEAF SPECIALISTS 237-238 Pear! St. :aear the oridge» Grand Rapids, Mich. GRAND RAPIDS NATIONAL CITY BANK CITY TRUST & SAVINGS BANK ASSOCIATED the city. district. Combined Total Resources TRUST & GRAND RAPIDS NATION CITY AV CAMPAU SQUARE The convenient banks for out of town people. Located at the very center of Handy to the street cars—the interurbans—the hotels—the shopping On account of our location—our large transit facilities—our safe deposit vauits and our complete service covering the entire field of banking, our Institutions must be the ultimate choice of out of town bankers and individuals. Combined Capital and Surplus ... ‘ cee Combined Total Deposits .. veneeeee eS. 1)724,300,00 iiss as thes * "40,168,700. Bn eee 18, 187,100.00 AL CITY BANK S INGS BANK ASSOCIATED WM. H. ANDERSON. President J. CLINTON BISHOP, Cashier Fourth National Bank United States Depositary Savings Deposits Commercial Deposits 3 Per Cent Interest Paid on Savings Deposits Compounded Semi-Annually IZ 3% Per Cent Interest Paid on Certificates of Deposit Left One Year Capital Stock and Surplus $580,000 LAVANT Z. CAUKIN, Vice President ALVAj3T. EDISON, Ass’t Cashier eS Se ae 14 Ne ee te MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 18, 1918 Commercial Credit Co. Obtains Re- traction From Tradesman. In the issue of Michigan Trades- man June 26, 1918, on page 14, under article entitled “Fraudulent on the Face,” correspondence between Com- mercial Credit Company, Baltimore, and our editor E. A. Stowe, regard- ing certain notes of Partin Manufac- turing Company, was published, to- gether with comments. After receiving letter of June 24, published below, from Commercial Credit Company, we find upon inves- tigation that Commercial Credit Company purchased certain notes from -Partin Manufacturing Com- pany for value and in good faith, and being innocent holders, we know of no reason why they are not entitled to collect same from the makers, as this Company, as well as_ several Michigan merchants, was also im- posed upon. We also are satisfied that Commercial Credit Company is doing a legitimate semi-banking busi- ness and that neither the Company nor its officers would knowingly be- come a party to any fraudulent trans- actions. In view of the above, this paper and Mr. Stowe, its editor, admit their error and hereby retract deroga- tory statements against Commercial Credit Company in the article re- ferred to, and especially the follow- ing in Mr. Stowe’s letter of June 24: “T do not believe you can find a jury in Michigan who will award you a verdict on such fraudulent notes, in the face of your own admissions and with a full knowledge of all the circumstances connected with the fraudulent transactions in which you voluntarily became an accomplice by seeking to profit by the ill gotten gains sought to be obtained by your partner in crime.” The following letter of June 24 to us from ‘Commercial Credit Com- pany was received after our issue of June 26 went to press, and is as fol- lows: Baltimore, June 24—Were it not for the misstatements in yours of the 20th, I would not dignify same with a reply. Your narrow view of an or- dinary commercial transaction at the time it took place seems founded up- on your desire to retain the patron- age of your subscribers by encourag- ing them not to live up to their signed obligations. These notes were not only not fraudulent on their face, but ad- equate consideration for same was acknowledged by the signers thereof. Whether such was or could be given was a matter between the signers and Partin Mfg. Co. They were negotiable paper, which any pur- chaser for value is iustified as re- garding as worth a hundred cents on the dollar, according to the credit, at the time, of the signer and of the Company, both of which were then good. : In handling negotiable paper, it would be absurd for us or banks be- fore buying or discounting same, to make enquiry of the signer thereof, as to whether or not he expected, for any reason, to contest its payment, which seems to be your idea. We made it plain in our letter of the 10th that we paid value in good faith for the notes and your state- ment that we “voluntarily became an accomplice by seeking to profit by the ill gotten gains sought to be ob- tained by your partner in crime” is, in plain language, a lie, as well as that we are “a party to a fraud of this character.” We do need you to intercede for us before the Almighty, as you will have trouble enough taking care of yourself if you are generally as care- less with the truth and facts as you have been in yours of the 20th. You assume that we paid little or nothing for the notes, but were the “tool” of the Company to collect same and then divide the plunder with the Company, even in spite of our sin- cere effort to give you the real facts. In the eyes of the law, a man must suffer who, by his negligence, or carelessness, makes it possible for a third party to be imposed upon. These merchants, by signing notes acknowledging value received, which they now deny, made it possible for these notes to be negotiated, and they, not we, should pay the penalty. How you can figure that such mer- chants should not pay a cent, while we, as innocent victims of their stu- pidity, should sustain all the loss is beyond understanding. Your ideas of business ethics, ful- fillment of business obligations, and even fair-mindedness, make it un- necessary for us to waste any further time with you in this matter, except to say that if you dare publish your letter to us of June 20, 1918, we will be obliged to sue you for libel. . E. Duncan, Chairman of the Board. —_—_>-2> The Scientific American, reviewing an account of Garabed Giragossian’s machine, wonders that such an “in- vention” could gain the ear of Con- gress. The reason is not far to seek. Congress would have a short memory if it forgot that its failure to extend adequate financial support to S. P. Langley choked his experiments with the aeroplane. Some members proba- bly recall that Ericsson presented his design of the Monitor to incredulous officials, and that the ship was launched by private capital. Yet Ericsson was a _ distinguished en- gineer, the builder of great Swedish canals, when he came to America. Sir Hiram Maxim was neglected and flouted by officers of our Government, but was received in England warmly, and made as great a success there as Hotchkiss in France. Simon Lake has recently told of the repeated dis- couragements he met in trying to place his submarine plans before the authorities; and declares that he re- gards Secretary Daniels’s establish- ment of a civilian board to pass on inventions offered to the navy as one of the prominent achievements of the Administration. It is not strange that Congress is so uneasy lest some great discovery be lost through its neglect that it is ready to chase verit- able will-o’-the-wisps. >. ___ The most shrill clamorer for $2.50 wheat cannot object to the Presi- dent’s action in placing the guaran- teed price for the 1919 crop at $2.20. He refers tolerantly to the difference of opinion, declares that it cannot be settled definitely until we know what next year’s farming costs will be, and announces his intention of appointing a commission next spring to deter- mine whether an advance over $2.20 is just. The wheat grower may prepare a maximum acreage in confidence that he will be dealt with generously. The President mentions the great loss the Government might incur if peace came and Australian and Argentine wheat were released while we main- tained a price high above the world’s market rate. But in justice to the farmer, we shall have to go on facing this risk. The commission next spring cannot concern itself with the question whether peace may come by early fall, but must take up solely the question of the farmer’s costs in rais- ing his 1919 crop. The farmer is for war purposes devoting his main ener- gies to a crop that might sudden'y become almost a drug on the market; he is to be assured a reasonable profit no matter what the war’s changes. ———__. 2» -—..-- “If America cannot see that our duty to our country lies first of all in our duty to our neighbors then we are blind indeed to the basis of real patriotism, which is only neigh- borly kindness.” JOIN THE LU hy STIS LLL 7 33,000 [CO Satisfied Customers know that we specialize in ae uel) and service. THE BANK WHERE YOU FEEL AT HOME WE WILL APPRECIATE YOUR ACCOUNT TRY US! Assets $2,700,000.00 CLAUDE HAMILTON Vice-Pres. JOHN A. McKELLAR Vice-Pres. Mercuanrs Lire Insurance ComMPANY Offices—Grand Rapids, Mich. Has an unexcelled reputation for its Service to Policyholders $3,666, 161.58 Paid Policy Holders Since Organization WM. A. WATTS President Insurance in Force $57,000,000.00 RELL S. WILSON Sec’ y CLAY H. HOLLISTER Treas. SURPLUS TO POLICY HOLDERS $479,058.61 HE naming of the Grand Rapids Trust Company as Executor and Trustee means that you will bring to the settlement and management of your estate the combined judgment and busi- ness ability of its officers and directors. The most competent individual has only his own experience and knowl- edge to qualify him. This Company offers your estate the collective knowl- edge and experience of its officials. ASK FOR BOOKLET ON “DESCENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROPER- TY” AND BLANK FORM OF WILL. FFRAND RAPIDS [RUST [,OMPANY OTTAWA AT FOUNTAIN BOTH PHONES 4391 Safe Deposit Boxes at Three {Dollars Per Year and Upward oa pee RE THagegest ee Carson ee EIT cern ire September 18, 1918 LAVISH BUYING. Credit Not Conducive To Unneces- sary Purchases. Not much approval is being given in retail dry goods circles of the sug- gestion that steps be taken, as a war- time economy, to put a restriction on consumers , purchasing on credit. Most of the apathy toward the sug- gestion appears to be based on the opinion that this would by no means ensure economy, but that jt would possibly have the effect of injuring business without doing the Govern- ment or any one else any good. “Without in any way entering into an argument regarding cash versus credit buying by consumers as a gen- eral proposition,” said a well-known retail merchant,, “I think there would be nothing gained by restricting sales of merchandise on charge accounts, either by putting an extra cost on the goods, as has been suggested, or in any other way. Merchandise has been sold on credit far too long to admit its being stopped or curtailed without disrupting business very ser- iously, Every one knows that all business is founded on credit, and re- moving this factor in consumer buy- ing would practically be removing the keystone of the arch of retail trade, “Suggestions regarding the cur- tailment of retail credits all appear to be based on the idea that this method of doing business is, in itself, waste- ful. This is not so. If a store’s credit department is properly run, the element of waste is insignificant. “From my knowledge of the pres- ent situation I would say that credit men in this and other cities are vol- untarily eliminating those things which tend toward waste. They are making determined efforts to force slow accounts into line, and, failing this, are cutting them off the list. As to opening new accounts, the tenden- cy on the part of most credit men at this time is strongly conservative. So marked is this tendency in some cases that there have been conflicts of opinion on the subject between them and the ‘men higher up.’ “Selling on credit is one of the greatest stabilizers of business that I know of. It has often been said that the cash customer is anybody’s customer, but that when a customer had a charge account continued pat- ronage of the store granting it was more or less assured. If the same customer has accounts in several stores the result is virtually the same. for sooner or later the point will be reached where one store will be pat- ronized for garments, another, pos- sibly, for millinery, a third for shoes and hose, and so on. “In any event the buyers and mer- chandise men of these stores are given definite bases on which to work, and the loss through over or under buying that is prevented in this way is sufficient, in my opinion, more than to offset any waste that legitimately may be charged against the charge account method of doing business. It does away with the need of exces- sive clearances, for the buyer, know- ing the business he did at a given MICHIGAN TRADESMAN time on a given line of goods in one season, and being at least fairly able to gauge demand through the num- ber of people who regularly patron- ize his department, is able to make his purchases without any great fear of a sudden and marked increase in this patronage. Likewise, it guards against underbuying, and the need of going into the open market and re- stocking a popular garment or article at a higher price, which in itself is often a source of loss at a time like this. “Unfortunate as it may be, there are and will continue to be a great many persons in this country who will not voluntarily heed the pleas that are being made for wartime economy and general conservation of resources. A great many of these persons are women, and they can be divided into at least two general classes, One of these is the type of women, who, either through their own efforts or through the high wages made by their husbands or sons, have more money to spend now than they ever have had, or are likely to have again. The other is the class of butterfly women who think the war is ‘awful,’ but let it go at that. Many of the latter have plenty of money to spend, and both classes referred to are spending it freely. “Now, a point that I think should be brought home as forcibly as pos- sible is that a great deal more of the so-called luxury or wasteful buying is being done by persons who have been used to paying cash for their purchases than by those who have charge accounts. In most of the AIl- lied countries, especially in England and the United States, the war has, generally speaking, made the poor more able to indulge in the comforts of life and the rich less so. I have heard any number of little stories of. the fulfillment of life-long desires for certain luxuries on the part of women who formerly hesitated over the spending of an extra dollar, but who now are in a position more or less to run amuck in a financial way. In spite of their present excess of ready money many of these womer would have difficulty in qualifying for a charge account. Yet, apparent- ly, the credit method of doing retasi business is being made the ‘goat’ of their expenditures. “As to the butterfly class of women, patriotism is secondary to their creature comforts. The country may need money, but they think they need new dresses, and they get them. They work on the theory that ‘George’ will lend the money that the Government needs. Many of these women have charge accounts, but what would happen if their pur- chases on these accounts were limit- ed in any way? They would either split up their purchases among sev- eral stores or they would pay cash. In this way they would buy just as much as ever, and possibly more. “Naturally, to pay cash, the cus- tomer has got to have the ‘ready money’ with her, and if she is well supplied with it she is more apt to let it go quickly than if she had the restraining influence of a large bill for purchases to meet at the end of the month. In other words, when she pays cash day by day the fact that her expenditures are large in the ag- gregate are not brought to her at- tention with the same force as it is when the things she has bought have to be paid for in a lump. “Also, to have money with which to pay for cash purchases it is neces- sary for the customer to carry it on her person, This not only encour- ages her to give way to a sudden whim to buy an expensive bit of mer- chandise, but it means that the money has most likely been withdrawn from a bank. If all the charge business in this city, and throughout the country as well, were suddenly abolished and all transactions placed on a cash basis, necessary withdrawals from banks would doubtless be of such size as to hamper their operations very serious- ly. It would mean that there would daily be great sums of money car- ried around in handbags and pocket- books that otherwise would be at the service of the banks until monthly bills for merchandise bought were rendered. “All in all, it would seem as if the purposes of the Government would best be served by Stronger appeals for conservation on the part of con- sumers rather than by attempts at regulating methods of conducting re- tail business. If people want to spend money they will do it. This fact ex- isting, the method of spending it— cash or credit—counts little.” 15 Kent State Bank Main Office Ottawa Ave. Facing Monroe Grand Rapids, Mich. Capital - - - ~- $500,000 Surplus and Profits - $700,000 Resources 10 Million Dollars 3 Ms Per Cent. Paid on Certificates of Deposit The Home for Savings Attention Merchants! Insure with the Grand Rapids Merchants Mutual Fire Insurance Co. We will insure you at 25% less that Stock Company rates. No membership fee charged. We give you 30 days to pay your premium and do not discriminate. We are organized to Insure Build- ings, Stocks, etc., any where in the State of Michigan. Since our organization we have saved our members Thousands of Dollars, and can do, proportionally, the same for you. Home Office. Grand Rapids The Eyes of the Army your interests. The difference between failure and success is often a matter of obser- vation. Our boys will win because they are quick to see. A chance to hit does not pass unheeded. If you don’t watch the Business Wants Department of the Michi- gan Tradesman you will probably miss many a chance to advance NR rar ne eee a aa TRADESMAN September 18, 1918 16 MICHIGAN (af 2 hth 3 } - WOMANS WORLD | |; | | foe — = { Christmas Gifts for the Boys “Over There.” Already the first advertising for Christmas business has _ appeared. Marshall Field & Co., Chicago, have put out an advertisement urging im- mediate purchase of Christmas gifts for boys at the front, ensuring cer- tain delivery, and those stores that have not yet advertised Christmas goods for the boys “over there” are beginning to think of ways and means. Certain it is that the adver- tising, strong advertising of Christ- mas presents for the men in the ser- vice, should begin soon, and it is up to the stores as far as the consumer is concerned, to do their utmost in getting the presents delivered to the boys. In order to satisfy the customer regarding delivery of goods, Marshall Field have advertised that a receipt will be brought back after the goods bought of them for Christmas gifts have been delivered. They also maintain a War Bureau, where in- formation relative to military or Red Cross activities may be secured. Many plans will probably be work- ed out for the development of the early Christmas business, plans which will provide for shipment of mer- chandise, probably through a Paris office, or representative. An interesting idea that has strong advertising value is one which may be adapted somewhat along the lines followed by John Wanamaker, New York, in the establishment and op- eration of their Gift Plan Bureau. It will be remembered that this bureau takes the name and address of a customer who wants to know what a friend would like to have for Christmas, and sends an enquiry to this friend, keeping the name of the customer secret and giving the cus- tomer the information after it has been secured. Now, along this same idea, why should not the stores offer to collect the presents which different people want to send to the men abroad, of- fering to hold shipments until the last possible moment, at which time all the gifts for that individual would be sent at one time, asks Women’s Wear. In other words, if Mrs. Jones is going to send a present to her son, George, who is over at Brest; and Fanny, his sister, intends sending him something, and so does Mrs. Smith, his aunt, why should not the store offer to send these presents at one time, thus saving for itself the duplication of the work of shipping, and also acquiring a splendid hold on the trade of all the friends and re- lations of George Jones. Mrs. Jones, knowing of the service, and knowing that her sisters and brothers and other relations contemplate sending something to George, is apt to tell these people of the service that So- andso is rendering, and the friends are more likely to go to that store. Together with such a service might be incorporated a war service similar to that offered by Marshall Field & Co., keeping clients in touch with the positions of troops and camps, as far as such information is obtainable, informing them of the best and shortest way of sending packages, how such packages should be addressed, and how goods should be packed, how long it takes to get to the various headquarters of the army abroad and at home, and simi- lar information which the consumers may want to obtain. This would en- tail no great difficulty on the part of the store supplying such information, much of it being obtainable from Post Offices and the War Depart- ment in Washington. The point is to find some outstand- ing qualification which will make a strong impression on the ‘consumer’s mind as a reason for buying the goods at a certain store. The ad- vantages of obtaining such a dis- tinctive talking point are many. First, the indelible impression of service, the impression being strengthened by the fact that the service is in con- nection with someone near and dear who is fighting for democracy; then the advantage of getting a foothold oy the business of groups, of getting people to talk to their friends about the store and the service that it is rendering. Profiteering, as the exacting of excess profits in war times is known, is decidedly out of favor. Talk on all sides is heard of manufacturers of articles essential to the carrying on of the war exacting exorbitant profits, and the same accusation, to a certain degree, is being made against the retailers. Service of the kind referred to tends to offset such ideas; in fact, sets the consumer thinking in the opposite direction, provided there actually is no profi- teering going on. The fundamentals of the Phitet mas gift business, as far as gifts in- tended for abroad are concerned, are certainty of delivery and care in making delivery. Reputation—which cannot be built over night—is a strong factor in securing such busi- ness, for the consumer must have supreme confidence in a store before he will entrust to it the deliverance of his gifts for the boys “over there,” and so everything in the merchandis- per er ee NS AE AC A A A A ACO TAA AANA AAA AAA AAI AIA AS AAAI SS ing and advertising of such goods that will help build the impression of certainty becomes a strong factor in securing and maintaining business. Another plan for the development of Christmas business that will prob- ably be developed is that of making up combination packages of various kinds, including not only sweetmeats and smokes and reading matter, but combination packages of articles of apparel, Khaki shirts and ties, prob- ably, or dozens of woolen socks, or combination wrist warmers, sleeve- less sweaters and sox, and other com- binations of the same nature, might be packed together in a neat “Service Box” and readily sold. Articles of utility will be strongly in demand, of course, but knick knacks and lux- uries of camp and army life will cer- tainly not be ignored. The men’s departments, it is easily seen, will receive an unusually large share of Christmas business, and war will be reflected throughout the gift pur- chasing in all departments, even the women’s. That there is big business to be done there seems little doubt, and the more the stores strive by originality of idea and method to get the business, the bigger and better and earlier the Christmas business will be. —_++>—___ Necessity of Retail Merchants Keep- ing Accounts. Washington, D..C., Sept. 18—The revenue act now pending in Congress is expected to produce $8,000,000,000. This means a tax on the average of more than $76 for every man, woman and child in America. The average per family is nearly- $340. In many businesses taxes will be one of the largest items of expense. It is of the utmost importance, there- fore, that every concern in business, large or small, whether corporation, partnership or individual, shall main- tain an exact record of its receipts and expenses, in other words, keep accurate accounts. Taxes should be considered as an expense of the year for which they are assessed rather than for the year in which they are actually paid and the necessary re- serves should be provided for at once. Because of the large amounts to be collected, the Bureau of Internal Revenue will be compelled to check the income tax returns filed by ,tax- payers more closely than heretofore. The retail merchant who is able to place before the Internal Revenue Inspector book records showing ex- actly how he arrived at his statement of net income will greatly facilitate the Government’s task of collecting the war revenues and save himself annoyance and expense. No special system of accounts is prescribed by the Internal Revenue Bureau but the books should show in detail inventories, pruchases, sales, capital investments, deprecia- tion and similar items required in making up the income tax return. Every merchant should study the in- come tax law and regulations and see to it that his accounts are kept in a manner that will enable him to de- termine his net income for taxation purposes. Aside from the necessity of keep- ing systematic accounts in order to comply with the Government’s re- quirements, every progressive mer- chant should adopt an approved ac- counting system for the good of his own business. In no other way can he further his financial interests more effectively. It has been proven time and time again that accurate accounts are absolutely essential to success in business. The merchant who has a good accounting system is able to eliminate waste and wun- necessary expense and can so con- trol his purchases and his credits as to greatly lessen the chance of fail- ure. The inventory, which cannot be taken without some form of ac- counts, is the compass of a business. Without it the direction in which the business is heading either for suc- cess or failure cannot be determined. In the complexities of modern business costs must be calculated with certainty in order to determine what the selling price of an article should be in order to yield a reason- able profit. This is impossible with- out books of account. The profits of a business or the losses of a business cannot be de- termined without book records; and now that the Nation requires every citizen to contribute to the war bud- get within his means and income, the returns cannot be made with any degree of accuracy without books of account and annual inventories. The bad debt loss of the Nation, which runs into large figures annual- ly, is due in large measure to inex- perience and inability. If the mer- chants would keep even the simplest books of account the bad debt was- tage would be reduced materially, for inability and inexperience are usually marked by the absence of an accounting system. Owing to the withdrawal of man power from industry it is essential that every business man be more frugal and exert himself more effec- tively to conduct his business effi- ciently. Extra effort put forth in carrying on the business so as to in- crease volume at less expense, will decrease the chance of failure, in- crease the earnings of the merchant as a reward for his effort, and enable him to share more liberally in the governmental financial program made necessary for. the ‘successful prosecution of the war. The man who knows the exact con- dition of his business from day ‘to day has an immeasurable advantage over the individual who has no records upon which to base his oper- ations. It is the duty of every citi- zen especially in these war times to keep in such close touch with his business through record keeping and otherwise as to maintain the great- est efficiency and render to his Gov- ernment every cent due in taxes. Daniel C. Roper, Commissioner of Internal Revenue, ——_+-2--<-___ The rat is gradually being ranked as one of man’s worst enemies. Not sO many years ago it was discovered that rats spread the bubonic plague. Now it appears that they are also suspected of carrying infant paralysis. Dr. Mark Richardson, in a lecture before the Association of American Physicians, now published by the American Journal of Public Health, argues that poliomyelitis is spread by rodents. He finds the occurrence and course of this disease very similar to that of the bubonic plague, and has traced a certain number of cases di- rectly or indirectly to apparently in- fected rats. Should his conclusions prove sound and bear the test of further investigation, then another fearful scourge of mankind will have been subdued. For it is not impos- sible to reduce and keep reduced the rat population, with its burden of in- fected fleas. Decidedly, unless scien- tists suddenly discover some benefit derived by mankind from his con- tinued existence, the rat’s knell has been sounded. paeneenempeeanieennamiepnetiantsenenen peneartentestta neon ene ee cc rn no a ae eae September 18, 1918 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 17 * t . 1 | ABB ee: ‘a SS “== 2). \| = —< 4 Co % FEHIHT| Te _ Without a National Cash Register With an up-to-date National Cash Register A man should not do the work a e @ e machine will do for him A National Cash Register does 15 records which a merchant needs necessary things in 3 seconds. to control his business. Our new electric machines are as € Without the saa a man can- much better than old machines as not do these things in half an an up-to-date harvester is ahead hour. of a sickle for cutting grain. With the register, even a new The latest model National Cash elec: con do them just by press Register is a great help to mer- ed chants and clerks. 1 e keys. dca y It pays for itself out of what it Our newest model makes the _- saves. erchants need National Cash Registers now more than ever before ¢ sovesssseceenennunsantcatunsesscennnauussaconnansssecseaquanereraaennasessee tenn wssevvseeeencnnnncsecs FILL OUT THE COUPON AND MAIL TODAY — — Dept. 10705 The National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio. Please give me full particulars about the up-to-date N. C. R. System for my kind of business. Name : Business Ss Address ee eae ee eee 18 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 18, 1918 i 2 LS Right now when YOU NEED \ WAS REVIEW or tHe SHO is Hi {13 Bn 2))y AVI , ALLL LISI SSS ZY LPS zx. my ye. a “ag Liberty Shoes as a Wartime Measure. Written for the Tradesman. As the reader of these pages is doubtless aware, there has been con- siderable talk of late concerning the introduction of the so-called Liberty Shoe. Hitherto the War Industries Board has made certain radical recommendations concerning the manufacture of shoes, especially with reference to styles and colors, and to some extent concerning materials, trimmings, and finish; and now comes the decree from the same source that war conditions require the introduc- tion of standard shoes. It may be said that there is a plan on foot to standardize, not only shoes, but clothing of other kinds such as hats. suits for men and boys, and many other wear commodities. During the latter part of August certain representative shoe manu- facturers were called to Washington to confer with the members of the War Industries Board concerning the introduction of a standard type of footwear, and it is said that these representatives of the shoe industry were not at first favorably inclined to the proposition, but later were convinced that the introduction of the Liberty Shoe, as well as other standard lines of wearing apparel, was necessary as a wartime measure. From members of the War Indus- tries Board the word has come that the Government believes the time has come for action; that the suggestion had been given to shoe manufacturers some time ago, but they were not in- clined to .look with favor upon the plan; and that now, if the industry opposed the idea or refused to sub- mit a program for Liberty Shoes, the Government would go ahead and draft a plan of its own for making and selling standardized footwear. It is evident from this that the Government is in earnest. And the serious light in which the Govern- ment considers this matter is doubt- less based upon a comprehensive knowledge of the metes and bounds of available shoemaking material now on hand. Being very much in earnest, the Government apparently demands quick action; and so a com- mittee has been appointed with power to act. The committee is composed of ten representatives from the Na- tional Shoe Retailers’ Association, one representative of the Mail Order Business, seven representatives of the National Shoe Wholesalers’ As- sociation, and sixteen representatives of the National Boot and Shoe Man- ufacturers’ Association. It would require entirely too much space to name the members of this committee and indicate their official status with the firms with which their names are associated, but they are men prominent in the shoe industry of this contry. They are big, brainy, level-headed men—who are not only thoroughly loyal to our Government and anxious to do all that they can in order to help win the war, but they also know the shoe business from the ground up. We may say, there- fore, that the War Industries Board will have the benefit of the very best specialized talent in seeking to draft some sort of a program for the pro- duction and distribution of a standard type of shoe for the duration of the War. The Purpose of the Liberty Shoe. If any one is disposed to ask, “Why a Liberty Shoe anyhow?” is, “For economy’s sake.” Conservation is the idea back of the whole project: first, to conserve the materials of which shoes are made, and then by making them on certain standard lines, make it pos- sible for the consumer to get them at the least price consistent with the cost of production and distribution. The subject is, to be sure, a vast one, and there are many things to be considered. For one thing (and this is one of the first things that comes into one’s mind as he considers the introduction of the Liberty Shoe), what will be- come of the large stocks of shoes now on the shelves of retail dealers throughout the country if the im- pression should be created (intention- ally or unintentionally) that patriotic citizens must wear only Liberty Shoes? Manifestly any Government sanctioned program with reference to the Liberty Shoe that would make unsalable present stocks of excellent footwear would be an anomalous sit- uation. It would defeat the very pur- pose of conservation. We may be sure that the Government will not do anything to help gum the works in this fashion. : The introduction of the Liberty Shoe will doubtless be deferred long enough to allow retail shoe dealers to sell their present stocks; or it will be introduced gradually—tentatively —and along with present accumula- tions of shoes; and introduced and exploited in such a way as not to kill the value of this :good merchandise HONORBICT | Jw SHOES For!Bigger andjBetter Business the answer THEM, and when they are so HARD TO GET, we have on the floor the Black Bullseye and Arrow Short Boots SIZES 6 to 9 PRICE $3.95 THEY ARE AND WILL GO FAST DO IT NOW! Grand RapidsShoe @ Rubber(o The Michigan People Grand Rapids 9 Your Big | Demand To-day 1S Keds Our Stocks Are Very Complete Now. Send Your Sizing Orders at Once. Rindge, Kalmbach, Logie Company Grand Rapids, Mich. Ss iciaciaeaasiaainintall a TTS STD nee ERIS TFN ae S, S, September 18, 1918 which shoe dealers have bought in good faith. Certainly the Govern- ment owes it to the industry to see to it that no scarehead impressions get out which might work irrepara- ble injury to honest, patriotic men who carry stocks of footwear mer- chandise. And one can readily see how such impressions might be _ scattered abroad. Newspapers are eager for the sensational stuff; and from many occurrences during recent years we know that they often get an entirely wrong slant on matters associated with footwear. And the tide of patri- otism among the American people is rising higher and higher; so that the Liberty Shoe idea, if not wisely and prduently broached, might conceiv- ably defeat its own purpose and throw many hardworking smali re- tail shoe dealers into bankruptcy. I think I know the temper of the men composing the American shoe industry, and something also of the spirit of the men who retail shoes; and I believe they are thoroughly patriotic. They want to see the war won. And they are perfectly willing to do anything in their power to help win the war. And it may also be assumed that the Government appre- ciates this, and would not seek to harm them (directly or indirectly) by any injudicious or hasty program concerning the distribution of stand- ardized footwear; but in view of the readiness at which certain types of minds jump at conclusions, and es- pecially in view of the eagerness for sensational matter on the part of the average newspaper, it behooves those who are promoting the Liberty Shoe to safeguard against misunderstand- ings and wrong impressions. Cid McKay. —_—_—_> o> —__- Activities in Michigan Cities. Written for the Tradesman. The cement plant at Bellevue is running full blast, with 200 employes. This is the week of Clinton coun- ty’s sixty-fifth annual fair at St. Johns, the fair closing Sept. 21. Benton Harbor now has Liberty barrels and the people are helping the Government by saving peach, plum and other fruit pits. Battle Creek will adopt the skip- stop plan on its street car lines as a war measure. This week the Michigan Central and Pere Marquette freight offices in Lansing were combined and all business is being done at the Michi- gan Central office on East Michigan avenue. Lansing reports increasing use of the motor truck and the motor bus for freight and passenger business in and out of that city. Many travel- ing salesmen are using the motor car now. The Reo Motor Car Co. maintains regular motor truck freight service between Lansing and De- troit, using six trucks and meeting the boats from Cleveland and Buf- falo at the Detroit docks. The cost of delivering materials to the Lans- ing factory is said to be about the same as freight charges, but the big advantage lies in the ability to get material without delay. A .National truck owners’ confer- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 19 ence will be held in Detroit Sept. 19-20 under the auspices of the De- troit Board of Commerce. The pur- pose is to educate as to better methods. Saginaw will be the scene of the county fair Sept. 23-28 and the agri- cultural exhibits promise to be the largest ever seen there. Bankers of the Upper Peninsula met at Sault Ste. Marie Sept. 12 and elected Fred S. Case, of that city, as chairman of Group 1 of the Michi- gan Bankers’ association. There were interesting addresses by Pres- ident Harmon of the Upper Penin- sula Development Bureau, State Highway Commissioner Rogers and others. Almond Griffen. ——_+2. Nashville Proud of Her Record. Nashville, Sept. 17—Nashville, the smallest town in the Battalion, feels proud of her record in the State troops. The various companies were recruited and the Battalion organ- ized by Maior H, L. Rockwood, of Nashville, who is now in active ser- vice in the Y. M. C. A. in France, and Nashville therefore feels that she is really the mother of the Bat- talion. Furthermore, we feel proud of the record our former members have made and are making in the active service for our country. Thirty former members of Company 6 are now in active service in the National army, most of them already in France, and more than half of them enlisted. All of them are doing splen- did work and give credit to Company 6 for the help it has been to them in military training. The company now has fifty active members and is drilling regularly and showing fine improvement. Capt. Fred White, who has been captain of the company since its or- ganization, has resigned to enlist in the service, and the company is now officered as follows: Captain—J. Wm. Dollman. First Lieutenant—J. F. Bement. Second Lieutenant—E. L. Appel- man. ———+ +9 Do you give your customers bet- ter values than your competitors? If you do, why keep the fact locked within your own breast? They may find it out eventually, but why keep them on the hunt when a little hon- est advertising will get them now? Do You Want to Sell Your Store? PROFITABLE SERVICE rendered to Retail Mer- chants with a record of having closed out stocks of merchandise netting more than 100 cents and better. All Size Stocks Handled. For particulars mention size of stock and object of sale. Cc. N. HARPER & COMPANY, Inc. 905 Marquette Building CHICAGO, ILL. SERVICE SHOES| | that will stand up under all conditions and, tests are good ones on which to build your business. The H. B. Hard Pan (Service) Shoes have stood the test of time. Season after season they have been subjected to the severest test that any shoe could be put by thousands of out door men in every walk of life. They have stood up and today they are regarded as the : standard in service shoe values. Dealers who have handled the H. B. Hard Pan shoe for years say it is more widely and favorably known than any other line they have ever had. From the very first the aim of our factory has been to produce the best service shoe the market offered. By using at all times the very best of materials we have been able to maintain the high standard of quality in our line. Your fall trade will demand a large number of service shoes. Prepare for that business now by laying in a supply of the H. B. Hard Pan Service Shoe. You cannot go wrong on this line. HEROLD-BERTSCH SHOE CO. Manufacturers of Serviceable Footwear GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Fire Insurance On all kinds of stock and building written by us at a discount of twenty-five per cent from the board rate with an additional discount of five per cent if paid inside of twenty days from the date of policy. For the best merchants in the state. No Membership Fee Charges Our Responsibility Over $2,000,000 Michigan Shoe Dealers Mutual Fire Insurance Company Fremont, Mich. Write us for further information. Registered MANY of you have just REGISTERED FOR SERVICE in the Army. But how about the service at your store? You have a duty there. BUSINESS MUST be kept going as usual. You must antici- pate your needs earlier than ever. Hirth-Krause Co. will help you. Place your order with our representative next time he calls if you have not already . done so. Hirth-Krause Company Tanners and Shoe Manufacturers “From Hide to Shoe” Grand Rapids, Michigan 20 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 18, 1918 WARTIME IN RETAIL STORES. Business Is Adjusting Itself to New Condition. No institution, probably, has been affected by the various wartime changes in industry, transportation, and labor so much as the department store. As an ultimate outlet of National production it has found its difficulties daily, its pur- chasing and order placing undergo- ing radical innovations, its railroad and ocean transportation curtailed, its delivery work helped and handi- capped by turns. The greatest snag struck by the merchandise men of the big stores has been lack of goods. One store has found this to be especially true of woolens, another of silk, a third of shoes, a fourth of cotton, a fifth of rubber material, For each there is definite reason. Talk about the wool shortage has become ancient history. According to the majority of store managers interviewed in the preparation of this article, it should more truly have been called a fable. Nevertheless, it is to-day difficult to get woolen goods at anything near the prices paid, say, a year ago. The cause of this is the talk about a woolen short- age at a time when the country is ready to take up war effect talk of any kind. Fearful of being left with- out material to carry on their work, a vast number of manufacturers and merchants stocked up on that product. The prophecy of a _ wool shortage was fulfilled, but not in the manner expected. The shortage to- day, such as there is, is due in the main to the fact that instead of the wool being in the stores of the city, where it can be sold in the form of finished products to the purchasers, it is stacked up high in the ware- houses of the fearful. In order to make them part with any of it, the retailers have to pay exorbitant prices, which, in turn, must be met by the patrons of the™ stores. It is interesting to note that, while our own woolen merchants are bemoan- ing the dearth of the commodity, England, whose suffering is said to be even greater along that line, is shipping us great quantities of woolen hose. Yet the department store merchants are being handi- capped by the rumor-created short- age. In the matter of silk it has been not so much that the material alone has been difficult to get as the fact that labor to turn the material into the finished article has been scarce. What with the constant drafting of men and shifting of women in the dif- ferent industries, the production of silk blouses, gowns, and underwear has fallen. The natural result is that the prices have risen. But, provided they are willing to pay the prices asked, the stores find they can stock up in sufficient quantities to meet the demand. The average man and woman have felt the rise of prices in shoes suf- ficiently to appreciate that some- where something is wrong in the leather situation, As a matter of growing fact, there are two or three places in the shoe industry which have, so to speak, had holes punched in them. First of all, the leather shortage has been felt to a great enough extent to give rise to such rumors as those re- lating to paper and fibroid substi- tutes. There is no question that the armies of the world are making un- heard-of demands upon the leather output of the world. South America, Italy, France, all of these, are now using most of their leather for mili- tary purposes. Shoes for soldiers’ puttees, aviators’ outfits, and belts are pushing the needs of the civilian to the wall. That is the biggest cause of the shoe shortage. The next is the labor shortage. There are few men to make civilian footwear that should be made. A good num- ber of the workers have been drafted. An equal number have left for more lucrative war industries. Those who stay in the field demand a wage increase, and, what’s more, they get it. The merchant who orders to-day a carload of shoes very often does so at an open price. The consumer and the merchant have to face the result. A third factor which enters into this, as well as other commodities, is the -railroad situation. Even if a merchant has placed his order, even if he has been assured that it is go- ing to be filled, even if the manufac- turer has filled his end of the agree- ment by shipping the goods, the merchant is not yet assured that he will have the shipment at the time he most needs it to fill the demands made upon his store. Cars are shoved off into sidings, waiting for a chance to continue to their destina- tions. One New York store has a large order of shoes that has been on its way since January and is com- pletely lost track of. The cotton situation, although of some moment, is not as intense as the others. What shortage is being felt here is due in the main to two things—the labor situation and the Government’s use of the product. The labor question is controlled mostly by women. The spirit of labor unrest is reported to be great among them. As a direct result women have to pay increased prices for things that women refuse to make at lower ones. The merchants are doing almost no importing of cotton products. All that are bought here are made here. There has, how- ever, been a pronounced rise in the cost of the raw product. The Gov- ernment is using and exporting large quantities of cotton for use in the making of gunpowder. This natur- ally curtails the allotment for civilian industrial use. But again, the mer- chant finds he can get the material provided he is willing to pay for it, and again he is forced to jack up his prices to unprecedented heights. In the same manner the call upon rubber goods made by the Govern- ment has meant that the people at home must do without it or sing to the tune of a higher pitch in price. In regard to rubber the merchants are meeting real difficulties in get- ting the finished products. What with Government motor trucks need- ing constant re-tiring, Government troops needing rubber ponchos, rub- ber trench boots and minor rubber accessories, the supply, never in ex- cess of the demand, has been pretty well depleted. What has been said of the chief commodities is true of innumerable others. Some of the merchants, ap- preciative of the coming shortage in many lines, have stocked up on all sorts of merchandise. One of them finds to-day that his supply of hose is greater than it ever was before in the history of the store. His was simply a method of what may per- haps turn out to be undue prepared- ness, He is receiving stocks of ho- siery that he ordered just as soon as he began to suspect there would be a shortage. They are coming in at the price that was current at the time of ordering the goods, and he is reaping a profit that is far above that which the other stores are counting on, According to the opinion of the ad- ministrator of one of the other stores, the theory of this man is all wrong. The business of the depart- ment store merchant is to buy and sell, not to gamble. More lucrative gambling can be done on the stock market at Wall Street. Some day this man may be caught with a quantity of goods which he will be unable to dispose of. The man who suggested such an outcome is one of the most highly trained and efficient in his line of industry. He is more interested in bringing the prices down where they are approachable by the man and woman of ordinary means than he is in elegance of ap- pointments or service. He has in- structed his heads of departments not to try to get the better of im- pending shortages which may prove to be so many bubbles of rumors, but to play safe and, if necessary. sell at prices below cost and at a par with other stores. The brief he holds against high prices is that of hoarding. Ocean and railroad transportation have had no little share in adding to the difficulties of wartime work in department stores. Importation of expensive materials has ceased to a great extent. This, however, has not been considered of as great impor- tance among the saner merchants as the cessation of imports of things which have been considered necessi- ties.. The matter of gloves is a case in point. France was at one time the greatest source of supply of this dress accessory. To-day finished products of any type do not find their way into the holds of ships, and we get hardly any of them. There are no ships for commerce that is not necessary commerce, To a much greater extent, how- ever, is felt the lack of sufficient rail- road facilities in our own country. Special Sales John L. Lynch Sales Co. No. 28 So Ionia Ave. Grand Rapids, Michigan The Book That Takes the Risk Out of Buying For many years “OUR DRUMMER” with its net guaranteed prices has been famous for taking the risk out of retail buying. This is more than ever the case now in these unusual times. It not only makes buying se- cure from the price stand- point, but it removes uncer- tainty in the way of getting goods. Back of the prices in this book are huge open stocks of the merchandise it advertises. Butler Brothers Exclusive Wholesalers of General Merchandise New York Chicago St. Louis Minneapolis Dallas our line. Handkerchiefs for the Holidays Permit us to suggest that you look up your Hand- kerchief stock for the holiday business. We believe we can fill ‘your requirements. Many novelty box numbers with a splendid stock of staple goods. Let us submit samples, or come in and inspect | Quality Merchandise—Right Prices—Prompt Service Paul Steketee & Sons WHOLESALE DRY GOODS GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. & ~ a ssid aaa ~~ a September 18, 1918 The case of the shipment of shoes, above cited, is typical. Since the Government priority ruling, it has been no unusual thing for a depart- ment store to have to wait months for a shipment of goods necessary to its success, In one instance several carloads of paper and twine were be- ing held up in yard after yard, so that goods considered more impor- tant for the welfare of the Nation might be sent on. This situation has become a matter of deep concern with the store managers, who are fast getting down to the point where their supply of wrapping paper is giving out. What that will mean in embarrassment to the firm can be readily appreciated. The deferment of shipments of wearing apparel means but one thing. The consumer has to pay in- creased prices for the small supply that the merchant has to sell. The trouble; however, is adjusting itself. Apart from the labor shortage af- fecting the prices and supply of ma- terial, the stores have had to con- tend with a labor shortage among their own ranks. In one department of seventy young women, seventeen of them left within a month. Such shifts mean a constant turnover of new people. They also mean less ef- ficient service. The spirit of war- time activity and unrest has got hold of the store workers, as it has taken hold of workers in other industries. It is no unusual thing for two or three young women from -Macy’s, for instance, to leave for Lord & Taylor's, and on the same day for two Lord & Taylor girls to apply for work at Macy’s. Lack of stability and “sticking quality” seems to be the undermining influence at work with this type of worker. Want ad- vertisements are constantly calling attention to the innumerable oppor- tunities open for young women these days, and the girls are constantly shifting, trying out new jobs, giving each new place too short a trial to find themselves. One of the larger stores has de- cided to turn to its educational de- partment for a solution of this diffi- culty. It will be a matter of educat- ing the girl or woman to a sense of responsibility and_ self-appreciation. A knowledge will be given her of where she fits into the scheme of running a department store, and how and where she can better herself. All along, according to the: man whose store will inaugurate this method, it has been a case of hit and miss train- ing, done on the surface and not striking very deep, The girl is told how to make out a slip, whom to relieve, to what department head she ig responsible, and other things of that sort. With the men it has been more a matter of vacancies due to the draft than anything else. The solution there-is the hiring of older men and married men, and, where these give out, the inauguration of woman ser- vice. Already some of the stores are contemplating using women on their delivery wagons, as shops are doing. in England. The delivery question at one time MICHIGAN TRADESMAN loomed large before the mind of the department store head. Most of the stores have met the problem by in- troducing the one-delivery-a-day sys- tem. That is, where formerly a store sent. out two or three wagons into a certain district, it is to-day sending one, a full one. Previously the wagons used to go out at the allot- ted times, no matter how light the loads were. Several of the stores are finding the system working well. Not only does it mean fewer wagons, but fewer men. Other shops, how- ever, find that the one delivery too greatly overloads the wagons, and. that any gain in labor is lost in time, and that customers are dis- satisfied. A factor that has effected economy and helpfulness is the co-operation of those women who are learning how to carry home small parcels. Ac- cording to the figures kept by one firm, there has been a decrease of 20,000 packages a month. The ten- dency of this is to cut down prices. With the ever-increasing cost of labor and fuel, the matter of delivery is one that must be taken into con- sideration when the merchant figures his costs and selling prices. In answer to the question whether people were buying to as great an extent as before, the answer usually given by the department store men last week was: ‘No, but more wise- ly. The matter of utility is one that is being considered these days. A woman will perhaps spend more on one garment, but will make that gar- ment serve two purposes, For in- stance, there is every indication that the evening gown will not be seen often this winter; or certainly not as frequently as before. The women will spend more on their afternoon gowns and have those serve the double purpose of afternoon and din- ner service. The same is true of street clothes. The tendency is toward the better, the more staple, the more quiet. Utility is the criter- ion more than dash of style. The popular priced suit of $29.90 is going by the board, in the opinion of the store men, and the serviceable suit of $40 or $50 is coming into its own. “This same economy is being felt in the children’s department,” re- marked a manager. “The doll of $25 that was beautiful and easily break- able has given way to the doll of $4 and $5 which can be thrown about and handled carelessly. In the same manner the $40 and $50 doll house and garage and stable have gone. The American toy industry is taking steps in the direction of the practi- cal and educational. The children are made to profit by the war.” All in all, it has been a matter of adiustment on the part of the depart- ment store merchant. He is begin- ning to find himself under new con- ditions. He does not feel that the war has greatly impaired his busi- ness. He says the percentage and amount of profits are about the same as in the pre-war period. It has been a hard pull, but an interesting one, and business goes ahead, even if it is. not quite ‘business as. usual. 21 A Confession Which Reveals a Great Truth At a recent banquet in Boston of the Retail Credit Men’s As- sociation, a Boston merchant urged as war measures— I. The shortening of all credit terms. 2. Every credit sale be assessed an extra price. He said it was the duty of every merchant to sell no dollar’s worth that will interfere with the Government’s war plans, and added that as the Government had been unable during the past year to spend all it wanted to for the war, there must be an actual shortage of products to win the war. The Cost of Credit. In arguing for an additional price that will discourage credit purchases this merchant stated that in his store it cost the house 10 cents for each credit transaction. If the mere work of crediting every credit transaction in a Boston store costs 10 cents, the cost in Michigan cannot be less. /t may be much more. A Pertinent Question: Who Pays That Cost? All the Store’s Customers Pay the Cost. For the merchant must add the cost of credit transactions ‘to the price of the goods he sells if he hopes to remain in business. Therefore it is quite plain that not only the privileged credit customer pays the cost of credit, but the cash customer, too, must pay an equal part of the cost of doing a credit business. QUALITY SERVICE Retails for 10c a Cake Simply wash goods with Aladdin, the dye- ing will take care of itself. Will not injure the most delicate fabric. No boiling. Will not stain hands. Put up three dozen assorted colors to the carton. Or can be had in solid colors of one dozen cakes to the box. Try a three dozen carton. It will help in- crease your notion sales. Price to dealers 75c a dozen cakes. Grand Rapids Dry Goods Co. Exclusively Wholesale Grand Rapids, Michigan SERVICE QUALITY MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 18, 1918 ors Ee Handling Bicycles as a Hardware Side Line. Written for the Tradesman. Although there has been much talk this summer of the bicycle “coming back,” in most communities it has always been with us. As _ witness the stream of bicycles to be seen any day at noon hour or six o’clock on the streets leading from almost any factory. This condition is perhaps more pronounced in smaller munities where there are no _ local street car lines; but there is ample evidence for the man who _ looks around him that the bicycle is as staple as Shanks’ Pony itself. com- The bicycle is, as the Irishman once put it, the cheapest sort of horse. It requires neither oats nor gasoline. It does not take fright at trains or motor cars; and if the steer- ing gear does go wrong—a rare thing —a barked shin is usually the most serious result. Nor does a man with a bicycle have to wait around while his wife and the youngsters all get dressed before he can take a ride. To many a hardware dealer, the bicycle is an important sideline. It dovetails nicely into the regular hardware lines. The retailing of bi- cycles alone isn’t a big enough item in most communities to carry itself. It must be done by the repair man, who is not qualified as a merchant, or by the hardware merchant, who naturally has the advantage of being a trained business man and a skilled salesman. A good many hardware dealers do not handle bicycles at all. Others feature them to good advantage. Whether the line can be handled successfully depends on the individ- ual circumstances of the dealer. A dealer who knows all about bicycles and likes and believes in the bicycle will usually make a success of this line. An objection often advanced is that the handling of bicycles involves too much work. The labor entailed, however, is as a rule not as large, in proportion to the returns, as in many staple hardware lines. Another objection is the amount of floor space required. “I can always find floor space for a line that pays,” commented a veteran hardware deal- er when I cited this objection. Other dealers hold back because they regard the bicycle craze as an “exploded fad.” Yet in every fair sized community there are hundreds of bicycles. The passing of the craze, years ago, resulted in the bi- cycle simmering down to normal. The result is that to-day the bicycle buyer is, not an enthusiast, but a practical man. He is less difficult to please than he was. Instead of car- rying a heavy stock of varied lines, the dealer nowadays can meet the demand with a comparatively small stock and need not carry more than one make. If the bicycle he carries is a good one, he can make sales without having a big stock. The result is that the hardware dealer can get his share of the bi- cycle business without being com- pelled to tie up a lot of money in surplus stock or devote to the bicy- cle an undue proportion of store space. The presence of a bicycle depart- ment in a hardware store does not necessitate a big plunge into adver- tising, either. The bicycle is now a staple. It is not necessary for the hardware dealer to displace other stock, to give an excessively large proportion of his advertising space to bicycles, or to devote so large a share of his energies to pushing this one line that the other branches of the business suffer. A _ few little items, however, are desirable where the bicycle is handled, to bring that fact home to the buying public. For instance a permanent sign out- side the store should call attention to the fact that bicycles are sold. An occasional window display is desir- able. So, too, is an occasional bit ot newspaper advertising. A corner of the store, not necessarily at the front, can be given to the display of your line. A quite common advertising de- vice is to suspend above the store a sign with a wheel attached. The wind causes the wheel to revolve, thus attracting the attention of passers by. In working up trade, a repair de- partment proves very helpful. This necessity is one which had deterred many hardware dealers from taking up the line at all. Nearly every hardware store, however, has a tin- smithing department, in a back room or upstairs; and the installation of a few machines in a corner of this room would provide facilities for handling bicycle repairs as well. I know of one instance where these limited facilities were sufficient to enable a hardware firm in a city oi 40,000 people to do a thriving trade, both in bicycles and repairs. Of course, if floor space is plenti- ful, a separate department will prove advantageous. But a repair depart- ment, although desirable, is not ab- solutely essential. In many instances a hardware dealer can make a good thing of an agency for a standard make of bicycle without. touching re- pairs at all. In selling, the dealer should not be content to wait for business to come to him. While excessive advertising and display are not necessary, a lit- tle personal work will accomplish good results. It will pay the dealer to look out for bicycle prospects, as he looks out for paint and stove prospects in a score of other lines. If the make of wheel you handle is a good one, each purchaser is pretty sure to be a missionary for your bicycle department. If your re- pair department is capably handled and does the right kind of work, the same thing holds good. The satis- fied customer is your best advertise- ment; and each satisfied customer will tout the virtues of his wheel, and help to bring you new prospects. But it is an easy matter for you to help this process by asking the man who buys a wheel, or who comes back later to get a patch on his tire, if there are any other chaps think- ing of buying bicycles. Jot down the names and addresses, see them personally if you can, or write or telephone them to call and see what you have to offer. Get the names and addresses also of prospects who come unsolicited, and if they can’t be brought to the sticking point the first time, keep after them and see that they actually do call again. Tactful persistence wili do a lot to make sales. A well selected line of bicycle ac- cessories will help to make this de- partment a profitable one. Tires, cement, valves, spokes, pumps, wrenches, bicycle lamps, bells, and other incidentals are all in demand by bicycle users who have learned to do their own repair work; and the dealer should cater to. this class just as much as to the class who depend on him for expert help in case of accidents. The line is one that will pay for intelligent pushing and _ handling. Whether war conditions will stimu- late the popularity of the “poor man’s auto” or not, the bicycle is in any event a staple article, and has a place that nothing else can fill. Victor Lauriston. ——___.|-—.-——— Opportunity has a way of avoiding the man not always ready for busi- ness. H ARNESS OUR OWN MAKE Hand or Machine Made Out of No. 1 Oak feather. We guarantee them absolutely satisfactory. If your dealer does not handle them, write direct to us. SHERWOOD HALL CoO., LTD. Tonia Ave. and Louis St. Grand Rapids, Michigan The ‘Little Gem’’ Battery Egg Tester Write for catalogue and prices. We have the best. S. J. Fish Egg Tester Co, Jackson, Mich. AGRICULTURAL LIME BUILDING LIME Write for Prices A. B. Knowlson Co. 203-207 Powers’ Theatre Bidg., Grand Rapids, Mich. 4 Michigan Hardware Co. Exclusively Wholesale Grand Rapids, Mich. Foster, Stevens & Co. Wholesale Hardware ut 157-159 Monroe Ave. :: Grand Rapids, Mich. 151 to 161 Louis N. W. ee sie cactus siesta LEY ‘tenia ccna siesta LEY “ this preservation of September 18, 1918 WE MUST DICTATE PEACE. Germany Must First Be Brought to Her Knees. Broadly speaking, there is only one way to obtain this security of the nations, this safety of democracy, freedom and civilization, and that is by reducing Germany to a condition where by no possibility can she precipitate an- other war for universal conquest, with all its attendant horrors, upon an unoffending world. Again we are faced by details. How is this to be done? I see only one way in which it can be done, and I will, enumerate the results, the hard facts, the essential conditions to which we must attain. Belgium must be restored. Alsace and Lorraine must be re- turned to France—unconditionally returned—not merely because sen- timent and eternal justice demand it, but because the iron and coal of Lor- raine must be forever taken from Germany. Italia Irredenta—all those areas where the Italian race is predomi- nant, including Trieste—must go back to Italy. Serbia and Roumania must be es- tablished in their independence. Greece must be made secure. Most important of all, if we are to make the world safe in the way we mean it to be safe, the great Slav populations now under the Govern- ment of Austria—the Jugo-Slavs and the Czecho-Slovaks, who have been used to aid the Germans, whom they loathe—must be established as inde- pendent States. The Polish people must have an independent Poland. And we must have these indepen- dent States created so that they will stand across the pathway of Ger- many to the East. Nothing is more vital than this for a just, a righteous, and an enduring peace. The Russian provinces taken from Russia by the villainous peace of 3rest-Litovsk must be restored to Russia. The President, as you all remember, has announced the vast importance of sustaining Russia. If Germany continues to hold a large part of Russia, the world for years to come will be under the shadow of another great war which will surely be precipitated upon us when Ger- many has developed her Russian pos- sessions to the point of yielding her men, money and supplies. Constantinople must be finally taken away from Turkey and placed in the hands of the Allied nations as a free port, so as to bar Germany’s way to the East and hold the Dar- danelles open for the benefit of man- - kind. We must not be beguiled into con- cessions to Turkey, with whom we ought now to be at war, in the hope of separating her from Germany. It would be a miserable outcome to have Turkey retained in Europe, a curre to her subjects and neighbors, a plague spot, and a breeder of wars. Her massacres must not under any pretense be condoned nor her iniqui- ties rewarded. Let Turkey and Bul- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN garia share the fate of their master and be so treated that they will be unable again to trouble the world. Palestine must never return to Turkish rule, and the persecuted Christians of Asia Minor—the Syri- ans and the Armenians—must be made safe. There must be compensation. For the lives of women and children and helpless old men no compensation can ever be obtained. But the things, including pictures, books, and works of art, which the Germans have stolen can be restored, and there can be money compensation exacted for the tribute money wrung from helpless towns and cities un- der the German lash. There must be compensation to Belgium and a partial compensation at least can be found in the disposition of the Ger- man colonies, which ought never to be returned to the Empire which has so abused all the most rights of humanity. ordinary In no other way can we secure the safety for which we are fighting. In no other way can we justify the sacrifices we are making. To this supreme end our efforts must be ad- dressed. I do not underrate the dii- ficulties. I do not underestimate the But the difficulties and obstacles must alike be crushed, set aside, and overridden. The United States occupies, fort- unately, a position in which she will be able to speak with a powerful voice. We seek no territory, no material gain for our own country. We seek only the safety of civiliza- tion and freedom and the assurance of our own absolute independence and our right to live our own lives and settle our own problems in our own. way. There is no territory by which we could be bribed or influ- enced, no trade advantage by which we could be tempted. There is no personal profit which can turn us from the one great object. Our sole purpose is to put Germany finally and completely in a position where she can never again attempt to con- quer and ruin the world as she has done in the last four years. obstacles to be overcome. Complete and utter victory is all we Americans can gain from the war, and that victory we must have. In one word, we must go to Berlin and there dictate peace. This purpose can be accomplished. We shall do it, but we must be above all proposi- tions of a bargained peace, all sug- gestions of negotiations; deaf to every voice which would divert us from the path; deaf alike to the whimper of the pacifist and to the wheedling or truculent appeal of the helpers of Germany. When Ger- many is beaten to her knees and the world is made safe by the arrange- ments which I have suggested, then, and not before, we shall have the just and righteous peace for which we fight. In this way, and in no other, shall we obtain it. We shall obtain it because we are going to win. Let us but be true to our- selves and we shall not then be false to any man. Henry Cabot Lodge. United States Senator from Mass. ee eee ne The Other Man’s Way. A trunk dealer, just prior to each travel season, borrows’ the color plates of a railroad’s latest vacation time table. He then prints up an imitation time table of his own, de- scribing and pricing his newest goods in railroad phraseology, and pointing out that every trip must start from a baggage store. The breezy style of the folder ensures the customer’s reading and using it. The railroad company also profits by having the style of its literature given increased circulation with the traveling public. i - He Found Out! A man down in Missouri put his hand in a mule’s mouth to see how many teeth the mule had. The mule closed his mouth to see how many fingers the man had, and the curi- osity of both man and mule was sat- ised. We like to see pleased. Michigan State Normal College YPSILANTI MICHIGAN Courses in preparation for all types of school teachers from Kindergarten to High School, inclusive. Special courses in Music, Drawing, Household Arts and Physi- cal Education. Fall Term Classification September 27 and 28, 1918 Write for Bulletin. Cc. P. STEIMLE, Secretary -Registrar. everybody The United Agency System of Improved Credit Service Uwrrep A\GEncy ACCURATE - RELIABLE UP-TO-DATE CREDIT INFORMATION GENERAL RATING BOOKS now ready containing 1,750,000 names—fully rated—no blanks— EIGHT POINTS of vital credit information on each name. Superior Special Reporting Service Further details by addressing GENERAL OFFICES CHICAGO, - ILLINOIS 23 Sand Lime Brick Nothing as Durable Nothing as Fireproof _ Makes Structures Beautiful No Painting No Cost for Repairs Fire Proof Weather Proof Warm in Winter Cool in Summer Brick is Everlasting Grande Brick Co., Grand Rapids So. Mich. Brick Co., Kalamazoo Saginaw Brick Co., Saginaw Jackson-Lansing Brick Co. Junction Rives Signs of the Times Are Electric Signs Progressive merchants and manufac- turers now realize the value of Electric Advertising. We furnish you with sketches, prices and operating cost for the asking. THE POWER CO. Bell M 797 Citizens 4261 Gunther Bldg. - 1018-24 S. Wabash Avenue $3.50 $3.50 To Chicago Monday, Wednesday, Friday From Chicago Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Nights. Boat car leaves Muskegon Interurban Station 7:30 P. M. Your Freight Business Solicited. Following Morning Delivery. Tickets sold to all points. Goodrich @ | : im” ©Muskegon ye sie GO OD ea | Interurban ~ St. a i if Station Powers | . a ; | 156 Ottawa Theater Bia ATH Ave. NW. g. ; . a CHICAGO, SEEDS WANTED ALSIKE CLOVER MAMMOTH CLOVER, RED CLOVER SPRING RYE, ROSEN RYE RED ROCK WHEAT, FIELD PEAS The Albert Dickinson Company SEED MERCHANTS 2: ILLINOIS September 18, 1918 wine —_ = | EC SASS UT AN QT NNUN NUNN MMERCIAL TRAVE SUNY — => — = PO Wwey \\\ — = ro MORTON HOUSE GRAND RAPIDS BO a eee ees 75c Per Day EEE a $1.00 Per Day 50 Roomsat ........--.... $1.50 and $2.00 Per Day Two persons in a room 50c per day extra. Special rates by the week. Grand Council of Michigan U. C. T. oc Counselor—W. T. Ballamy, Bay ty. Grand Junior Counselor—C. C. Stark- weather, Detroit. Grand Past Counselor—John A. Hach, Coldwater. Grand Secretary—M. Heuman, Jackson. Grand Treasurer—Lou J. Burch, De- troit. : Grand Conductor—H. D. Ranney, Sag- naw. Grand Page—A. W. Stevenson, Mus- kegon. Grand Sentinel—H. D. Bullen, Lansing. — Chaplain—J. H. Belknap, Bay y- Making Traveling With Children Safe and Easy. Because of the great need for cars, locomotives and men to carry sup- plies of every sort many families will stay at home this summer, rather than take pleasure trips which neces- sitate railroad travel. If a trip with young children is an absolute necessity it should be care. fully planned as far in advance as possible. It is necessary to remember that berths and seats can not now be reserved either by wire or other- wise, but must be purchased with the ticket. If then a change from one road to another makes it necessary to secure sleeping car accommoda- tions again, the traveler will have to take her chances on getting berths and seats, unless sne has sent the money on ahead and has either haa the coupon returned to her or has had it put aside to be called for. In other words, the present regulations do not permit the reservation of space except when it is paid for on the spot. Regular fare on day coaches is now 3 cents a mile all over the United States, and there is pesides an extra charge of % a cent a mile for travel in Pullman or parlor cars. When to these charges the cost of the berth or parlor car seat, plus the war tax must be added, the total cost is ma- terially in excess of the former ex- pense for the same travel. When these changes have been taken into account, and accurate in- formation as to leaving and arriving times of all the trains and boats concerned has been secured, there are still many things for mothers to consider in starting on a journey with children. Food is perhaps her first problem. The easiest child to travel with is the young breast-fed baby. His food is all ready for him, and usually ‘he sleeps most of the time— the train sems to lull him to sleep. The bottle-fed baby presents the greatest problem. His milk should be made ready before starting on the journey. If certified milk can not be obtained the milk should be boiled or thoroughly sterilized, and packed in ice, after being cooled to 50 degrees. The porter will usually be able to have the milk kept in the refrigerator of the dining car, and to bring hot water when it is necessary to warm a bottle. course, not so necessary when the trip can be accomplished in a single day, or even in twenty-four hours. For these trips it is possible to use dried or powdered or malted milk, and make each feeding as it is needed. To keep restless children amused through a long journey the mother should provide them with simple oc- cupations, such as cutting out pic- tures, or coarse knitting. Books, dolls, and other similar toys may be carried also. Unlimited patience will be the mother’s best armament. A long journey is a fatiguing experi- ence even for a seasoned adult and far more so for the restless child unaccustomed to long sitting, and probably more or less upset by the excitement attendant upon the prep- arations for the trip. The mother must keep herself as serene as pos- sible, or her own nervous weariness will react still further upon the chil- dren. Children are frequently overdressed for a journey. Very simply made little dresses of gingham, or any of the pretty cotton materials, or wash silk with bloomers to match, look very nice and will come through a long trip and still be presentable at the end. Mrs. Max West. —_+2>—_—_ Keeping Pleasant Relations. Instead of giving employes the an- nual bonus at Christmas or New Year’s, when the money is taken as a matter of course, a Chicago business house distributes it on the first pay day after the usual summer “hot week.” Accompanying the payment is a note thanking the employe for good attendance during a time that the firm recognizes as especially dit- ficult for working. The novelty of the method is one reason perhaps, why the employes of this concern. have such friendly relations with it. —_22>—_—_ Hands All Round. Gigantic daughter of the West, We drink to thee across the flood, We know thee most, we love thee best, For art thou not of British blood? Should war’s mad blast again be blown, Permit not thou the tryant powers To fight thy mother here alone, But let thy broadsides roar with ours. Hands all round! O rise, our strong Atlantic sons, When war against our freedom springs! O speak to Europe through your guns! They can be understood by kings. You must not mix our Queen with those That wish to keep their people fools; Our freedom’s foemen are her foes, She comprehends the race she rules. Hands all round! Alfred Tennyson. [The above poem was written in 1852.) These .precautions are, of’ OCCIDENTAL HOTEL FIRE PROOF CENTRALLY LOCATED Rates $1.00 and up EDWARD R, SWETT, Mer. Muskegon anne Michigan HOTEL HERKIMER GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN European Plan, 75c Up Attractive Rates to Permanent Guests Popular Priced Lunch Room COURTESY SERVICE VALUE CODY HOTEL GRAND RAPIDS $1 without bath _ RATES { $1.50 up with bath CAFETERIA IN CONNECTION HOTEL GRANT Mrs. W. Boosembark, Prop. Newly Furnished New Management Everything First-class GRANT, MICHIGAN A Quality Cigar Dornbos Single Binder One Way to Havana Sold by All Jobbers Peter Dornbos Cigar Manufacturer 16 and 18 Fulton St., W. Grand Rapids oe Michigan Automobile Insurance is an absolute , : necessity. If you insure with an “‘old line’’ company you pay 33!/3% more than we charge. Consult us for rates INTER-INSURANCE EXCHANGE of the MICHIGAN AUTOMOBILE OWNERS 221 Houseman Bidg., Grand Rapids, Mich. Beach’s Restaurant 41 North Ionia Ave. Near Monroe GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Good Food Prompt Service Reasonable Prices What More Can You Ask? LADIES SPECIALLY INVITED Corner Store For Rent Corner store in well-established hotel. Suit- able for cigar, soft drink and drug trade. Will turn over established cigar trade to tenant. MERTENS HOTEL, Grand Rapids, Mich. warns Seid ees ott THE SHORT LINE BETWEEN GRAND RAPIDS AND CHICAGO FARE—$3.50 one way via MICHIGAN RAILWAY CO. (Steel Cars—Double Track) Graham & Morton Line (Steel Steamers) *_ | CONNECTING Boat Tr ain For THE BOAT Leaves Grand Rapids Station Rear Pantlind Hotel EVERY NIGHT AT 9 P.M. Use Citizens Long Distance Service To Detroit, Jackson, Holland, Muskegon Grand Haven, Ludington, Traverse City, Petoskey, Saginaw and all Intermediate and Connecting Points. Connection with 750,000 Telephones in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Citizens Telephone Company si eect BOAR aah AO anlaASIAI Nl SY A, fh, September 18, 1918 DECISIVE DEFEAT. Germany Must See the Horrors of War. From Arras. to the North sea the Germans are practically back in the positions they have held since 1915. Their front is held together by the string of bases, admirably connected, which begins at Ostend and runs southward, including Roulers, Menin, Roubaix, Lille, Douai, and Cambrai. All of these are directly connected by, rail and form an excellent chain by which effective and rapid distribu- tion of materials can be made. This chain, however, fails when any one link in it has been broken, and, if it is desired to drive the Germans back in the north and inflict the maximum damage, this chain must be broken. There is another point to this fully as important as the strictly military aspect of the situation, and that is the value of the Belgian coast as a naval asset. The importance of both Ostend and Zeebrugge in the submarine cam- paign is generally recognized and has been emphasized by the efforts of the British to choke the channels of these ports. If this chain of mili- tary bases is broken it is entirely conceivable—indeed it is probable— that the Germans will have to fall back in Belgium, giving up all of the coast line and resting their flank on the Holland frontier instead. ‘This will mean that the German sub- marines will have to operate from a German base, instead of a Belgian base. There is therefore a _ very cogent reason why the effort of the Allied commander should be made to break through this chain of bases and to isolate at least one of them from the others. Again there is the importance of the French coal fields centering at Lens. Every ton of coal which France can produce locally releases that much tonnage between America and Europe and increases the fighting strength of America. Aside from this, an almost intolerable economic con- dition in France itself will have been very much alleviated. Practically all this coal land would be at once re- leased by driving the Germans east- ward towards Valenciennes and a great supply burden taken off the shoulders of the Allies. These considerations argue towards a probable effort to break down the defenses along the Canal du Nord and to work across the plain of Douai with the idea of cutting in between Douai and Cambrai and capturing one or both of these bases. The blow to inflict a decisive de- feat upon Germany must come in an- other quarter. presumably in the east, about Lorraine. Until the war has been carried to German soil, until Germany is actually visited with the horrors of war, until she sees her cities torn to pieces, her industries under shell fire, her homes blasted until there is nothing left but the ugly naked walls—this is what must be done before the final surrender can take place, before Germany will even consider acknowledging defeat. To attempt to accomplish this by MICHIGAN TRADESMAN driving the Germans out of France in frontal attacks would be ruinous. There is a much better way based on the superiority of the Allied positions. This position is such that flanking operations are entirely feasible. We have become so accustomed to rea- soning that Germany has had the advantage of position because of her interior lines that we have perhaps failed to realize that there is any other side to the question. Germany’s position is distinctly ad- vantageous for some purposes. But as her opponents create sufficient bases on the outside of the circle back of their lines, when this entire perimeter has been so furnished with supply systems that any point of it can be reached within a short time the advantages which Germany has held cease to exist. It is a much more expensive task; it can only be accomplished by a much more lavish expenditure of labor and materials. But it is entire- ly possible to neutralize Germany’s advantage, except in the one particu- lar of moving troops on short notice. Here Germany’s advantage remains and must remain. But even if the Allies had this advantage it would not be of great value in the attack, and it is as an Offensive force that we must regard the Allies now. Once they have selected the point of attack and have made their concentrations accordingly, it matters not from this viewpoint whether they are on the inside or the outside. The very shape of the battle line is such that the only hope Germany could have of reaching her aim was by breaking the Allied line as she tried to do last March. The Allies, on the other hand, are in a position when an advance which in distance would appear insignificant as com- pared to that of the Germans would mean positive disaster to the German arms. That is why Foch remarked some time ago that as a military con- ception he would much rather have the Allied positions than those of Germany. The fighting of the week, aside from the American attack in the Toul sector, has been of relatively minor importance. The American attack is directed against Metz, the great German base in Lorraine, and strikes at the very foundation of the German positions in France. It is a move to flank the entire Germany army and send it hurrying back towards the Rhine. The Tradesman does not mean that it is anticipated that any such grand objective is contemplated in this par- ticular attack. But the ultimate ob- ject of this attack which is but the first. of many that Germany will have to sustain in this particular theater, is just that. It is the valley of the Rhine, Strassburg, Germersheim and Mayence that we are after, and to- wards which the American attack will eventually lead. It is a move designed to flank the difficult country of the Ardennois and of Luxembourg, to reduce Germany west of the Rhine to the same piti- able state as are Belgium and north- Pca eeeneaR ern ES RT ee eh ee rE EE ENT RS Sa is eastern France. It is the beginning, the first step in the move for a mili- tary decision. —_+ +o Bottom Facts From Booming Boyne City. Boyne City, Sept. 17—For the first time in many years the Michigan Tanning & Extract Co. has been hampered by lack of stock. With an adequate supply in transit, the tan- nery has lost several days in the past month. The Boyne City Chamber of Com- merce held its first annual meeting, at which the result of the choice ot officers for the coming year was au- nounced in the form of a war time banquet. A simple but appetizing dinner was served to the fifty mem- bers, accompanied by music by Fleck’s orchestra, after which the _president gave a short resume of the year’s activities, in things accom- plished, left undone and things to be done. The Secretary, Mr. Ackerman, gave a report of the financial condi- tion and S, A. Fleming announced the officers elected for the coming The officers elected were: . T. McCutcheon, President; William Capelin, Vice-President; W. F. Tindall, the “Strawberry Man,” John Bergy, of Bergy Bros., Sabin Hooper, of the Peoples Bank, S. A. Fleming, of the Boyne City House Furnishing Co., and T. P. Pomeroy, veterinary surgeon, directors. After presentation of the officers, the meet- ing was turned over to Judge J. M. Harris, toastmaster, who after a lit- tle dig at our Secretary introduced A. F. Heintze, manager of the Trac- tion Engine Co., who gave a very good talk about civic association work in general and the bright pros- pects of the Traction Engine Co. in particular. Mr. McAffee, of the Boyne City Silo Co., gave a very in- teresting address on the duty of the C. of C. to the boys of the commun- ity. Mr. McAffee was followed by Rev. R. Wi. Merrill, who, after his usual burst of calorified atmosphere, gave us a really good talk with a real idea in it, about the “Measure of a Man,” in which he brought out the idea that our present advancement is the measure of the manhood that has gone before, and the position of the future of the community would be exactly the measure of the manhood of the present. After the formal ad- dresses the meeting was made a free- for-all, in which any one who pre- sented something was encouraged by the toastmaster, but the chestnuts were promptly squelched by the auto- crat at the head of the table. The meeting broke up at an early hour, as is proper in these serious and strenuous times, with everybody smiling and sober. : The W. H. White Co. is ‘moving its office building from State and Lake street to the B. C, G. & A. property at the depot on North Park street. The burning of the White Mill No. 1, and the abandonment of that site, left the office building en- tirely out of touch with all business of both the Lumber Co., and. the B. C., G. & A. The building will be moved five blocks. The present peace note of Em- peror Carl of Austria calls to mind Gen. U. S. Grant’s peace terms as ex- pressed on several occasions, and we feel that the answer of the Allies should be, “Unconditional Surren- der.’ Our Boys in France could an- swer this “feeler’ without incurring any great expense for cablegrams. Maxy. +. Can Compromise Partin Notes at 50 Per Cent. The Commercial Securities Co., of Chicago, is reported to hold $65,000 of the notes taken by the long-de- funct Partin Manufacturing Co. from Michigan merchants and for which no adequate consideration was ever rendered, due partly to the fraudu- lent character of the business and partly to the fact that the Partin Manufacturing Co. went into bank- ruptcy before it had time to carry out its agreements, if it ever in- tended to do so, which is a matter of very grave doubt on the part of the Tradesman. The holder of these notes, which sturdily asserts its right to recover thereon, is now offering to compromise the claims at 50 cents on the dollar—not 50 per cent. on the outstanding obligations, but 50 per cent. on the amount of the original contract. For imstance, a mer- chant who uttered notes to the amount of $900 and has already paid one $150 note is given the privilege of regaining possession of the re- maining $750 in notes on payment of $300, thus discharging an original ob- ligation of $900 by a total payment of $450. In making this concession the manager of the Commercial Securi- ties Co. states that he realizes that he can never recover on the notes in either justice or circuit courts, but that Supreme Courts always uphold his contention as to the validity of the notes and the liability of the makers; that in order to avoid ap- pealing every case to the Supreme Court he is willing to give the vic- tims of the Partin Manufacturing Co. the benefit of the costs and ex- penses he would otherwise incur in carrying the cases to the court of last resort. a Late News From the Celery City. Kalamazoo, Sept. 17—Steve Mezak, of Mezak & Skof, on Fourth street, is improving after an operation at Borgess Hospital a week ago. Marinus Besterwelt, of the Family supply house, on Water street, is the proud daddy of a new son, who ar- rived at his home Sept. 11. E. H. Priddy, who for a number of vears conducted a grocery at North West street and Kalamazoo avenue, has closed out the stock and discon- tinued the business. A party of about thirty young ladies from the Upjohn office force enjoyed a corn roast excursion to the home of Miss Mary Buckhout, east of Galesburg. The writer was lucky enough to be at the Buckhout farm when the ladies arrived and must ad- mit that they were some “corn roasters.” The offices of the C., K. & S. Rail- way will be discontinued after Oct. 1 and the business of the road handled by the M. C. Railway from its depot. Mrs. C. E. Hickok, of the Baldwin & Hickok grocery, has returned from a two months’ sojourn in the Adi- rondacks. Frank A. Saville. —_—_22.——_—_ Flour Mills Penalized By Prescott. Lansing, Sept. 17—Closing of three mills in Michigan has been ordered by the State Food Administration for failure to live up to regulations. Max Bogacki, of the Bell River Milling Co., in St. Clair county was ordered to close his mill indefinitely until he puts in equipment to grind grains in accordance with food regu- lations. The New Haven Roller Mills, Ma- comb county, was ordered to close for two weeks from September 16 to October 1 for failing to grind grains in harmony with regulations. Thomas E. Neely, of Armada, was ordered to close his mill for a month beginning next Monday, for failure to live up to milling regulations. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN September 18, 1918 26 ee ate 1 2 y) Mow DRUG (ert " 1 SAN), I! fa] »» DRUGGISTS S us LLL) a = = > of wi : 4 sonal NDRIES: (Att: Meee yas, q ‘thas Michigan Board of Pharmacy. President—Leonard A. Seltzer, Detroit. Secretary—Edwin T. Boden, Bay City. Treasurer—George F. Snyder, Detroit. Other Members—Herbert H. Hoffman, Sandusky; Charles S. Koon, Muskegon. Michigan State Pharmaceutical Associa- on. President—J. H. Webster, Detroit. Secretary—F. J. Wheaton, Jackson. Treasurer—F. B. Drolet, Kalamazoo. Michigan Pharmaceutical Travelers’ As- sociation. President—W. E. Collins, Detroit. Secretary and Treasurer—Walter 8S. lawton, Grand Rapids. ——s A Special Showcase for Dispiay Purposes. A prominent advertising expert makes the statement that all drug stores look alike. He-admits that all department stores look more or less alike, also, but points out that the department store is always having a sale, or a drive, or employing some- body to give a lecture, or showing a picture, or doing something to at- tract public attention. Conceding all this, the goods cn display are much the same in all department stores, and the same doubtless holds true ot grocery stores, book stores, and hardware establishments. Of course, the contents of a drug store get somewhat familiar to its regular patrons. There’s the candy case on one side; soaps next to it, perhaps, then toothbrushes, hairbrushes, sta- tionery, and so on down the line. Wee have heard wags claim that they could tell when a cake of soap had been sold or a toothbrush shifted, but this can pass for what it is worth as local humor. However, it is a very good idea to have a special showcase for display purposes. A case that can be placed in the center of the store and viewed from all sides fills the bil! acceptably, but you can operate the plan with a case arranged along the regular side lines, if you so prefer. A case in the center of the store, however, is naturally apt to attract more atten- tion, and we have seen very high cases used to advantage. “Everything for the Bath.” So read a large sign suspended over one of these special exhibition cases recently noticed. This case con- tained soaps, sponges, wash cloths, bath slippers, mats for the tub, flesh brushes, sea salt, toilet waters, at- tachments for showers, and various other articles pertaining to the bath. These had been assembled from the brush case, the soap case, the per- fumery case, the rubber goods de- partment, and so on. There you get the idea. In operating a special case, you take an article from a case here, another from a case on the other side of the store, ransack a closet here, a drawer there, and thus as- semble a lot of goods not usually shown together. You bring articles to light that may have been shifted out of sight, and this is good busi- ness. A suitable placard helps to attract attention. “Vacation Needs.” Under this placard you can _ bring together a lot of stuff—playing cards, safety razors, match first - aid kits, soaps, dentifrice put up in handy style, artists’ supplies, fishing tackle, sporting goods of all sorts, toilet bottles, wrist watches, in brief, anything you may happen to have in stock that might be useful on a vacation trip. Nearly every body takes a vacation, and this brings you into touch with The person contemplat- ine a vacation does a good deal of thinking and planning. The subject is uppermost in the mind for a num- her of weeks and any display or pla- card having a bearing on it is almost sure to rivet attention. The obser- ver immediately begins to ask him- self a number of mental questions safes, requisites, thermos all classes. “Could I use this on my vacation trip?” “Do I need it?” “Would it not add to the pleasure or comfort of the trip?” And so on. Now when you have them “going” like that, the goods practically sell themselves. This il- lustrates perfectly the value of a special display. Very few individuais go prying around the store in search of something they want. But if you group goods under their eyes, they buy a great many things which they wanted and also a great many things which they didn’t realize they wanted until they saw them. An old department store man used to ‘sing this ditty: Man wants but little here below, He is not hard to please. But woman, bless her little heart, Wants everything she sees. “Follow out that idea,’ he used to add, “and it will help you mightily in making a success of a retail store. Put.the goods where they can sec them.” Some lines, such as stationery and school supplies, we naturally keep to- gether. You can give them a chance at the special case from time to time. Last fall we saw a beautiful display of box stationery. The druggist had added nothing to his stock, but showed the boxes spaced rather far apart, with brilliant autumn leaves scattered between. The same idea has been carried out with vines and fresh flowers. That is the way to in- terest people—break the monotony, show them something different. We can easily disprove the claim that all drug stores look alike. Another good point about the special show- case is the fact that it gets the clerks interested in showcase dress- ing and display. work. Gradually they will learn how to get striking effects, and when a clerk does ac- complish something in this line he is likely to tell his friends about if, which helps to advertise the store. If he does nothing more he will hover around the case and attract attention to it in that way. In shifting the goods, too, you get things cleaned up. A case filled with goods holds much dirt that does not appear on the surface. An occupied house seem fairly clean, but when the people move out they are surprised themselves at the dirt they leave behind. Then there is a grand cleaning up, On the same principle, if you move your goods from time to time, you will keep them cleaner and the cases cleaner. Try a special showcase for display purposes. It has many good points. Noel Standish. ————_o- +o ___ These Tags Are Easily Read. Price signs at different levels on a counter, one druggist believes, con- fuse the eye and are difficult to read quickly. His tags are of white card- board of varying lengtns. He lines up his display of articles and then fits the tags to them so that the figure at the top of each card lines up with the rest. may Beli Phone 596 Citz. Phone 61366 Joseph P. Lynch Sales Co. Special Sale Experts Expert Advertising—Expert Merchandising 44 So. Ionia Ave. Grand Rapids, Mich. You Will Benefit More — " from the steady, persistent adver- tising of Mapleine, the ‘‘Golden Flavour’’ that is now as generally sold as vanilla or lemon, by keep- ing your stock up and displaying the goods in the new counter carton. Crescent | Mapleine Order from your jobber or Louis Hilfer Co., 1205 Peoples Life Bldg., Chicago. (M-214) Chocolates Package Goods of Paramount Quality and Artistic Design their requirements. and times. prompt shipments. 1918 Holiday Goods Druggists’ Sundries, Books, Stationery, Etc. UR entire line of samples covering holiday goods, staple sundries, books, stationery, etc., will be on display in our sales room in Grand Rapids on and after September 5th. The very large and well assorted stock is not only the best that we have ever displayed, but the magni- tude of the same and the quality of our purchases will convince our customers and buyers that we were never better prepared than today to meet As previously announced this line was bought with the keen appreciation of present conditions We ask our customers to make dates with our salesmen as has been the custom during the last few years. We advise early buying and Hazeltine & Perkins Drug Co. Grand Rapids, Michigan fs ARRAS sc UA Schoo nna sanitahansonee Ri sea sake tlgaicoe DoS nine on asseatD a j ' ; 3 September 18, 1918 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 27 Can American Dyes Compete with of explosives, illuminating and fuel WHOLESALE DRUU PRICE CURRENT Foreign Products. oils, natural and artificial remedies Many people have asked whether. for disease, photographic materials, Prices quoted are nominal, based on market the day o1 issue. the American dyes are equal to the margarine, soap, rubber, perfume, Acids Cubebs a ees 10 eT as Capstoum ceausce * " : : eg Seas ‘ BISEFON ..cscees 2 AMON .wecee German dyes, formerly imported. artificial silk, and celluloid, ‘whether Bove Gene) “ ae = fake ptns 1 25@1 85 Cardamon, Comp. @1 60 The idea that we were not able to inflammable or noninflammable, is (Garbolic ..... *t*" 67@ 70 Hemlock, pure wean 7 Seok koeveess @1 se : ce : Cg Seat nchona ....... make dyes as good as the Germans _ intimately connected with the princi- Citric ...... oe oo % Seminar Woon, : sas 00 Colchicum ..... ‘ o2 40 originated because of conditions pre- ples and practice of organic chemis- Nitric ......... 10%W 15 aes a + oso2 . Digitalis ot = age . ° . ‘ . vise j 538@ io vailing at the beginning of the great try, while the production of spiritu- Pee cote . ~ Lavender Flow. 7 25@7 50 Gentian @1 50 war. As the stock of foreign dyes ous liquors, dairy produce, meat ex- Tartaric ...... 1 12@1 20 at 5 Bee: = — oe 3 7 became exhausted, the domestic dyer tracts, and cereal foods has under- Ammonia Lieeens. pote, bol G3 - rca Ammon. @i - : : : MMe 5 cick was forced to use any available dye, gone marked improvement in conse- we - pr idee - Piccaad aw. bik, o2 07 iodine, Coloriess @1 = and he thereupon used, for cotton, quence of applying this branch of Water, 14 deg. .. 94%@ a Linseed raw less 2 “et = a Clo. ...-... e ° dyes which were intended for wool, knowledge to its control. The gen- eee aan on 35 Mustard, artifil oz. @2 00 Myrrh ...... Lee @2 50 : 3 : : 2 Neatsfoot ...... 1 80@ Nux Vomica .... @1 7 and vice versa, because the dyes eral public should _know that or alone Olive, pure 10 00@10 50 Opium ......... wd v0 which he required were not obtain- ganic chemistry, which is a distinct Gopaiba ....... 1 40@1 65 Olive, Malaga, Opium, Camph." @1 35 a. ey t sehiiek : Fir (Canada) 1 25@1 50 yellow ....... 7 50@8 00 Opium, Deodorz’d @9 50 able. section of science,'-and of which ani- Fir (Oregon) .. 40@ 50 Clive, Malaga, Rhubarh 2.26.64. @1 65 The making of colors is a high!y line color manufacture is only one Peru ........+- 4 75@5 00 green ........ 7 50@8 00 ee ; rn : Tolu .ccccceccee 1 76@2 00 Orange, Sweet .. 3 50@3 75 Paints specialized business. Colors are not branch, is expanding along proper Origanum, pure @2 50 jseaaq rea dry 14@14% . . * . T 7 Orige ee n’l 75 - .. aeee alone made for particular shade, but lines in America. We may confident- aa waaay) 35@ 40 ae 2 5002 15 Lead, white ar 14@ 14% for dyeing particular fabrics a cer- ly hope, if given a reasonable time, Cassia (Saigon) 9@1 - ponpermast 30 eoges 00 Ochre, yellow bbl @ ig : : 35 ose, pure .. eo tea eee tain shade, and they are further sub- to be able to compete in price as well ee is 6 35 Goeee Flows 1 75@2 00 = yellow less ah. ® divided so that they dye a particular as in quality with anybody through- Soap Cut (powd.) ae i enn: a 50@1s 75 Red Venet’n Amer. 1@ 5 fabric for a particular purpose. We out the world, proving we have AOS ee Sassafras, true 8 00@3 36 oe a "ae s speak’ now of proper dyeing, Some _ proper protection, covering the cost sick a 60@1 70 eral hula ees rs Waiting, bbl. “ 2 3 colors will dye cotton, wool, or silk of basic raw materials and labor. igh: oss cecee ss a . Sperm weeescets “ . L. H. P ‘Prepd. 2 gu@s 10 : ‘ . . i Peta necene 2 Oo 2 . equally well, but they are rare andl The American chemist will not be eraktey ye alae . ¢ 30 Tar, USP pe 46@ 60 exceptional. The vast majority of found wanting, nor will the Ameri- So oe _— we - Mipeetenenes colors will dye either cotton, silk, or can concern engaged in this business jcorice ......... 60@ 68 Wintergreen, tr. 6 50@6 76 enone sees 4 reson p= wool properly; that is, will show a lack the initiative and good manage- Licorice powd. . 1 — > ‘wo Swett 50@4 75 Alum poweanee ane asi brilliant shade; will not fade in the ment which have distinguished the Flowers : Soares ant 1 Sat S mound ooh. 18@ 21 wash, and they will have other neces- American business man. Arnica ....-+0-- 1 20@1 25 ERIBES a 7 seat 75 Bismuth, Subni- sects Chamomile (Ger.) 70@ 80 Wormwoo . trate ........ 4 00@4 10 sary, good qualities. Cotton colors Alexander. Alexander. Chamomile Kom. 1 75@2 00 a Wiest . dye cotton; silk colors dye silk; wool September Gums 75@ 80 Bicarbonate 1 25@1 30 powdered . 10@ 15 i . Acacia, Ist ...... }o Hichtamat Tt 60@ 70 c ene colors #¢ wee. ; Dear to my heart is the golden September Acacia, 4nd ....-. 65@ a mow 1 68o1 ig Cantharades po 2 006 50 If cotton is dyed with logwood The melons, the “peaches, the green sence, ote ae rs: Coens 135@1 45 Calomel ....... 2 69@2 75 os “ 3 oy waving corn cacia, pov Yhlorate, an’r 65 70 Capsicum ........ 38@ 45 black, a black will be obtained which nq gearlet tomatoes that glow like an Aloes (Barb. Pow) ao 40 Gniocete La or @ Canine 6 50@7 00 might appear as good as a black ob- ember Aloes (Cape bow.) 3 36 powd f@ 6 foo = ha Reflecting the flame of the reddening Aloes (Soc Pow x )@1 20 Guanide 45@ 75 Cassia Buds ..... 45@ 50 tained by dyeing with sulphur black, dawn. Asafoetida .... 27 ae oe tomiae 4 BS 6 CleWeb isis... TO OO which jis the proper black for certain i a ee ee te oo es fs y Permanganate 2 1@8 00 Chalk Prepared ..12@ 15 . : Toowweeeee *russiate, ye (@ t ‘ “ae cotton, but the logwood black will! _ remember, : : 2. w2 00 Prucinte, aS 6 eae Chalk Precipitated 12@ 15 not be fast to perspiration, and will ep oman promise of coming a. powdered = Sulphate «........ @1 00 Sime ac eae . tend to crock, and will have many SS eee ae ee Kino, powdered .. S = Roots Cocaine .. 14 30@14 85 sae . n * ¢ SEY VEU Se Me MAR OPEV ESSE o:e 6 0 8'0:6 € 014.8 4 1 ar had qualities which the sulphur black "4%, 5°” Myr “pondered oo Amant sac:n,) MOP ee Goo Buliae Ne 0 will not have. On the other hand, 11 a ee : Opium ....... 28 50@29 00) Gajamus ......... 60@2 50 ‘ ; Goods of merit backed by consis- Opium, powd. 30 00@30 50 Gece pwd. iba 20 oeeee bis. "33 . ; you use the logwood black for silk ah rene Opium. gran. 3000@3060 2°? , a Sopperas, less .. 3% @ as : tent advertising make a combination Bh lla 5@ yo Gentian, powd. 27@ Copperas, powd. .. 4@ 10 or wool, it will be fast, and will stand bed as heme FRE ere ee Nate. Giccahed 90g 95 Gis, oo Ape oo Corrosive Sublm. 2 35@2 40 : : ‘ 4 o bea red «..--- ; T See 86 ; slight acid or alkaline reactions, and : ‘ : Tragacanth .... 3 50@4 0¢ Giccer, Jamaican 306 40 a 76O o ot hetodt tectdes adding fee! oc careiully selects this class of mer- ‘ragacanth powder 300 Ginger, jamaica, Dae 10@ 165 : - at eee a chandise—and this only—for his Turpentine ...... 15@ 40 powdered ...... 22@ 30 Dover's Powder 5 75@6 00 hand, whereas if you use sulphur Insecticides Goldenseal, pow. 8 50@9 00 Emery, All Nos. 10@ 16 : stock has the game half won at the Ipecac, powd. 450@4 75 mery, Powdered 8@ 10 black for silk or wool the results Arsenic ........ 15@ Veo hoa ba ow ‘ start. Industr courtesy, common iCOTICE ..- 4-200 @ kipsom Salts, bbls. @ 4 would be very bad. : y : Blue Vitriol, bb. ais Licorice, powd. 50@ 60 Epsom Salts, less 5@ 8 a : sense and knowing the facts about Blue Vitriol, less 12@ bg «(OFris, powdered 9 40@ 45 Ergot .......... 2 00@2 25 At this time, when the American your business—complete an equip- ee Lg 20@ Poke, powdered 20@ 25 Ergot, powdered 2 25@2 50 aniline industry is assuming large : powdered. ...... 33@ 45 Bhubarb ........ oki cy Riake White .... 1o@ 20 : ment that surely wins. I S Pewee 40@ 69 Rhubarb, powd. 1 25@1 | Formeldehyde, seas 19@ 25 proportions, and when new colors ee a rast eeeete Po 34@ 44 Bosinwesd. pone. 25@ 30 Gelatine ...... 75@1 90 : coe a ; ss . : ead, 5 é a, nd. ; ; are being evolved constantly, it is We haven’t got it,” said with a Lime and Sulphur Sea aces 1 00@1 10 » vasecanaplie Re ves case oe s Solution, eal 20@ 35 ground .. oe @ Glassware, less 50% * i : ani : = ea et arsaparilla exican, — Glauber Salts, bbl. 2 important that our people should satanic smile, has done more to de- paris Green ... 48%@54% a eorne _ rig’ 10 Gunes Gate tem ‘se * know the truth about this new cide people not to return to your Gaulle ...622... 35@ 40 Glue, Brown ...... 25@ 35 vere y ice Cream a ; ; d 45¢ 65 ~ . + 25@ American industry. It must also be store than anything that can happen. Piper Ice Cream Co., mae erly 20 30 Glue, White - 30% 35 remembered that aniline color manu- Why some salespeople persist inthis pu, “no, _ 95 Valerian, powd. .. @100 Glue, White Grd. 30@ 36 facture is only one branch (although supercilious attitude toward cus- — Flavored 1 . Seeds aoe ion = : , ; i : : ric Pa A Seems e* * Anise. ....ccscece 44@ G& Yodine-.......... 5 f0@5 90 — igh eee sapeite the — — : one of the mysteries of Brick’ Fancy ........ 1 60 ua “poeaucal “19 60 ee reste Scene a chemical industry. e production merchandising, Leaves Bird, 18 .....ceees ‘ Lead, Acetate ... 25@ 30 Buchu 275@3 00 Canary ....--+++» 2@ 25 Lycopdium .... 2 26@2 50 Buchu, powdr'd 3 00@3 25 Caraway ....... 75@, 80 Mace ............ 85@ 90 uc me te 67@ 70 Cardamon ..... 1 80@2 00 Mace, powdered 95@1 00 RE ACCEPTING CONTRACTS NOW FOR | Sute uiloose'"'.2@ 1 Celery (Powd. 5) oa {0 Menthol... 4 7508 00 WEA Sage, % loose ...-72@ ( Coriander ........ 27@ 30 Morphine .... i5 45@16 00 age, powde a : WE es eae 30@ 35 Nux Vomica ..... 30 1919 DELIVERIES OF ~~ ae waa d on - Fennell wriey net i 20 Nux Vomica, pow. 28 35 oe TAX ccaevcccsee epper black pow. : . ‘ Beers, a pow. ee - Flax, ground .. 114%@ 15 Pepper, white ..... @ 50 J. Hungerford Smith Co.’s eee tea Boenugresk pow. 42 * om bugudy . So BMID (occ ccs vce es MABMIR . ccceaes cs om e e Lobelia ........ -- 40@ 50 Quinine ........ 1 28@1 72 Soda Fountain Fruits and Syrups | *sz:.2** geet ae ee Ronee 8, seeeeeee 18 60@18 75 Mustard, yellow .. 45@ 50 Saccharine, oz. ‘+ Almonds, Bitter, 7 00@7 20 Mustard, black .. sae? 35 Salt Peter ........ 36@ 46 artificial ..... PODDY nec. coaes Seidlitz Mixture ....... No. 7, per gross .......1 25 No. 8, per gross ..... 1 65 No. 9, per gross ..... 2 40 FLAVORING EXTRACTS Jennings D C Brana Pure Vanila Terpeneless Pure Lemon Per Doz. 7 Dram 15 Cent ...... 1 2d 1% Ounce 20 Cent .. 1 ov 2 Ounce, 35 Cent .... 2 10 2% Ounce 35 Cent .. 2 8» 2% Ounce 45 Cent .. 3 10 4 Ounce 55 Cent .... 5 20 8 Ounce 90 Cent os 8 8 7 Dram Assorted .... 1 zo 1% Ounce Assorted .. 2 00 Moore’s D U Brand Per Doz. 1 oz. Vanilla 15 Cent 1 25 1% oz Vanilla 25 Cent 2 v0 3 0z. Vanilla 35 Cent 2 jo L oz. Lemon 15 Cent 1 25 1% oz. Lemon 25 Cent 2 60 3 oz Lemon 35 Cent 2 75 FLOUR ANO FEED Valley City Milling ee ay NVAMLC oo so es 36 Rowena Rye, %s .... i zb Graham 25 lb. per ewt. 5 35 Rowena Bolted Meal, 25 lb., per cwt. .... Golden ‘Granulated a 25 1b.; per cwt..... Rowena Pancake 5 ib DOU CWE. cone e ecco ss 6 40 Rowena Buckwheat Comp. 5 lb., per cwt. 6 Watson — Milling oO. New Perfection &%s .. 11 40 Victory Mixed Flour 11 45 Worden Grocer Co. Quaker, %s cloth .. None Quaker, %s cloth .. None Quaker, %s cloth .. None Quaker, %s paper .. None Quaker, 4s paper .. None Kansas Hard Wheat Worden Grocer Co. . Paper American Eagle, 4s 11 75 American Eagle, %s 11 8 Spring Wheat Worden Grocer Co. Wingold, %s cloth 11 70 Wingold, %s ,loth 11 80 Meal Bolted ... . Golden Granulated ee Wheat Red ave eeu sess sees White aac hs nuns suses Oats Michigan carlots .... Less than carlots Corn Carlots ...cccccccesee Less than carlots .... Hay Carlots .... So cuaes 6 Less than carlots .. ‘ Feed Street Car Feed ... No. 1 Corn & Oat Fd Cracked Corn ...... Coarse Corn Meal .. FRUIT JARS Mason, pts., per gro. Mason, qts., per gro. Mason, % gal. per gr. 1 Mason, can tops, gro. wow- Sass ei a aM See September 18, 1918 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 29 GELATINE Cox’s, 1 doz. large ... 1 46 Cox’s, 1 doz. small .. 90 Knox’s Sparkling, doz. 1 90 Knox’s Acidu’d doz. .. 1 90 1 Minute, 1 doz. ....... 25 Minute, 3 doz. ........ 8 76 Nelson’s ............. 1 50 SORIGTO oe a vicdne sec cue 16 Plymoutn Rock, Phos. 1 50 Plymouth Rock, Plain 1 30 1 Waukesha ........... 60 HERBS SMOD or cress essere ses «os ae WIODE ceetiesss cae ccs sic AO Laurel Leaves ......... 20 Senna Leaves .......... 45 HIDES AND PELTS Hides Green, No: 1 2. ices 16 Green, No. 2 ........ 15 Cured. No. 1. .......; 18 Cured, NO. 2 seco seus 17 Calfskin, green, No. 1 30 Calfskin, green, No. 2 28% Calfskin, cured, No. 1 32 Calfskin, oe No. 2 30% Horse, No. Horse, No. 2 eevece Woel Unwashed, med. ... 65 Unwashed, fine .... HONEY A. G. Woodman’s Brand. 7-02, Pet Gos. 2.2.5... 20 oz. per doz. HORSE RADISH Per GOs. 3.6... pare hee 90 JELLY 151b. pails, per pail ....1 45 301b. pails, per pail ....2 65 — JELLY GLASSES 8 oz. capped in bbis., OP GOK ciccccess veces OM MAPLEINE 2 oz. bottles, per doz. 3 00 1 oz. bottles, per doz. 1 75 16 oz. bottles, per dz. 16 50 32 oz. bottles, per dz. 30 00 MINCE MBAT Per Case ..........-. 3 95 MOLASSES New Orleans Fancy Open Kettle .... 66@ ORO 20 oc os ec ces 58 GOOG ..ccccescss ce eee Stock -...565% eveae Half barrels be extra Red Hen, No. 2 .. 2 80 Red Hen, No. 2% oe B40 Red Hen, No. 5 ...... 3 40 Red Hen, No. 10 ..... 30 Uncle Ben, No. 2 .... Uncle Ben, No. 2% .. Uncle Ben, No. 5 .... Uncle Ben, No. 10 .. Ginger Cake, No. 2. Ginger Cake, No. 2% Ginger Cake, No. 5 .. O & ~ oo Kettle, INOS 26 eee aoe sks 5 65 We me bo 09 09 09 DD OD ~ ° MUSTARD % Ib. 6 Ib. box ....... 30 OLIVES Bulk, 1 gal. kegs 1 50@1 60 Bulk, 2 gal. kegs @1 40 Bulk, 5 gal. kegs 1 a 30 Stutted, 6 om .iacc7.: 45 Stufted,: 14-08. = 606.4% ; 00 Fitted (not stuffed) Oo Oo es ees 3 3 00 Manzanilla, & oz. .. 1 45 Eamech, 10°04) 202.3% 2 00 Inch, 216 Os. 6s. 3s 38 25 — Mammoth, ly < Queen, Mammoth, 28 - Olive Chow, “? ‘doz. ‘cs. per doz. 2 PEANUT BUTTER Bel-Car-Mo Brand 6 oz. 1 doz. in case .. 2 90 12 oz. 1 doz. in case .. 2 50 24 1 Ib. pails ....... -. B 75 12 2 Ib. pails ........ 5 765 5 lb. pails, 6 in crate 7 00 10 Ib. palis ..... 52... 21% £5: ID. PAUS oc. isc 21 25 Ib. paile ......... - 20% $0: Yb. tine 63 6 5 20% PETROLEUM PRODUCTS Iron Barrels Perfection ......2% vee ARt Red Crown Gasoline 23.7 sige ce Gasoline 44.2 M. & P. Naphtha 23.7 Capito Cylinder, Iron Atlantic —_ Engine, Iron B . 14, pence Iron Bbis. as 444 PICKLES Medium Barrels, 1,200 count 12 00 Half bbis., 600 count 6 560 6 gallon kegs ...... - 2 60 Small BOYTOle 6. cecsicessse 14 00 Half barrels ........ 7 50 6 gallon kegs see. 2 80 — BOOS oo. ceases esas 5 00 Bait barrels ence cee 13 00 5 gallon kegs ........ 4 0 Sweet Small Barrels ...ccsscesses 28 00 6 gallon kegs ....... 00 Half barrels ........ 14 50 PIPES iy. 7, one 3 hee in box .. PLAYING CARD8s No. 90 Steamboat .... No. 808, Bicycle ..... Pennant eesececeseces POTASH Babbitt’s, 2 doz. ..... 2 65 PROVISIONS Barreled Pork Italian Bon Bons .... 25 Clear Back .. 50 00@51 00 Short Cut Clr 45 00@46 00 = Clear 55 00@56 00 ote Pamily 2.3... 35 00 Dry Sait Meate S P Bellies ... 31 90@32 00 rd Pure in tierces 28@28% Compound Lard 24 @24% 80 Ib tubs ...advance % 60 lb. tubs ...advance % 50 lb. tubs ...advance % 20 lb. pails ...advance % 10 lb. pails ...advance % 5 Ib. pails ...advance 1 3 lb. pails ...advance 1 Smoked Meats Hams, 14-16 lb. 32 @33 Hams, 16-18 lb. 31 @32 Hams, 18-20 lb. 30 @31 Ham, dried beef . SPts oxes Sapolio, hand ... . Queen Anne, 30 ci ns- Queen Anne, 60 cans Snow Maid. 30 cans .. Snow Maid 4M eans .. Washing Powders WO ok 1a —t BO OD me ~~ o Snow Boy, 100 pkgs. . 5 #5 Snow Boy, 60 pkgs. .. 3 55 Snow Boy, 24 pkgs. .. 5 00 Snow Boy, 20 pkgs. .. 5 25 = Soap Powders Johnson's Fine, 48 2 56 75 Johnson’s XXX 100 .. 5 75 Rub-No-More ........ 5 50 Nine O’Clock ........ 4 00 Lautz Naphtha, 60s .. Oak Leaf Soap Powder, O& PRBS oie vce ssa: 4 25 Oak Leaf Soap Powder. 100 pkgs. .......00s- 5 50 Queen Anne Soap Pow- der, 60 pkgs. ...... 3 60 Old Dutch Y Claanok. T0082. Niiees es eves 0 10 SODA Bi Carb, Kegs ...... 3% SPICES Whole Spices Allspice, Jamaica .. @12 Allspice, lg. Garden @11 Cloves, Zanzibar .. bord Cassia, Canton . git Cassia, 6c pke. doz. = Ginger, African .... Ginger, Cochin .... $20 Mace, Penang ...... 90 Mixed, No. 1 ...... 17 Mixed, No. 2 ....... 16 Mixed, 5c pkgs. dz. _ Nutmegs, 70-8 .... @50 Nutmegs, 105-110 .. oe Pepper, Black ..... @32 Pepper, White ..... @40 Pepper, Cayenne .. @22 Paprika, Hungarian Pure Ground in Buik Allspice, Jamaica .. @16 Cloves, Zanzibar .. os Cassia, Canton .... 32 Ginger, African .... @25 Mace, Penang ..... 1 0 Nutmege 6. 6.0...5 5% 36 Pepper, Black ..... @35 Pepper, White . - @48 Pepper, Cayenne .. @30 Paprika, Hungarian @45 STARCH Corn Kingsford, 40 Ibs. .. 9% Muzzy, 48 l1lb. pkgs. 9% Kingsford Silver ,. 40 1lb. .. 9% joss Argo, 48 5c pkgs. .... 40 Silver Gloss, 16 8lbs. .. 9% Silver Gloss, 12 6ibs. .. 9% uzzy 48 1lb. packages ...... 9% 16 8lb. packages ...... 9% 12 6lb. packages ...... 9% 60 iD. TOsG8 ck cc ae 6% SYRUPS Corn Barrels ....... Dec teess 12 Half barrels .....0..... 15 Blue Karo, No. Me BOON. on 6 coi es ccc aises 2 65 Blue Karo, he 2, 2 ~~ 3 30 Blue Karo, No. 2%, 2 OO i ive cee ee 410 Blue Karo, No. os 1 dz. 3 95 Blue Karo, No. 10, % - ero a No. 1%, 2 - Read Teas "No. 2, 2 dz. 3 55 Red Karo, No. 2% 2dz. 4 40 Red Karo, No. 6, 1 dz. 4 25 Red Karo, No. 10 % GOR. io ace eee ces 4 00 Pure Cane PO ois cn ci cccgencce Good ..... sion esdauns < Ehaire TABLE SAUCES Halford, large ........ 3 75 Halford, small ...... 2 26 TEA Uncolored caren Medium . Choice : BANC cecs veces cees 36@45 Basket-fired Med’m 28@30 Basket-fired Choice 35@37 Basket-fired Fancy 38@45 NG t NIDDS: cc ta css @32 Siftings, bulk ...... @14 Siftings, 1 lb. pkgs. @17 Gunpowder Moyune, Medium .. 28@33 Moyune, Choice 35@40 Ping Suey, Medium 25@30 Ping Suey, Choice 35@40 Ping Suey, Fancy .. 45@50 Young — CROIGG cb ci cocks 28@30 ANC oc cckeessess 45@56 Oolong Formosa, Medium .. 25@26 Formosa, Choice .. 32@35 Formosa, Fancy 50@60 “English Breakfast Congou, Medium 25@30 Congou, Choice .... 30@35 Congou, Fancy .... 40@60 Congou, Ex. Fancy 60@890 Ceylon Pekoe, Medium .... 28@30 Pr. Pekoe, Choice 30@35 Flowery O. P. Fancy 40@50 [WINE Cotton; 8 ply... iccce ee OF “orron, 4 ply evccecscee BF Hlomp, 6 ply ......+. 3 Wo, 100 Ap. bales | Gane au VINEGAR White Wine, 40 grain 20 White Wine, 80 grain 25% White Wine 100 grain 28 Oakland Vinegar & Pickle Co.’s Brands Highland apple cider Oakland apple cider .. State Seal sugar ..... Blue Ribbon Corn .. Oakland white’ picklg Packages free. WICKING No. 0, per gross ...... 50 No. 1, per gross ...... 65 No. 2, per gross ...... 90 No. 8, per gross ..... 1 46 WOODENWARE Baskets GIN oc. seve enene 75 Busheis, wide band .. 1 865 Market, drop handle .. 70 Market, single handle 75 Splint, large 00. cess 57 Splint, medium ...... 5 25 Splint, small ........ 4 75 Butter Plates vals %4 Ib., 250 in crate .... 45 % lb., 250 in crate .... 45 + Tb., 260 im crate 2.5... 50 > Ib., 260 in: etate ..... 55 # Ib., 260 In erate ..... 70 5 Ib., 250 In crate ..... 90 Wire End y Wi, 360 in. erate |. 2... 50 2 ib.. 250 in crate ..... 55 $ Ib;, 250 in erate ..... 65 6: 30;, 20 im Grate ....53 75 Churns Barrel, 5 gal., each .. 2 40 Barrel, 10 gal. each .. 2 55 Clothes Pins Round Head 4% inch, 5 gross ....1 10 Cartons, No. 24 24s bx. 115 Egg Crates and Fillers fumpty Dumpty, 12 dz. 24 No. 1 complete ....6.4s 50 No. 2 complete ........ 40 Case, medium, 12 sets 1 80 Faucets Cork lined, 3 in. ....... 70 Cork lined, 9 in. ...... 80 Cork lined, 10 in. ...... 90 Mop Sticks "‘EPOIOH SOTINE .. 06s. 6 Eclipse patent spring 1 60 moO, LL SOmmon .....5 1 60 No. 2, pat. brush hold 1 60 TeGAL: NG 4 eee 1 60 120z. cotton mop heads 3 10 Palis 10 qt. Galvanized .... b 25 12 qt. Galvanized .... 6 00 14 qt. Galvanized .... 6 50 Ur So eae 9 7 Toothpicks Birch, 100 packages .. 2 00 CORE oon eri cca aces ee 85 Traps Mouse wood, 2 holes .. 22 Mouse, wood, 4 holes .. 45 10 qt. Galvanized .... 1 66 12 qt. Galvanized .... 1 70 14 qt. Galvanized .... 1 90 Mouse, wood, 6 holes .. 70 Mouse, tin, 5 holes .... 65 WeAt, WOGG oc eis ciseccces 80 Nat. GOVING® 6256... 6 sues 75 Tubs Noo Ee BIDPG vscci cscs 42 00 WO 2 Bibve cies 38 00 No). d Mire oc ees 33 00 Large Galvanized ... 18 00 Medium Galvanized 15 50 Small Galvanized .. 18 50 Washboards Zanner Globe ......;. 5 Brass, Single Glass. Single Double Peerless .... 8 Single Peerless Northern Queen Good Enough Universal Window Cleaners Tes eds cs es cen es 1 TA Ae Seca vc os eee I TO fi os ces penks ->—____ New Fall Millinery. Among the new fall millinery that has been introduced here, according to the bulletin of the Retail Millinery Association of America, is a “tam” made of navy blue serge in a collap- sible effect, the eniire hat being em- broidered with narrow black = silk braid. This model, although it wholesales at $10, is said to be a big factor in the business of the house which brought it out. The bulletin goes on: “Bowl-shaped turbans, which are also very popular, are made of velvet or duvetyn, and combined ‘with a novelty ribbon in a three-tone effect —gold, silver, and velvet. Half of the ribbon is of silver tinsel and half is of gold, both edges being of velvet. The turban is round, with a thick roll reaching up to the top of the crown, giving it a real bowl shape. Some turbans of this type have lace veils drawn from the top of the crown and hanging loose around the face. Some- times they are of the same color as the hat and sometimes they are of a contrasting hue. Hats and scarfs of angora cloth, which make very at- tractive sets, are also being sold at wholesale.” We are manufacturers of TRIMMED AND UNTRIMMED HATS for Ladies, Misses and Children, especially adapted to tne general store trade. Trial order solicited. CORL, KNOTT & CO.. Ltd. Corner Commerce Ave. and Island St. Grand Rapids, Mich. Mr. Merchant: Do you wish to reduce your stock, or do you want to get out of busi- ness? Stevens & Company Sales People Men who know how to raise money for you. Call us up or write. Citz. 5025, Barnhart Bldg. Grand Rapids, Michigan Watson-HigginsMls.Co. Merchant Millers Owned by Merchants Products sold by Merchants Brand Recommended by Merchant: NewPerfection Flour Packed In SAXOLIN Paper-lined Cotton, Sanitary Sacks —E— ————— ee a is Set Serving ee pins le Signabure i A Sei ek on Yeast. METI TT Fleischmann’s Yeast Grocers Everywhere! Watch your stock of Fleischmann’s Fleischmann’s Yeast will keep in a cool, dry place. Take cz care of it. Caution customers to care for it. Satisfied customers are your biggest asset. The Fleischmann Company Fleischmann Service sof tt > September 18, 1918 BANKRUPTCY MATTERS. Proceedings in the Western District of Michigan. Grand Rapids, Sept. 16—'Walter Hoth- am, a machinist of Muskegon, has filed a petition for adjudication in bank- ruptcy. The adjudication has been made and the matter referred to Referee Cor- win. No meeting of creditors has as yet been called. The bankrupt’s sched- ules show jiabilities amouniting ‘to $413.30 and no assets. Following is a list of the creditors: John W. Jackson, Shelby .... ee 2 Schroeder Bros., Shelby .......- Harrison Lumber Co. ........... ‘ 10.80 Mike Maloley, of Grand Rapids, has filed a petition for adjudication in bank- ruptcy. The matter was referred to Mr. Corwin and the adjudication made. No meeting of creditors has been called. The schedules show liabiblities amount- ing to $1,314.11 and assets amounting to $340, which includes the bankrupt’s ex- , emptions. Following is a list of cred- itors: Secured Creditors. Brunswick Balke Colander Co., MUSKEROR o.. oor cae Se ek $525.00 Unsecured Creditors. Tofick Sayig, Grand Rapids ...... $200.00 Ellis & Bashara, Grand Rapids 152.11 Mike Azkoul, Grand Rapids ...... 50.00 Ahmad Alley, Grand Rapids ...... 80.00 Harry Thomasma, Grand Rapids 32.00 Holland Cigar Co., Grand Rapids 8.00 Woodhouse & Co., Grand Rapids 42.00 Dr. A. Sevensma, Grand Rapids 10.00 Peterson Brewing Co., Grand Rapids 14.00 Fisher & Marshman, Grand Rapids 21.00 Goodspeed Real Bstate Co., Grand FRA DIS iis ss arse wa eas 5 tes ae oie 180.00 In the matter of Earl Walker, bank- rupt, Vestaburg, a final meeting of cred- itors has been held. The trustee’s re- port and account was approved and ac- cepted and the funds on hand distributed for certain administration expenses and a first and final dividend of 7 per cent. In the matter of The Fair, bankrupt, Grand Rapids, the final meeting of cred- itors has been held. The matter of the claim against John W. Kingsbury was abandoned as worthless. Trustee’s re- port, showing balance on hand of $7,474- .14; additional receipts of $31.25; total, $7,503. 39; disbursements, $5,359. 14; bal- ance on hand, $2,146.25, was approved and allowed. Administration expenses were ordered paid and a final dividend of 2.4 per cent. was declared and ordered paid. In the matter of Calvin C. Brattain, bankrupt, Cedar Springs, a final meeting of ereditors has been held. . Trustee’s report, showine balance on hand $308.27 was approved and allowed. Order for distribution entered, administration ex- penses and. a final dividend of 12 per cent. In the matter of Simon Olthof, bank- rupt, Grand Rea#ids, a special meeting of creditors has been held. The trustee’s account, showing balance on hand of $196.40, was allowed. Second report of trustee, showing balance of $2,049.03, was allowed. A first dividend of 5 per cent. was declared and ordered paid. St. Joseph, Sept. 9—In the matter of John M. Brown, bankrupt, Baroda, the trustee filed his supplemental final re- port showing the distribution of all the funds in the estate, whereupon an order was made by the referee discharging the trustee and closing the estate; also a certificate was entered recommending the discharge of the bankrupt. The recorg book and files were returned to the clerk’s office. In the matter of the Boers Shoe Co., a copartnership, bankrupt, Benton Har- bor, the trustee filed his third report and account showing on hand the sum of $462.72 and right of action for recov- ery of property against the Rice Hutch- ins Co., of Chicago. Sept. 10—In the matter of Bart Foley, bankrupt, Dowagiac, the trustee filed his supplemental final report showing the disbursement of all funds, whereupon an order was entered by the referee dis- charging the trustee and _ closing the estate. No cause to the contrary having been shown, a certificate was made by the referee ree>mmending the discharge of the bankrupt. The record books and files were returned to the clerk’s office. In the matter of the Thermophore Manufacturing Co., a corporation, bank- rupt, Kalamazoo, the trustee filed a report showing sale of the stock in trade, goods on consignment, machinery, equip- ment factory, etc., to Herbert I. Mark- ham, of Chicago, for $14,650. Unless cause to the contrary be shown, the sale pag be confirmed by the referee Sept. Sept. 11—In the matter of Huram M. Warner, bankrupt, the final meeting of ereditors was held at the referee’s office and the trustee’s final report and ac- count was considered, approved and al- lowed. A final dividend of 39 8-10 per cent. was declared: and ordered paid to all unsecured creditors, making the total dividends of 44 8-10 per cent. The trustee was authorized not to interpose objections to the discharge of the bank- rupt. Creditors having heen directed to. show cause why a certificate should not be made recommending the bankrupt’s MICHIGAN TRADESMAN discharge and no cause having been shown, it was determined that such fav- orable certificate be made. The final or- der of distribution was entered, where- upon the meeting adjourned without day. Sept. 12—-Richard Heystek, a contractor of Kalamazoo, filed a voluntary petition and the matter, in the absence of the district judge, was referred to Referee Banyon, who entered an order adjudging the petitioner bankrupts The petition discloses no assets whatsoever and the following are scheduled as creditors: First National Bank. Kalamazoo $1,500.00 S. H. Buurma, Kalamazoo ...... 1,700.00 C. H. Stearns, Kalamazoo ....... 100.00 Wolverine Cement Co., Coldwater 200.00 Metropolitan Brick Co., Canton, O. 85.00 Basmer Lime Stone Co., Dayton, GC. 200.00 Solt Bros., Rawson, O. .......... 400.00 L. Folk, Rawson, Wd Saeee 4 iis os 35.00 Celery City Lumber Co., Kalamazoo 31.00 Kalamazoo Lumber Co., Kalamazoo 45.00 Hershfield Bros., Kalamazoo Ve eaes 35.00 Arnd Bros., Kalamazoo .......... 28.00 H. Johnson, Kalamazoo .......... 20.00 Globe Construction Co., Kalamazoo 90.00 Southern Michigan Brick Co., WaIAIAZOD icg cc eos shin es ecek 40.00 Tolhuizen & Mersen, Kalamazoo 50.00 Pioneer Asphalt Co., Chicago .... 162.00 Ritter & Son, Rawson, O. ........ 30.00 J. D. Buss, Kalamazoo ........... 15.00 Hotop Plumbing Co., Kalamazoo 8.50 Arnold & Co., Rawson, O 4. W. Monday, Kalamazoo .......... 150.00 Dr. Thomas Van Werk, Kalamazoo 100. - 78.0 C. W. Apgan, Rawson, O. ........ $5,106.00 Sept. 14—The Dentler Bagger Co., en- gaged in the manufacture of grain bag- gers. measures and registers, filed a vol- untary petition and the matter, in the absence of the district judge, was re- ferred to Referee Banyon, who entered an order adjudging the petitioner bank- rupt. An order was also entered ap- pointing Charles F. Brown, of Vicksburg, custodian. The following liabilities and assets are scheduled: Preferred Creditors. Village of Vicksburg, taxes ...... $ 90.90 W. W. Scott, Vicksburg, mortgage 2,500.00 Unsecured Creditors. Locke Steel Belt Co., Bridgeport, COMM. 2... cece eee eecceeeees $ 1381.00 National Mill Supply Co., Fort Waynes ING) ssc 5 or ee ak 13.20 Cc. H. Dutton Co., Kalamazoo .. 56.28 J. E. Kimble, Lockport, La. . 6,000.00 $6,200.48 : Assets. a: equipment, machinery, Se csg gue ut ewer eek e a $4,597.45 Stock in trade, fixtures, furni- CURC ClO ee ee 3,801.44 $8,398.89 >. Promoting Consumption of Gulf Fish. During July there were issued un- der the joint auspices of the Food Administration, the Bureau of Chem- istry, and the Bureau of Fisheries, three illustrated posters giving in- formation regarding the sea mullet, the sea catfish, and the crevalle, three fishes of which large quanti- ties are available for shipment from points on the Gulf of Mexico. These posters, which will be fol- lowed by others as required, were designed especially for use in Nash- ville, Louisville, and Indianapolis, communities in which the co-operat- ing Government agencies have ar- ranged to supply fish in carload lots, shipped under Government direction from the Gulf coast. The bureau’s representative, who may be termed a sales agent, is do- ing excellent service in these cities and advises that it now appears that these centers will use a minimum of eight carloads of these fish per month. As soon as the market is established, the work will be trans- ferred to other centers. Up to July 24, six carloads of “Government fish,” as they are lo- cally called, were shipped to these centers during the month, shipments being made from Punta Gorda and Gasparilla, Fla. Among the fish which are being shipped are mullet, red snapper, sea catfish, pompano, grouper, and various species of bot- tom fish. 31 must accompany all orders. BUSINESS WANTS DEPARTMENT Advertisements inserted under this head for three cents a word the first insertion and two cents a word for each subsequent continuous insertion. If set in capital letters, double price. No charge less than 25 cents. Cash BUSINESS CHANCES. Wanted Male and female help for Government contract work. Good wages. Steady work. Write for full particulars. Western Knitting Mills, Rochester, Michigan. Hardware For Sale—Only one in town of 1,500. Good reasons for selling. Will consider some real estate in exchange. Address Box 911, care Michigan Trades- man. 911 To Trade—Fine 80-acre farm, modern improvements, for hardware stock in clean, live town. O. A. Keeler, Shelby, Michigan. 912 We can sell your business for cash, no matter where located; no publicity. Describe fully in first letter. All cor- respondence confidential. Herbert, 7. ster Bldg., Chicago, Illinois. 13 For Sale—A good 80-acre farm, 8 te west of Adrian, Michigan. Splendid lo- eation. Good 8-room house, good cellar, cistern, never failing well, fair barn and new garage and granary combined. fravel loam soil, all tillable. This is one of the best productive farms in Len- awee county. Address Mrs. R. M. Nevins, 751 Prince St., Grand Rapids, Michigan. 914 For Sale—Largest and best equipped grocery business; established 12 years in growing suburb in Minneapolis. —or was until he went to Washing- ton to work for a dollar a year—of Francis H. Leggett & Co., of N. Y. But the fact of being Vice-President of the company did not in the least deter him from awarding his own concern a fine of $1,400—or rather ac- cepting its penitential sacrifice of a gift to the Red Cross—because it had been found technically guilty, through a blunder of an employe, of selling barley flour at 12 per cent. profit, when the rules allowed only 10 per cent. ——_+- Some French Walnuts May Come. The exportation from France of walnuts of the 1917 crop to England and to the United States, provided shipment is made on or before Sept. 30, will be permitted without special license, according to a recent Minis- terial decree reported by the Amer- ican Consul General in Paris. The prohibition against exportation of the 1918 crop still remains in force. —_»2 A cheerful lie makes more friends than a solemn truth. Need for Early Holiday Shopping. ~ The need for early Christmas shop- ping will this year be more impera- tive than it ever was before. The large department stores of this city and of the entire country will ap- proach the coming holiday season without the addition to its force of workers, who in past years have al- ways been employed to assist in car- ing for the rush of business’ which develops: The stores have agreed with the War Industries Board, in lieu of the lifting of the so-called “ban on Christmas shopping,’ not to increase their forces during the holiday season above the average for the entire year. “The War Industries Board,” re- marked a leading merchant, “in lift- ing the ban on the purchase of use- ful Christmas gifts, has asked us not to increase our working force during the holiday season over our average force employed during the entire year, This stipulation is made be- cause of the urgent need for help in other industries, and will, of course, be rigidly adhered to, I am sure, by all merchants everywhere. Under these circumstances, it is obviously incumbent upon the purchasing pub- lic and the stores to see to it that the usual holiday rush is spread out more evenly over a longer period. By no other means will the public be able to obtain the merchandise it de- sires or will the stores be able suc- cessfully to dispose of the compar- atively large stocks of goods which they already have on hand or con- tracted for. “The need, therefore, of doing Christmas shopping early is this year more urgent than it ever was. Formerly early shopping was advis- able; this year it is imperative. Too much publicity cannot be given to this point, and.it cannot be put too strongly. The public has always in the past heartily co-operated with us, frequently in rulings and regula- tions which have been much less di- rectly in the public’s interest than is the present request. “People generally are in a recep- tive mood. All the people have sub- mitted uncomplainingly to condi- tions which would have seemed im- possible a few years ago. The suthorities ask us to save certain foods, to conserve sugar, and econo- mies are voluntarily enforced accom- plishing the desired purpose. It was astonishing and gratifying how a simple request from the Fuel Admin- istration completely cleared the roads of automoblies last Sunday in city and country, “At the request of the Govern- ment, various practices have been put in force in the retail trade which quite appreciably reduce the services formerly rendered by the stores to their customers. Many of these, in fact most of these, could not possi- bly have been successfully intro- duced before the war. The one de- livery a day, the three-day limit on returns, the reductions in special de- livery service and the urging of cus- tomers to carry home small packages would have been frowned on most decidedly were it not that the exi- gencies of war have made these things absolutely essential to the prosecution of the war. The pur- chasing public has realized the ur- gency of these measures and has even been enthusiastic in accepting them. “We, as a Nation, are a patriotic people, and are quick to realize the needs of a war situation as soon as these needs are pointed out to us. That the purchasing public’s_ re- sponse to appeals for co-operation from retailers has been quick and whole-hearted ever since the war started is the surest guarantee that -further just regulations, suggestions and requests will be complied with and heeded uncomplainingly in the future. No other course, indeed, is ‘to be expected or feared from the American people.” el The Bothersome Belt. A tuck and a hitch My shirt is wrong Or pants too long, I don’t know which. And thus I go from morn till night— Almest I know in a sorry plight— A tuck and a hitch. A tuck and a hitch— The shirt won’t stay It gets away From poor and rich Alike indeed; by both is felt The common need of a binding belt, Nor a tuck and a hitch. I fear a gap Yet still I trust Below the bust That leathern strap. And thengh I be to dine or church Necessity there makes me lurch To save mishap. ‘Twere better then That we confess In modern dress As worn by men That a tuck and a hitch so constantly Can ne’er bewitch propriety. Who'll help and—when? Charles A. Heath. > __— Butter, Eggs, Poultry, Beans and Potatoes, Buffalo, Sept. 18—Creamery butter extras, 54c; firsts, 53c; common, 51@ 52c; dairy, common to choice, 36@ 45c; packing stock, 34@35c. Cheese—No. 1, new, fancy, 27c; choice, 26c. Eggs—New laid, 52@61c for fancy and 48@50c for choice. Poultry (live)—Old cox, 25@26c; fowls, 30@35c; chicks, 32@38c; ducks, 30@84c. Beans—Medium, $11 per hundred Ibs.; Peas, $11 per hundred Ibs.; Mar- row, $12.50 per hundred lbs. Potatoes—New, $2.65@$3 per hun- dred lbs. Rea & Witzig. —_—_+2- A man never fully realizes what a big world this is until the cars stop running and he has to walk home. —_____.->-—_—_—_ To-morrow is the day when people hire balloons and move into their air castles. BUSINESS CHANCES. Administrator’s Sale—The stock of gen- eral merchandise and fixtures, belonging to the estate of Wm. L. Miller, deceased, Pavilion, Michigan, and inventoried at about $1,800, is now ready for sale. Stock consists of dry goods, boots and shoes, rubbers, hardware, drugs, groceries, men’s furnishings, etc. The only store in the town and a splendid opportunity for some one. For full information, ad- dress Frank H. Bowen, Administrator, 522 No. Rose St., Kalamazoo, Mich. 920 For Sale Cheap—One Angledile com- nuting scale, model 420, in perfect con- dition. Just the thing for good grocery or market. Silas Godfrey, Eaton Rapids, Michigan. 921 For Stale—Remainder of an up-to-date stock of general merchandise, including dry goods, ladies’ ready-to-wear, gents’ furnishings and groceries. Fine oppor- tunity for opening. Building for rent. Address P. J. McKenna Estate, Carson City, Michigan. 922 i siiiiiaaiiliatea BIR ieliebisSione ame oon psa ee ee ee eee wa Se le vw Wet r, n- n- ry ls, te ne ts’ r- it. on SER What We Might Do What We Don’t Do — What We Do Do But We Don’t. But We Haven’t. We might make matches out of cheaper wood “ . We might save money by using cheaper chemicals . We might shut down our scientific department and cease trying to make the BEST match ever made BETTER BECAUSE 40 years of pre-eminence as the leading match makers of the world is something to live up to, so ' cK ; t But We Won’t. We’re Doing It. The safest match science can produce is none too good for t That’s What We Make the greatest nation on Esrth, and so ‘ : . ‘ : There’s no such thing as standing still if one is determined to march at the head of the procession nowadays, so We're On The Move. Any American grocer whois progressive enough to place duty and responsibility above a mere fraction of a cent in price, in giving his customers the best and the safest and the greatest value for the money will pin his destinies to DIAMOND MATCHES LITTLE DUTCH MASTERS CIGARS Made in a Model Factory Handled by All Jobbers Sold by All Dealers Enjoyed by Discriminating Smokers They are so good we are compelled to work full capacity to supply the demand G. J. JOHNSON CIGAR CO., Makers GRAND RAPIDS The Burning Question Fire is Just as Certain as Death One day your risk will be destroyed by fire. The law of averages says that this is so. Antitipating that day, we ask you, “ARE YOU INSURED?” If you are, are you sure that the companies are A No. 1? Are you trying to save on the premium, In order to cut down expenses, Thinking that you will never have a fire? If so, this is poor policy—worse, in fact, than a policy in a poor company. Go over your insurance policies at once. . Inquire as to the standing of the COMPANIES. Remember, an agent's responsibility does not cover any loss that you may have. And, which he may be a good friend of yours, Unless your loss is very small, He can be of very little service; He must depend entirely upon the Companies’ views. If you have a loss and you are insured in good, A No. 1 companies, and have proper forms attached to your policies, there will be NO TROUBLE at time of loss. An investigation in time prevents a lawsuit. Financial Statement of a Few Companies Assets per M, Michigan Shoe Dealers’ Mutual Insurance Co. ........-...0008. ease et $26.40 Berne of Meanttord, Corn. oo. 56s oid soo ec cocs cack av ee» 18.80 Continental of New York oie. oc cc ck ces ccc cccces via cee hess euuene 16.10 Michigan Fire and Marine, Detroit .........cccceccvecevccccucs avensacs 11.90 RiOMie OF Naw: Vor ooo cis cons ono ci ceca. see diewetedebinaakvs is 4< 12.00 MPUGEN OF NOW VOR oo. ia oid cick Ca clot ca scee ye vie es baeeee Vebcees Gnele Average of all the Stock Companies of other States ......... eubetwaees 12.50 So that we are more than twice as strong as the average stock com- pany doing business in our State, and no doubt they are all good. But as we Save you 25% and 5% extra if you pay inside of 20 days, we-are better. These figures are from official statements as of December 31, 1915, and can be verified in any up-to-date local insurance office. Stand Up For Your Rights Many of the so-called “necessary evils’? are unnecessary. Simply be- cause a bank lends you money does not give it the power to tell you where ' to place your insurance. This, of course, only applies to small banks who are looking for agents’ commissions in: placing business. Large banks do not stoop to petty methods. The Shoe Dealers’ Mutual offers the BEST kind of insurance and their policies are accepted by the largest and best financial institutions. The Shoe Dealers’ Mutual Company is not a slacker. It has bought Five Thousand Dollars’ worth of Liberty Bonds for your protection, We now have re-insurance facilities to earry risks as follows: In cities having No. 1 fire protection, in brick Dbulldings 2... ss $12,000 In cities having good fire protection, in brick BOUGIRE oes ek. ae 8,000 In cities having good fire protection in frame Buildings. 2.0... +... 5,000 In cities having no fire protection, in: brick DUNGIOSS es sexi. * 5,000 In cities having no. fire protection, in frame DuuUGings 206.05 cok 3,000 We are herewith showing you an example by which you can see at a glance our. methods of doing business. $6,000 Insurance; Board Rate at $15 Mer 9,000; CORt coe eke ee $90.00 $6,000 Insurance at our rate, being 25 per cent. reduction from Board WOES OP SUES DEP SV,000 oe id er nes choc sah kas bk cvineeteseeeel 67.50 Less 5 per cent. extra if paid within 30 GGVO i cca ss eave teerieuce 3.37 Net amount of premium ...........ccceccccecccccccccecs eh vee Gene $64.13 Making a. saving to you of $25.77, besides your share of profits in our own mutual company. We can do this and make money, as we show herewith: $6,000 Insurance at our rate ...... cic eee ese cecenccuccaces sereecccucscpeeule Cost of re-insuring $5,000 in other company ............. Weleie a ke