NOTICE TO READER. When’ you finish reading this notice, hand same to any are sae Se sailors at the front. © wrapping, no address. Burl eA SA EE, SNP DEA Ye eN Ne ce ee Vy EA rae SCE GN WWE SENOS ATs DA se =p \ yy: pe } q Ae We “« > § Vi OEE Uf 7») eX i ke re a Adc ‘ a 7 ye Ps y < Ke » C gq We V/A ae Um }, i 7 Ly A Ai ARG 8 , \ 7 Sy Ad Ae Can aS eS i, iP DE ] >) N SIS (GBT een pk Le aS Liiizaos Be oy SE NSIS pPUBLISHED WEEKLY (gs wae oe es COMPANY, PUBLISHERSAX& lest. 1883 3 o I osy : 2 = AX STISGn ewe ot IS, FE SOR SCS TESS Se ate BOA Thirty-Sixth Year ~~ GRAND RAPIDS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1918 Number 1837 wiki KK IKK * The Frien dly Hand When a man ain’t got a cent, An’ he’s feelin’ kind o’ blue, An’ the clouds hang dark and heavy, An’ won't let the sunshine through, It’s a great thing, O my brethren, For a feller just to lay His hand upon your shoulder In a friendly sort o’ way. It makes a man feel curious; It makes the teardrops start; An’ you sort o’ feel a flutter _ In the region of the heart; You can look up an’ meet his eyes; You don’t know what to say, When his hand is on your shoulder In a friendly sort 0’ way. Oh, the world’s a curious compound, _ With its honey and its gall, With its cares an’ bitter crosses; _ But a good world after all; An’ a good God must have made it— Leastways, that is what I say, When a hand rests on your shoulder In a friendly sort o” way. James Whitcomb Riley. ORR ORR ORR R OOOO ROR RRO LLL. CACO CARA AAAI MEINE IEA EAI AAAI KAAS DOO UR GIIRISICIKICIAIKISIC IC CIEI ISIC III IIIS ASAI DIDI SISA ISS IS IIIS ISD ISIS ISIS IS SI SI ISIS ISIS IAISIISISISISSISISISISISISSISIS HOECISICIRISIC BUR UBUBUOOUOU UCU COU UOUL UO UU LULL IUCR ALU. AUL LOLA. ILLIA ERO IPRA RRA RARER MORNE PIAA AAADADAIAAAAAAAADA AAA AAA AAI AAAIAAADIADAADSAASAAAASAAIA When Your Boy Comes Home you will be glad you gave the last dollar you could spare to keep him at the front and to keep him happy, well clothed and well fed. Shredded Wheat paid its heavy toll for doing a restricted business during the war and it paid it gladly. It was a patriotic privilege. Shredded Wheat Biscuit is the same breakfast cereal you have always sold— clean, pure, wholesome and nutritious. It is whole wheat and nothing but the wheat prepared in a digestible form. It . Yequires no sugar—just milk and a dash of salt. Made only by The Shredded Wheat Company, Niagara Falls, N. Y. Ceresota Flour Always Uniformly Good Made from Spring Wheat at Minneapolis, Minn. Judson Grocer Company The Pure Foods House : Distributors GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Keep up with the Mazola demands. 17 Battery Place How is Your Stock of | MAZOLA If you want to profit by the success of this wonderful cooking and salad oil from corn, be sure that your stock is up to the safe margin. ' The demand for Mazola is growing constantly. . Mazola advertising is constantly teaching housewives new and necessary uses for this great product. The American public knows that Mazola stands squarely on results. CORN PRODUCTS REFINING COMPANY NEW YORK ADESMAN Thirty-Sixth Year GRAND RAPIDS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1918 Number 1837 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 vears or more old. $1. Entered at the Postoffice of Grand Rapids under Act of March 3, 1879. THE DRY GOODS TRADE. The predicted quickening of the re- tail trade in the country is reported as coming to pass, in accordance with anticipations. It seems probable that a great deal of the high priced and necessarily quality and substi- tute merchandise will be moved out of stock on a wave of holiday relief buying. When this has been accom- plished, a ‘long step will have been taken toward re-adjusting a situation precipitated at a time that throws the burden of consumers’ complaints in- to the melting pot with Thanksgiving toleration and Christmas good cheer. low The best thought of the Govern- ment has been devoted toward relieving the producer and the seller. The buyer is being left to shift for himself during the period of uncertainty as to the effects of end- ing war business and re-establishing peace business. Heads ‘of large heuses are insisting that buyers shall 'eep quiet and shall clean up eheir ob- Neations as soon as possible. It is ct sufficient for them to know that «tecks are in moderate volume com- What the is the probabil- itv of a shrinkage in value for which the buyer will not be responsible, hut which will restrict his ‘future operations if his obligations at high Prices are large. The new difficulties put in the way of compromising Government con- ‘racts by a ruling of the Comptroller's office is another of those troubles arising from Government red tape that have caused so many merchants to fight shy of Government business ‘in normal times. The ruling will hasten rather than hinder the pur- pose of manufacturers and merchants to cet away from the Government as soon 7s possible and secure relief ‘rom the constant heckling that im- nedes the flow of merchandise as it moves in civilian channels in normal times. The fat margin of profit in Government contracts is passing and workers pared with normal years, financier is watching most merchants will welcome a re- lief from it in order to get their busi- ness on a sounder basis. In the cotton goods trade any im- mediate prospect of a_ precipitate downward move has been checkked by the action of the Government in controlling cotton and the action of the manufactuters in not attempting to dictate to labor at this critical time. With costs steadily maintained, a limited amount of play in the other forces that make prices should con- serve values during the reconstruc- tion period until the form that liquid- ation will take is a little clearer. What is true of cotton is true in a similar degree in wool lines. The freedom in price movement is checked in most lines, although the degree of Government influence ex- ercised varies somewhat.: It should not prove misleading as to the gen- eral tendency forcast by financiers, and should, on the other hand, give further encouragement to those who propose to move carefully in the next six to eight weeks of discussion of large international problems. No one is going to be hurt much if busi- ness is maintained within narrow compass by an insistence upon short terms of sale and small lots in trad- ing. Turkey cannot, by courting Amer- ica at this late date, avoid inevitable dissolution. The Turks themselves gave the Sick Man his death-blow in the Armenian massacres, in the per- secutions of the Jews, Syrians, and Arabs since 1914. To keep any of the subject races even nominally bound within the confines of an Ot- toman state would reward but ill their sufferings and services during the war, Let it never be forgotten that the Armenian massacres were largely the outcome of Armenian re- fusal to support the Turks against the Allies; that Jews, Arabs, and Armen- ians fought with the Allies at the Dardenelles, in the Caucasus, in Pales- tine, in Mesopotamia and Arabia. They fought for a very difinite thing, for liberty and the right to found free nations of their own. There is only one way in which the Allies can now reward this devotion. Turkey, sym- bol of oppression, must be broken up; an Armenian nation must be founded, and England’s promise of a Palestin- ian commonwealth and an Arab state must receive the support of the Peace Conference. The Lebanon must be given autonomy. Once these prin- ciples are adopted, then any meas- like those proposed by Dr. Gates, of Robert College, for the temporary policing and protection of various districts may be resorted to, as the need arises. ures, CONTINUED CONSERVATION. The Food Administration, whose official head has gone abroad to study needs and means of meeting them most effectively and in accordance with just claims, has given out a state- ment showing the need of continued conservation here and a_ generous self-denial for the relief of sufferers now accessible in much larger num- ber than before the military conflict stopped. It says that this is now “vital to the relief of stricken Eur- ope.” Famine is the mother of revolt and anarchy and if hunger is allowed to take its toll of life revolution is bound to spread and there is danger of a “definite collapse of all for which we fought and bled.” We were in the conflict to establish world peace and it we allow it to be disrupted by up- risings and anarchy, “we will have destroyed the thing for which we en- tered the war and which is now in sight.” This is putting it rather strongly, but there is surely ample reason for the general appeal. The routes of commerce are now open to Eastern and Southern Europe from South America, India and Aus- tralia, from which much grain can be brought over long routes. That will take time, and an even greater need is that for fats, meats and feeding stuff for domestic animals. As a re- sult of the scarcity of fodder there has been a rapid deterioration in quantity and quality of meat and of dairy herds. It is said that the food pledge of the United States this year calls for 20,000,000 tons, or two-thirds more than last year, for the relief of over 30,000,000 hungry people. Our pre-war food exports to Europe, it is said, were less than 6,000,000 tons a year and last year they amounted to 11,820,000 while it is proposed to get over that 20,000,000 tons from this year’s supply. There is plenty of rea- son for a general co-operation in this movement and no danger of suffering from it here. WOOLS AND WOOLEN GOODS. Conferences have been held in Washington recently to decide on what policy the Government should follow with regard to wool. No con- clusion has been arrived at, and other confabs will follow. The Government has a vast quantity of wool on hand and will have much more when what it has contracted for comes into its possession. It has also enormous quantities of woolen fabrics and cloth- ing. The imports of wool have been fairly large, having exceeded 330,000,- 000 pounds for the year up to the end of September. They will probably be over 450,000,000 pounds for the calen- dar year. There is also a vast amount of wool in Australasia, South Amer- ica, and South Africa which can be obtained much easier now that the war is ended. If the Government should release its control of wool there is likely to be a great and im- mediate slump in prices, and so par- ties interested are anxious to have a stabilizing by official authority. This would imply the licensing of imports of both wool and woolens. Still, the very existence of the large stocks of wool is bound to be a disturbing fac- tor during the long period needed fox their absorption and use, and it may be that some international agreement in the matter will have to be had. The Government has ceased to be a factor in the goods market and is not likely to be one again for a long time to come. Within a few weeks at the outset the mills will have to busy themselves looking after trade re- quirements, and they are anxious to know on what basis their raw ma- terial is to be placed. Until this is determined they will be very much at sea. And so, also, will be the manu- facturers of garments, who can not well proceed until they know the prices of fabrics. These considera- tions, of course, refer to the next heavyweight season, the spring re- quirements having been attended to. The elimination by the Senate Fi- Committee of the much-crit- icised zone arrangement of postage upon second-class mail matter is an act of iustice that will be appre- ciated not by publishers only, but by the multitude of readers as_ well. The greatest obstacle in the way of its removal hitherto has been Chair- man Kitchin, who was deaf to all argument against it, because of his hatred of everything which contrib- utes to the spread of intelligence. The change of attitude, as reflected by the Senate committee, is doubtless due in part to a recognition of the force of the contention that the sys- tem was essentially a discrimination against publishers, who refused to bow their heads to the coterie of Southern statesmen who have been in complete control of the law-making power of the Government ever since Mr. Wilson was elected President. The election returns not impossibly supplied the decisive argument. Toa legislator there is no logic like that of figures of majorities and minorities. On all grounds, therefore, the zone system was among the first of the war-taxation arrangements to go. A- long with it goes the extra cent of postage upon first-class mail. This burden has been cheerfully accepted as a fair method of adding to the National revenues, but it is rightly abandoned as soon as conditions al- low a revision of our tax schedules. nance MICHIGAN TRADESMAN December 4, 1918 INFLUENCE OF HOLIDAYS. The unceasing grind of trade has a tendency to harden the business man’s regard for his associates and subordinates. In the rush of daily traffic they are gradually absorbed in- to the machinery of work until they almost acquire the impersonal posi- tion of wheels in a clock or cogs in a wheel. The effect is to diminish the spirit of enthusiasm; to coarsen the moral texture, to make dull and ill- fitting the once keen edges of enter- prise and ambition. The frequent recurrence of holidays in American life has an ameliorating influence upon the otherwise strenu- ous and selfish manner of our activ- ities. They have come to be recog- nized and welcomed as times for pause; times at which we may, in a sense, achieve the paradoxical invita- tion of the Irish captain who bade his awkward recruits step out of the ranks and take a look at themselves. They are opportunities when we may measure ourselves with our fellow men; chances to put aside the severe relations of life and to look kindly and earnestly into the faces of our brethren. In very small communities there is always an evener level of equality than in more populous centers, and the influence of holidays is spread throughout the months. The em- ployer and his ‘employes are neigh- bors. They meet on Sundays at the village church. Their children may play together and they are most fre- quently well-informed in a kindly way, of the weaknesses, the needs and the advantages of one another. In the crowded factories, shops and stores of the cities, there is little op- portunity or personal regard between the proprietors and their people. A great many amiably inclined firms have successfully sought to come in- to closer and more friendly relations with their employes by providing ex- tra holidays in summer with a picnic or excursion to the end that they may know more of their employes and be- come better known of them. To see those helpers who toiled faithfully for him during the vear. re- leased from unavoidable work even for a day and disporting themselves with every evidence of happiness, cannot fail to awaken and renew in the thoughtful employer those finer sentiments of the human heart with- out which the relations of labor and capital are likely to drift into the hos- tile atmosphere of bondage and tyr- anny. The very sense of celebrat- ing, of making merry, of giving or receiving gifts, is occasion for a kind of introspection that is worth the while of the man who works with his hands as well as of the man who works with his brain or with the money he has accumulated. At Thanksgiving you were grateful. But did you participate heartily in the apparent rejoicing of others? Granted that some of your motives were sel- fish, yet they were not all mean. It made your heart glow to see your poorer neighbor lugging home his turkey and his market-basket, and if you were the “poorer neighbor” there was no rancor in your soul at the evi- dences of your more fortunate fellow man’s prosperity and thankfulness. You saw on all sides the frowns of care and greed give way if but for a day to smiles of mirth or friendliness. Doubtless “the boss” under such con- ditions always shows that he is not so hard, so remote, so unfriendly as he usually seems. In the man who works for you, you see at holiday times new evidences of his equality with you. He greets you with unaccustomed cordiality, and perhaps you are made aware that he is really happier than you. You may even envy him in a genial way saying to yourself: “He is not so rich as I, but he has less care,” or, “I may be better educated, but he is younger, stronger and may come to know more than I at last.” as to the learned. It is as valuable to the rich as to the poor. It reaches benignantly into the future and rad- iates the past with luminous mem- ories. Gifts or no gifts, celebration or no celebration, the holiday is the time for hand-clasps and for looking kindly into the faces of our fellows. It is the breathing spot upon a long, broad, uneventful landscape; a drink for the famished heart. The giving of pleasure and the enjoyment of it, are in the line of good sense, good- feeling, good philosophy. RETAIL TRADE EXTENSION. Trade extension, especially along retail lines, is the goal sought by every town. This aim underlies every movement inaugurated by business He’s a Drummer. The Drummer. The Drummer. This same Drummer. The same Drummer, He’s some Drummer. A real Drummer. THE DRUMMER. The man that you meet in the early morn, Apparently the happiest man that is born, With a quick snappy walk and a happy smile, Chock-full of business all the while— You meet the same man at the luncheon hour, He’s slowed down a bit, but still full of power. After his luncheon and noonday cigar, His personal stock is way above par. He labors all day with prospective buyers a few, Try how he may, he can’t make them come through; But with his glad hand and a happy smile, He makes every one feel that life is worth while. He labors as hard as he possibly can, But still is unable to land his man, He never grows weary or wavers a bit, But keeps steadily plugging the bull’s eye to hit. When evening draws nigh and he is home for a rest, He says to his wife: “I sure did my best, I didn’t land ’em to-day, but I know I will yet, So never you mind, there’s no cause to fret.” His earnest ambition and overwrought zeal, Will eventually turn Dame Fortune’s big wheel. Then he surprises himself in the regular way By landing a buyer the very next day. He won’t slacken his speed stop to worry or think, But keeps right on hustling, hardly time for a wink, And his efforts prove fruitful, his commissions, all clear He finds very shortly he has made enough for a year. It takes lots of pep, ambition and zeal, Without looking backward, to constantly feel, That the right day will come, and it will be no surprise To close some big orders that pleases the eyes. That’s why they’re scarce,.good Drummers. L. C. Steele. And in the gift-giving days of Yule- tide these softening effects of the hol- idays are again focused and accentu- ated, It is the time for celebrating the nattivity of a child who became the beau ideal of gentleness and un- selfishness; the commemoration of the world’s first introduction to the philosophy of that charity which is ex- pressed in love. It is at this time, if ever, that one realizes that life is not all gray, that there is something more to endeavor than the reward of material gain; that it is the simple virtues, the slender graces and the evidences of sympathy which sweeten life and make all projects pleasant and all toil worth while. The application of a knowledge of the true significance of the holiday spirit is as possible to the unlettered men as a body, to secure new indus- tries for a town, for with new in- dustries comes either an increase in the town’s population or employment of a greater amount of home labor. In either case the town’s buying pow- er is enlarged, and when this last point in community team work is reached the tradespeople who. inaug- urated the movement have enlarged their opportunities for selling. In this way they are repaid for their invest- ment of money and effort towards the common aim—trade extension. In the past local commercial or- ganizations have worked upon the theory that to enlarge a town’s buy- ing power more factories must be built and more employes be brought in. This policy, so long pursued, re- sulted in the neglect of bpportunities to enlarge the buying power of the town’s present population. The en- largement of the buying capacity of any town—and by town is meant the entire retail trade area which includes the farms round about—may be ac- complished by the process of divert- ing wasted time and wasted effort into a more direct route to and from mar- ket. This brings us back, as it were to the main road. The late James J. Hill used to preach more against the various forms of waste in this country than any oth- er one fault of the American people. One of these forms of waste is bad roads. We are quite in the habit of bragging about our great advances in commercial and industrial life, but we can not brag very much about our road system as a whole. As a matter of fact, we are very often pushed into action, even while we are bragging the loudest about our enterprise as in- dividuals or communities. Just now we are being pushed into good-roads building by the automo- bile—the greatest constructive factor in retail trade extension in operation to-day. Motor cars are bringing more people to trading points than all of the railroad trains put together. That is they do this when roads are good. This is an argument for good roads —roads which may be used every day in the year, roads that will distribute this trade every day in the year, so the merchant can properly take care of it. When we warm up to hard roads, as we must, we will find that building them is the best investment we can make for business. Not only business for the merchant, and the city and town, but for the farmers who own the big majority of the automobiles, and want to use them every day in the year. And we also would use them daily if they were in condition for use. We may have most excellent roads when the weather conditions allow it. But we won’t have good ones when the rains and the snows come, nor will we ever have good roads until they are paved and maintained in a sensible way. We may just as well get used to it and ready for it, for the time is com- ing when we will spend our money for good roads and will get value re- ceived for every dollar put into such investment. The town man is inter- ested in such a movement, of course, but the farmer is the one most di- rectly and vitally interested, and he, with others, is beginning to find out that a material like concrete for in- stance, has the maintenance built into it, while the first cost is more mod- erate than any other equally durable construction. It might even be a good move for our business building organizations— commercial clubs and the like—to “lay off’? on every other job until permanent road building is well launched. Trade extension can not be accomplished in a more effective and lasting way. A small boy likes to hear himself whistle almost as well as a big man likes to hear himself talk. eS tl eS tl December 4, 1918 Late News From the Saginaw Valley. Saginaw, Dec. 3—“I wouldn’t sell my experiences for a million dollars and, on the other hand, I wouldn’t want to go through them again for any amount of money,” were the exact words uttered by William J. Leppien, now on board the U. S. S. Mt. Vernon. The above remarks were addressed to the writer last week in an interview with Mr. Leppien, who was home on a ten day furlough. Resigning his position with the Na- tional Grocer Co. last May, Bill, as he is so familiarly known, enlisted in the Navy. He applied immediately the same business tactics that made him a valuable asset to his former employ- ers and the same earnestness won for him in the short period of twenty-four days a place on the U. S. S. Mt. Ver- non, a transport, entering the Great Lakes Naval Station. He was there but twenty-four days when assigned to overseas duty. His wonderful story he told in a calm way. He spoke of the torpedoing of his ship last September. The thrill- ing experiences and the high compli- ments he paid his superior officers would fill a book, but the writer will only try to give, in a small way, for the benefit of his many friends and old customers, what really happened. The ship he was assigned to was for- merly known as the Kronprinzessin Cecile, one of Germany’s finest and fastest ships afloat. At the time war was first declared she was on her way home with ten millions in gold and when off the British Isles was ordered back to America, fearing the British would capture her. She arrived at Bar Harbor. Later the relations be- tween the United States and Germany were strained and President Wilson ordered all German ships interned. Al- most at the same moment the German high. command of the German fleet sent the word broadcast to all in- terned vessels to put their ships out of commission, so they would be of little use to this country. This they did, thinking little of how quick they could be put back in running shape by America’s great mechanics. As the captain and his crew were taken off the Kronprinzessin Cecile, the captain remarked to the U. S. offi- cer in charge that his ship would be of no use to our Government, as he had obeyed orders from his superior. Lit- tle did he know of what Uncle Sam could do and little did he think as he was led off of his pride of the seas on May 5 that she could be refittea and steamed up by July 28, ready to sail for France with several thousand fighting yanks going “over there” to help fight for the freedom of the world. However, that is exactly what took place in so short a period of time. The Mt. Vernon is over 700 feet long, with a displacement of 30,000 tons, with engines of 45,000 horse power, capable of doing twenty-six miles per hour, and her equipment is of the finest in the world. Sailing for France on July 28, the trip was made in great shape, en- countering no serious trouble. The second trip over was made in record time and she was returning with 250 wounded yanks who had done their bit for Uncle Sam. All was going fine when on a bright September morning at 7:30 a. m. the crisis came for the Mt. Vernon. Breakfast was just being finished, the firemen and engineers belonging to the 8 o’clock shift were going down the ladders, when all of a sudden, as if but a small fishing boat it seemed, she was lurched high on the sea. She came back, throwing everything topsy turvy and began rocking from side to side. A torpedo, one of old Kaiser Bill’s loving cups, had found its mark, and true it was, hitting to the rear of her center, tearing a hole 15 x 25 feet. At this time she was 300 miles out of the French port, - : MICHIGAN TRADESMAN The toll of the black devil of the sea, aside from the damage done the ship; was thirty-seven lives, all be- longing to the engine crew. In a moment’s time the officers of the ill-fated ship had their plans laid to save her, if possible. Captain Dismukes ordered her turned back to France and, with part of her crew dead and half her boiler power de- stroyed, she started. Every man, al- William J. Leppien. though facing death (so far as he knew), stuck to his post and the cap- tain later remarked, had it not been for the gallant work of the firemen and engineers, even working against great odds, they would probably all have been lost. Headed for France with boilers groaning, she made under most difficult conditions sixteen miles per hour. In a few hours’ time the entire world knew of the disaster and little did the U. S. Naval officials ex- pect to see her brought in in safety, but in eighteen hours she landed at Brest, France, there to be met by Secretary of War Baker and his staff. The captain and his crew were highly commended by the Secretary of War and also in a cablegram from Secre- tary of the Navy Daniels they were given great praise. Captain Dismukes was loud in his praise to the firemen and engineers who did such great work and also to the entire crew. The remains of the thirty-seven men who gave their lives for democracy were sent back to the U. S. in charge of the chaplain, who saw that each received an honorable burial. Going into dry dock, she was soon temporarily fixed up. To give an idea of what had to be done, I might staté that it took 400 tons ot rock and cement to put her in running shape. To-day she is laying in the Charleston Navy Yards, being put into running shape. Do you wonder that Bill wouldn’t want to go through such an experience again? Mr. Leppien is a Saginaw boy, born here about twenty-four years ago. Having little support when young, he hit out for himself and, starting at the bottom, gradually worked up to a splendid position. He always proved himself a valuable asset to his com- pany. The National Grocer Co. is one of sixteen branches in the State and one of the largest wholesale con- cerns in the Middle West. He is a member of the United Commercial Travelers of America, belonging to Saginaw Council. He is a member of the English Lutheran church of this city and a popular member of several young peoples societies. He left for his station on Thanksgiving day and with him went the best wishes of a host of friends and fellow travelers. John Baker, better known as Jack, representing the local branch of the National Grocer Co. for a number of years, has resigned to go into the gro- cery business. He expects to open soon in the building formerly occu- pied by L. W. Yunker, on Sheridan avenue. It is a splendid location and, with his varied experience in the gro- cery line, Jack ought to do a good business. Would advise specialty men when calling on him to simply show their wares, give Jack the glad hand and say, “How much do you want?” He will figure the profits for himselt. He knows. Jack, you have a host of old customers, friends and fellow trav- elers who wish you the best of suc- cess. The proper place for the Huns is not at the peace table, but under it. A. E. Pierce, of Caro, member of the concern of Pierce & Son, pro- prietors of the Palace Meat Market, is ill with the influenza. However, at this writing he is out of danger and doing nicely. Harold Tuttle, of Tuttle & Son, re- tail grocers, Lapeer, is now located at Camp Hancock, Ga. He has been a machine gun instructor since last April. He is enjoying the best of health, but is now anxious to get back to the old stand with his father, C. H. Tuttle, who conducts one of the best grocery stores in Lapeer. Art Fleetwood, of Columbiaville, recently bought an interest in the Columbiaville Mercantile Co., the largest department store in the town. He is a young fellow with a pleasing personality and is well known in the community. He should prove a valu- able asset to the concern. John Folsom, purchasing agent for the above concern in the grocery de- partment, is now back on the job. He had the pleasure of experiencing a touch of the flu. Mark S. Brown, our esteemed U. C. T. czar of Michigan, for the first time in twenty-six years failed to go deer hunting. While Mark felt entirely out of place down here among civilized folks during the lawful days for hunt- ing, yet up north Billy Buck and Sis- ter Doe were happy to know their life was to be spared from the rifle of this veteran crack shot of the Sagi- naw Valley. Dan MacArthur, who for the past few weeks was very ill at his home on Johnson street, is now able to attend to his duties—that of selling heavy leather for Morley Bros. _ The grocery department of George Schemm, at Reese, was recently bad- ly damaged by fire. Mr. Schemm con- ducted one of the best and largest department merchandise concerns in Northern Michigan. Saturday Saginaw enjoyed her first touch of winter—snow flurries and wind throughout the day. However, the streets were lined with shoppers, which reminded one that Christmas shopping days were at hand. No one would know by meeting him that our old friend, Otto Steinbauer, had risen to the manager’s chair of the local branch of the National Gro- cer Co. Starting at the bottom, he has gradually risen to his envied po- sition and, although the biggest man around the place, he is the same jovial, big-hearted Otto. L. M. Steward. +... Drilling the Sales Army. Military drill for its salesmen is a part of the routine of a Western city’s department store. Three hours a week are given to the exercises, taken on the roof of the store. One hour of this, in two half-hour periods, is the salesmen’s own time, and two hours are the company’s. The drill has resulted, according to the store manager, in increased physical vitality in the men, and this improves their work appreciably. Of late, customers have frequently com- mented on the better service they re- ceive, he says. Sharpe Fee. happiest. from within, not from without. living each for the other. She is no slacker. family. home. Home Ties Most Precious Those having the most money, the biggest house, the highest salary, or the best automobile, are not necessarily the richest nor the Riches consist of more than material things, and happiness comes Real home ties can not be bought nor sold; they are developed from close association; by sacrifice on the part of one for the pleasure of the other; by sharing one another’s joys and sorrows; by actually A good wife and mother is one of the precious blessings of life which money cannot buy, corrupt nor provide. and shapes the destiny of the Nation. Her thoughts are for the welfare of her husband and children and her country. To proudly guide the footsteps of her loved ones, and to have them well clothed and properly nourished is always uppermost in her mind. To such women we take pleasure in offering Lily White “The Flour the Best Cooks Use”’ because they will find in this flour the quality necessary to provide the kind of bread and pastries they take a delight in serving the Nothing is too good for Dad and the Kiddies from a mother’s stand- point and as this applies to what they eat as well as what they wear and have, Lily White Flour will be a most welcome visitor in the We salute the good wife and mother; she is the life of the home, and the soul of the family circle. More homes and respect to her. Our Domestic Science Department furnishes recipes and canning charts upon request and will aid you to solve any other kitchen problems you may have from time to time. Public demonstrations also arranged. Address your letters to our Domestic Science Department. VALLEY CITY MILLING CO. Grand Rapids, Mich. The above is a sample of ads. we are running in the newspapers. Your customers are reading them—keep a good stock on hand to supply the demand. She is the life of the home ae eg ee neue! Oe MICHIGAN TRADESMAN December 4, 1918 Movements of Merchants. Brighton—A. C. Stewart has en- gaged in the coal and wood business. Sault Ste. Marie—The Northern Michigan Land Co. has increased its capital stock from $450,000 to $1,000,- 000. Jackson—C. W. Ballard, shoe deal- er at 125 West Main street, is clos- ing out his stock and will retire from business. Dewings—William Danielson, gen- eral dealer, was recently married to Miss Mamie Nelson, of Tustin. The Tradesman extends congratulations. Big Rapids—W. A. Reynolds has sold his grocery stock and store fix- tures to Stephen Denno, formerly of Leaton, who will continue the busi- ness. Ithaca—S. S. Chadwick has traded his farm, two and a half miles east of Hemlock, to R. W. Ford, for the Seaver hotel, at Ithaca, taking pos- session Dec. 2. Brighton—A. C. Bell has leased a store building and will occupy it with a stock of cigars, tobacco and con- fectionery as soon as he has remod. eled the building. Gagetown — Mrs. Ella Maynard, who conducted a drug store here for the past two years, died at the home of her sister, following an illness of but six days, of Spanish influenza, Ionia—C. H. Lobdell and Roy Ser- vos have formed a copartnership and purchased the plant of the Kuhtz Laundry. The business will be con- tinued under the style of the Ionia Laundry Co. Detroit— The Acme Drug Co. has been incorporated to conduct a wholesale and retail drug business, with an authorized capital stock of $5,000, all of which has been sub- scribed and paid in in cash. Detroit—The Great Lakes Distrib- uting Co. has been incorporated to deal in fuel and in factory and foundry supplies, with an authorized capital stock of $12,000, $6,000 of which has been subscribed and paid in in cash. Saginaw—O. A. Rogers, formerly engaged in general trade at Gage- town, has purchased the stock and store fixtures of the Victor J. Tatham meat and grocery store No. 4, at 804 Genesee avenue, and taken immedi- ate possession. Kalamazoo—Benj. Cleenewerck & Son, conducting a chain of retail cigar and tobacco stores in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Jackson, have taken over the cigar store in the New Bur- dick Hotel and will continue the busi- ness under the management of Wil- liam Guilfoyle. Ionia—Sam Rosenberg has sold the Store fixtures and stock of women’s furnishings and ready-to-wear cloth- ing of The Fashion to J. H. Good- speed and James Fox, of Grand Rap- ids, who took immediate possession and will continue the business unde1 the management of Mark E. Simpson, traveling representative for a New York clothing house, but making his home in Grand Rapids. Manufacturing Matters. Detroit—The New Oil Tank Co. has increased its capital stock from $5,000 to $10,000. Detroit—The Peoples Building Co. has been incorporated with an auth- erized capital stock of $2,500, all of which has been subseribed and paid in in cash. Lake Odessa—W. A. Berling, for- merly engaged in the milling busi- ness at Muir, has purchased the Heaton flour mill and is having it remodeled and new machinery in- stalled, Detroit—E. C. Brink has been in- corporated to manufacture musical instruments and parts thereof, with an authorized capital stock of $5,000, all of which has been subscribed and paid in in cash. Jackson—John J. Fanning has sold the old plant of the Ruby Manufac- turing Co. to the Lockwood-Ash Motor Co., thus enabling it to greatly increase its output of martine motor and Sterling spark plugs. Grand Ledge—The Grand Ledge Milk Co. is building an addition to its plant, as well as a large warehouse. As soon as the addition to the factory is completed, the business offices will be removed here from Detroit. Three Rivers—The Fairbanks Morse Co., of Chicago, has taken over the plant and business of the Sheffield Car Co. and will continue the business as one of its many branches under the style of the Sheffield plant of the Fair- banks Morse Co. Plymouth—The Michigan Press Co., of Ypsilanti, has purchased the foundry of the Plymouth Motor Cast- ings Co. and will operate it as a cast- ings factory. It is expected that its full capacity from 200 to 250 motor castings a day will be contracted for within the next 30 days. Bay City—The Bay City Foundry & Machine Co. has been given per- mission by the council to close Twen- ty-seventh street from Webster to Water streets and to use the unoc- cupied portion of Taylor street be- tween Twenty-seventh street and the Michigan Central belt line for the purpose of extending and improying its plant. The streets have been va- cated by the council, no objection be- ing made by those immediately con- cerned, Hardware Prices Will Not Tumble There never was a time in the his- tory of American business when it was as essential as right now that sane judgment should be exercised by all business men both large and small. The fighting in Europe is over, but the “mopping up” is going to require a much longer time than we realize to-day. Aside from the manufacture of munitions the demands upon the pro- ductive power of America will con- tinue for a year at least, fully as heavy as during the past year. It is to be hoped that the ship build- ing programme will be completed as originally planned. While permanent reconstruction in France and Belgium will, no doubt, be slow from financial reasons, some- thing positively must be done to re- place the 300,000 homes which have been destroyed. Plans are already be- ing considered by the United States Government to do this reconstructing for France and Belgium. There is much other emergency re- construction which must be done in connection with bridges, railroads, mines, etc. The most serious problem for the next twelve months will be not only continuing to feed our Allies but the added burden of feeding our former enemies. This is bound to keep food prices fully as high as they are to- day, if not higher, which means that the buying power in the great Middle West grain and meat producing sec- tion will continue fully as great as during the past two years. There is positively no pessimistic cloud in the business sky to-day if business men don’t “rock the boat.” There is just one sane common sense course to pursue and that is, to con- tinue business as usual, buy sufficient for the demand and continue buying fully as far ahead as during the past year. Prices are not going to tumble, for whicn the business world should be thankful. Naturally there will be some re-adjustments in prices, but they are going to come very gradually not nearly as soon or as fast as snap judgment might predict. A surplus, or even a sufficient sup- ply, of hardware and kindred lines will not be possible throughout the first half of 1919, and possibly not through- out the entire year, and until the sup- ply at least exceeds the demand, and labor is placed on the same basis, no marked reduction in prices can be ex- pected. —_—_->_ Waste of Bad Roads. If it has been considered worth while to declare the manufacture of trucks for military and vital civilian needs an essential, 1r would be foolish not to carry the effort to its logical conclusion. The waste of truck efh- ciency through poor roads is little short of tragic with the country in the crisis it faces to-day. No one who has watched a motor truck lunging slowly and fearfully along a billowy or guttered road can doubt that poor roads may impair the efficfenty of the tritk 5 pey tent! or mibre. Preventing Damage to Eggs in Transit. The Bureau of Chemistry, through the Food Research Laboratory, has been assisting in reducing the dam- age to eggs in transit by giving practi- cal demonstrations at shipping points in loading cars of eggs or mixed eggs and dressed poultry. Much of the damage is directly due to faulty methods of packing eggs in cases and stowing the cases in‘ the car. Four meetings held recently in Iowa were attended by over 190 practical shippers who send cars weekly, at least, to eastern markets and who expressed great interest in the me- thods which the department has work- ed out for the conservation of this valuable foodstuff. They and many others have found the department’s folder, “How to Load Cars of Eggs,” of assistance. Copies of this folder can be had by writing to the Bureau of Chemistry, United States Depart- ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. ———_2-2-e____ With the tingle of frost in the air to stimulate seasonable buying and with the advanced purchasing of holi- day goods, there was a good deal of optimism among retailers during the last week. This applies pretty gener- ally all over the country. Distinctions, too, between useful gifts and such as are merely more or less aesthetic seem to be lost sight of, as is evi- denced by purchases of jewelry and articles of luxury. The relief brought about by the cessation of warfare and the consequent release of anxiety in millions of households for mem- bers in the fighting ranks, appears to have resulted in a decided loosening of the pursestrings. There has been, also, a brisk renewal of buying of things for the home, such as furni- ture and furnishings, pictures, up- holstery, musical instruments and the like. The general nature of the buying has been one of the most gratifying features of the recent business in stores and shops. Even the prices asked, which are in many instances quite high, although not al- ways up to the levels corresponding to those in the primary markets, have not served to abate the zeal for buy- ing. If the next two or three weeks produce as good results there will be no cause for complaint. —~+2.—____ Reports from Belfast note that a struggle is on between buyers and producers of linens over price. The former believe prices should be lower, while the latter in justice to them- selves may have to ask more. While prices of raw material remain fixed as at present, no manufacturer can afford a concession. ——_.-+~ Knew It Already. “T haven’t paid a penny for repairs on my machine in all the ten months I’ve had it!” said the motorist. “So the man who repaired it told me!” said a friend in corroboration. —_——_ +. ___ The ring at the other end of the circus tent always looks the best. , —_»-«-e-__. Some people would very likely take hints if they could pawn them. ala December 4, 1918 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 3 = - RY» PRODUCE MA : * Y ‘ ‘ \ Review of the Grand Rapids Produce Market. Apples—Pound Sweet, $2 per bu.; 20 oz. Pippin, $1.75@2; Hubbard- stons, $1.50; Baldwin, $1.50; Northern Spys, $2@2.25; Wagners, $1.75; Mack- intoshes, $2; Grimes Golden, $1.50; Greenings, $2; Russets, $1.75. Bananas—$7.75 per 100 lbs. Beets—75c per bu. Butter—The market is practically unchanged. Local dealers hold fancy creamery at 64c in tubs and 66c in prints. Creamery more than a month old sold at 62c. Jobbers pay 46c for No. 1 dairy in jars and sell at 48c. They pay 34c for packing stock. Cabbage—$3 per crate or $1 per bu. Carrots—75c per bu. Celery—25c per bunch. Celery Cabbage—$1.25 per doz. Cranberries—Late Howes, $14 per bbl. and $5 per bu. Cucumbers — Indiana hot house, $2.50 per dozen. Eggs—The demand for fresh gath- ered is confined pretty closely to urg- ent needs, but the supply of desirable qualities is small and the market is firm, with a good clearance of the better grades. On the sales reported, some further advance in quotations is established at a reasonable estimation of grade and quality. The more seri- ously mixed lots of fresh gathered are meeting only a moderate demand. Some movement in fall packed stock at a wide range or prices. Storage eggs continue in demand beyond the supply promptly available and the market rules strong, with some sales of late summer and early fall packed of high cost above our previous quo- tation. Local dealers pay 60c per doz., loss off, including cases, deliv- ered. Cold storage operators are putting out their stocks on the basis of 48c for candled firsts and 44c for candled seconds. Egg Plant—$2 per dozen. Garlick—28c per Ib. Grape Fruit—$4@5 per box for all sizes Floridas. Grapes—California Emperors, $4.50 per 4 basket crate and $8.75 per keg. Green Onions—18@20c per dozen. Green Peppers—d50c per basket for Florida. Honey—35c per Ib. for white clov- er and 30c for dark, Lemons—California have declined to $5.50 for choice and $6 for fancy. Lettuce— Head, $3 per bu.; hot house leaf, 10c per Ib. Onions—$1.50@1.75 per 100 Ib. sack for either Red or Yellow. Oranges—Floridas, $4.75@5.50 per box; California Navals, $4.75@8.50, according to size. Pineapples—$6@6.50 per crate. Pop Corn—1l5c per Ib. Potatoes—Home grown command $2 per 100 lb. sack. Radishes—Hot house, 30c per doz. bunches. Squash—Hubbard, $2.75 per 100 lbs. Sweet Potatoes—$2.75 per 50 lb. hamper of Illinois kiln dried. Tomatoes—California, $1.15 per 5 Ib. basket. , , Turnips—65c per bu. ——_+» +> Do Not Pay Express. If you receive an express package covered by Government bill of lading do not pay express. Uncle Sam has paid it. It seems that express agents are not all aware of the fact that a Government bill of lading is equiv- alent to prepaid. At the regular monthly meeting of the Grand Rapids Retail Grocers and Meat Dealers’ Association, held last evening, the attendance was large. State Food Commissioner Wood- worth was unable to be present, but Inspector Todd arrived late in the evening and delivered an interesting address. Wood’s orchestra discoursed sweet music. A comedian perform- ed some surprising stunts. An old soldier revived interest in the Civil War by his stories and bugle calls. At the next meeting the nomination of officers for the ensuing year will be effected. ——_--->—___ Clyde Scherpeness, who was sales- manager for the Grand Rapids Grain & Milling Co. for four years, has re- turned to Grand Rapids and resumed his desk, after an enforced absence of several months at Camp Dodge. He was engaged in limited -service as Sergeant and was offered an oppor- tunity to enter an officers’ training school, but preferred to return to civilian life. Mrs. Scherpeness, who lived in Des Moines while her hus- band was stationed in Iowa, returned with him. oe. ——— The Manhattan Machine & Tool Works has been incorporated with an authorized capital stock of $100,- 000, all of which has been subscribed, $675 paid in in cash and $64,250 in property. —_+-2—____ Merchandise will be more plentiful next year for the civilian trade, and, what is of large consequence, it will probably be of much better quality than much that was sold this year. ————- F. G. Ensign, grocer and meat dealer at 708 Cass avenue, has sold his stock and store fixtures to Alex- ander Yared, who has taken posses- sion, The Grocery Market. Sugar—The Food Administration has again called off the permission to sell consumers a month’s supply of sugar at one time and hereafter the grocer is instructed to sell not more than four pounds. Another thing of interest to the trade is the fact that the sugar division of the Food Ad- ministration will cease operation De- cember 31 and after January 31 the sugar market will be open, allowing the grocer to buy in any quantities he desires. While the Food Administra- tion has made no statement as to the cause of the change, it is understood it is due to the reasons outlined sev- eral weeks ago by the Tradesman in that it opened the way for an indis- criminate purchase of sugar and would result in housewives. using more than would be necessary. In other words, if they are able to bty the first of the month a supply for thirty days they would use it more freely and in order to replenish their supply cause them to adopt one of the many ways of getting more than the four pounds per capita, which allotment is in ef- fect beginning Dec. 1. The Trades- man pointed out these objections sev- eral weeks ago and in addition called attention to the likelihood of chain stores and large down town dealers getting the benefit of the month sup- ply rule. Reference was made to the fact that they would resume the old method of selling sugar at cost in order to invite the consumers to buy at their stores. Canned Fruit—There is scarcely a market at present as offerings are light, and at the same time buyers are not willing to pay prices any higher than those that have recently prevailed. Canned Vegetables—Now that the smoke of battle is clearing away and the returns are coming in there is an opportunity to take account of the situation and perhaps revise some of the previous ideas as to canned goods supplies. For instance, it now appears that there has been an extraordinarily large pack of peas, amounting, in fact, to ten million cases, or a million more than last year’s pack, which in turn was a million more than the preceding high record. There has also been an extraordinary pack of tomatoes, all of which is an excellent tribute to the farmers of the country in their effort to help Mr. Hoover and at the same time take advantage of the war prices prevailing for food- stuffs, of all kinds. That there has been a shortage of fancy peas has been known all along and, in fact, the figures just published confirm this fact, for it is well known that a large crop of any kind runs to a lower av- erage quality than a short crop. Al- ready buyers of peas are beginning to have canners offer them additional lots, especially where there were short deliveries, but the buyers are not tak- ing hold very readily because they covered their requirements elsewhere, which, it would appear, they had but little difficulty in doing. Corn is also being offered in the same way and there are beginning to be signs of a pressure to sell tomatoes. Canned Fish—There is no change in the general market situation. There is an jntermittent demand for sardines, but salmon is at practically a stand- still owing to the absence of supplies. Dried Fruits—The dried fruit situ- ation drags along from day to day with nothing Weveloping ‘that will increase the supplies available for the general public. The prune situation is one that has never been known be- fore in the history of the trade. The spot market is practically bare of any offerings except the very small sizes of 120s and below. These are hard to sell and are now offered at 7Y%c. Such a price, however, while considered low in comparison with prices that have hitherto prevailed for the other sizes is nevertheless fabulous considering the fact that these sizes were usually considered too small to even be offered on the market. The demand lags for the present, however, because retailers still have the larger sizes on hand, but as soon as these are exhausted and the public finds that it will have to take these or nothing the demand may increase, Apricots are in de- mand locally as it is believed some export business will develop, as there are no restrictions on this fruit. Cur- rants are in little better demand as there wiil be no arrivals for the next two or three months, although local stocks are ample. Containers and Sizes—The new Federal order covering prohibition of the packing of certain goods in tin and directing package sizes has been rescinded. Whether the manufactur- ers will go back to old sizes is to be seen. Wrigley reports it will not use tin foil for gum any more. This is a continuation of the new sealed container for packages and individual pieces. Flour—Once more Mr. Hoover's machinery has made good its prom- ises and the announcement which came out of the price at which the Government will buy back from the trade the flour substitutes it required it to carry, will be hailed with de- light. It also causes general satis- faction that in main essentials the whole flour regulation is practically rescinded and that wheat flour is again in the saddle. Cheese—There are very light of- ferings here of fancy fresh cheese and local trade has paid high prices to secure round lots. Offerings not liberal even at the advance. Held goods and practically all lower cost stock on this market are reserved for regular trade and few such avail- able for casual buyers or those that shop the market. Sugar Syrups—Trading is quiet and there is an absence of new develop- ments to record. Prices remain firm. Molasses—The market is quieter, with prices firm. Corn Syrup—No new features have developed. Trading is routine, with prices firm. Rice—No new features have devel- oped in the rice situation. Trading is quiet, with prices. generally firm. —_>-e-2—____ Some folks are like cider—sweet enough until it is time to work. o uae GREEN AND BOTHWELL. They Will Campaign Michigan For More Members. Cadillac, Dec. 3—The war is over and the re-adjustment period is on hand, so that the changed conditions will necessitate the adjustment of your business to existing circum- stances. Previous ta the war the necessity for conservation of food stuffs was not so apparent as after the war start- ed and during the period of the war the consumer, as well as the dealer, has learned lessons in the saving of food stuffs which will be lasting. We have also learned that regulated prices and regulated distribution enables each and every one to have a sufficient quantity, without the opportunity for those so disposed to profiteer. The day is at hand when regulated prices will follow regulated quantities into the discard, after which time the old system of price cutting will, nv doubt, be used more or less as an inducement in getting business, but let us consider our business somewhat - after the following manner: 1. How much is my daily expense? 2. Am I making profit enough on my daily sales in order to enable me to pay my daily expenser 3. If not profit enough can I get more by cutting prices? 4. If I can’t get more profit what is the logical thing to do? 5. Am I collecting all the profits I make? These and other questions we must answer for ourselves. Since the one big profit producer has been taken from us, by what means are we going to reimburse ourselves for this loss? Answers to all these questions are brought out through association work, as well as many other money saving propositions. : Our members are now saving 15 per cent. on salesbooks, 25 per cent. on insurance premiums and _ other propositions are being worked out constantly which we believe every re- tail merchant should know about. During the week December 9 to 13, inclusive, the undersigned, to- gether with former Secretary of the National Association of Retail Gro- cers, John A. Green, will hold meet- ings at Detroit, Flint, Lansing and Battle Creek, when matters of vital importance will be brought to the attention of those who attend the meetings. It has been the privilege of the retail grocers of the United States to have been represented at Washing- ton during the war by the President of the National Association and an account of the work he has done will be of interest. The twenty-first annual convention of the Retail Grocers and General Merchants’ Association of Michigan will be held at Saginaw, February 18, 19 and 20, and it is a privilege that shoud be taken advantage of by every grocer and general merchant in the State. J. M. Bothwell, Sec’y. —__ +. Late News From the Metropolis of Michigan. Detroit, Dec. 3—Detroit’s popula- tion June 1, 1918, was 988,926, accord- ing to the estimate of the board of assessors. The figure is divulged in the annual report of the board. The report covers 84 pages and brings out such interesting facts as the total value of unassessable property, listed at $127,616,450; the city itself owns property valued at $484,693,160; the highest assessed value of busiress frontage is $15,000 a foot; the highest for residence land $150, the highest for railroad land $300 and the highest for docks $965. The second ward is the richest, being assessed at $256,789,- 920, and pays $4,580,912.68 in taxes. The entire city is valued at $1,235,- 524,220, this figure not including the properties of the D. U. R. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN The Detroit Auto Specialties Co., which was organized in 1905 and is now one of the foremost enterprises in its field in the country, has just increased its capital stock from $75,- 000 to $250,000. The National Bronze & Aluminum Castings Co. has moved into larger quarters at 974-980 Garfield avenue. The new plant, with more complete and modern equipment, will enable the company better to care for its greatly increased volume of business. Final distribution of assets among the creditors of the Alter Motor Co. is to be made soon by the Security Trust Company, trustee. It is es- timated the payment will be about 15 per cent. A previous payment to the creditors amounted to 10 per cent. The Alter Motor Co., after operating two or three years in Plymouth, ar- ranged in the fall of 1916 to locate in Grand Haven. Before it could be- come established at Grand Haven the financial condition of the company brought about the appointment of Paul W. Voorheis as receiver in pro- ceedings in the State courts, in Janu- ary, 1917. In May of that year, on petition of creditors, the company was adjudicated bankrupt and in July, 1917, the Security Trust Co. was made trustee. Assets of the company were sold to Otto A. Wurm, of Detroit. Indebtedness of the company was ap- proximately $30,000. That he may be in position to take a more active personal interest in the National Growers Shippers Sales Co., William H. Courtaine has resigned as assistant cashier of the National Bank of Commerce to take effect Jan. 1. The business with which he is to associate himself was organized last spring by Mr. Courtaine, K. F. Mitch- ell and Louis R. Shamie and operates in the carlot distribution of vegetables, citrus and deciduous fruits. Mr. Courtaine started his banking career with the former State Savings Bank in 1895, leaving that Bank to go with the National Bank of Commerce when the latter was organized in 1907. Detroit’s allotment of crude rubber in December will be double that of any month of the year, under the terms of the new Government ruling which will permit an added importa- tion of 7,500 tons in December, or more than 15,000 tons for the month. This is approximately the amount that was imported prior to the war. Stockholders of Parke, Davis & Co. the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturing establishment, are to receive a dividend of $2 a share for the current quarter, this, the fourth payment for the year, making. cash dividends of $5 a share for 1918. The company distributed cash dividends of equal amount, in only one preceding year, 1916, although from time to time larger distributions have been made in form of stock dividends. The payment for the current quarter, to be made Dec. 31 to stockholders of record Dec. 21, is equivalent to 8 per cent. on the stock which is of the par value of $25 a share. With the dividends for the three earlier quar- ters, at the rate of $1 a share, which are equivalent to 12 per cent., the total of 1918 dividends will be 20 per cent. This compares with 17 per cent. distributed by Parke, Davis & Co., in 1917, when the dividend for the fourth quarter was $1.25 a share against the $2 authorized for the similar quarter this year. The corporation’s author- ized capital is $12,000,000, of which approximately $11,837,130 is outstand- ing. The cash distribution to owners of the stock will amount to about $949,972.40 for the current quarter and $2,367,426 for the year 1918. The com- pany is understood to have had quite a successful year, although the figures will not be made public until after the close of its fiscal year, which ends with the calendar year. Termination of the war brings the company can- cellations on some Government con- tracts, but the volume of business represented by these is said by an officer to be inconsiderable in com- parison with the company’s non-war business, ———_2.-2 ~~. —___ Gabby Gleanings From Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids, Dec. 3—There is an eye, ear and throat specialist in the Ashton building who deserves to be “written up” by the Tradesman. His name is Dr. Dunbar Robertson. Dur- ing the summer season he resides in his beautiful home on West Leonard Road, opposite the Highland Golf Club. A few weeks ago he moved into the city for the winter. A week ago Saturday he was driving out to his summer home and happened to pass the home of E. W. Bonfield, sales manager of the American Paper Box Co., just as it was being reduced to ashes. He hastened on to his own house, started a fire in the furnace, returned to the scene of the burning building, bundled the homeless family into his automobile and ensconced them in his own comfortable and commodious home. It was all done so quickly and quietly that -hardly anyone knew what had happened un- til the deed was done. Such an act is entirely in keeping with the repu- tation Dr. Robertson has enjoyed in this community during the many years he has lived among us and prac- ticed his profession. A record of his acts of kindness would fill a large book. And it will require more books to complete the record, because Dr. Robertson appears to reverse the usu- al Scotch characteristic—the older he grows, the more lavish he is with his charities and philanthropies. Edward Frick (Judson Grocer Com- pany) is getting ready to surprise his friends again by taking a half day off some time next month. Just now he is exceedingly happy over the fact that he did not permit his salesmen to sell California canned goods until he actually got the goods in stock. He purchased 1,000 cases of one house last summer and, after many delays and repeated promises, actually suc- ceeded in stocking 162 cases—and none of the goods received were in- cluded in his original order. Mr. Frick is too old a bird to be caught selling goods he can not obtain in these strenuous days. Frank D. (Gum Shoe) Bowen, man- ager of the Kalamazoo branch of Lee & Cady, was in Grand Rapids one day last week on his way home from a call on a valued customer of his house. He evidently accomplished the purpose of his visit, because he had a grip full of silver dollars. Unless the mails have miscarried, every member of the Grand Rapids Council, has received a notice of the programme of the “big day,” Dec. 7. On this day the members will meet at 1 p. m. at the Council chamber for the initiation of candidates and the transaction of the regular order of business. The class of candidates will be large. New paraphernalia will help to make the work interesting and the officers will put pep into the cere- mony. F. E. Beardslee, chairman of the entertainment and ritualistic com- mittee, has been busy preparing for this event and, from the hints which have been dropped, we know the com- mittee has some real surprises to spring. The regular session will close in ample time to get home and bring their friends and families to the big “pot luck supper” which is a never failing good time event in U. C. T. affairs. The tension of the four-year war is over and a happy feeling of thanksgiving and brotherly love will prevail and all members and their families are requested to come early and stay late. We are not especially vindictive, but while the Germans are turning to us and crying for food, we can’t help but remember that when the news of the sinking of the Lusitania reached December 4, 1918 Berlin, this inhuman act was made the reason for a holiday in that city, and people paraded the streets rejoicing in the dastardliness of their crime. Perhaps a pinch of hunger may have a humanizing effect on the people who caused more sorrow by their ruthless- ness than has ever been known since the dawn of civilization. Don’t forget boys, that history repeats itself. The swords of the American republic have never been drawn except in the cause of human liberty and have never been sheathed except in victory. After spending considerable time in the hospital and around home as a result of having his teeth extracted, E. J. Hart, tea man for the Worden urocer Company, is again able to be about and look after business in the usual way. He is again-out on the road, looking after business, and we are very sure his many friends among the trade will be glad to see him when he makes his annual call the coming year, Two Jews met one day on the street. lkey was wearing a magniti- cent diamond ring. As usual with this nationality they commenced con- versing and the ring was prominently brought in evidence, and Jakie could not get his eyes off it. tie said “lkey you have a beautiful diamond there; it must have cost a lot otf money—maybe as much as a vnousand dollars.” lkey said, “Yes Jakie, I paid $2,000 for this ring.” “Oh, lkey, couldn’t you better use the money in your business.” likey said, “Yes, maybe | could, but you see when father died, he lett the request that $2,000 be spent for a inemorial stone, and this is the stone.” 1 suppose we have all received our Kum-un- to the potluck feed Dec. 7. Ut course, the food restrictions have been lifted to a certain extent, and ix is beyond our imagination as to just what any lot of traveling salesmen would do to a feed of this kind; they, who, of all men have been in the habit of conserving for thé past two years. However, it is just possible inat there will be enough for all these whetted appetites. One thing we can promise for sure—there will be enough for everybody if everybody Lrings enough tor themselves and someone else. Of course we all know Artie Borden must have baked beans —baked in a big pan and brought just’ that way. Of course, Fred Beardslee’s failing is pie—any old kind, just so it is pie; apple pie or pumpkin pie preferred. The writer is not very well acquainted with the Hon. John Martin, but he must be some salesman and a good talker, be- cause the subject given him to talk on is a very weighty matter and one which has always caused more or less concern among the traveling fratern- ity, and it is hoped that a good large crowd will turn out and listen to the explanation of Mr. Martin’s subject. It 1s agreed by all who know him that Mr. Beardslee knows more about a clothes pin than any one else in America, and we know he will handle the subject assigned to him in an effi- cient manner. Samples of Mr. Per- kins’ subject will be given out just before the talk. The audience will please not make too much noise while passing on the merits of the articie. Last but not least, the scribe is going to be right on the job and see that each one receives plenty of Quaker coffee. “Have another please.” a Unprofitable Ache. “What are you crying for, Willie?” “I've got a toothache, and there ain’t no school to stay home from.” ——_--—————— When a woman gets a cheap man at the matrimonial bargain counter she is usually anxious to conceal the price-mark, ‘ | | v ‘ December 4, 1918 BANKRUPTCY MATTERS. Proceedings In the Western District of Michigan. Grand Rapids, Dec. 3—Elmer Crane, a laborer of Battle Creek, filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy. The adjudication has been made and the matter referred to Referee Corwin. The schedules of the bankrupt show the following: Liabilities, $580.80 and assets, $35, consisting of household goods, etc., which is claimed as exempt. No meeting of creditors has been called. The creditors listed are as follows: Adam Kroehles Sons Co., Cleve- EN ccc sin es ce eae bce cheeses kacnes 50.00 Willard H. Eldred, Battle Creek 200.00 Strecker Bros. Co., Marietta, O. 150.00 New England Whip Co., West- . MOIG: MARS. 66 och oes ee ces ees 80.80 Marcus Schmitt, a shoe repairer of this city has filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy. The adjudication has been entered and Mr. Corwin has the matter in charge. The schedules show liabili- ties amounting to $723.84 and assets, con- sisting of cash on hand, 39.60. He also schedules household goods to the amount of $200, but which are claimed as exempt. No meeting of creditors has been called. A list of the creditors follows: Heimback Rubber Heel Co., Grand PRN eas gews ab pee es ee ce $ 18.13 Powers Theater Bldg. Assn., Grand PUT eg cha sae ch eee .> Butter, Eggs, Poultry, Beans and Potatoes. Buffalo, Dec. 4—Creamery butter, extras, 67@68c; firsts, 64@65c; com- mon, 60@62c; dairy, common to —* 40@50c; packing stock, 38@ Cc. Cheese—No. 1, new, fancy, 34@85c; choice, 32@83c; old, 28@30c. Eggs—New laid, 75@80c for fancy and 65@68c for choice; storage can- dled, 48@50c. Poultry live)—Old cox, 20@22c; fowls, 25@30c; chicks, 27@30c; ducks, 32@85c; turks, 30@35c. Poultry (dressed) —Turks, 38@40c; geese, 30@32c; ducks, 38@40c; chicks, 30@83c; fowls, 28@s82c. Beans—Medium, $10 per hundred Ibs.; Peas, $10 per hundred Ibs.; Mar- row, $11.50@12 per hundred Ibs. Potatoes—New, $2@2.20 per hun- dred Ibs, Rea & Witzig. QUAKER BRAND Pure Food Products Have become so widely and favorably known among retail grocers and housewives that they have set a standard for all articles offered for sale by this institution; they have raised the standard of quality de- manded by merchants every- where. Manufacturers, as well as wholesalers, we occupy a unique position. Each brand we handle must pass the acid test of profitable retailing and ultimate satisfac- tion in the home. Quaker Brand Pure Food Products cover a wide range of foods. them in your neighborhood. A ready sale awaits Our stock includes every arti- cle required by the up-to-date grocer. WoRDEN (GROCER COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS—KALAMAZOO The Prompt Shippers P a 4 a : fa ES e eS ig sm > GERMAN CHARACTERISTICS. Forty-seven years ago Germany forcibly took possession of Alsace and Lorraine and undertook to force the German language, laws, customs and kultur upon the French inhabi- tants of those provinces. The Ger- mans never made any progress, how- ever, because the French people saw through the shallowness and low cun- ning of the German character and refused to be deceived by the pernic- ious and perfidious characteristics of the German people. : Now that the Germans are forced to relinquish the stolen provinces, they express great regret over their inability to win the French people over to their way of thinking. “It is not French rule that we dread,” said the daughter of the first .German stationmaster to arrive in Lorraine after the war of 1870. “It is the native population that will not ac- cept us. We do not dislike them and, for my part, I cannot under- stand why they do not like us, after all we have done for them in im- proving their towns and bringing German kultur among them.” This lack of comprehension of the attitude of the native population in the provinces is general among the Germans, who have seen only their own life and appear to be ignorant of the great moral suffering of the na- tive inhabitants during the last forty- seven years. The great distress of a considerable portion of the German population is that, even after forty-seven years ot residence there, there is nothing in common between them and the na- tives. Their monoply of public of- fices and the large hold gained upon business through the influence of the German government and army re- quired qdonsiderable formal contact with Alsatians, but their relations remained formal. It will be well for Americans to learn a salutary lesson from the at- titude ‘of the French people toward the ignorant and brutal Germans, be- cauSe experience has demonstrated that it frequently requires several generations of association with de- cent people to make a desirable cit- izen or companionable associate out of a German after he leaves his na- tive soil. He may become a naturali- zed citizen of this country, but he is still a brute by nature and a boor in manners and action. He may seek to conceal his nativity or ancestory by changing his name to its English equivalent, but ten minutes’ conver- sation with him or a business tran- saction which involves a high stand- ard of honor or integrity is sufficieny to disclose the fact that he is a Ger- man still in all that goes to make up the wretched characteristics of that detestible race. He has no regard fo. treaties, contracts, oaths, agreements or promises. He forces his com- pany on people who regard him with the utmost detestation. He enters the homes of others unbidden, know- ing he is unwelcome, and yet per- sists in maintaining relations which would not be tolerated from any other class of men on earth. “Because MICHIGAN TRADESMAN he is a German,’ no one expects him to be anything but a boor, be- cause he has no just conception of the attributes of a gentleman. He does not know the first principles of courtesy and companionship. He has no idea of hospitality except to con- duct himself like a hog, with both feet in the trough. His table man- ners are execrable. He is course, boisterous and uncouth in conversa- tion. He has no realization of the proprieties of life and goes stumbling along, believing himself to be the worthy descendent of a superior race, whereas he is just an average Ger- man, with all the vices and weak- nesses of that abominable race which finds its flower in the cowardly Kaiser, who sneaked out of the coun- try like a whipped cur under the cover of darkness and even now ex- presses no regret for the crimes he committed in the name of the Ger- man people. The greatest crime ol all is the mania with which he and his forbears infected the German peo- ple—here and everywhere all over the world—that they are the equals or superiors of other races, when, as a matter of fact, they are the lowest down race in the world in point of honor, honesty, modesty and depend- ability. An American Indian or a Chinaman is more reliable than a German, because he will keep his word good and honor his own signa- ture, which the average German will not do. Until the German people, here and everywhere, take a mental inventory of their hereditary short- comings and their infamous views of life and, admitting they are the re- sult of false teachings and wrong training, espouse the paths of humil- ity and rectitude, they will never be regarded in any other light than as boors and repudiators, unworthy of American citizenship and not entitled to the respect and friendship of good citizens generally. (This is the characterization of a man who is himself one-quarter Ger- man and who believes he under- stands the German character as it is at its best and its worst.) People who knew what was going on among members of the Liberty Loan Committee were not surprised at the announcement this week that the next Government flotation would take the form of a concentrated drive rather than a diluted over-the-counter offering. Bankers upon whom will fall the job of selling the bonds have been almost a unit in declaring that the drive’s the thing. That is Ameri- can psychology, they say—a goal to be attained, a short time in which to do it, a result to take satisfaction in. As a matter of fact, the buttons and posters for the next drive were or- dered more than a month ago. That did not mean that a continuous offer. ing would not be considered, for it was. If the idea had been adopted, the buttons and posters might have been dumped into the Potomac River and written off to profit and loss. It’s easy for an editor to drop inte poetry. All he has to do is to sit down in his waste paper basket. FAIR PLAY FOR ALL. So far as the Tradesman has been able to analyze the make-up of the next Legislature, the only prominent insurance man in either body will be William A. Haan, Secretary of the Grand Rapids Merchants’ Mutual In- surance Co., who will represent one of the Grand Rapids districts in the House. Mr. Haan has been identified with the insurance business for many years and has achieved marked suc- cess as manager of the mutual com- pany above named. He is able, ener- getic and progressive and the know- ledge he has gained in the business to which he has devoted his best ef- fort for several years certainly en- titles him to recognition as chair- man of the Insurance Committee of the House. This is a position which has usually been bestowed upon some henchman of the stock fire insurance combine, but as stock company tac- tics are not popular with the people nowadays, because we have entered upon the era of the square deal and propose to put an end, for all time, to clandestine legislation and‘ under- handed methods, it is confidently ex- pected by business men all over the State that the chairman of the House —and he looks at this distance very much like Representative Reed, of Shelby—will fall in line with the spirit of the age by appointing as chairman of the insurance Committee a man who will insist on fair play for all, without encroaching on the rights of the insuring public on one hand or the “vested rights” of the insurance combine on the other. Mr. Haan possesses a judicial turn of mind and trend of thought which has recently found expression in his faithful service on the local draft board, of which he was a conspicu- ous member. TREND OF COTTON MARKET. So far as the course of the quota- tions on cotton is concerned, there is nothing to indicate the probability of any large rise in the immediate future. Such an advance was predict- ed to occur when peace was once in sight, but it failed to materialize when it was seen that no great scramble for cotton on the part of foreign buy- ers was likely to take place. Exports, however, will soon be much easier, this being facilitated by more avail- able tonnage and the issuance of through bills of lading. That condi- tions are not satisfactory to holders in the growing districts is evident from the concerted efforts of the Ad- visory Marketing Board to induce every one down South to refuse to sell cotton at less than 35 cents per pound. The governors of eight states have issued an appeal for such a course, but the likelihood of the plan being effective is not very sanguine. Meanwhile, spinners are very chary in securing new supplies in view of the disturbed state of the goods market resulting from the sudden stopping of Government orders. The trade is halting in putting in orders for goods at the present high levels, and what business is passing is of the hand-to- mouth variety. More measures are December 4, 1918 being devised on the part of selling agents and second hands to put a stop to cancellations by buyers, but it is yet too early to determine what their effect will be. Knit goods men are trying to secure more export trade to provide an outlet for their wares and keep up prices. The transition period for the trade will probably continue until after the turn of the year. CANNED GOODS SITUATION. There have been no spectacular de- clines in canned goods thus far for the reason that the market is on a nominal basis. Buyers are holding off altogether and are not even giv- ing any indication of what they are willing to pay, while at the same time there has not as yet been enough pressure upon sellers to cause them to try to induce business by offering concessions. The general belief is that retailers are pretty well satur- ated with canned goods and they are not inclined to buy any more until they see what is going to happen with the goods they have on hand. All of these represent very high costs to them and if they should prove difficult to sell through unwill- ingness on the part of the public to pay these prices retailers would find that they would either have to carry them indefinitely or let them go at a loss. Tomatoes are down to the basis of about $1.90, being the first to feel the effects of new conditions ow- ing to the heavy pack and the fact that home canning is a factor that has been more or less ignored. The stories coming out of mid- Europe and the East might be taken to heart by those among us who still delight in drawing the contrast be- tween Wilson’s “vague idealism” as expressed in a League of Nations and the Lloyd George and Clemenceau gift for facing “realities.” In the first place, the difference of attitude does not exist. In the second place, the League of Nations, instead of being a vague and poetic aspiration, is de- manded by the most pressing reali- ties. When we read of the new-born Poland and the new-born Ukraine actually at war, of Czecho-Slovakia mobilizing against Hungary, of the Jugoslavs in conflict with Italy, of every new nationality bringing into existence a new problem of minority populations threatened with oppres- sion, the League of Nations becomes an issue not between dreamers and statesmen, but between the statesmen who have learned the lesson of the war and the disillusioned minds which are satisfied with a future marked by the same selfish passions and ambi- tions which helped to bring the great woe upon the world. In the Balkans the Hohenzollern plotters found their great opportunity. Is Allied victory to result in the erection of a greater Balkan powder magazine from the Swiss border to Damascus and Vladi- vostok? If there is really to be noth- ing new under the sun, and if we can contemplate with equanimity another attempt at the destruction of civilized life, then we may call the League of Nations a dream. ac 3 and as ac a a December 4, 1918 ~ MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 7 9 a ih AR times have taught many peo- ple that ‘‘Shopping Around”’ for low priced shoes is poor economy. WLC eri UNIT ANUTVAUALULIEUEL In learning to save, they have discov- A ered the wisdom of buying shoes with a MAINA {HUYTUUIIUNINS ILLIA INUIT 1 i | | | ry Michigan Retail Shoe Dealers’ Associa- tlon. President—J. E. Wilson; Detroit. Vice-Presidents -—- Harry Woodworth, Lansing; James H. Fox, Grand Rapids; Charles Webber, Kalamazoo; A. E. Kel- logg, Traverse City. Secretary-Treasurer—C. J’. Paige, Sag- inaw. Effect of Peace Times on Footwear Prices. Written for the Tradesman. Will the market become suddenly and appreciably weaker on _ shoe stocks as a result of the signing of the armistice? Will the average retail shoe dealer be caught with a lot of shoes which he must re-mark for quick selling if he hopes to liquid- ate at all? In other words, is there any valid reason at this time for nervousness or pessimism over the situation insofar as the shoe dealer is concerned? The writer is strongly of the opinion that all of these interroga- tions should be answered by an em- phatic “No.” This article will en- deavor to set forth his reasons for assuming such an attitude. To begin with, it is a tremendous mistake to assume that, because the armistice has been signed and hostil- ities have ceased, it is “all over over there.” It will not be all over until the peace delegates have finally com- pleted their immense task of re- making the map of Europe and the Near East, and adjourned. Until that time armies of occupation will patrol the Rhine and occupy German strongholds. Armies must be main- tained within or near the Austrian frontier, in the Balkans, and in Palestine. Perhaps more Allied troops may be sent to Russia to help the law-abiding elements of that un- fortunate country bring order out of chaos. And the Allied fleets must be kept mobilized and ready for action. In the meantime demobilization in our own as well as other Allied countries will be gradual. All of this means that those deep- seated and far-reaching industrial changes that were made on account of the world-war will be gradually restored to normal. This is the policy our Government has definitely adopted and unequivocally announced. To assume that shoe _ operatives who have been drafted will return quickly and apply for their old jobs, iS an unwarranted assumption. They will not return quickly in any event; and that they will apply for their old jobs is problematic, Some of them have gotten a taste for military life and will continue in the regular army or the navy; others will doubtless drift into other vocations. The labor situation insofar as it has ef- fected the price of shoes is not one that will clear up over night. While there is undoubted an inflation of labor values generally, it will natur- ally take time for price-re-adjust- ments to come about. The present volume of stocks in the hands of retail shoe dealers, job- bers and manufacturers is not abnor- mally large. Quite the reverse of this is true. Shoe manufacturers are even advocating hand to mouth buy- ing. They do not relish large orders —especially long-time orders. The future is too problematic. The Scarcity of Leather. For another thing there are 180,- 000,000 human beings in hungry, im- poverished lands looking to America for food, clothing and shoes. They are, in a special sense, our wards, - and no other people can just now give them succor. In their misery and famine, Belgium, Northern France, Central Russia, Servia, Montenegro, Poland, Roumania, Armenia and other liberated nations of Europe are crying to us. From us food must come—and not only food but cloth- ing, shoes. It is America’s mission to minister to the needs of these impoverished millions. In these devastated countries the production of cattle has virtually ceased. From some of these coun- tries, in normal times, hides were im- ported; now we must send them fin- ished leather and shoes. Moreover, as demobilization pro- ceeds, our own men will be coming back to civilian life and wearing the clothes of civilians. That means that a large class of patrons whom we have been missing from our shoe stores will be with us again in the weeks and months to come. From all of which it must be over- whelmingly evident that there cannot be any decrease in the price of shoes, The consumer who is looking for im- mediate price reductions in footwear is doomed to disappointment. In talking over conditions and the effect of the armistice on the market, a prominent jobber recently said that, in his opinion, prices would work higher, if anything, pointing out the high price of kid and other materials, and calling attention to the fact that it would take months before labor adjustments would re- sult in cheaper labor; also intimating that we could not expect any imme- diate cessation of our present trans- portational difficulties, Demand Exceeds Supply. Where the supply of an essential commodity such as shoes is limited, it is absurd to look for cheaper prices. The present volume of stocks are x long established reputation for high Ali | grade quality—like the MAYER | HONORBILT Line. i! wi ell F. Mayer Boot & Shoe Co. Milwaukee, Wis. il ae epee ——— cecal Do Your Duty Sell her or him a pair of dress hoes for Xmas. No year will useful gifts be more appreciated than this. Our boys will soon be home and want dress shoes. Can you fulfill their demands. Send us your order for what- ever you need and you will be more than satisfied. Hirth-Krause Company Grand Rapids, Michigan 10 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN December 4, 1918 scarcely able to cover the present demands—demands that have already taken the shape of concrete orders. Beyond these present demands there are abundant reasons to expect a still larger drain. Draw your own conclusions. “It is a well known fact that buyers for some of the large mail order houses, department stores, etc., have been scouring the country for mer- chandise of certain grades and prices, and experiencing much trouble in securing the kindof goods they re- quire. From all of which, I think it is entirely reasonable to believe that the retail shoe dealer who is equip- ped for meeting the shoe require- ments of a given constituency need tiot worry. The signing of the ar- mistice and the cessation of hostili- ties mean increased. business activi- ties. Prices are noti-going to slump. The only, thing on earth that would bring,,about such a condition any- where: at this time would be for the retail shoe dealers of a given com- munity to get into a panic and pro- ceed to cut and slash prices. But that would be a purely local situa- tion — and, incidentally, an unwar- ranted and perfectly ridiculous pro- cedure. Cid McKay. —_>---——__ Why Not Have a Sane and Safe Christmas? Written for the Tradesman. Sanity, sobriety (as becomes a great'nation engaged in a great war), and refinement—should characterize the 1918 Yuletide. Thinking people are in no temper for frivolity, extravagance, and gaudy show. With our home front shaken by the ravages of influenza epidemic, men jeopardizing their lives hourly in Belgium and Northern France for the sake of human progress and world peace, with all of the untold suffering throughout the civilized world, as a direct or indirect result of this titanic struggle, sober and thoughtful people are now demand- ing a sane and refined Xmas. Any other kind would now surely belittle short of mockery. Let us guard against the extremes of pessimism on the one hand and giddiness on the other. Aristotle’s attitude of the “golden mean” should now be the fixed mental attitude of every man and woman who wants to do his or her bit in maintaining the morale of the home front. The writer recently heard a prom- inent representative of the English government make the following state- ment: “I come to you from a nation which has suffered more than tongue can tell, One man out of four in England is in khaki; the second man out of four is working in a munition plant. One woman out of four is engaged in some branch of war work. Our casualty list includes over two millions of men. We have reached the point where we are neither greatly elated by the news of vic- tories nor much depressed by the news of reverses.” But, although he didn’t say it in so many words, one somehow seemed to sense that the attitude of this man, and the attitude of the great nation whom he repre- sented, was the fixed determination to carry on until the thing for which we are now fighting shall eventually be obtained. Sober determination—that is the sort of stuff it is going to take to win this war. Christmas and all our holidays, the temper of our worka- days and the spirit of our recreation periods—all must conform to our wartime mood. Let us be hopeful and cheerful, but let us not lose too much valuable time in mere frivoli- ties. Let us decide to cut out frivol- ities altogether, for the time being. In remembering our friends and loved ones with little tokens that shall help to make glad their hearts, let us be careful to give them things that are really serviceable. Such commodities can just as easily carry over all the sacred and tender asso- ciations of the occasion as gifts of gaudy, non-serviceable, and extrav- agant nature. If we must take a day or a few days off from the store, the shop, the factory, the farm, the office, or the production plant, let us reduce our vacation period to the minimum, and so plan the rest period that we shall come back physically and mentally fit, and keen to get on the job again. The less interruption to the vast ma- chinery of commerce and industry, as a result of holidays, the better for all concerned. If anybody gets to feeling sorry for himself as he contemplates the daily grind, just try letting his mind dwell upon the soldiers at the front. Their leaves of absence are brief and far between, and yet you don’t hear of their whim- pering. There is a jest in the trenches, they tell us, as old as the trenches themselves. There are men now four years dead who knew it well, It is still bandied about by cheerful British veterans lying in freezing mud; and undaunted French graybeards holding gas-swept shell- holes; and by exultant American shock-troops after a decimating charge. “We'll get through this,” they jest—“if the civilians hold out!” And they laugh. Truly, all that we can do is small enough as compared with the things they are doing. They are willing to die for victory—shouldn’t we be willing to skimp and save and sacri- fice to buy War Saving stamps and Liberty bonds? Shouldn’t we be willing to work on and gladly deny ourselves little senseless frivolities and meretricious§ luxuries? Sorry and decadent citizens we must be if we don’t. Altogether now, let us make this Christmas of 1918 the sanest and most appropriate Yuletide ever ob- served by a great nation involved in a great war. Frank Fenwick. —_>-+.—____ Supervise details, but don’t allow them to absorb you. It is a waste of time and money to be the boss, and do a clerk’s job. —_>->>—___ - When a man gazes heavenward and sees two moons, he isn’t in a proper frame of mind to make war predic- __ tigns, If you never handled the BERTSCH SHOES FOR MEN you have missed a wonderful opportunity at profit. and business building. We are in an era of change. Many people who paid cheer- on) fully a price several years ago to get ‘‘this’’ or ‘‘that’’ make of shoe are utterly unable to pay the price to which many lines have advanced. Here the BERTSCH dealer gets his opportunity. He knows that the comfort and service of the BERTSCH SHOE will appeal to the most exacting, as well as save him quite a sum on his original investment. Capitalize this opportunity of dcing your customers a real service by having at hand a Comfortable—Stylish— Service-Giving Shoe, at a price they can afford to pay through—the sale of the BERTSCH SHOE FOR MEN. Herold-Bertsch Shoe Co. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Manufacturers of Serviceable Footwear Seasonable Arctics On the Floor Hood Brand—lIst Quality Men’s Brighton (1 Bkle Arctic) ........-------+-+--4-- $1.65 Men’s Old Honesty (i Bkle Double Sole Arctic)....... 1.83 Women’s Sitka (Storm Alaska) .....----------+-+++--- 1.06 Old Colony Brand—2nd-. Quality Boys’ Quaker (2 Bkle Gaiter)........--...------.--..- 1.70 Women’s Quaker (2 Bkle Gaiter) .........--.-....+--- 1.55 Misses’ Quaker (2 Bkle Gaiter) .......-.--.-----.0---. 1.35 Men's Weston (1 Bkle Arctic)..-.-...------+.-+-++eee. 1.52 ‘Boys’ Weston (1 Bkle Arctic).......----------+-. +++: 1.29 Youths’ Weston (1 Bkle Arctic). .........-...++--0--. 1.02 Women’s Weston (1 Bkle Arctic) .......-.--.--+.++.-. 1.10 Misses’ Weston (1 Bkle Arctic) .......----..--------. 93 Child’s Weston (1 Bkle Arctic)....-.°:°- °°" --+--------- 74 Women’s Lakewood (1 Bkle Jersey Arctic) .-...------ 1.12 Misses’ Lakewood (1 Bkle Jersey Arctic) ...........--. 95 Child’s Lakewood (1 Bkle Jersey Arctic) .-...-..-.--. 76 Grand RapidsShoe ®Rubber® The Michigan People Grand Rapids December 4, 1918 All Restrictions on Christmas Trad- ing Removed. New York, Dec. 2—Members had hardly read the last red bulletin, Nov. 26, when the prediction that the Coun- cil’ of National Defense, despite its previous refusals, might remove the restrictions on Christmas business came true. Acting Director Clarkson of the Council of National Defense is- sued a statement, removing the ban in connection with holiday buying. Merchants may now handle their Christmas business any way they like and employ as many people as they need. All restrictions imposed by the Council of National Defense on Christmas trading are now lifted. We believe it was our representations to the Council which brought about this change of ruling. Arrangements have been made to hold the next annual meeting and banquet of our Association at the new Hotel Pennsylvania in New York, Feb. 11, 12 and 13. The Hotel Pennsylvania is to be the greatest hotel in the world. It will have 2,200 rooms, each equipped with a private bath. The entire hotel is on a colossal scale. The manage- ment will be the same as that of the Statler Hotels throughout the Middle West. The management has promised to receive all members of our Asso- ciation with special courtesy and to give them particular consideration in the allotment of rooms, etc. We feel that holding our convention at the Pennsylvania this time will prove a very happy arrangement which should bring out a larger at- tendance than ever before. The ball- room, in which the banquet is to be held, is capable of seating from 1,200 to 1,500 at dinner. The hotel is also placing at our disposal a series or other rooms for our day sessions and committee meetings, etc. We feel confident the arrangements for the convention this year will attract and will justify the largest gathering of dry goods merchants that the country has ever known. We want every member to pledge himself to attend the next convention and to persuade as many other mer- chants from his locality as possible to attend. There should be a keen rivalry among merchants in different parts of the country to see which city will have the largest representation at this important meeting. The programme will provide just the information and inspiration every merchant ought to have, and the speakers will be the best obtainable. It is comparatively easy for every member to look ahead now and plan his buying trips so as to ensure his presence in New York, Feb, 11, 12 and 13. Those members who do not come out to conventions can not realize the full value of our Association. Make your plans now and forward your pledge to be present at the next annual meeting. Some of our members are a bit worried over the efforts of competi- tors to capitalize the ending of the war by large sales of merchandise widely advertised as offering great re- ductions. This is the sort of com- petition referred to in our recent bul- letin on business conditions. If one store extensively advertises an alleged general cut in prices, it is likely to have the effect of making the public expect a swift drop in all prices, when, as a matter of fact, the circumstances do not warrant such drastic price cutting. In such a situation the local retail board ought to be helpful. It is suggested that members get in touch with their city organizations and see what can be done to offset the efforts of one or two retailers to gum up the situation for the whole city. As a matter of fact too much co-operation can not be given local retail boards. The majority of retailers’ problems in normal times are local problems and every city ought to have a local retail MICHIGAN TRADESMAN board with every merchant co-oper- ating. The printed record of the Washing- ton meeting at which our War Service Committee was elected has been mailed to all merchants who _ sub- scribed to the cost of printing it. The original subscription was $5 each, but the number of subscriptions thus far made does not quite cover the cost of printing. We have a number ot copies of this report available. If members who have not ordered copies will order them now it will have the effect of reducing the amount of the subscription both to themselves and to those members who have already subscribed. Send us your order now and when the subscriptions are closed we will bill you for whatever your proportionate share of the cost is. Such a meeting as the Washington meeting would not be possible under any ordinary circumstances, and it is doubtful if that wonderful array of speakers will ever be brought to- gether again in such a programme. Any single address in the book is worth the cost of the whole record. One of our members, whose letter on merchandising policy for the im- mediate future was received too late to go in an earlier bulletin, suggests that merchants analyze every stock by itself in placing orders for spring de- livery. If the stock is low, he sug- gests, “I would say merchandise should be purchased for spring. If on the other hand there is sufficient stock to float along, by no means buy any more. We have been gambling for four years, but gambling hard for two years, and if there ever were a time not only to stop gambling but to put on the lid this is the time, provided always, of course, you have sufficienr merchandise to do business. We have placed our shoe business for spring and are not sorry. We have placed considerable hosiery business and are not sorry; we placed very little on underwear because we had on hand a large stock at a very low price. On fancy cotton goods, we have placed some orders for spring and we do not expect the rise or fall will affect this class of merchandise as it will be of staple lines. Our thought is to ride along on the merchandise we have as long as possible and buy from hand to mouth, taking a chance on paying a little higher price rather than to place stock on our shelves. When- ever it becomes necessary to place orders, we shall do so with con- servatism.” A letter from a Pacific Coast mem- ber, reports that jobbers are offering merchandise at prices ranging from 10 to 15 per cent. and even 20 per cent. under prices asked two weeks ago. Merchandise as staple as over- alls and working shirts have been of- fered for 10 per cent. less than former prices. Woolen dress goods of staple character, costing around from $2.50 to $3.50, this member reports, have been offered at from 50c to 75c less than prices of two weeks ago. This merchant suggests all mer- chants should refrain from cutting prices too quickly as only a small per- centage of “old low priced merchan- dise can be in the hands of retailers to-day.” Retail expenses will not be reduced materially. The retailer can not change his wage scale over night as can a manufacturer. War taxes are here to stay for a number of years and the retailer must make a strong effort to maintain existing profit rates or he will have to pay back whatever profits he has made during the last two years. Lew Hahn, Sec’y Nat’l Retail Dry Goods Assn. em ne Try This at Your Own Risk. “My wife wants me to go shopping with her. I don’t see how I’m going to get out of it.” “Tf she were to send you back to your office after less than an hour of shopping and told you she would never take you on such an expedition again, you would consider yourself repaid for your trouble, wouldn’t you?” : “Certainly. to do that?” “Let her catch you flirting with a fascinating girl clerk.” But how am I going 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 3 Michigan The United Agency System of Improved Credit Service Uwirep 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, - Gunther Bldg. - ILLINOIS 1018-24 S. Wabash Avenue il WM. D. BATT Hides, Wool Furs and Tallow 28-30 Louis St. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN R. K. L. Do You Sell Our hie oD aa ot GRABD KR 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. ms R. K. L. Victory Shoe A $4.00 Welt Tan and Black. Heavy enough for any work—Light enough for semi-dress. Made of vegetable tanned upper leather, gain inso’e, first grade outsole with a rubber slip sole. A shoe for every wear. No. 8733—Dark Chocolate Blucher Welt, D and E, Sizes 5 to 11. Price... +... $4.00 No. 8734—Black Blucher Welt, D and E, Sizes Stoll. Price.......--...+++++- 4.00 ORDER TO-DAY--SHIPMENT AT ONCE. Rindge, Kalmbach, Logie Company Grand Rapids, Mich. R. K. L R.K.L. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN December 4, 1918 = - CIAL pode Sow the Wind and Reap the Whirl- wind. As to the details of the business future, immediate or remote, one man’s guess would seem as good as another’s. This really seems the at- titude of the Treasury Department, as voiced by Secretary of Treasurer McAdoo, when he is alleged to have said, “We do not know exactly where we stand.” He, however, has taken official cognizance that the -war is over by cutting down Claude Kitch- en’s eight billion dollar budget to six billion dollars. Concrete rec- ommendations by Mr, McAdoo are conspicuous by their absence. Our own Government average cost in the four months of July, August, Sep- tember and October, 1918, was $1,- 350,000,000 monthly, yet Mr. Mc- Adoo’s estimate for the whole fis- cal year is $16,000,000000. We will, undoubtedly, advance more moneys to the Allies, but diminish as that outlay must, it forms no basis for a continuance of high pressure, where immediate and substantial relief from personal and_ individual liability called “taxes” is everywhere needec It would have been much better if Mr. McAdoo had made his figures clearer. Even when the political at- mosphere was not, as the Wall Street Journal has it, surcharged, the full elemental force of projects to reform the social structure of the whole world, official estimates did not stand scrutiny. An estimate of $21,000,000,000 for the past fiscal year, followed by an utter failure to pay out more than $16,000,000,000 of that sum, does not show that the present high pressure is an absolute necessity. Nor does it give the color of authority to the revised estimate that a book-keeping error of one bureau, in treating something like $363,000,000 as expended but not re- leased to disbursing officers abroad, and another bureau treating it as cash on hand, make the official fore- cast of $24,000,000,000 for the current year reasonably accurate. An esti- mate nearly $1,000000,000 in excess of needs for the whole year, or a sum almost $400,000,000 over total disbursements does not invite un- questioning submission to a budget proposal for the first six months of peace, eighteen times larger than for the last six pre-war months. Under these conditions, is it not wise for business interests to carefully study the problem, get together and in- form their representatives in Con- gress of their sentiments and con- clusions? The country now needs clear thought and united action. The old adage that “those who sow the wind will reap the whirl- wind” seems about to be again found true in the situation between the labor unions and the administra- tion. It is possible that so long as the taxpayer pays to these depart- ments in Washington which have taken over the business of the coun- try, wage advances, especially where they build up a useful follow- ing of voters, irrespective of who pays the bills, will be a matter of small concern. It is, however, of great interest to recognize that the point of direct relationship between the administration and the railroad unions has been reached. The rail- road managers in self-defense will refer the unions direct to Washing- ton where Director General McAdoo must deal with them; while the bond- holder rests upon his constitutional rights, and the stockholder has at least the guaranty of the President’s promise of dividends. It is evident the administration has no easy task ahead: of it, as the railroad employes are getting outrageous wages and have no respect for their superiors. They are evidently convinced that the administration dare not defy them. This is illustrated by a case in point: Orders were sent from Washington affecting the shops of a railroads, defining hours. and over- time, and, incidentally, limiting the employment of men to one Sunday a fortnight for eight hours. Notwith- standing the liberality of the terms, the railroad union men haughtily re- fused them and _ indignantly de- manded they should be permitted to work ten hours every Sunday, irre- spective of what they do on week days, for the plain cash reason that they receive time and a_ half for work on that day. The Administra- tion is confronted with the fact that every successful appeal for an ad- vance in wages creates others. Each award is closely scrutinized by unions not involved, and there is a demand that each concession be extended all- around. The consequence of this is an interminable advance in wages on a ransom basis, irrelative of the value of the services rendered. The time must come when the United States Government will be compelled to show it represents all of the people, and not, as in the present instance, a unionized class of less than two per cent.; but it will be a costly ex- perience before it becomes impera- tive to establish the supremacy of law and to suppress combinations in restraint of free government. It may seem to the casual reader that too much stress is laid upon the matters under discussion, but a OFFICE OULIFITTERS LOOSE LEAF SPECIALISTS Automobile Insurance * 22.2%0lv'e’ If you insure with an “‘old line’ company you pay 33'/g% more than we charge. Consult us for rates Tee EXCHANGE of the MICHIGAN AUTOMOBILE OWNERS 221 Houseman Bidg., Grand Rapids, Mich. 237-239 Peac'$i ear ine oriage, Grand Rapids, Mick. Fourth National Bank United States Depositary Savings Deposits Commercial Deposits 3 Per Cent Interest Paid on Savings Deposits Compounded Semi-Annually I 3% Per Cent Interest Paid on Certificates of Deposit Left One Year Capital Stock and Surplus $580,000 LAVANT Z. CAUKIN, Vice President ALVA T. EDISON, Ass’t Cashier WM. H ANDERSON. President J. CLINTON BISHOP, Cashier 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. Wm. N. Senf, Secretary FREMONT, MICHIGAN MAAN STRENGTH — SECURITY — SERVICE : We Have Everything You Need or Expect in a Bank Capital $800,000.00 NUT Surplus and Undivided Profits $1, 114,390.36 Resources $15,030,383.31 THE OLD GRAND RAPIDS # # December 4, 1918 closer study of them will demon- strate their vital importance to per- sons in all walks of life. As §. Davies Warfield, president of the Continental Trust Co., of Bal- timore, and president of the Sea- board Air Line Railway Co., said in a recent address: “The people must decide whether an autocracy in our ruling and governing life shall be built upon the dying embers of the feudal autocracies that until now alone remained and were destroyed that the world be made safe for democracy, or whether we shall be returned to methods of true Amer- icanism under which this country prospered as no other ever did and that enabled us to demonstrate to the world what freedom of human action means in the life of a nation.” There are two schools of thought in the United States on questions that are bound to arise during the period of reconstruction, which affect the interests of every one and also the fate of the railroads. One stands for the rights of property, at the same time guaranteeing to the people as a whole their full enjoyments of the benefis derived from the success of the individual, but without destroying his initiative and impairing his right to personal and business freedom, so long as he conducts himself with due regards to the rights and comfort of others in the state and Nation. The other school of thought stands for centralizing in the Government the ownership and operation of all public franchises on the theory that the Government or “the people,” as they call it, should own the great enterprises of the country, and limit the rewards of individual initiative and endeavor to what the Govern- ment thinks should properly belong to the individual. Is the latter broad and unselfish? It would seem not. Government operation, and perhaps ownership of the railroads and pater- nalism generally, promise greater op- portunities for securing perpetuation of political power—a most dangerous situation. The administration of the railroads and the arbitrary contracts submitted to the lines by the Director General of Railroads, have not been such as to create contentment, because owners of the railroads have been compelled to sign away the right to protect themselves. The centraliza- tion of railroad control has resulted in the alteration and disturbance of parts of railroads which were unnec- essary for war purposes, and alter- ations made which make it impossible without great loss to return them as going concerns, and as when taken over by the Government. The sub- ject is too vast to attempt to discuss it in all its phases and it is referred to as an interwoven part of the fabric created by the war and as showing the wisdom and necessity of a gen- eral unraveling of that fabric. Secretary of the Treasury Mc- Adoo’s announcement that the future financing of the Government, includ- ing the next Liberty Loan, will be for short time investment—three to five years—is meeting with the ap- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 13 proval of the bankers of the country, who realize that now the war is over the pressure of patriotic arguments and brass band methods will not bring out the money, The new Se- curities must be issued on a business basis and the short term securities will go far to meet the situation. It is true the four Liberty lonas floated not only enabled us to win the war, but it has been an education in thrift that will never be forgotten. It has taught the people the value of small denomination bonds. Thousands now are owners of ‘surplus reserves in Liberty bonds who never before saved a dollar; and realizing the value of such savings will continue to put aside their money through invest- ment. From this reservoir will come a goodly portion of cash for the new loans. Paul Leake. op President Kea, ot the Pennsylvania Railroad, makes some very pertinent comment on the question of what preparation should be made for re- turn of the ra:iways to thesr owners, as prescribed by the Kailway Control Law. With the idea of immediate re- linquishment of Government opera- tion (which the President of the United States is authorized to decree “at any time he shall deem such ac- tion needful or desirable’) Mr. Rea has no sympathy. He believes that all experience “emphatically con- demns Government ownership and operation”; but wartime control with its many complexities is a fact, and this “is not a time for precipitate action” in reversing ‘these conditions. During the twenty-one months in which public control may be retained under the law, “the most experienced minds in railroading, finance, and public policy should be devoted to formulating a basis for our future railroad policy, which can be carried out without rupturing the business or social relations of: the country.” The extent to which such action must be governed by underlying questions of wages, taxes, and trans- portation rates is such as to make this judgment of the matter con- clusive. —_—_2-2--———- A highly interesting statement by Lord Bryce concerning the situation in Armenia was recently published in the Manchester Guardian. He has made a special study of the Armenian question and is probably as well in- formed on this subject as any Euro- pean statesman. And his recommen- dation is that Allied forces occupy Armenia at once, for the purpose of preventing disorder, protecting the natives against marauding Turkish soldiers and promoting the speedy return of Armenian exiles. But such occupation naturally must not inter- fere with the more important work of initiating the forms of a local govern- ment eventually to become the Ar- menian nation. Lord Bryce further urges that protection and financial aid be extended the Armenians, even af- ter the peace treaty is signed. With- out question, the Armenians, once as- sured of a national development, would welcome such protection and help with enthusiasm and gratitude. N these times of changing conditions, new standards of values, complicated tax laws and similar difficulties, hundreds of women have placed their fortunes upon this ‘‘great safe ship’ Living Trusts. Many now enjoy the protection of this Company because their husbands or fathers, when living, had the kindly fore-thought to de- vise their estates to this institution as trustee, guardian or executor. If you are worried, troubled, pre- plexed. or if you think that your widow may be, why not inquire at the Trust De- partment and see if your troubles, or her troubles, cannot be lessened here. Send for Blank Form of Will and booklet on “Descent and Distribution of Property”’ THE MICHIGAN TRUST Go. OF GRAND RAPIDS Safety Deposit Vaults on ground floor. Boxes to rent at low cost. GRAND RAPIDS NATIONAL CITY BANK CITY TRUST & SAVINGS BANK ASSOCIATED CAMPAU SQUARE The convenient banks for out of town people. Located at the very center of the city. district. . On account of our location—our large transit facilities—our safe deposit vaults and our complete service covering the entire field of banking, our Institutions must be the ultimate choice of out of town bankers and Individuais. Handy to the street cars—the Interurbans—the hotele—the shopping Senited fait orate GRAND RAPIDS NATIONAL CITY BANK CITY TRUST & AVINGS BANK cette cit ne tenement eel 14 REALM OF THE RETAILER. Read Before Grand Rapids Retail Grocers’ Association. You asked me to address you on the subject of modern tendencies in the retail grocery business. I cannot be with you in person on account of a previous engagement, but I cheer- fully send you a written statement of my ideas, based on an experience of forty-six years as clerk, merchant and editor of a trade journal which un- dertake to correctly interpret and ad- vocate the aims and aspirations of the intelligent retail merchant. I am a retail dealer in the fullest sense of the term, because of the partnership in- terests I have in retail stores in dif- ferent parts of the State. Most of my surplus earnings for years have been invested in retail stores. These connections enable me to keep in close touch with the people I serve through the Tradesman, because the problems I help my partners solve are the identical problems which con- front you in your every day business life. I believe the world-wide conflict precipitated by the Kaiser is going to mark the beginning of a new era in storekeeping and that many of the mercantile methods of the past will be consigned to the scrap heap. We had to let down the bars during the war, because we bent every energy to the accomplishment of a single pur- pose—the winning of the war at the earliest possible moment. Now that the war is won and the world is going to be made safe for decent people to live in, we are going to look in the glass and take a careful and critical inventory of ourselves to see where- in we can improve our practices and methods in order to make ourselves more efficient as merchants, more faithful to the trust reposed in us as purveyors to the public and, incident- ally, increase the volume of our sales and the percentage of our net profits. My experience leads me to the con- clusion that not one merchant in ten is truly efficient. Either through lack of previous education or indisposi- tion to improve his mind and his knowledge of the business’ he espouses, the average grocer is too often a misfit, He does not know his goods as he should. He does not understand his cutomers. He does not know how to handle his clerks - advantageously. Because he owns a store building and a stock of mer- chandise, he imagines he is a mer- chant, whereas, as a matter of fact, he has- no, clear conception of the first principles of successful merchandis- ing. Men who come under this class seldom remain behind the counter as proprietors very long. If they stick to the business, they seldom make more than a decent living for them- selves and families and drift along through life without achieving any higher positions than that of hired men for ‘the jobbers who furnish them goods. As I refer now to a class and not to. individuals, you will none of you take offense at my _ statements, especially when I remind you of the MICHIGAN TRADESMAN fact, which is confirmed by care- fully prepared and compiled statis- tics, that out of every one hundred men who engage in the retail grocery business in this country, only three remain in business fifteen years and achieve any decided measure of suc- cess. These figures are significant, because they emphasize the state- ment I have made repeatedly for many years, without its ever being challenged, that men without prev- ious experience in the business and men who have no especial fitness or adaptability for the business, have nc right to expect to succeed in an oc- cupation which, rightly conducted, is one of the most exacting in the en- tire range of mercantile pursuits. Increasing the sales of a store is one of the most important objects the merchant can attain, because as soon as the right ratio between cost and selling price is established, increas- ing the turnover affords him the most feasible method of increasing his profits. I think more merchants are forced out of business through sell. ing too few goods than from any other one cause. There are, of course, many ways of increasing turnover, and great care must be taken to see that the expense account does not keep pace with the increased sales or no permanent advantage is gained by the increase in volume. The average grocer is deficient in one or more of these respects: 1. He has not selected a desirable location for his store. 2. His stock is not adapted to the demands of his neighborhood. 3. He does not buy as judiciously as he should, 4. He does not display his stock so as to make prominent its most at- tractive features. 5. He does not ascertain the ex- act cost of doing business and then guage his prices accordingly. 6. He does not use the necessary tact in handling his customers. 7. He does not have a good un- derstanding with his credit custom- ers, but permits them to lap bills on him instead of balancing their ac- counts at stated intervals. 8. He does not employ price tickets to the extent he should,so that custom- ers may practically make their own selections, without feeling that they are encroaching too much on the time of the merchant or clerk. 9. He does not keep as thoroughly posted on market conditions as he should in order to buy economically and advantageously. 10. He does not have his business so systematized that he can tell in a few hours’ time where he stands, as he should be able to do. 11. He does not keep an annual inventory and a compiled record of daily purchases and sales in a fire proof safe, as required by the con- tract relations he sustains to the fire insurance companies which under- take to indemnify him in the event of loss by fire. 12. He does not make enough money to enable him to take the position, socially and morally, he should occupy as a purveyor of one of the most important products of the earth, in consequence of which he suffers in the estimation of his friends and associates and does not become the factor he should be in the world’s progress. Failing in one or more of these essentials, he is not able to train his clerks as they should be trained to be of the most service to him and to themselves. He does not obtain the financial rewards which the diligent and in- telligent pursuit of an honorable oc- cupation deserves. Why does this condition too often prevail in the grocery business? The answer is as: plain as the nose on your face. Men jump into the groc- ery trade without previous knowledge of the business in the too prevalent belief that it is a short cut to a com- December 4, 1918 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 A Per Cent. Paid on Certificates of Deposit The Home for Savings 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. [;RAND RAPIDS [RUST [ OMPANY OTTAWA AT FOUNTAIN BOTH PHONES 4391 Safe Deposit Boxes at Three {Dollars Per Year and Upward. Assets $2,700,000.00 CLAUDE HAMILTON Vice-Pres. JOHN A. McKELLAR Vice-Pres. G@ 'S LiFe INSURANCE COMPANY 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 os A. ¥ A nomen y O22: ELS EEL AO IOS RL LE } December 4, 1918 petence. Once in, they scorn the helpful features which would enable them to educate themselves for their occupations. I have in my mercantile library sixty books treating on cof- fee and over fifty books dealing with tea. Is there a grocer in Grand Rapids who has ever read a single book on either subject? I doubt it very much. There is no more reason why a pharmacist should be carefully trained for his life work than a groc- er. Both have to deal with articles which go into the human stomach. No man can dispense drugs who has not put in long years of study and training—study in a college of pharmacy and practical training in a drug store. Until the same or similar safeguards are thrown around the grocer and grocery clerk, the busi- ness will never approach the dignity of a profession, as it should be, and will be regarded as a harbor of refuge for exploiters, triflers, greenhorns and ° men who have registered a failure in every other walk in life. To some extent every man is privil- eged to judge himself and others by his own standards. When I started as a clerk in a grocery store back in 1872—forty-six years ago—I fortu- nately obtained a copy of the Amer- ican Grocer, then, as now, published in New York City. Although my sal- ary was only .$10 per month, I im- mediately sent $3 to the publisher for a yearly subscription and I have “never missed a copy of the paper since. Constant perusal of this pub- lication for nearly fifty years has given me an accurate knowledge vif the grocery business which cannot be measured in dollars and cents, yet I can point my finger to dozens of grocers in this city who refuse to avail themselves of the assistance of a good trade paper and more yet who do not live up to their opportunities by reading and digesting the trade papers which they take and pay for. In this day and age the fearless trade paper is as good as an insurance pol- icy, becaue it protects its patrons from the frauds and cheats which find the non-trade paper grocer an easy victim, besides keeping him posted on market changes and pro- spective turns in prices which enable him to buy goods advantageously and sell them profitably. Hardly a day passes that I am not called upon to assist retailers who have signed promissory notes under the impres- sion that they were mere scraps of paper, subject to cancellation, recall or repudiation on the whim or caprice of the maker. In every case I can refer to the file of the Tradesman ahd show that the original holders of these notes have been repeatedly ex- posed as fraudulent by the Trades- man, but the same answer always comes back to me, “I don’t think I read that issue of the paper.” In my opinion, a grocer who does not read his trade paper deserves to be penal- ized good and plenty. Those fellows —and the wise ones who do not take a trade journal—are the chaps whom thé wily schemers who promote shady and swindling transactions are looking for, MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Despite the ominous clouds which hang over the grocery trade in the form of mail order and chain store competition, I can readily discern a bright future in store for those mem- bers of the trade who look the situa- tion squarely in the face, make a care- ful inventory of existing conditions and immediately set their houses in order for the momentous changes which the future surely has in store for the grocery trade. In the re- adjustments incident to after-war times, long credits and uncertain payments will have to be abolished. Credit should be allowed as long as it is a convenience, but not when it becomes an indulgence. There should be four regulations in a grocery store: first, that credit should be granted only with the understanding that set- plies. Those grocers who fall in line with the spirit of the age will profit by the good times coming. Those who persist in retaining the slipshod and slovenly methods of the past will find they will suffer in the estimation of their customers and ultimately join the 97 per cent. class who are lost in the shuffle. To which class, my friend,.do you propose to belong? E. A. Stowe. ——_2--e___ Probable Effect of Peace on Tea Prices. Written for the Tradesman, After the collection of figures and securing the opinions of those who are in a position to give forecasts that are of real value as to the tea market, now that peace is here, the following may be stated as the conditions exist- MRS. MALONE AND THE CENSOR. When Mrs. Malone got a letter from Pat, She started to read it aloud in her flat. “Dear Mary,” it started, “I can’t tell you much, I’m chokin’ wid news thot I’d like to relate, I’m chokin’ wid news that Id like to relate, But it’s little a soldier’s permitted t’ state. Do ye mind Red McPhee—well, he fell in a ditch An busted an arrm, but I can’t tell ye which. “An’ Paddy O’Hara was caught in a flame An’ rescued by—Faith, I can’t tell ye his name. Last night I woke up wid a terrible pain, I thought for a while it would drive me insane. Oh, the suff’rin’ I had was the most dreadful t’ bear; I’m sorry, my dear, but I can’t tell you where. The doctor he gave me a pill, but I find It’s contrary to rules.t’ disclose here the kind. “T’ve been t’ the dintist an’ had a tooth out Im sorry to leave you so shrouded in doubt, But the best I can say is that one tooth is gone, The censor won’t let me inform ye which one. I met a young fellow who knows ye right well, An’ ye know him, too, but his name I can’t tell. He’s Irish, red-headed, an’ there with the blarney, His folks once knew your folks back home in Killarney.” “By gorry,” said Mrs. Malone in her flat, “Tt’s hard t’ make sinse out av writin’ like that. But Ill give him as good as he sends, that I will.” So she went right to work with her ink-well and quill, And she wrote, “I suppose ye’re dead eager for news, You know when ye left we were buyin’ the shoes; Well, the baby has come, an’ we’re both doin’ well; It’s a... Oh, but that’s something they won’t let me tell.” tlement of the account is to be made at a definite time; second, that credit should be granted only to those who are in a position to meet the account promptly; third, collections of ma- tured accounts should be followed up regularly and persistently; fourth, there should be a centralization. of responsibility, or some one in author- ity, in the extension of credit and col- lection of accounts. All goods sold on credit are a loss until they are paid for. Deliveries will have to be still «further curtailed. The cost of doing business must be materially reduced. Buying in broken packages must be abandoned. Filthy stores must- be renovated and made wholesome. Un- sanitary ‘conditions and _ unclean looking merchants and clerks must be banished forever. As wages gradually recede from the present feverish war conditions to a peace basis, the cost of living must be reduced and this will tend to educate the consumer to be more critical in his judgments and more exacting when buying his sup- ing. The composite opinion of the big guns in the East and in the large Middle West markets is that tea will be more inclined to advance than to decline for the next ten months. World conditions from reliable fig- ures are as follows: Great Britain in normal times carries from three hun- dred to five hundred million pounds. The stock there to-day is short one hundred million pounds. Russia, the last year they could receive shipments of tea, took over five hundred mil- lion pounds and it must also be re- membered that the Scandinavian countries, also Holland and Belgium, have been without tea for two and a half years. Shipments to South Amer- ica have been greatly restricted and their stocks must be very low—prac- tically nothing. In Australia—by the way, the greatest consumer of tea per capita in the world—stocks are below normal. This is also true of South Africa. So it appears that at the least calculation there is a shortage of vis- ible stocks in the world to-day of one billion pounds and here it may be 15 stated that the tea production of the world is, approximately, eight hun- dred million pounds per annum, It sufficient tonnage were available and the embargoes lifted at once, there would be an immediate demand for more tea than could be grown for over a year, which would have no other effect than to stiffen prices in the primary markets. Now that peace is assured there is' a general feeling that there. will be tonnage available for shipments. From the best fore- casts there will be a greater shortage of tonnage in the next six months and possibly during the next year than ar any time since 1914, since the world’s total tonnage is about 7 per cent. less than it was then, notwithstanding the ship building that has been going on. Troops must be returned to the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zeeland, India and Japan. Evidence of the present need for ships is that the United States has commandeered the United Fruit Com- pany ships and the Pacific Mail ships, practically on. the day the armistice was signed. A very large part of the world’s tonnage to-day. is more or less in bad condition, as these ships have been driven at high pressure for four years, with barely sufficient care being given to engines and without. being docked. Hence it appears that from these two principal factors—that is a de- mand for more tea than can be grown in the next year and from a lack of ships to carry it—there will be a stif- fening of the market. It is said to move a billion pounds of tea requires 1,250 ships‘or more than three ships per day for 400 days. E. J. Hart. ——2o-2- : Combination Meats Defined. The Food Administration’s servation order, prohibiting public eating places from serving more than one meat course or meat dish at a meal, does not apply to such established dishes as meat pies, hash and similar articles. The meat rule is aimed at securing conservation with- out eliminating from the menu cer- tain combinations of scrap meats or varieties of meat by-products, un- suitable for export. Among the combination meats specifically exempt from the rule are: liver and bacon, goulash, meat pies, meat cakes, hash, mince pie, larded sweetbreads, club sandwiches and as- sorted cold meats. In homes as well as in public eating places, the use of these meat products in preference, to standard cuts which are adapted for export is a direct service to’ the liber- ated nations. It will also help Amer- ica to fulfill her food pledge of 20 million tons to be shipped overseas by July 1, 1919. ———_+ Normal Bean Canning Authorized. Following the announcement by the Food Admininstration ‘early in November that sufficient tin plate is assured to permit the packing of beans in normal quantities, bean packers of the country will be’ al- lowed to operate at, normal capacity during November, December, apd January. a con- Iwitens Scand sromtare iene tae 16 MICHIGAN Se aR ATR I RT TRADESMAN December 4, 1918 ~~. ’ “HHA EY i; DRY GOODS, FANCY GOODS =» NOTIONS | oa, i sss) Ga rere eeet (CECE Michigan Retail Dry Goods Association. President—D. M. Christian, Owosso. First Vice-President—George J. Dratz, Muskegon. Second — President—H. G. Wend- land, Bay City. Secretary-Treasurer—J. ‘W. Lansing. Knapp, Some Buying and Sales Problems Solved. To buy goods carefully and well is one of the secrets of good store- keeping, but keeping stock in fresh condition and well-selected is an art. The buyer who is- forever trying to secure a lower price must give way to the man who knows the market and is not afraid to back his confidence with goods selected. A good buyer knows when to stop buying as well as ‘he does when to buy. Over-buying is one of the mistakes of the most buy- ers. He must know the seasons and prepare a little in advance. He must know what is seasonable and what is going on in the market. In other words, he must be on the job. Buying the right goods at the right time is the supreme test of a buyer’s ability. He must not alone know lo- cal conditions, but conditions the country over. Thus he has a wide range of observation and knows what is going on in a section removed from his own. He watches the markets and is always ready to look at samples of all salesmen who have goods to offer. He reads trade papers and the various sources of information devoted to the goods he has on sale. A buyer can- not learn this over-night nor can he acquire a buyer’s sense without many errors, made as a rule in good faith, but costly in the extreme. A buyer, first of all, should sell him- self, for he is the test .upon which the judgment of those under him must come. If a line of goods is salable, he must be able to tell why it is, and what is expected of it. He must be a merchant and a good salesman, aS a man cannot be a suc- cessful buyer unless he is a good sales- man, This is not a question of intell- igence, but experience backed up by knowledge of his line, for some men have little taste for lines outside those of which they have an inner know- ledge. Careful supervision is always need- ed after goods are bought, for the buy- er’s responsibility does not end when he has bought the goods and placed them on sale. He must go further; he must actually sell them or know the reason why the goods bought in good faith do not sell. To-day a department to be rated first-class in every particular must be prepared to be more than a mere trad- ing place. It must. be a semi-public institution, a place where accommoda- tion is rendered without compensa- tion. Many buyers figure this a mat- ter for a large store only, but this is a mistaken idea. The small store has just as great an opportunity to ren- der good service as the huge mercan- tile palace. Buy goods as cheaply as possible, display and advertise as skillfully as you know how, employ first-class salespeople to sell them, but fail to keep your department, goods, fixtures and arrangements spick, span and clean, and you have wasted all your efforts. Dust, cobwebs and disorder spell ruination to business, and, as like begets like, you will find the slovenly storekeeper keeps a slovenly shop. You will sell more goods and better goods if you keep your stock neat and clean. Do not show the standard of cleanliness by your own ideas, but from a woman’s point of view, look- ing well into corners, crevices, door- sills and other out-of-the-way places where dust and dirt are likely to accumulate. Remember, not even the untidy like to trade in a dirty store. It takes only an hour or so a day, which you will find an hour of time well invested. The time to keep a store clean is all the time, and not in a haphazard manner, Make a system of cleanliness as you do of other things in your business. The price ticket or show card can truly be said to be the silent salesman of retailing. If you make it a point to placard all goods in windows, on your shelves and tables, you will find things working in your ‘direction. A great many timid people hesitate to ask clerks prices. The price card overcomes this timidity and accom- plishes a two-fold purpose. Care should be taken that these cards are not of a home-made nature, as.a few dollars expended to have proper cards printed or painted will repay itself many times over; where- as the home-made or poorly lettered cards show slovenly storekeeping and heap discredit upon the merchandise to be exploited. As nearly as possible attempt to use a fixed form or card, near a standard style as regards lettering, size of card and design of letters. Destroy the rubber stamp or stencil, taboo the amateur card and invest a few dollars in properly printed tickets and show- cards. You will find this investment will repay itself many times. Many times a buyer will ponder long and unsuccessfully to hit upona suitable name for a sale. The first principle for a sale name is that it — should be short, easily remembered and have a meaning. Some merchants e are magnates of TRIMMED AND uNTaiMM ED a for Ladies, —— and store trade. Trial te solicited. x“ CORL, KNOTT & CO.. Ltd. Corner Commerce Ave. and Island St. Grand Rapids, Mich. CUT LOOSE NOW AND MAKE REAL MONEY-PROFITS We reduce stocks to a profitable advantage Sixteen years conducting Trade Building, Stock Re- duction and complete Closing-out. Advertising Special Sale Campaigns. We have a record of hav- ing closed out stocks of merchandise netting more than 100 cents and better. ALL SIZE STOCKS HANDLED Harper's Service is endorsed by oe houses, such as Cluett, Peabody & Co., Keith Bros. & Co and many others. For particulars mention size of stock and object of sale. Closing out $15,000 clothing stock for Landis & Nelson, Miami, Arizona. Sales started Oct.7. Opening day sales $4,193. Cc. N. HARPER & COMPANY, Inc, 905 Marquette Building, CHICAGO, ILL, Art Calendars on Short Notice We offer to merchants and bankers outside of Mason county a limited number of calendars with three color reproduction of one of Alten’s famous paintings. We have decided to accept but one order from each county, so there may be no conflict in the dis- tribution of this beautiful work of art. Sample and price sent on receipt of statement as to number of calendars desired. TRADESMAN COMPANY Grand Rapids, Mich. Guaranteed Prices on Good Goods When you buy goods from ‘OUR DRUMMER” cata- logue you don’t have to wait until the bill comes in before you know what you have to pay. You know it when you place the order. This is be- cause the prices you see in this catalogue are guaranteed for the time the catalogue is in force. This keeps them secure and stable and un- affected by market rises. If you are a merchant and want a copy of this catalogue you may have one upon applica- tion. Butler Brothers Exclusive Wholesalers of General Merchandise New York Chicago St. Louis Minneapolis Dallas IFUTMERIOEENOEPSSTRGSSATSROGLA EEDA STRAUS BLAST ULTRA HATH WHUTTUTORETAENGNSHTHTETRELEHEHTVLESAGEOH ATTESTED TOUT TTTTV TEE LOMHSRMUAOREASREAA PAPE LAURA AMRUALAGA “BLANKETS blankets—our stock is complete. Get prepared for the cold weather, and get in your supply of wool THESE ARE SOME OF OUR SPECIALS; 66x80 Plaids, assorted colors......... 70x80 Plaids, assorted colors......... 70x80 Plaids, assorted colors......... 66x80 Grey, assorted borders......... 68x80 Grey, assorted borders......... Soke ese eee eres 5 eee EL Biel sess cas le ete 3s 6.00 boy coe oe tee os ae oe se ge ed 6.75 Se a ae eo 5.50 Se En a 6.50 64x76 Woolnap Grey, assorted borders, 2 inch silk bengaline bind- ing, weigh 3% pounds, per pair at...........-.--- essere 3.75 CAMP BLANKETS 66x78 Grey, $4.00 value, now ........ pice ssa eee meen ss ceene sete 3.78 | Quality Merchandise—Right Prices—Prompt Service | PAUL STEKETEE & SONS WHOLESALE DRY GOODS GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 1542 Jefferson Avenue Wilmarth show cases and store fixtures in West Michigan's biggest as In Show Cases and Store Fixtures Wilmarth is the best buy—bar none Catalog—to merchants WILMARTH SHOW CASE COMPANY ( Made [In Grand Rapids) Grand Rapids, Michigan 2 December 4, 1918 make the fatal mistake of running a sale with no definite object in view; this tends to weaken the sale you may run when next you have a real and true reason for holding one. The fol- lowing list of names will be found ‘handy when you contemplate holding a special sale. We suggest it be filed for future reference: Feature Sale. Dollar Sale. (All goods marked $1 or a mul- tiple thereof.) Sensational Sale. (Let this sale uphold the name.) Season-End Sale, (Hold same at the end of your regular season as a fixture each year. Once started, this must be continued.) Mid-Month Sale. Month-End Sale. Expansion Sale. (To be held when new space is taken or when you branch out.) Make-Room Sale. Clearance Sale. (Be sure the goods offered will not be sold again.) The Sale of Sales. Early Season Sale. (On goods not quite in season, a little price inducement being of- fered to force the sale so early in the season.) Demonstration Sale. Hold as many demonstrations as possible, thus carrying out the import of the sale’s name.) Fall Opening Sale. (Also Spring, Summer and Win- ter.) MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Old-Fashioned Rummage Sale. Whirlwind Sale. The Ideal Sale, The Live-Wire Sale. The Quality Sale. The Surprise Sale. Make sure when you hold a sale, that the general appearance of your section is somewhat altered, so a person coming into it will be im- pressed with the changed appearance due to the inroads and force of the sale being held. Above all, don’t forget a generous line of publicity ‘in connection with any sale you may hold. OO Men’s Wear in Suspense. The condition which can best help the wool manufacturing industry in its present dilemma is some basis for assurance that whatever level is es- tablished for cloth will be relatively stable. As the men’s wear market stands now everyone seems to be act- ing on the assumption that prices will be lower. Mills have scant, if any, business ahead and while buyers hold to their present outlook, they cannot be persuaded to place orders. All agree that the problems now before the Washington authorities are more difficult and of more consequence than any tackled during the progress of the war. A representative manufacturing clothier stated yesterday his belief that a large business awaited the pri- mary market as soon as there were good reasons to believe that prices quoted would not be shaded before the season ended. How this was to be achieved he could not say except in a suggestion that if the market could start 1919 on a really low basis buy- ers might be persuaded that the only likely change would be an advance and they would then buy promptly and in good volume. Clothiers are not persuaded that they can make their bread and butter on a $50 suit. They believe that they should be able to offer something serviceable at $25. They say that men will not, as a class, pay out a week’s earnings for a suit of clothes more than once or twice. While buyers want to reduce the level of the market so that they can buy reasonably, wool growers want to hold up the level so that they may get large returns from their flocks, Manufacturers, as a class, are in a middle ground. They do not hold large stocks and their impulse, there- fore, springs merely from a desire to get business on a working basis. If prices are left too high, they see the likelihood of importations and foreign competition which will shut up their plants. Already the domestic industry’s growing export trade has received a setback and cancellations have been reported from South Ameri- ca. The whole market is in a state of suspense. et Shoddy is Wool. There is a popular impression among consumers that “shoddy” is not wool. In these times shoddy is not an uncommon thing in garments and it is difficult for any but a cloth ex- 17 pert to discover whether re-worked wool has been used in a piece of goods. It is a fact that when a fair proportion of virgin wool is worked in with shoddy it makes a satisfactory cloth that will give good service to the wearer. Shoddy as a name for re-worked wool was dropped for a time be- cause of a wrong, but generally ac- cepted, interpretation of its meaning. The dictionary defines shoddy as a “fiber re-manufactured of shredded rags of soft woolen fabrics.” Therefore, those who adhere to an “all wool” standard in their adver- tising need have no fear of misrepre- sentation. It is simply a matter of clearing up the point with the cus- tomer. ee Yarns More Unsettled. Cotton yarn markets have been further unsettled by the progress made in discontinuing Government contracts and the difficulty of induc- ing buyers to take hold of civilian business on the price levels spinners will consider. Yarn merchants say they are beginning to receive more requests to assist in the sale of yarns than they have received in many months showing the trade that many mills will soon need business. The volume of coarse yarns on the market is unusual and many numbers can not be disposed of quickly. Some of the fine numbers have also accumulated fast owing. to the cancellation of Government contracts for special cloths. SERVICE ~ Semi-Annual House Sale Still On UR DECEMBER HOUSE SALE has exceeded all previous house sales con- ducted by us in point of interest, importance and volume of transactions. QUALITY Notwithstanding the large amount of goods purchased the first three days of this week, we still have undepleted stocks in every department, with a few minor ex- ceptions, so that those merchants who visit the house Thursday and Friday of this week are assured of their ability to secure selections from our bargain list which will be greatly to their advantage, because it will place them in a position to meet 2 the most strenuous competition and offer their customers unusual bargains in season- able goods at a time when bargains are sought and appreciated. GRAND RAPIDS DRY GOODS CO. Exclusively Wholesale Grand Rapids, Michigan - QUALITY SERVICE i . “ ‘ * oe : : .* 4 a LE SR 18 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN December 4, 1918 = So = »)) Ses — quer (Wc BUTTER, EGGS 4®» PROVISIO sae yy mT Ly, weesegecesas) A (qc dul (ute S A ‘ cool Michigan Pouitry, Butter and Egg Asso- ciation. : President—J. W. Lyons, Jackson. Vice-President—Patrick 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. Condemns the Grocer As a Handler of Eggs. San Francisco, Niov. 21—Twen- ty years ago, when I began to preach the “Swat the Rooster” doctrine, quite a number of my Kansas farmer friends used to come to my office and say: “John, you are crazy. Don’t you know that unless the hens are accom- panied by a rooster we would have no eggs?” Time and again I have had to show them how densely ignorant they were, so far as the production of eggs was concerned. I think I would be safe in saying that twenty years ago 75 per cent. of the Kansas farmers be- lieved that the rooster had more to do with the making of an egg than the biddy who produced it. Now that the doctrine has become popular they realize that I was a few years ahead of the times. This by way of preface. The Department of Agriculture es- timates that the loss due to rotten eggs amounts to $122,000,000 per year. The estimate is entirely too low. In my opinion, it is nearer $200,000,000. The preaching of food conservation is being put before the American pub- lic but as far as it applies to eggs it is time wasted. After thirty years at the buying end, and now five years at the selling end, I am sure there is only one way to prevent this loss. By eliminating the grocer as a fac- tor in the egg business you do away with its evils. If the same policy were adopted in the buying of eggs that is followed in the buying of cream, rot- ten eggs would soon be a reminis- cence. I know that people are saying there is a decided improvement in quality. The men who say this are talking through their “chapeaus.” If they had stood beside me for the past three weeks and watched me candle Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas eggs they would change their minds. Our egg man has had the influenza, and I have had to take my turn at candling. If the middle west shipper would refuse to allow the grocers to touch eggs and buy the eggs direct from the farmer, paying for nothing but fresh eggs, they could educate farm- ers into believing that an egg is not a fresh egg when two weeks old. In my time in Kansas, to a grocer an egg was an egg as long as it had a shell. Age or condition never entered into the transaction. To the grocer a rotten egg was worth just as much as a fresh one because he could un- load it on some unsuspecting shipper for full value. I could write a volume on this subject, but just now I am only going to hit the high places. The putting of a candler’s tag with an article on food conservation on top of an egg case does not make a stale egg fresh. The farmers in the Middle West have not changed and, what is ee ae more, they never will change until the country storekeeper is out of the egg game. Why is it that to-day a Petaluma ranch egg is selling in New York City at 94c per dozen, while your Kansas, Nebraska and lowa so-called fresh eggs are selling around 58c? Simply because, as stated previously, the Pet- aluma egg is produced to-day, mar- keted to-morrow and on the consum- er’s table the next day. The Petaluma egg is not bought through a grocer—not on your green shirt waist. The buyers have their houses in Petaluma, and let me tell you that the Petaluma poultryman is too wise to his interests to think he can hold his eggs and market them as fresh, I wish I could take the readers of the Tradesman into a candling room and show them a Petaluma fresh egg as compared with a so-called fresh egg from any of the Middle Western states. A Middle-West egg ought to be the best egg in the country, as it is a grain-fed egg, whereas out here corn is a scarce article. While I am not attempting to qual- ify as a prophet, just mark my words: As surely as I write them, it is only a question of time until the grocer will be a thing of the past so far as the buying of eggs is concerned. The same thing applies to the dis- tributing end. My idea is for the wholesaler to establish retail depots and sell eggs direct to the consumer. That this will come about in time I am just as confident as that the gro- cer will cease his operations at the buying end. Every wholesale dis- tributor of eggs knows that hereto- fore the grocer has been the curse of the business. He would buy two cases of fresh and three cases of stor- age eggs and mix and sell them all as fresh. Hie doesn’t dare do this now. The Food Administration would get his goat if he attempted it. But the war will soon come to an end, and possibly some of the restrictions in the handling of foodstuffs will be withdrawn. I believe that I will still be in the egg game when the curse of the egg business, the grocer, will havé been eliminated as a factor in the egg game at the buying end, also at the selling end. Speed the day, say I. Yours for better eggs. John Stewart. —_--.>——___ Porterville, Cal., advices state that bonanza wages are being paid for packing house labor and pickers who are handling the crop of Wash- ington navel oranges. Experienced workers are making from $8 to $10 per day. Pickers in the orchards where the crop is short are making on a guaran- tee of $4.50 per day minimum. Despite the price of 10 cents per box, which is being paid for packers, there is still some shortage of this class of labor. Most of the packing plants are offer- ing a bonus to their employes who remain to the end of the season. HARNESS QU OWN MAKE Hand or Machine Made Out of No. 1 Oak leather. We guarantee them absolutely satisfactory. If your dealer does not handle them, write direct to us. SHERWOOD HALL CoO., LTD. lonia Ave. and Louis St. Grand Rapids, Michigan GRAND RAPIDS. MICH. Merchant Millers KI NG Owned by Merchants a | Products sold by Merchants Ask about our way BARLOW BROS. Grand Rapids, Mich. Brand Recommended by Merchants Knox Sparkling Gelatine ° os NewPerfection Flour A steady seller Well advertised ; Each package makes ee FOUR PINTS of jelly Watson-HigginsMlg.Co. Mi 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 SERVICE PIO WAT Y QUALITY Largest Produce and Fruit Dealers in Michigan NUTS oe cca DS_—_N] UTS M. Piowaty & Sons of Michigan MAIN OFFICE, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Branches: Saginaw, Bay City, Muskegon, Lansing, Jackson, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Mioh., South Bend and Elkhart, Ind. WE BUY AND SELL Beans, Potatoes, Onions, Apples, Clover Seed, Timothy Seed, Field Seeds, Eggs. When you have goods for sale or wish to purchase WRITE, WIRE OR TELEPHONE US. Both Telephones 1217 | Moseley Brothers, CAND RAPIDS. MICH. 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. We can furnish you with a full line of Proprietary Medicines as well as a com- plete line of staple drugs. 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. Egg Candling Certificates One must be used in every case of eggs sold by the merchant to ped- dler, wholesaler or commission merchant. Not to do so is to subject the seller to severe penalties. We can furnish these forms printed on both sides, to conform to Government requirements, for $1 per 100, postage pre- paid. Special prices in larger quantities. TRADESMAN COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS nian ii retinitis te a cA Os aaa a 5 cA ac ia Lt PIRAEUS SNE SELLER A eS ei 7 0.050 te gs Animes ice To sip aetna amma oaaaa Stich nrSnE i cnet SSA OI ann isienare As S apn eareatgact eas eran Si A RRA joe mans aR Same cen pte sentient, tt December 4, 1918 Tub of Butter Brings $420. One of the interesting features at the Iowa Buttermakers’ Convention at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, last week was the sale of a 20-pound tub of butter for $420. The Association decided to give the proceeds of one of the ex- hibition tubs to the American Na- tional Red Cross. Frank Brown, the inimitable auctioneer, was in charge of the sale and after the opening bid of $5 per pound the price went up with leaps and bounds and the tub was finally knocked down to Samuel Bingaman of G. M. Rittenhouse & Co. of New York City at $21 per pound, amid the wildest kind of enthusiasm. That was the highest price ever known to have been paid for a tub of butter. Mr. Brown called Mr. Binga- man to the platform and introduced him to the convention. The occasion was fitting for a speech and Mr. Bing- aman did not hesitate to give one of his patriotic talks, impressing upon the audience that no sacrifice was too great to honor and help the men who caried our flag to victory. He spoke of his peculiar interest in the war be- cause he had two boys in France, one of whom was wounded. After paying for the tub of butter and getting a receipt from the Red Cross, he gave the butter back for resale. Again there was lively bidding and in finally went to J. G. Cherry of Cedar Rapids, at $16 per pound. —_+>+.—___ Deciduous Crops’ Value $40,000,000, The 1918 California deciduous fruit crop, it is estimated, will be valued at around $40,000,000. Statistics of the California Fruit Distributers show that to date 37,075 carloads of fresh deciduous fruits have been shipped from California to points outside of the State, in comparison with 34,628 carloads for last year. is nearly 3,000 carloads. Most prominent among the Cali- fornia fruits are grapes, which report 16,065 carloads. Information from the distributers indicate fifteen or twenty cars are yet to go forward. Last year grape shipments totaled 13, 943 carloads, The buying power of the East was greatly augmented by war prosperity, and some fruit sold for twice as much as it brings in nor- mal seasons. Grapes have sold at from $1,600 to $2,500 a carload. Cher- ries this year brought up to $3,500 a carload. Peaches probably went the lowest, ranging from $800 to $2,200 a carload. Last year’s deciduous fruit crop sold upward of $30,000,000. ——_>-2»—___. The action of the Government, compelling the purchase of eggs on a candled basis, on the part of grocers and others, should have done much— and doubtless did do much—towards relief of the customary bad-egg situa- tion in the summer and the attendant loss, usually borne by the grocer or country merchants, resulting from this custom of taking the farmers’ eggs for tip-top quality, whether they are or not. The writer remembers well that previous to this year, or at least previous to the last two or three years, the owner of a country grocery store would meet the farmer at the door and take his butter and eggs in The increase MICHIGAN TRADESMAN a most pleasing and obliging sort of way as if he were delighted to have the privilege of handling the eggs. But if you could have gotten that merchant off to one side and could have let him say to you just how he felt about the summer egg trade with farmers he would have told you—well, all of the things he would have said about those eggs would not do to print—but, mildly he would have giv- en you to understand that if he could have afforded it he would have much preferred to have taken those eggs to the back door and dumped them out than have to béen bothered with them. This proposition in itself is only one of the strings with which the small country merchant has been enabled, according to his ideas, to hold his country trade. And if you had asked him to dispense with the proposition, to buy on the candle basis only, and even do some educa- tional work which would make this sort of a process easy for him, he would have dismissed the subjest as a matter of impossibility. At the same time, if you had suggested to him the turning of the country pro- duce business over to some one man in town and letting him pay cash and buy on a quality basis he would have told you that could not be made to stick or that the merchants had tried it and it did not work. Somehow, we have always felt that it was the duty of the country merchant and the gen- eral store operator to do their share toward improving the quality of eggs throughout the country, and we hope to see the action of the Government continued with reference to the pur- chase of eggs on a strictly quality basis only. —_~+-. In a number of states, and in line with the organization movement in the poultry industry as a whole, branches of the American Poultry Association have been organized and a state poultry advisory committee formed, the purpose of this committee being to co-operate with the state food administrator and the state council of defense. In South Dakota the committee is composed of a repre- sentative of the State Poultry Asso- ‘ciation, a man from the poultry ex- tension department of the state agri- cultural institution, the state dairy and food commissioner, a representa- tive of a farm paper, a commercial poultry breeder, and George Buck, a produce dealer in Watertown. The idea in the committee, of course, is to work for such things as will tend to increase the production of poultry and thus add to the meat supply of the world. ———_.-e—-e————— Ice cream may be served for des- sert in France, provided it contains no sugar, no milk, no eggs and no flour. What is it they make ice cream of over in France? ———o-2-4 A Cincinnati woman opened a matrimonial agency and married the first man who applied. The concern is closed now. +> When a young man climbs into a barber chair to be shaved for the first time, he feels like a bare faced fraud. 19 Bel-Car-Mo Peanut Butter Is delightful Peanut Butter in air-tight tins ranging in size trom 1 to 100 pounds. Quality guaranteed. Pleases the Customer Order from your Jobber An Unequalled Opportunity For Sale: Modern Fully Equipped Beet Sugar Factory Located in the heart of the finest beet growing district in the West. Irrigated lands that never fail, Present contracts with beet growers can be continued. Operated last season. Factory is new, Kilby design, modern and complete in every detail. Slicing capacity 600 tons daily. No money necessary for equipment to start operations. If desired plant could be moved. WILL SELL THE WHOLE OR HALF INTEREST For full information address: BEET SUGAR FACTORY, Care of Michigan Tradesman, Grand Rapids, Mich. The Holiday Flavor for cakes, desserts and can- dies. °e Mapleine The Golden Flavor makes plain, war-time reci- pes delicious. Order yours today of your job- ber or Louis Hilfer Co., 1205 Peo- ples Life Bidg., Chicago, Ill. Crescent Mfg. Co. (M-346) Seattle, Wash. Arsenate of Lead, Paris Green, Arsenate of Calcium, Dry Lime Sulphur. Our prices will interest you. Reed & Cheney Company 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. Rea & Witzig Produce Commission Merchants 104-106 West Market St. Buffalo, N. Y. Established 1873 United Seates Food Administration License Number G-17614 Shipments of live Poultry wanted at all times, and ship- pers will find this a good mar- ket. Fresh Eggs in good demand 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, 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. Onions, Apples and Potatoes Car Lots or Less We Are Headquarters Correspondence Solicited ss Vinkemulder Company GRAND RAPIDS ‘<2 MICHIGAN 20 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN December 4, 1918 ~~ > LSE, Children Who Fly into Fits of Passion. “Whale it out of ‘em!’ I hear some man say. “You can cure: tantrums with lov- ing kindness,” says one gentle mo- ther. “You must be patient and reason with the child,” says yet another. Well, I would be the last to say a word against the use of reason and loving kindness, and reluctantly I admit that there may be times when, owing usually to previous ignorance, neglect, or mismanagement by the parents, the physical shock of actual corporal punishment may serve the purpose. But in the case of genuine “tantrums” none of these thing suf- fices. Reason and loving words fall upon deaf ears, and blows only ag- gravate the trouble. What then? Many years ago when I was a kindergartner in a social settlement, I had an experience—one among many—with a child given to tantrums, which may be helpful to some of the mothers and teachers who read these articles. I am especially gratified to find that the treatment which I stumbled upon then almost by ac- cident is recommended by a noted physician, expert in the treatment of children. I came to it after many hopeless days of struggle and when I was about at the end of my re- sources. A little girl of four, thin, dirty, ner- vous, but affectionate, bright, and decidedly winning as a rule, was one who sat at my table of ten. Deci- dedly winning and attractive—except when she fell into a tantrum, as she did infallibly upon the smallest pre- text—often without any apparent pre- text at all. Crossed in the slightest way, she would instantly slide off her chair on to the floor and there kick and scream and demoralize the whole room. At first I tried love and kind words. I might as well have talked to a wildcat, She hardly heard me. Al- theugh she was very fond of me, she would kick at me and seemed en- tirely beside herself. Reasoning was quite useless. I tried putting her in a room by herself. (No, I did not shut her in a dark room or closet. That is a wicked thing to do, and often causes mischief that lasts a lifetime.) In cases of ordinary mis- behavior it is very effective to exclude a child from the company of the others—“We are happy in this place, and when you can behave yourself you may come back to us.” Not so with this little girl; it only made the tantrum worse, and she would scream in there alone until she was almost in convulsions. And as for “whaling’— she had plenty of that, with even less satis- factory results. I went to see her mother, who said when I asked if Eva had tantrums at home: “Ah, yes. She has those bad things here. I lock her up; I whip her till I can’t whip any more. I kill her off some day—she is so bad.” I knew, in a way, that her trouble was partly due to her physical con- dition—ill-nourished, thin, anemic— and to her bad training at home; but I had in mind, too, the child of some wealthy friends in a suburban home, who was robust and well fed, and pretty well trained—he had tan- trums, too. For several weeks I labored over the problem, but two or three times a week we would have one of these really terrible fits, of passion. She improved a little in the kindly at- mosphere of the place, but I knew I had not reached the real cause of the trouble. One day Eva had the worst attack I had ever seen, and I was nearly in despair. What could I do to help her, and especially to mitigate the nervous fatigue she always showed after these fits were over? I leaned over and picked her up in my arms, fighting, kicking, screaming at the top of her lungs, and started from the room. In the doorway as I passed, one of the wisest of kinder- gartners I have ever known said: “Let’s try some cold water.” It was only a chance idea with her, and I so accepted it. She helped me carry the child to the wash-room, held her head to keep her from biting me, as she was try- ing frantically to do, and together, as gently as we could, we bathed the face, neck, and hands of the poor little thing with cold water. It was like magic. Instantly she stopped,and did not obiect in the least as we bathed her thus for several min- utes. It seemed to soothe the poor little tired nerves and help her to compose herself, The next time an attack began I was prompt with the same treatment, with the same quick result. It was a remedy. The attacks became less frequent. Sometimes when she came in in the morning looking tired and dirty, I gave her a cracker and a cup of milk, and washed her face and hands, and particularly the back of her neck, with cold water. On those days she would have no tantrum. The attacks became less frequent, and grad- ually she outgrew them altogether. I have since seen many children, in and from homes of all kinds, who were subject to those extraordinary attacks. In every case where I could, I have used or recommended this treatment, and in every case it has been helpful, to say the least. Generally speaking, tantrums are fits not of temper or “pure cussed- ness,’ but of nerves, and must be treated as such. True, sometimes they are due ‘solely to badly trained temper and over-indulgence. Such cases are relatively few, however, and of an entirely different nature, and you may well give the child the ben- efit of the doubt. Dr. Robert N. Tooker, a specialist in the diseases of children, in one of his books treats tantrums under the head of “Signs of Sickness,” and attributes them to irri- tability of the brain, which, he says, “may easily be carried to actual in- flammation unless great care is taken to arrest the paroxysm. It is useless to argue with these children. To at- tempt to reason with them only makes matters worse. I have found nothing so certain to afford relief as bathing the head in cold water. Wet a towel in cold water and swathe the head with it, I have rarely had to repeat this prescription, or to continue the treatment more than a few minutes.” Many children do not have tan- trums. ' When my own little boy came I had had so much experience with these things in the kindergarten that I was forearmed and devoted much pains to training him in self- control. To-day I came upon Dr. Tooker’s book, “All About the Baby,” and found the words quoted above. In another book, not so well known, there were these further recommen- dations: Regularity in life, plenty of out-of-door play, out-of-door sleep- ing, rest periods, nutritious diet with due attention to mineral and laxa- tive foods, and relaxing exercises; plenty of music, rhythm work, such as dancing, marching, and gymnastic exercises with music; happy stories and pictures at bed-time. To give up to a tantrum the first time is to lose the first battle in a struggle that means the life-welfare of a human being. In the case of lit- tle Eva we led her back over a long and difficult up-hill path to com- posure. It need not have been so had a wise mother met the difficulty with the right treatment at the outset. Prudence Bradish. 2 The Call for Aprons. During the last few months the sale of both white and colored aprons has been exceedingly large, but at present it has fallen off to some ex- tent, although manufacturers have about all the orders that they can handle. In this line, like many others, the call seems to be for the better grade of merchandise, especial- ly in the white goods. Now that wo- men are taking the places of men as waiters in a number of hotels through- out the country, it is expected that the call for aprons from this source will be greater than before. ——__—+-2-e —-—- Don’t climb so high that the world will not see you when it wants to remove the ladder. ( During this Holiday Sea- son the bells are sound- ing a deeper note of lib- erty, of loyalty and of devotion to our common ‘*Fleischmann’s Yeast’’ To Every Man Who Sells Fleischmann’s Yeast oP RNS ZS cause. ; = Our best wishes for your success during the New Year. THE FLEISCHMANN COMPANY py preciate the spirit of co- ‘comes ‘ operation and good will you have shown us. ‘‘Fleischmann’s Yeast’’ TALK ra ee ee TELEPHONE | NOT BY Over Citizens Long Distance , Lines Connecting with 250,000 Telephones | in the State. 117,000 in Detroit. COPPER METALLIC CIRCUITS USE CITIZENS SERVICE December 4, 1918 CLEMENCY TO CRIMINALS. It Amounts To Condonation of Their Crimes. It is vital to the discussion of a just peace that the point of view of any particular writer be ascertained, so that proper weight be given to the utterance, - There are some who have had none of their kith or kin in the war, who have never experienced the dread that their sons might be blind- ed or maimed or killed or, worst of all, taken prisoner by the enemy, and who are now loud in their demands that “the poor Germans be fed,” or that “the Turks, many of whom we have met and know to be gentlemen, be not held to answer for the doubt- less exaggerated reports of massa- cres of revolutionary Armenians dur- ing the war.” They prate of clemency to a surrendering foe and make no account of the sufferings and ruin ‘they have never felt or appreciated. On the other hand, those of us who had sons in action, who know from eye-witnesses of the crucifixions and torturings of men taken prisoner by the Germans, who have read the French and Bajtish official reports of German barbarities, and the Bryce “report of Armenian massacres must be given credit if we demand justice. The pacifist is as dangerous to the general welfare to-day as he was be- fore the war. The sheep’s clothing of an alleged Christianity is a mere cloak. He is a pro-German still with all that the hateful term implies. Pardon implies repentance. Clem- ency imports worthiness. Neither German nor Turk manifests either condition. The retreat of the Germans, since the armistice, has not demonstrated their repentance. The released pris- oners returning to the Allied lines are additional arguments, every one, against clemency. The Turks surrendered, but 15,000 more Armenians have been massa- cred since the surrender. The parents of America, the wid- ows, the fatherless, must be heard, and their voice demands justice. They ask no vengeance. That were un- worthy of the spirit of the gallant dead. “An eye for an eye” might be to lower us to the Hunnish level. But justice is something which every man can understand. In countries where the jury system is established, it is understood that he who does a wrong must pay damages. He must restore the one injured to his condi- tion before the wrong was done or pay a reasonable equivalent as dam- ages. When the wrong rises to the iniquity of being a crime, then the person as well as the pocket of the offender becomes answerable, and personal suffering may be necessary in partial expiation of the offence. This is human justice. Divine jus- tice we cannot and dare not arrogate the right to exercise—although hu- man clemency imports into human justice that element of forbearance and forgiveness that we believe char- acterizes divine justice. But so far as the conditions of divine justice are MICHI@AN TRADESMAN revealed, penitence and repentance are prerequisites to pardon. Shall, then, the households of Amrica continue to endure the bur- dens of taxes, the increased cost of food and rent and labor, the self-de- nial of food, just to “feed the poor Germans,” whose present food sup- ply is sufficient on their own official showing to last until May, 1919? We are all willing to pinch and scrape and go without to relieve the necessities of the victims of the Teu- ton war lust. It is but the aftermath of the Great Crusade. But the command, “Love your ene- mies,” did not mean carte blanche to crime, nor put an end to retributive justice, nor dispense with the safe- guards against criminals essential to the security of society in a city or State or among nations. What, then, does justice require? 1. As to criminal acts. The maxim, inter arma leges silent, does not apply when the rules of in- ternational law governing war be- tween civilized nations are broken and disregarded. Massacres, robbery, piracy, bestiality are not excused be- cause committed in warfare. The published desire of the German people to “clear its own conscience” by an investigation by impartial men of accusations of breaches of inter- national law by Germany may be ac- cepted as a consent to the trial of per- sons accused before a high court of justice, internationally constituted. Such a court should be given pow- er to arraign, to try, and to punish. Its decrees should be enforced, if nec- essary by the military powers of the Allies. 2. As to the acts of pillage, ra- pine, and destruction. A commission of appraisal of dam- age, internationally constituted and with powers.of effectuating its awards could hear testimony, view the locali- ties affected, and assess the damages. Where restoration is practicable, German labor, fed, but underpaid, should be conscripted and made to dig and plant and build where they blasted and cut down and destroyed. Where the fertile soil is gone and the trees destroyed, and reparation in money is the only remedy, the assess- ment should be promptly made and promptly paid. Are such suggestions any more or any less than just? And is not jus- tice the highest plane to which the Allies and the United States can be asked to rise at present? I repeat, the parents, widows and fatherless of the land are entitled to a voice in this debate between jus- tice and clemency as the determining factor of the peace about to be nego- tiated, Remember the words of the three Mayors: “To forget would be to con- done.” Not the voice of the living mourners alone should be listened to, but also the voices of those whom they mourn. Clemency to the criminals would be condonation of their crime. Henry W. Jessup. —_———~2+ 2 Money gets tight occasionally, but you rarely see it lying in the gutter. Burleson Cuts Night Telegram Rates. While Mr. McAdoo is raising the express rates, Mr. Burleson is cutting down the telegraph schedule of charges. Queer, isn’t it, with all the money coming from the people and going into the public treasury? Mr. Burleson’s order takes effect Jan, 1, 1919, and reduces night mes- sage rates, the net result of which is to enable Atlantic Coast and Pacific Coast States to intercommunicate for 50 cents. The lowest charge hereto- fore has been $1.00. This night message telegram will cost a minimum of 20 cents for ten words and 1 cent for each extra word for the shortest distances, and 50 cents for ten words and 2 cents for each extra word for the longest dis- tances. A comparison of the day rates for ten words with the new night message rates puts the matter | in a nutshell, as follows: Where day message rate is 25-2 night message rate is 20-1. Where day message rate is 30-2, night message rate is 25-1. Where day message rate is 35-2, night message rate is 25-1. Where day message rate is 40-3, night message rate is 30-1. Where day message is 50-3, night message rate is 35-1. Where day message rate is night message rate is 40-1. Where day message rate is 75-5, night message rate is 45-2. Where day message rate is 100-7, night message rate is 50-2. 21 Other night message rates remain as at present. “A very great increase of traffic be- tween distant points is expected to result from this low rate,” says Mr. Burleson. “A letter may take four or five days with no alternative now but the payment of one dollar. This gives the alternative of one-half dollar ser- vice, and brings the distant parts of the country about three days closer together.” These “night messages” are made subject to post office carrier delivery, The rate on ordinary telegrams, although sent at night, is not affected by this order. es Dubious Demands. Associated Press dispatches from Brussels state that “all Belgium is united in an urgent demand for the left bank of the Scheldt River.” Now that the crime of 1871 has been un- done by the victory of the Allied armies, we have reached a point in history where human beings are no longer a negotiable quantity, traded off for certain strategic advantages. Before this change, suggested by Brussels, is made, would it not be well to ask the people of Staats Viaanderen whether they care to re- main citizens of Holland, or would prefer to change their allegiance and become a part of the Belgium king- dom? Hendrik Willem Van Loon. —_———~.-2o—————— A milkman took poison recently and his doctor evened up an _ old score by pumping him out. 2835 Sheffield Ave. “The Foley Line Makes Business Fine’’ BECAUSE — Foley's Honey and Tar Foley Kidney Pills axa Foley Cathartic Tablets ae WIDELY ADVERTISED STANDARD IN QUALITY CONSTANTLY RECURRING IN SALES AT PRICES THAT MAKE PROFITS And with your order we send free —‘‘the Almanac you shouldn’t lack” — FOLEY’S FOLEY & COMPANY Chicago, Il. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN r December 4, 1918 1)) vd) — — —_ ee — = om ee (ets STOVES 4» HARDWARE Michigan Retall Hardware Association. President—John C. Fischer, Ann Arbor. ee W. Leedle, Mar- shall. ee are J. Scott, Marine t City. Treasurer—William Moore, Detroit. How a Town-Wide Painting Cam- paign Was Inaugurated. Written for the Tradesman. Somebody in a spirit of facetious- ness called the town Spottsville, and the name stuck. And thus it has fared with many a small town or city. It has gotten off to a bad start with some bizarre, ridiculous, incurably provincial name. Just take a roster of the post offices of your state or county and give it the once over. If you don’t run across names _ that make you smile, I’ve either missed my guess, or there’s no smile in you. Isn’t it strange how the people of some of these minor league burgs tolerate such names year after year? Many of these little towns and cities are far better than their names in cold print would seem to apply. Well, that’s the way it is with Spottsville. Spottsville isn’t a bad place. It’s rather conservative, but it’s solid. Of course it isn’t large. A town starting out with a name like that, even if it had no other handicap, wouldn’t get to be a_ metropolis, ever. It’d have to change its name before it could hope to take on met- ropolitan airs. Spottsville claimed about twenty-five hundred population, But since Spottsville got its new coat of paint, they say quite a num- ber of retired farmers have moved into town—drawn thither, we may say, by the glory of the new paint. And, as the country round about Spottsville is devoted mainly to farming and dairying—both of which interests are now yielding handsome, wartime dividends—there’s no telling how many more farmers will be in a position to retire within the next ten or a dozen years. Spottsville is located on a branch line of railroad which halves the town as neatly as if it had been done with a knife; and the depot is right up in the center of the town where it ought to be, and not out at the extreme edge of the town where railroads prefer to build their sta- tions, Why do railroads persist in doing that? I’ve often puzzled over this, and the only reason I can con- jecture for such a procedure is that the railroad authorities must think that, if the telegraph operator can hear the sound of the crickets and katydids at night, he'll think he’s in the country, and so not ask for a vacation in the summer. And Spottsville has an esplanade where the two principal streets cross. And ,here is a grand band stand. And there’s also a fountain with a bronze lady getting all sprayed with water—when the fountain is running; but the fountain doesn’t run except in the afternoons. And there are smart stores and shops, hotels (three of them), oiling ‘stations, public buildings, churches, schoolhouse and library, and many other improve- ments over which other cities besides Spottsville have crowed from time to time. The only difference a _ stranger would be likely to observe between Spottsville and the average small town of twenty-five hundred was that Spottsville was a trifle slower than the average. I have said that they were conservative. And that’s put- ting it mildly. But I have no griev- ance against the town, you under- stand, and I’m deliberately trying not to use dark pigments in the picture. But truth is truth; and the fact is Spottsville was desperately slow. Strangers passing through on the accommodation trains of the branch line railroad could see at a glance that the town was slow. The condition of most of the houses in town indi- cated it. The houses needed paint. The excellent wood fiber in the weatherboarding of the frames and the woodwork of the brick, stone, and combination brick and stone houses —all seemed to cry aloud for paint. The only residences in town that seemed not to be fairly famished for paint, were the new bungalows in Dalton Park Edition, which lay in the northern part of Spottsville. These were bright and new. But all other houses with few and unim- portant exceptions shared the general need of the town—the imperative, self-evident, and amazing need of paint. It might be interesting to enquire into the psychology of a situation of this kind, where a whole town gradually acquires painting needs, but postpones the job. “Perhaps an informing article could be written on the speculative phase of a situation of that sort. But the writer has a notion the editor of this magazine wouldn't give a dill pickle—or any other important item of an out-door box lunch—for a discussion of that sort. So he’ll play it safe by refrain- ing from that sort of stuff. If the problem interests you, go to it. I’m sticking to facts; and this story must trip along. Just what would have happened to Spottsville if it hadn’t been for Eddie Brese, I have no way of knowing. The paint might have kept on peeling for—well, I can’t say how long. And it must have been that the town had grown dingier and dingier for want of paint. As it was, many excellent tin roofs were so badly bitten by rust that the repair bill was some- thing fierce. And there were porch posts that had to be sawed off and patched up at the bottom before they were ready for paint when the paint- ing-up crusade got in full swing. And it stands to reason that there’d hundreds—maybe thousands—of dol- lars additional be spent on repairs if it hadn’t been for Eddie Brese. Eddie started it. Eddie Brese was a Spottsville boy, and he’d been over at St. Louis for a year or so taking a business course, and he’d come home to appear before the draft board. Eddie was just crazy to go even before the draft. He tried to volunteer, but they wouldn’t have him on account of his eyes. But when his number was called in the selective draft, he hoped to get by. But he couldn’t. So Eddie de- cided to stick around Spottsville. And it’s a good thing he did. “Say,” began Eddie one day in the summer of 1917, addressing Richard K. Henderson, hardware dealer, “wouldn’t you like to hire a good, frisky clerk for a couple of months?” Henderson has the only first-class hardware store in town, and _ he carries a bang up good line of mixed paints, and lead, oil, varnish, etc. And Dick’s a good solid merchandiser —only sort o’ slow like Spottsville. “ ‘Hire a clerk, Ed? Say boy what you talking about? Whut’s the use a-hirin’ another, when Bob Collins and Tom Swope are loafing around here half their time? This is sup- posed to be a three-ring circus, but we ain’t keeping the rings very busy.” “So I haven’t got a chance, eh?” inquired Eddie, sort of down-hearted. “About as much chance, Eddie, as the Kaiser’s got winning the war!” And Dick Henderson threw back his broad shoulders and laughed until his eyes were moist. Eddie laughed with him. But Eddie wasn’t through. “Say, Mr. Henderson, how much paint have you on hand?” “Jist about a carload. One of them smart boys from up the state unloaded on me, durn him! the first year of the war. He said prices were going skyhigh; and I’m a sun-of-a gun if he didn’t sell me a whole car- load of paint! Look a-there!” And the owner and proprietor of the hardware store pointed to great rows. of paint in gallon tins neatly and 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 Special Sales John L. Lynch Sales Co. No. 28 So Ionia Ave. Grand Rapids, Michigan 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 Jobbers in All Kinds of BITUMINOUS COALS AND COKE A. B. Knowlson Co. 203-207 Powers’ Theatre Bidg., Grand Rapids, Mich. Sand Lime Brick Nothing as Durabie 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. Rives Junction Foster, Stevens & Co. Wholesale Hardware wt 157-159 Monroe Ave. :: Grand Rapids, Mich. - 151 to 161 Louis N. W. Michigan Hardware Co. Exclusively Wholesale Grand Rapids, Mich. alone Crsee Hae Rk SR BN i ' December 4, 1918 compactly arranged in the middle tier of shelving, to the right as you enter the store. “Whut d’you think of that?” “That’s a lot of paint,’ considered Eddie. “Shucks, boy, you ain’t seen half of it yet. Back in my stock room is more than twice as much as you see there on the shelves.” “Well, you got it at a good price, didn’t you?” Asked Eddie, “You bet I did!” Exclaimed Hen- derson. “You'd have to pay a lot more for the same paint now, wouldn’t you?” “Well I’d say I would!” “And that’s good paint?” “You are darn right that’s good paint. Tain’t made better by nobody, I don’t care what them advertisin’ fellows say. I know that paint, for I’ve handled it for years. And it’s made right. But there’s too much of it. This town ain’t much for paintin’, as you can see for yourself. I’ve got enough paint to last till the war is over if it lasts for ten years. Just wait,by Heck! till that paint salesman comes around here again!” “Why don’t you put on a big sale and get rid of it?’ Asked Eddie Brese. Now when Eddie uncorked that query, Dick Henderson looked over the rims of his reading glasses with an odd expression on his face. Dick didn’t say a word, but he looked a whole lot. And tangled up in that expression of his seemed to be a sort of passing pity that they'd let ‘em run around loose when they had ideas like that. “Think of a paint sale in Spotts- ville!” finally said Henderson, chuck- ling. “Say, Eddie, that’s a joke!” “Why not?” Asked Eddie. “It can be done. Say, Mr. Henderson, what'll you give me if I sell all that paint for you this summer—all you've got on your shelving and all you've got in the stockroom—and sell it at the regular price?” “Whatll I give?” repeated Hender- son. Well, let’s see’—and he thought a moment—‘marking it on the basis of replacement values (as it is now) I'll give you three hundred dollars.” “T’m on!” exclaimed Eddie, “I’m going to work right away.” But instead of coming in the store and taking off his coat, Eddie Brese walked briskly out of the store. Richard Henderson rubbed his stubby chin meditatively. He wasn’t sure whether he’d entered into a contract or not. Spottsville has two newspapers with town and country circulation. One is a weekly and comes off the press late Friday evening and is dis- tributed and mailed next morning. The other is a twice weekly, and appears Wednesday and Saturday. The verbal contract between Hender- son and Eddie Brese was made Thursday afternoon. On the follow- ing Saturday there appeared a most unusual announcement ,on the front page of both papers. It was set up in blunt typeface, enclosed in a box three columns in width, and. nine inches in depth. In heavy display at the top was this inquiry: “What’s the Matter With Spottsville?’ And under this shocking headline were other interrogations of a sizzling nature, such as these: “Why is our town a by-word and a hissing? Why do people on the trains grin when they look us over? Why have we a name for being a dead burg? Isn’t there any civic pride, or patriotism, or get-up in this old town? If so, will somebody please say where? Come out to the Esplanade Monday after- noon at one o'clock and I'll show vou what’s the matter with your old town. Eddie Brese of the Henderson Hardware Store.” Say, but that advertising got ’em going. It was the talk of the town Saturday and Sunday. Some of the people were mad enough to mob young Brese, but many others agreed that Brese had told the truth, even MICHIGAN TRADESMAN if it did hurt. And Monday after- noon the square could hardly hold the people. Now without letting anybody know his plans except Mr. Henderson and the town council, whose permission he had gotten for his demonstration, Ed had a little one-room house on wheels at the end of the esplanade. It was an empty shack which, until that morning, had stood on a lot two squares distant. To jack it up and haul it down to the esplanade, was no difficult matter. It was done without breaking a window. It was a mere frame shell with a shingle roof and a tile chimney; and, like all the rest of Spottsville, it shrieked aloud for paint. By the house stood a couple of tall trestle and a painter’s ladder, with board, and several buckets of paint. Promptly at 1 o’clock Eddie Brese began to worm his way through the crowd, followed by two assistants. All were dressed in freshly laundered painters’ jumpers. With them they brought their brushes. They were good wide ones. While the crowd wondered what next, the trestles were put in position the ladder stretched across, and Ed- die Brese mounted and began to speak to’ the astonished natives. While he was speaking, the painters proceeded to open their cans and get ready for business. V’ll not attempt to quote Eddie’s words. It isn’t necessary. But he told ’em things straight out from the shoulder. He told them that the big need—the outstanding, self-evident, shameful need—of Spottsville, was the need of new paint. Gallons and gallons of it must be used to redeem Spottsville from her present shame- ful state. He told them that, in the face of the great war with its tremen- dous demand for conservation, paint lavishly spent in Spottsville would help to win the war. “It'll save your houses from premature rack and ruin; it is, therefore, a conservation measure. Eddie is a good speaker and he played it up strong. “Now men,” he said at length, “you don’t know what paint will do. TU show you what Blank & Blinn’s world-famous paint, for sale in Spottsville at Richard K. Hender- son’s store, will do. Gentlemen, get busy,”- he said to his men, And they did get busy. You should have seen ’em spread paint. And they made a good job of it, For a first coat, it was a hummer. There was laughter and jesting—all in a good-natured way—but there was real interest. Hundreds remained to see the 'pro- cess completed—and it didn’t take so long—only a little over an hour, for the boys worked fast, and I have said their brushes were broad. Now the simplicity, novelty and daring nature of the thing Eddie did, somehow made a hit. Of course it wouldn’t have made such a phenom- enal hit if the situation hadn’t been unusual; but it was a fact Spottsville needed paint. When Eddie told ’em so in plain, unvarnished terms—like an evangelist in his zeal “plucking brands from the burning,”’—they simply had to admit that Eddie was right. And when they saw that demonstration of the efficiency of Blank & Blinn’s celebrated paint, they got the paint bee buzzing in their bonnets. Paint was the main topic of con- versation that afternoon on_ the streets of Spottsville. Husbands and wives talked it over with their chil- dren at the supper table that night. And of course the semi-weekly had a big write-up of the sensational inci- dent Wednesday; but even before Wednesday the leaven began to work. Tuesday Henderson ‘broke all single- day records on paint sales, not count- ing the telephone inquiries and tenta- tive promises. Wednesday’s business went way ahead of Tuesdays. All the painters in Spottsville were getting jobs—Blank & Blinn’s paint specified. These painters placed orders for doz- ens of gallons. Amateur painters got busy. They had to have Blank Blinn’s paint. Out-of-town painters were called in to help paint Spotts- ville, and they had to go around to Henderson’s for material before they could start the job. And the Hender- son paint stocks began to melt as the proverbial mist before the sun. The stock room was cleaned out, and the whole stock exhausted and a whaling big order was wired for more paint. Spottsville was slow in_ getting started, but, once started, you couldn’t stop her. The local zeal for painting was a beautiful thing to behold. And, as the people realized how it was im- proving the looks of the whole town, they forgot whatever peeve they may have incurred against young Brese. He had really done a good thing. And he got his three hundred net— which means that Heiu.derson paid for the demonstration on the square and the one ad that appeared simultane- ously in the two papers. He got off well at that. “By gum, Eddie!” exclaimed Dick Henderson, “they say the day of mir- acles is past; but it ain’t. You've pulled off one. This new coat of paint on Spottsville beats anything | ever saw.” Charles L. Garrison. —— Live Notes From a Live Town. Owosso, Dec. 3—The self-serve store of J. A. Byerly, of Owosso, and the late war with Kaiser Bill and family are now both matters for his- torians. The old Miller grocery, on North Washington street, remodeled and newly decorated by H. H. Morrow, is now one of the cleanest and best equiped grocery stores in the State. It is growing in popularity rapidly. Looks as if Mr. Morrow was a win- ner. The old Family Theater building has been remodeled over into a city market. The entire interior is white enamel. It was opened to the public last Saturday, with a full house and some in the gallery. It is a veritable little city of grocery stocks, coffee shop, drug store, dry goods, meat market and bakeries, florist and a real vegetable store, shoe stock, dairy products and several others, totaling in all sixteen different lines of goods to select from. Uncle Ben Baker and wife have purchased the Miller House, at Carson City, and taken possession. Shake, Uncle Ben, and welcome to our City! Uncle Ben was landlord of this tavern for several years. He is the man who put hot in hotel in the winter season, made tavern keeping a science and hotel life to the traveling man a dream of home, and if Uncle Ben runs that tavern 1,000 years and we live that long, we will be there to breakfast on that date. S. P. Jones has sold his stock of general merchandise at Newark to John W. Bates, who has taken posses- sion and will continue the business. The Newark store is one of the oldest four-corner stores in Gratiot county and has always proved a winner for its Owner. Honest Groceryman. OO It Sure Was a Joke. A sense of humor is a help and a great blessing through life but even a sense cf humor may exist in excess. Not long ago a soldier was sentenc- ed to be flogged, and during the flog- ging he laughed incessantly. The harder the lash was laid on the hard- er the soldier laughed. Finally, the superior officer became exasperated. “What's so funny about being flogged?” he demanded. “Why,” the soldier chuckled, “I’m the wrong man.” customers. local jobber. Make One Lamp Chimney Do the Work of Three PORTER’S RAYO . Will fit No. 2 Rochester, B. & H. and Rayo burners. This chimney enables you to carry less stock, to turn over your money quicker, and fill every call of your We ask you to guarantee them to your customers to be absolutely satisfactory in every way. Order from your PORTER POTTERY CO., Inc. GLASS” Clinton, Ky. ‘MICHIGAN TRADESMAN : December 4, 1918 = = = = iY = = =— = ew » ~ - < = Ei OMMERCIAL TRAVEL Grand Council! of Michigan U. C. T. — 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- inaw. Grand Page—A. W. Stevenson, Mus- kegon. Grand Sentinel—H. D. Bullen, Lansing. = Chaplain—J. H. Belknap, Bay ty. Want To Curtail Public Purchases. Cancellation of contracts is pro- ceeding actively in many branches of the Government service. This is a condition which applies not merely to new undertakings or purchases, but also to old or existing contracts which are in process of being carried out. The order has been given to cut such contracts wherever possi- ble, and whenever there is included in the contracts a clause fairly giving authority to cease buying or to with- draw from the continued purchase of given classes of commodities this, it is understood, being taken advantage of, The purpose of those in charge of the buying divisions of the Govern- ment service, especially in the War Department, is that of cutting ex- penses as quickly as possible, for it has been no easy matter for the Treasury to keep up with the large demands of the various branches of the army and navy, even with the enormous taxation and heavy bond issues that have been the rule since -e became belligerents. It is felt that there is a general demand throughout the country for relief from the heavy requirements of the various tax laws and sales of bonds, and that this should be as promptly and effectively met as circumstances will allow. On the other hand, it is understood in a number of different directions that the Government is considerably “overbought.” This situation has come about because of the circum- stance that owing to the expected continuance of the war there had been very large purchases in certain classes of articles which would be needed only in the event of great enlargement in the number of en- listed men or of continued movement of men abroad. Large stocks of var- ious items are, therefore, on hand in sundry lines, and it is desired to dis- continue purchasing more of the same classes of articles. Unofficial advices further indicate that within a very short time there will be a large release of clerks. In some branches of the service, which have- had directly to do with the army, very large forces have been engaged on purely routine work growing out of the fact that new names were being added by thous- ands to the army rolls. The suspen- sion of the drafting of men has cut this class of employment, and it is believed that within a very few weeks the work in these various bureaus will be “current.”’ When that time comes the force employed in attending to the new require- ments can be dispensed with, and it is understood that it will be. A large exodus of clerks from Washington is therefore expected to occur within a comparatively short time. There has been great difficulty in caring for the additions to the popu- lation of Washington, and the ques- tion how to carry on the constantly expanding work of the Government with the facilities available at the present time has been a_ serious problem. This is now solved by the curtailment of the advices referred to and the fact that in consequence great numbers of persons will practi- cally have to return to théir homes. Difficulty has been experienced for some time past in holding the staffs in various branches of the Govern- ment because of the expense and the discomfort involved in residence at the capital under present conditions. ——_.+.—___ The Price of Peace. Written for the Tradesman. When the storm and wintry blast Raging, angry, overcast Leaves the landscape spotless white And the dawn breaks forth in light The scene is peace. When the winds of March severe Cut the ice-cap till appear Here and there across the lake Summer seas which lilies make The end is peace. Where the field is furrowed deep And the violets asleep Buried lie, nor bloom again— There arise the sheaves of grain In harvest peace. As a Life once faced its foes Met with death, and then arose To become so manifest Nations yet unborn were blest So comes our peace. . Wicked war was waged and lost But the victors feel the cost Though their banners proudly fly There must needs their fellows die— The price of peace. Charles A. Heath. _——-o-o-o———— Sale of Toys Starts Earlier. Local toy jobbers have expressed the opinion that they are well satis- fied with the gross amount of sales for this season. As toy shops and department stores are already ‘du- plicating their orders, it is evident that the public is doing its Christmas shopping much earlier this season. The sale of dolls, ranging from the lowest to the highest priced goods, has been very encouraging to the trade. Bell Phone 596 Citz. Phone 61366 OCCIDENTAL HOTEL FIRE PROOF CENTRALLY LOCATED Rates $1.00 and up EDWARD R, SWETT, Mer. Muskegon 3 Michigan Joseph P. Lynch Sales Co. Special Sale Experts Expert Advertising —Expert Merchandising 44 So. Ionia Ave. Grand Rapids, Mich. HOTEL HERKIMER GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN European Plan, 75c Up Attractive Rates to Permanent Guests Popular Priced Lunch ltoom COURTESY SERVICE VALUE ‘Rapids Merchants Mutual Beach’s Restaurant 41 North Ionia Ave. Near Monroe GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Good Food Prompt Service Reasonable Prices Attention Merchants! Insure with the Grand 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. What More Can You Ask? LADIES SPECIALLY INVITED Home Office, Grand Rapids MORTON HOUSE GRAND RAPIDS 50 Rooms at......... Po 75c Per Day ee ee i ee $1.00 Per Day 50 Roomeat ........-:.... $1.50 and $2.00 Per Day Two persons in a room 50c per day extra. Special rates by the week. New Hotel Mertens ¢° GRAND RAPIDS te meat ae Na c PIPETTE A ILD ae 7 4 Fy a yy = PELL Ot ILS ROOMS , WITHOUT BATH $1.00 UniOn wits BATH (shower or : tub) $1.50 Statio ” MEALS 50 CENTS wT) MET 7. Hise ae Fire Proof ~ IN THE HEART OF THE CITY Division and Fulton $1.00 without bath $1.50 up with bath CODY CAFETERIA IN CONNECTION RATES 1 ne _and made a_ personal 4 December 4, 1918 What Will We Do With the Boys? Speaking at the annual convention of the American Specialty Manufac- turers’ Association at Cleveland the other day Fred Mason, President of the Shredded Wheat Company, said: ‘Everybody’s asking, What will we do with the boys when they come home? Of course we will give them a royal welcome, but these boys must have something besides a royal wel- come. They must have work at good wages. No question about ‘what the mother will do with her boy when he comes home. She has kept his little room immaculate and clean just as he left it waiting for the time when he would march home under the flag he fought for. No question about what his sweetheart will do with him when he comes home from the war. Love does not hesitate or falter. It takes it own to its heart again and the world may look on and wonder at its lavish outpouring of an affec- tion that is sweetened and strength- ened by long absence fighting for his country’s flag. Some of these boys will never come home. They havé paid the supreme sacrifice. Empty rooms and empty chairs will testify to their glorious patriotism. “So far as my company is con- cerned there is no question about what we will do with our boys when they come home. We will take back every boy who left us to go to the front. His job is waiting for him. If he lost an eye we will give him a glass one; if he lost a leg we will get him a new one. Is there any em- ployer in all this broad land of ours who would not give these brave boys their jobs again? “Wien a group of the cereal man- ufacturers were called to Washing- ton and were told they must operate under restricted production Mr, Hoover met ail these men personally appeal for their co-operation in the great work he had undertaken. Could any patri- otic manufacturer refuse him? Our own company had just given adver- tising contracts amounting to nearly $400,000 to the newspapers for a National advertising campaign. This advertising had run about fifteen days when Mr. Hoover made his personal appeal for food conservation. There was no use of advertising if we could not supply the demand created so we ‘had to cancel by telegraph contracts with all these newspapers covering nearly all the cities and towns of the United States.” “And right here I want to take off my hat to the newspaper men of Am. erica. As a result of this experience my opinion of newspaper publishers took a long jump skyward. A finer example of loyal Americanism and business optimism I have never seen, The publishers not only took their medicine like men but nearly every one of them took the trouble to write our director of publicity a letter com- mending our patriotism in stopping all publicity during the war, and giv- ing expression to a lofty optimism and good cheer which I really didn’t believe could come from newspaper men. “And now the dark days are past. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN The light is breaking. The world war is ended and normal business conditions must soon return. Those who have sacrificed and suffered un- der all sorts of burdens and restric- tions must have their reward. The American people will not forget them—and speaking for our com- pany, it will not forget those who stood by us in the times of perplex- ity and uncertainty when we could not tell what might happen to a great business that had been built up through twenty years of advertising.” —_++- — — Lost No Trade Through Discontinu- ing Trading Stamps. The Farrell Dry Goods Co., which conducts a large department store at Farrell, Pa., discontinued the use of trading stamps last March in the be- lief that such action was demanded by the Government under the in- junction regarding the elimination ot waste and the abolition of all non- essentials. In explaining this action the management published the fol- lowing reference thereto in its Store Chats for April: - “The principle behind trading stamps and all other premium schemes is essentially unpatriotic during these times; they tend to cause unwise buying by the public in order to quickly accumulate sufficient stamps to obtain a premium. Again, the buying of premiums by trading stamp companies is governed by the same restriction as prevail in the pur- chase of other merchandise, the ris- ing prices have made it necessary to reduce the value of presents given for a certain number of stamps. “These facts were evident to the public generally and our announce- ment of discontinuance of trading stamps met with almost universal ap- proval. “Conversation with some of the salespeople revealed the fact that some were of the opinion that cut- ting out the stamps would affect our volume of trade. Outside expres- sions, however, ‘and the increase of business since stamps are no longer given would indicate that such fears were groundless.” The Tradesman wrote the manager a few days ago, enquiring if he could trace any loss of trade to the elimin- ation of trading stamps. The reply to the enquiry was very emphatic, as follows: Farwell, Pa., Dec. 3—We have your letter of Nov. 29, making enquiry as to the effect the trading stamps had on our trade. We wish to say that we discon- tinued giving trading stamps about eight months ago, and our trade took it very good natured and _ rather agreed with us that the premiums were not worth the trouble. We immediately followed up our announcement of discontinuing trad- ing stamps with a special sale, stat- ing that reducing expenses will en- able us to sell at lower prices, Our sales have continued to in- crease ever since. Probably not be- cause we discontinued the stamps, as our store has been a constant grow- ing proposition ever since we opened up for business some three years ago, but we feel satisfied that we have lost no trade through discontinuing the stamps. To-day the stamps with us are a thing of the past and are hard- ly ever referred to. Farrell Dry Goods Co. Salt Peter Now Allowable in Pork Pickle. : Lansing, Dec. 3—The Michigan Ed- ucational Division of the United States Food Administration announc- es a ruling has just been received re- leasing salt-peter for use in curing meats. This is of special interest to druggists and those stores dealing in farmers’ supplies. Now that the weather is getting cold and the farm- er is preparing to pickle his pork he will be glad to know of this new re- lease of supplies. Notwithstanding repeated assur- ances that the Federat guarantee of wheat prices are binding upon the Government for the 1910 crop, the statement comes to George A. Pres- cott, Federal Food Administrator for Michigan, that “rumors are persistent in certain sections of the West, and particularly so in some parts of Mich- igan” that the Government guarantee is to expire June 30, 1919. At the instance of the Educational Division of the Federal Administra- tion Mr. Prescott renews his assur- ance that the guaranteed price for wheat, by which Michigan producers will be protected for next years crop in exactly the same manner as dur- ing the season just closed. The or- der will continue effective until July 1, 1920. This is in accordance with the proclamation made by President Wilson, under authority of the Lever food control law establishing the food administration. The termination of the war has no bearing upon the guar- antee of wheat prices, the Federal Government’s pledge being effective to the above mentioned date, even though a treaty of peace is ratified in the meantime, as it is expected to be. ——_—_~-->———_ Late News From the Celery City. Kalamazoo, Dec. 3—The Corlett- Stone Lumber Co. has added another lumber yard to its list, having recently bought the yard of Harry T. Clark, at Vicksburg. The Edwards & Chamberlin Mutual Betterment Association had a rather unique contest at their meeting Mon- day evening. The contest was held to create a more efficient wrapping of packages and rewards were given Fred Denning, Miss Cortenhof and James E. Rice. 5 : The fifteenth annual convention ot the Michigan Implement and Vehicle Dealers’ Association is in session Tuesday and Wednesday at the New Burdick Hotel. Many late models of farm tools and tractors are on display at the armory during the convention. Word has been received from Mr. and Mrs. B. R. Barber that they had reached their winter home at St. Augustine, Fla. They motored to Florida this season, instead of going by rail. Mezak & Skof have just finished the interior decoration of their store, at 1221 Fourth street, which makes a splendid improvement. Harry M. Frame is opening a vul- canizing and tire repair shop at 215 North Rose street and will handle a complete and up-to-date line of new tires and tubes. Young & Kuhn have opened a used car exchange and salesroom at 227 Portage street and are in the market for anything from fords to Pierce- Arrows. Frank A. Saville. o> -—_—_ Germans Refused Permission To Change Names. Supreme Court Justice Benedict, Brooklyn, N. Y., refused the petition of Dr. Isidore Charles Weinzweig, of Brooklyn, to change his name to Irv- ing Warner. The physician recited in his petition that his German name was a detriment and embarrassment in his business. “It is true,” said Justice Benedict, “that persons may adopt such names as may suit their fancy. But when they apply for leave to change their names under the sanction of the court I, for one, will not grant such leave, where the effect of doing so is to en- able persons of Germanic extraction to conceal their origin and practice deception on persons who deal with them in ignorance of such origin, “Neither will I permit the adoption of the names of American families for foreigners. Such subterfuge can not, or at least ought not, be tolerated. While it is undoubtedly disagreeable in these days to bear names which suggest our enemy, loyal citizens or foreign birth can exert themselves by act and deed to exhibit their loyalty, rather than by assuming names to which they have no proper claim or just grounds for adoption.” —_—__~.-2 2 Get Ready for Tax Statement. One of the benefits the merchant has arrived at is a better understand- ing of market conditions and prices and the reasons therefor; also that the people can live happily and healthily on foods that they had not considered worth while before food restrictions were placed; also how to do business more exactly, how to figure profits correctly, how to buy close and turn money often, and how to keep a set of books that will give the information correctly that the Government will require at income tax time, which is approaching “on horseback.” —_+-+>—___ International Harvester Co. Recedes From Its Illegal Position. Assistant United States Attorney General Todd sends the Tradesman a photographic copy of a letter from the General Counsel of the Interna- tional Harvester Co., stating that the local managers of that corporation misinterpreted their instructions when they insisted on verbal agreements from local agents that they would not handle goods made by competing companies before they were permitted to execute contracts to handle Inter- national Harvester Co. goods. All the correspondence in this re- markable controversy will be publish- ed in full in the next issue of the Tradesman. ——_+-~>____ Cloth manufacturers who are try- ing to get away from Government work and back again to their regular business feel that they are entitled to as much liberality in treatment as they accorded Government officials when extraordinary demands were made upon them to change over their whole system of doing things to help win the war. —>-2-~ Towel manufacturers are unable to promise new deliveries on many of their goods before February of next year. They are hampered in getting started by the difficulty of getting yarns at figures they can afford to pay. OO The Council of National Defense has lifted every ban and given all merchants carte blanche to go ahead on their own initiative and boom the holiday trade according to the individ- ual idea of what is best to be done. MICHIGAN — “> DRUGGISTS SUNDRIES | — = = 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. Examination Sessions—Grand Rapids Nov. 19, 20 and 21; Detroit, Jan. 21, 22 and 23, 1919. Michigan State Pharmaceutical Associa- President—J. H. Webster, Detroit. Secretary—F. J. Wheaton, Jackson. Treasurer—F. B. Drolet, Kalamazoo. Michigan Pharmaceutical Travelers’ As- sociation. President—W. E. Colins, Detroit. Secretary and Treasurer—Walter 8. Lawton, Grand Rapids. Making Money in the Drug Store. Many of us are interested in how to make more money than we are do- ing now. A larger volume of busi- ness and fair profit constitute the solution of the problem as to how we shall meet the rising costs of general overhead and stock. Merely to state a fact and to do it emphatically has its advantages, but not more than fifteen or twenty peo- ple out of a hundred can take a fact, even though it may-be a significant one, apply it to their own particular condition, and work it out success- fully. So we are going to be satisfied with the mere phrase: “Do more business and make a fair profit.” We shall come down to three concrete exam- ples of how this can be done, and then ask our readers to go and do likewise by devising three money- making schemes of their own, suited to their location, their business, and their needs. That'll make half a dozen money-making plans which should net a considerable increase. Let it be understood in the begin- ning, that there is plenty of money in circulation right now, and that as drug store people, we really have a larger buying public than ever before, and that, too, in the face of the with- drawal of large numbers of men for Federal service. Let me tell you why. In the days before the war, our buying public was largely confined tc the well-to-do, intelligent people ci the community, and they traveled about more or less and were conver- sant with the latest ideas in hygiene, sanitation and prevention. The poor- er people, and especially the laboring classes who received just enough to live on with economy from week to week, were not among our most lib- eral patrons. Free clinics, home remedies, and plain “toughing it out,” were the order of the day. It was often a case of “the survival of the fittest.” Nowadays circumstances have changed. Everybody who wants to work can work, and that, too, at astonishingly large wages. People who have never had money to spend for drug store supplies before, have it now. The Government is promot- ing a Child Welfare campaign and sending out literature and workers among the less educated classes to teach them how to take care of their children. Welfare organizations of all kinds are prosecuting campaigns for better health and better living conditions. All these things tend to send these people to the drug store just at the time when they have the money in their pockets. So our first selling plan for enlarged business will be in this direction. Never forget that these people are devoted to their children, and will spend to the last dime if they see the need and ad- vantage of so doing. Go through your stock and make a list of any and every supply, toilet accessory, and piece of apparatus you carry that would interest the mother of the young child for herself or her little one. Plan something more per- manent than a window exhibit, which is all right, but at best can only be kept in place a few days. If your store is roomy enough, ar- range a striking-looking booth, deco- rated with red, white and blue, and in it assemble samples of every thing which you have previously listed. If you haven’t room enough for such a booth, there are three ways out of it. One is to rent a room or small store advantageously located to reach the greatest number of these people, many of whom will be foreigners. Then let it be known that the exhibit will be open certain days in the week with a trained nurse or other com- petent person in charge, to explain the use of the supplies, and to talk with the mothers. Offer a free glass of milk to every child accompanied by its parent or an older person. This will bring a large number of people to the Welfare Station and will stimulate the sale of everything in the way of baby equip- ment, More than that, it will adver- tise you and your store and make you the headquarters not only for baby things, but for the household buying of the people with whom you have come in contact. This is Way One. Way Two is to arrange an exhibit on a flat automobile truck. Make it in the form of a booth. Have plenty of the Government literature to dis- tribute, and perhaps interest some of the local club women in your com- munity who are co-operating with the Government in child welfare work. Some of them will be willing to go with you and to explain why sugar of TRADESMAN milk is better for little babies than cane sugar in artificial feeding; why milk should be pasteurized in warm weather and how to do it; why a bot- tle with a tube is a pernicious thing; why many a baby doesn’t get its full amount of nourishment because of the wrong kind of nipples, which col- lapse; why some baby bottles are more sanitary than others; why pure soap is less likely to case irritation and eczema than cheap, crude soap; why young children should have a toothbrush and be taught to use it; and so on. To attract attention to the exhibit, milk may be served to the children in small cups, provided each brings its own cup, out of the rear of the truck. Call this service the Baby Exhibit and Milk Canteen Service. Send the exhibit through one section after an- other, until the territory has been covered which you wish to reach. Way Three is to interest the club women who are working for the babies in your territory and the other retail druggists near you. Get the women to provide a room in the local library, club house, or wherever they think best, for a Baby Supply Ex- hibit. Let each druggist set up a booth there and pay a small sum for the privilege. Make the booths at- tractive. Arrange that the money paid in shall be used to hire a trained nurse every day or every afternoon for a certain period to talk with the mothers tnd to advise them about the care of their children. During the period the exhibit is open, each store will send someone December 4, 1918 to be in charge of its booth. If free souvenirs are given away, they should be something to use for the baby—a small comb, a little can of talcum, a sponge, a sanitary wash cloth, etc. Or, a coupon may be given, redeemable as part of the purchase price for baby supplies at the store giving it. Now any of these plans means a little thought and a little work, but nothing worth while is achieved with- out effort. Remember that! Everybody knows that fats are short and that soaps are higher and scarcer than they used to be. People have already learned some lessons through wheatless, meatless and sugarless times, but not many have actually faced the situation of a home without soap. It doesn’t take a very vivid imagination to summon to mind the menace of even a soap shortage. Thrifty housewives have laid in stocks of cottons, linens, and other supplies not restricted by the Gov- ernment. Push the sale of soaps, Make a striking window, wholly of two or three varieties of soap, prefer: ably the unwrapped kind. A cake of transparent or pure white soap is far more enticing than a wrapped pack- age. Make combination offers of dif- ferent kinds of soap. Remind cus- tomers that soap hardens by standing and is more economical to use than when “green.” Just think what it would mean if each one of your customers would buy a single dollar’s worth of his or her favorite soap as a reserve supply! Talk soap, display soap, advertise soap, sell soap! You can if you will! to you. 1918 Holiday Goods Druggists’ Sundries, Books, Stationery, Etc. Our campaign for the sale of the lines as above mentioned practically comes to its climax each .year at or about November 1st, and we find ourselves, by virtue of the fact that our goods were bought early, in a better condition than ever before as to ,being able to fill our orders for the retail trade. Through the courtesies of early buyers -we have overcome obstacles that otherwise would be almost insurmountable under present conditions. There are yet quite a number of belated buyers who contemplate coming to the market for the purchase of these special lines and to these we are sending a message that we are yet in a position to fill orders very completely, and urge that early dates be made for the inspection of our lines. -We have been exceedingly fortunate in being able to obtain merchandise and the indications are that the retail trade will be large and in accordance with the wishes of the Government scat- tered through the months of November and December. write us and make dates with our salesmen as is most convenient Hazeltine & Perkins Drug Co. Grand Rapids, Michigan Please i 4 ; ; radiance iia cena December 4, 1918 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN It is merely a case of doing it! This is one of the articles upon which the mail order houses wax fat. At the moment at which | write, a two- thirds page ad is appearing in one or more of the city dailies of my home burgh, urging the populace to send to a certain firm for supplies of soap fo1 the coming month. Now don’t think for one minute that this firm is doing it as a mere gamble! It pays them from a business standpoint through the sales they make. What are you doing to gain the soap trade of your people? I am not quite through talking soaps yet. Do you sell liquid antiseptic soap, or are you sort of trusting to people know- ing you've got it by some occult power and rushing in and buying it? Do you sell shaving soap? How many of the shavers and the safety razor people of your buying public do you sell shaving soap to, or are you satisied with disposing of two or three cakes a week? What about auto- mobile soap to remove grime. Are you going after that trade, or are you keeping it a deep and dark secret that you have goods of that kind? What about medicated soaps? Here’s a field exclusively your own. Maybe you are not familiar with. what the different medications are for, but an hour or so of study will put you next. Have you got flea soap in stock? This is just the season when domestic pets are fearfully troubled with fleas, and their owners may not know how to relieve them, It’s up to you. Have you spot removing cake and liquid soap? Remember, people are con- serving and wearing their old clothes and taking better care of them than ever before. Let them know that you have some soap which will act as a first aid in case of accident or shiny goods. Toilet soaps are always with us, and they are always wearing out. Go after this trade and go after it strong. Some people cannot be divorced from good, old Castile soap. Make offer- ings in this line. There is soap to the right of us, and soap to the left of us —mountains of it, but it’s no advan- tage as long as we keep it. Sell soap and render a real service to everybody concerned. Now, friends, I have indicated three kinds of supplies upon which business may be increased, but do not be con- tent with just thinking of those three. While you are putting these plans into practice or better ones if you can think them up, let your mind go ahead to the other coming needs of the season. With cool weather, the prescription trade will start up. How are you going to get your share? There will be calls for cough medi- cines and all that sort of thing. Are you going to wait and be content with what drifts your way in the way of patronage, or will you take the trouble to beckon and smile? Bruce F. Richards. —__>-+~>—___ Don’t Waste. Economy and thrift do not mean stinginess; the merchant who takes care of little things is the man who can best afford to do big things. Therefore, hold fast to what is yours; don’t throw it away in careless neglect or by thoughtless waste. There are so many ways by which the articles kept in stock can be wasted, through improper keeping, uncleanliness, care- lessness in handling, neglect and downright ignorance that one hardly knows where to begin and where to end. All that can be said briefly is this: Everything costs money and the price must be paid to somebody at some time. Therefore, don’t waste. Employes should be so sure of having made good they can talk to the boss frankly and straight from the shoulder. 2-22 The reason some men get more fun out of life than others is because they don’t want to get all the money too. Chocolates Package Goods of Paramount Quality and Artistic Design WE ARE ACCEPTING CONTRACTS NOW FOR 1919 DELIVERIES OF J. Hungerford Smith Co.’s Soda Fountain Fruits and Syrups If you have not signed up, drop us a card. Protect yourself for next season’s business before it is too late. Prices guaranteed against advance or decline. We also carry a full line of Soda Fountain Accessories. Putnam Factory Grand Rapids, Michigan Manufacturers of Putnam’s ‘‘Double A’’ Chocolates 27 WHOLESALE DRUG PRICE CURRENT Prices quoted are nominal, based on market the day of issue. Acids Cubebs ...... 10 50@10 75 Capsicum seeuene @2 15 Boric (Powd.) 18@ 25 TXIBOFOn. 5 <6. ss . 400@4 25 Cardamon ..... @2 10 Basie (Xtal) nae 18@ 25 Eucalyptus .... 1 25@135 Cardamon, Comp. @i 60 Carbolic Die 67@ 70 Hemlock, pure 2 00@2 25 Catechu eeedece @1 60 Ciwa 1 62@1 70 Juniper — mp = procter poe win 3 = ag ) Juniper Wood .. Jolchicum 2 Oe nS if Lard, extra .... 2 16@2 85 Cubebs @2 35 Oxalic. ........... $8@ 60 Lard, No. 1.... 2 00@2 15 Digitalis @1 90 Bul hiuvic. Cee 3%@ 5 Lavender Flow. 7 25@7 50 Gentian ... @1 50 maka wes ee BOC were eeees ‘ Sassafras, true 3 50@3 75 Volninio o ing ae Garrtes Sassafras, artifi'l 90@1 20 Whitin bi. mer. 26@ 30 ore 60@i 70 Spearmint ..... 6 25@6 60) Wit 8, tees 3 Cubeb .....- sent BUGEO so oscaces 336@8 00 TYPES ----- 3%4@ 6 Lae sag it@ te TRE nouns ss - 55095 7 - Prepd. 2 90@3 10 ao Ter, CORP vices oe @ Prickley Ash .... a TuEBEntine, jpbis. at. 88 Misceilaneous Turpentine, less 93@1 00 5 tie merrents 65 Wintergreen, tr. 7 00@7 26 — eoeee L10@1 20 reeks Re 1 75@2 00 Wintergreen, THO ie — eeecccecs »«- 17@ 20 yee DIGGR cscc cece 5 5 25 um, powdered and Wintergreen, art 1 25@1 60 Flowers ee Woriaces : 50@7 75 oc. Gevenene 18@ 21 ea as ; oe go Wormwood .... 7 60@7 75 oe Subni- euein am ye a on ee ee RPRRO occ use ‘ Chamomile Rom. 1 50@1 60 Potassium Borax xtal or Gums Bicarbonate .... 1 25@1 30 powdered ...... 10@ 15 Acacia, Ist ...... 15@ 80 Bichromate ...... 60@ 70 Cantharades po 2 00@6 50 Acacia, 2nd ...... 65@ 15 romide ........ 1 30@1 60 a ; Calomei 2 69@2 75 Acacia, Barts, a oe 7 Carbonate ...... 1 35@1 « cma. neo Acacia, powdere Chiorate, gran’r 65@ eseccece ane oe Fa 2 i Chlorate, xtal or on ' Carmine ....... 6 50@7 00 oes (Cape Pow ’ POW, .....0-. ee Cassis . Aloes (Soc Pow 1 '20)01 WU Gyanide .......... 40@ 60 pe Buds ..... 50@ 60 Asafoetida ..... Mats judide :...:.-.+ 4 59@4 66 OVES ceceseceee 77@ 85 POWs si eessc ee 4 706 00 +rermanganate 2 75@3 00 Chalk Prepared ..12@ 15 Comer Doses 3 ~ - a — s Bed x Chalk Precipitated 12@ 15 uaiac, - powdered @2 50 sulphate ee @1 00 Chloroform ..... 97@1 04 Pages @ 8 Chloral Hydrate 2 32@2 42 BNO. neces coarse Kino, powdered -» @1 00 Roots Cocaine ...... 14 830@14 85 Myrth ...sseseees 8 Alkanet ....... 4 50@4 75 Cocoa Butter .... 50@ 60 Myrrh, powdered @ 90 Blood, powdered 66@ 70 Corks, list, less 40 . ‘To Opium ....... 28 50@29 00 Calamus ....... . 60@2 50 Copperas, bbis. .... @ 3 Opium, powd. 30 00@3050 iwiecampane, pwd. 15@ 20 Copperas, less .. 3%@ 8 Opium, gran. 30 ut 50 Gentian, powd. 27@ 85 Copperas, powd. .. 4@ 19 Shellac ....... 8b 90 Ginger, African, Corrosive Sublm. 2 85@2 40 Shellac, Bleached 90) 95 powdereu ...... 25@ 30 Cream ‘Tartar ... 86@ 92 Tragacanth ...... @500 Ginger, Jamaica 35@ 40 Cuttlebone ..... 95@ 1 00 Tragacanth powder 3800 unger, Jamaica, Dextrine ........ 10@ 16 Turpentine ...... 15@ 20 powdered ...... 22@ 380 Dover's Powder 5 75@6 00 Insecticides Goldenseal, pow. 8 50@9 00 Emery, All Nos. 10@ 15 lpecac, powd. .. 6 0U@6 25 HWmery, Powdered . 10 Arsenic ....... 15@ LHGOTIC® 64655555 50@ 55 Epsom Salts, bbls. @ 4% Blue Vitriol, “bbl... Cue Licorice, powd. 50@ 60 Epsom Salts, less 5@ 10 Blue Vitriol, less 12@ 20 Oris, powdered 40@ 45 Ergot ............ @2 75 Bordeaux Mim Dey 20@ 25 Poke, powdered a. 6 Lrgot, powdered @3 00 ellebore, Rhubarb ........ ‘lake te .... 15@ 20 powdered ...... 38@ 45 Rhubarb, powd. 1 25@160 Formeldehyde, 1b. 20% @25 Insect Powder ....40@ 60 kosinweed, powd. 25@ 80 Gelatine ...... 1 75@1 90 Lead, Arsenate Po 34@ 44 Sarsaparilla, Hond. Glassware, full case 68% — “ — 20@ ground ........ 1 25@1 40 Ginaa ware, less 50% Solution, gal. . Sarsaparilla Mexican, auber Salts, bbl. @ 2% Paris Green ... 184 954% ground ...... 1 00@1 10 Glauber Salts less +e 7 ‘in Connie ps. ns iso . peg aoe aruce 35 : Squills, powdere ue, Brown Gr + 35 Piper Ice Cream Co., Tumeric, powd. 25@ 380 Glue, White .... 30@ 35 Kalamazoo Valerian, powd. ... @100 Glue, White Grd. as 36 Bulk Special Fiavored 1 00 ee “eS OUR co eviiecccccs Brick, Plain ......... 1 20 Seeds Iodine .......... 5 60@5 90 Brick, Fancy ........ 160 Anise .......... 42@ 45 Iodoform ...... 6 59@6 74 Leaves Anise, powdered. 47@ 50 Lead, Acetate ... 25@ 30 Bucks 3 25 at TR secu dees 30 = toeeian ose. aD ee te ceeeseee BORK si cncocdus MAA vcakccccuces as pees . gi 7 Caraway, Po. aa ee. * Mace, powdered 3% s@ 2 ° 5 sreeee Sardamon ..... GREROL veisncs Sage, % loose 11.0 78 Celery, powd. 1.00 90@1 00 Morphine .... 15 s5Qu6 00 Sage, pawdared rt oon e Cariander powd .30 224025 Nux Vomica ..... 30 enna, oes wesecccscencs ux Vomica, pow. 28 pene wien. sa 608 & Fennell ........ 1 oa 20 Pepper black pow. 53 as 2 . cuseeeea ees epper, white ..... 0 Uva Ursi ........ 45@ 60 jax, ground .... 10@ 16 Pitch, Burgundy 16 Olis gga oF ee = Quassia meee ee 2 ; = TID cc ccte dees UINING .....00. Almonds, ee Lobelia .......... 40@ 650 Rochelle Salts .. 59 65 true ........ 18 50@18 75 Mustard, yellow .. 45@ 60 Saccharine, oz. .... 55 Adonnae Bitter, Mustard, black .. 30@ 35 Salt Peter ........ 83@ 46 artificial ..... 7 00@7 20 Poppy .......... @1 Seidlitz Mixture ..48 66 Almonds, Sweet, 4 00@4 25 =. caches se > a pve ween stile tate = true .......... 4 00@4 25 Rape ..... Cenenes oap mott castile Almonds, Sweet, Sabediita cue bks @ 35 Soap, white castile cg a s re; Se 50 ee powd. wae . — meee <3 @35 00 Amber, crude .. unflower ..... oap, white ‘cas 6 Amber, rectified 4 sos 75 Worm American... @ 25 less, per bar .... @3 175 AIRS ooo ces 2 eon) Worm Levant .. 1 65@1 75 — aes guess. “*“e@ > Bergamont .... 9 ) a carbonate Cajeput ........ 2 00@2Z 25 Tinctures Soda, Sal .......... 2 Gee Peek . 450@4 75 Aconite ......... @165 Spirits Camphor .. @l1 75 Castor = i... 3 72 . — ae wal eaue cs ¢} = pt Pad ee 4 Cedar Leaf .... 1 POT cc ckss sacs Sulphur, Subl. - Citronella ...... 100@1 25 Asafoetida ...... @4 40 Tamarinds ....... 15@ 20 Cloves ......... 4 50@4 75 JBelladonna ...... @2 35 Tartar Emetic .. @ 90 Cocoanut ....... 40@. 50 MBenzoin ........ @2 650 Turpentine, Ven. 50@6 00 Cod Liver ...... 5 60@5 75 Benzoin Compo’d @3 30 Vanilla Mx. pure 1 50@2 00 Cotton Seed .... 2 05@2 20 Buchu .......... @240 Witch Hazel ... 1 36@1.75 Croton ..cecess 00@2 2% «©Cantharadi ae @3 90 Zinc Sulphate .... 1 18 MICHI@AN TRADESMAN December 4, 1918 GROCERY PRICE CURRENT These quotations are carefully corrected weekly. within six hours of mailing. and are intended to be correct at time of going to press. Prices, however, are liable to change at any time. and country merchants will have their orders filled at market prices at date of eee ADVAN CED Cheese Coffee Olid Dutch Cleanser DECLINED Peanut Butter AMMONIA Arctic Brand 12 oz. 16c, 2 doz. box 3 00 16 oz. 25c, 1 doz. box 1 75 32 oz., 40c, 1 doz. box 2 85 AXLE GREASE Mica, 25 Ib. pail ...... 1 60 BAKED BEANS No. 1, per doz, ........1 35 No. 2, per doz. ....... 2 25 No. 8, per doz. .......8 60 BATH BRICK Binglish ...ccccccccces 5 BLUING Jennings’ Condensed Pearl Bluing Small, 3 doz. box .... 2 55 Large; 2 doz. box .... 2 90 BREAKFAST FOODS Cracked Wheat, 24-2 4 60 Cream of Wheat .... 7 50 Quaker Puffed Rice .. 4 35 Quaker Puffed Wheat 4 35 Quaker Brkfst Biscuit 1 90 Quaker Corn Flakes .. : 90 Saxon Wheat Food .. 4 75 Shred Wheat Biscuit : “4 Triscuit, 18 ...cccoeee Pillsbury’s Best Cer’l i3 50 Kellogg’s Brands Toasted Corn Flakes 4 20 Toasted Corn Fiakes 4 20 Bran BROOMS Fancy Parlor, a > 10 00 Parlor, 5 String, 2 5 Ib. : 15 Standara Parlor, 23 lb. 9 00 Common, 23 lb. ...... 8 50 Special, 23 Ib. Warehouse, 23 Ib. .. 11 00 BRUSHES Sorub Solid Back, 8 in. .... 1 00 Solid Back, 11 in. .... 1 25 Pointed Ends ........ 1 00 socsscsecceccoss 1 OO phcmnecpoccesses 1 ae Seesscoscsscccce & 30 eeeeecsoasseeees 1 90 Zz ° wm CORO BUTTER COLOR Dandelion, 25c size .. 2 00 CANDLES Paraffine, 6s ........ 17% Paraffine, 12s ....... 1844 CANNED GOODS Apples 8 Ib. ‘Standards - 1 60 | ee 4 16 Blackberries 2 ID. .ccccceccseccccs Standard No. 10 .. @10 60 BAKO secccccse 1 Red Kidney .... 1 25 String .......... 1 90 Blueberries Standard ........... @ No. 10 ............ @1l 50 Clams Little Neck, 1 Ib. ...... Clam Beulllon Burnham's % pt. .... 2 25 Burnham’s pts. ...... 3 76 Burnham's qts. ...... 7 56 Corn MOOT os oe oe kts vances 1 85 SHOOT soi scs ceases 215 WARY. Soc cs ssc acs sce 2 30 French Peas Monbadon (Natural) Per GOR. .cscssserens Gooseberries Fair No. 2; PRI vcvwcdoss> NG ED osc sea cheeses 7 7 Hominy Stand: sone opaceas 1 26 Lobster PE) | Cet ear) fone aS 2 10 a0: 25 cas sabes oe 3 35 Picnic Flat .......... 3 75 Mackerel Mustard, 1 - checkpael a oe Mustard, 2 AD. cxsccces 2 80 Soused, 146 Ib. ....... 1 60 Soused, 2 Ib. ..seeeee. 2 75 Tomato, 1 Ib. Tomato, 2 lb. Mushrooms Buttons, Buttons, Oysters Cove, i lb. Cove, 2 lb. eeeseseene Plums Plums ..... cooee 2 50@3 00 Pears In Syrup No. 3 can pe rdz. 3 25@3 75 Peas Marrowfat ..... 1 75@1 = Early June .... 1 90@21 Early June siftd 2 BO2 30 Peaches No. 10 size can pie @é 00 Pineapple Grated ...ccccccces Sliced ..... secesubeee Pumpkin Good ,.... seebaeeesess 2 OP Pancy ..... cakeeeees 0 Oe No. 10>. 65.ocsccscae-s O00 Raspberries No. 2, Black Syrup .. 3 00 No. 10, Black ...... 12 50 No. 2, Red Preserved No. 10, Red, Water .. 12 50 Saimon Warrens, 1 lb Tall .. 3 40 Warren's 1 lb. _— -. 3 60 Red Alaska .......... 2 85 Med. Red Alaska sass 2 60 Pink Alaska ........ 2 20 Sardines Domestic %8 ..-..... 6 75 Domestic, % Mustard 6 50 Domestic, % Mustard 6 80 Norwegian, %s .... 15@18 Portuguese, 4s .... 30@35 Sauer Kraut No. 3, CANS .....;... 1 06 No. 10, CAMS ...cceceeee Shrimps Dunbar, 1s doz. ...... 1 8% Dunbar, 1%s doz, .... 3 40 Suceotash GOOd .cccccccecescoess DORCY. so cccccsecsacss Strawberries Standard ...ccscocces Fancy ...cccccccccces 2 50 2 90 Tomatoes BNO. 146 2 cccsvecnassss 1 20 1 7 DD cesecbesmpne secs NO. 10 ....ccccccesceee 8 00 Tuna Case %s, 4 doz, in case .... igs, 4 doz. in case .... is, 4 doz. in case ...... CATSU Van Camp’s, % Talis 1 90 Van Camp’s pints .... 2 85 CHEESE Peerless §........; @42 BSTGOR oo ons seca ssn @39 Leiden ......... Limburger ...... @36 Pineapple ....... MGGM: o.ccecsccy Sap Sago ....... Swiss, Domestic CHEWING GUM Adams Black Jack .... 70 Adams Sappota ........ 75 Beeman’s Pepsin ...... 70 BSCCCHUUL 2c. ccccscescns Doublemint ............ 70 Flag Spruce ..cceccsece 65 Juicy Fruit ...ccsscesee 20 Sterling Gum Pep. .... 70 Spearmint, Wrigleys .. 70 Yucatan ..cccsccscccess GONO: ..ccsvccccsccssccese 10 CHOCOLATE Walter Baker & Co. German’s Sweet Premium ....... pisesce BP CAPACAB .ccccccccccccee 2 Walter M. “Lowney Co. Premium, 8 ........ -. 35 Premium, 448 ........- CIGARS Johnson Cigar Co. Brands Dutch Masters Club 84 00 Dutch Masters Bang. 84 00 Dutch Masters Inv. Dutch Masters Pan. 81 50 Dutch Master Grande 81 560 Dutch Master Special 66 00 Dutch Masters Lond. 81 50 El Portana ......... 45 00 GOR SOy 2 oss 005000 - 45 00 Dutch Masters Six .. 61 00 Dutch Masters Hand WABOS ssc ccccsncs ——. Masters Baby GEOG sons 555050 45 00 Little “Dutch Masters 45 00 Se. Ne ibs seccu cans SRO Dutch Masters Seconds .......... 45 00 Exemplar ........... 69 00 Peter Dornbos Brands Dornbos Single Bndr. 42 50 Dornbos Perfecto .. 42 50 Van Dam, ic ....... 37 50 Van Dam, 6c ...... 42 50 Van Dam, ‘7c ..... «. 49 00 Van Dam, 1l0c ...... 70 00 Worden Grocer Co. Brands Boston Straight .... 42 00 Trans Michigan .... 42 50 Court Royas ........ 48 00 Hemmeter’s Cham- DION ..5cis.ccsccss “SO OD Iroquois ........ cece: 42 50 ORRICK os oo sac ca sees 46 00 La Qualatincia ...... 70 00 aoe s Hand Made 40 . Royal Major ........ 45 00 La Valla Rosa ...... 80 00 La Valla Rosa, Kids . = Valla Grande ........ Kuppenheimer, No. 2 3 00 First National ...... 33 0 Knickerbocker ...... 42 o CLOTHES LINE Per doz. No. 40 Twisted Cotton 2 No. 50 Twisted Cotton 2 No. 60 Twisted Cotton 3 No. 80 Twisted Cotton 3 No. 50 Braided Cotton 2 N. 60 Braided Cotton 3 No. 80 Braided Cotton 3 50 No. 50 Sash Cord .... 3 No. 60 Sash Cord .... 4 No. 60 Jute .......... 1 No. 72 Jute ......... 2 No. 60 Sisal .......... 1 Galvanized Wire No. 20, each 100ft. long 1 90 No. 19, each 100ft. long 2 10 No. 20, each 100ft. long 1 00 No. 19, each 100ft. long 2 10 COCOA ee Bunte, 10c size ........ 88 Bunte, % Ib. ......... 2 20 Bunte, 1 Ib. ....... ~- 400 CIBVOIBRG oc icsccccccue: Sk Colonial, 438 ......e..0- 35 Colonial, %8 ......-.... 33 PDE oo pccecsscccsesecce Se Hershey’s %8 ..ceccore. 32 Hershey’s 148 ......e2.. 30 SE gon ckessconcaces OO Lowney, YS ......seeeee 38 Lowney, %8 .ecccccceses 30 Lowney, %8 ........... 37 Lowney, 5 lb. cans .... 37 Van Houten, %s ....... 12 Van Houten, \%s ....... 18 Van Houten, %8 ........ 36 Van Houten, is ........ 65 Wan-Eta ...cccsccceees 36 WVGDD. .i CT TOE on yee sone s 26 GTOCETS: ccs oo sc sv cca 20 Kindergarten ........ 29 TOBOSE os acs saecs snes . 25 Novelty ..ccccccccoce Premio Creams ...... 35 ROGRE ok 55 cy ssse ss eeee ee Special oJ. 6s ec caccass oe x L Specialities a Auto Kisses (baskets) 28 Bonnie Butter Bites .. 30 Butter Cream Corn .. 32 Caramel Bon Bons .. 28 Caramel Croquettes .. 26 Cocoanut Waffles ... 28 Coffy Tofly .......... 28 Fudge, Walnut ...... 32 Fudge, Choc. Peanut 30 Iced Orange Jellies .. 27 Italian Bon Bons .... 27 AA Licorice Drops 5 Ib. box .......... 2 26 Lozenges, Pep. ...... 32 Lozenges, Pink ...... 32 ManchuS ....-seee005 27 —— Kisses, 10 nr Nut Butter Puffs .... 28 Chocolates Assorted Choc. Amazon Caramels .... 32 CORBIMDION 2604 cs soos 5 31 Choe. Chips, Eureka 35 Klondike Chocolates 35 INANGDS 6s vce ssesssce 5 Nibble Sticks, box ..2 25 Pails 32 Nut “Wafers .......5.. 38 Ocoro Choc. Caramels o Peanut Clusters ...... QOuintette .....-.0.-.. 32 GRINS: 6 ooo. is ceases 30 Pop Corn Goods Cracker-Jack Prize .. 5 60 Checkers Prize ...... 5 60 Cough Drops Boxes Putnam Menthol .... 1 50 Smith Bros. ........ - 150 COOKING COMPOUNDS Crisco 36 1 Ib. cans ...... -. 10 26 24 1% Ib. cans ...... 10 25 6 6 Ib. cans ........ - 10 25 4 9 lb. cans ......... 10 26 Mazola 5144 oz. bottles, 2 doz. 2 60 Pints, tin, 2 doz. .... 8 00 Quarts, tin, 1 doz. ... 7 50 % gal. tins, 1 doz. .. 14 25 Gal. tins, % doz. .... 13 80 5 Gal, tins, 1-6 doz. 19 60 CREAM TARTAR Barrels or Drums ..... 84 Boxes ..... coe cayes 75 Plymouth Rock, Phos. 1 55 Plymouth Rock, Plain 1 50 Waukesha ........... 1 60 Laurel Leaves .. eeasccans ee Senna Leaves ......... 46 ! ee ee seQVeNe"woNT”" ! December 4, 1918 HIDES Oiice PELTsS Green, NON 4 oo5c 17 Green, No: 2 og. 16 Cured, Oo Fe 19 Cord, HGF 18 Calfskin, green, No. 1 30 Calfskin, green, No. 2 28% Calfskin, cured, No. 1 32 Calfskin, cured, No. 2 80% Horse, No. 1 6 00 Horse,. No. 2 ...... 5 00 Old Wool ..3.... 75@2 00 BiSTIOS as cs 1 00@2 00 Shearlings ..... 1 00@2 00 on Tallow THONG oo oes 5 oss 13 Pe ee ee O12 MG. 2 @l11 Wooi Unwashed, med. ... @65 Unwashed, fine .... @55 HONEY A. G. Woodman’s Brand. 7 oz, per doz. . 20 oz., per doz. ..... HORSE RADISH Per doz. JELLY 15lb. pails, per pail .... 301b. pails, per pail .... JELLY GLASSES 8 oz. capped in bbls., per doz. MAPLEINE 2 oz. bottles, per doz. 3 00 1 oz. bottles, per doz. 1 75 16 oz. bottles, per dz. 16 50 2 oz. bottles, per dz. 30 00 MINCE MEAT Per CRRO’ 64. sess cece: £ 40 MOLASSES New Orleans Fancy Open Kettle .... 70 CONOICO og ences cee ee 58 Good MTOCK ooo cue nce ces Half barrels 5c extra Red Hen, No. 2 .... 2 80 Red Hen, No. 2% .... Red Hen, No. 5 ...... 3 40 Red Hen, No. 10 ..... 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 .. oO. & L. Open Kettle, Oe 256 solic ee uad 5 65 MUSTARD % i. 6 . bor ....... 90 NUTS—Whole Almonds, Terragona 30 Brazils, large washed 34 ee ee ee oo re o wa me O9 09 00 CODD C8 ~ > Fancy Mixed 28@29 Filberts, Barcelona .. 24 Peanuts, Virginia ... 18 Peanuts, Virginia, RROASLOG: © 6 ay a 9 ke 22 Peanuts, Spanish .... 20 Walnuts California 36@37 Walnuts, French Shelled AIMONGS © Spcn cs bases « 50 Peanuts, Spanish, a0 it WOK ous cG ss ss 19% Peanuts, Spanish, TO0 1. Dh cass 17% Peanuts, Spanish, AUG 1b DD) oo. ae, Tt PECANS - 255 foes sec 1 00 WaAINGte 4 sic e <6 85 OLIVES Bulk, 1 gal. kegs .. @1 75 Bulk, 2 gal. kegs .. @1 55 Bulk, 5 gal. kegs .. @1 50 Stuffed; 5 02. ..2..... 1 45 Stuffed, 14 oz. ....... 3 00 Pitted (not stuffed) TOR es aes 3 00 Manzanilla, 8 oz. .... 1 45 Sane, 10 Of. china oss 2 00 Eaumneh, 16 02, .....35 25 Queen, Mammoth, 19 OF. Bes cece ous: 5 50 pis Mammoth, 28 Olive Chow, 2 doz. cs. per doz. PETROLEUM Eiheergp ote he Iron Barrels Perfection ......+++-. 12.7 Red Crown Gasoline 23.7 Gas Machine Gasoline 44.2 Vv. M. & P, Naphtha 23.7 Capitol Cylinder, Iron BSS os iad s cs Atlantic Red me Iron Bbls. Winter Black, | Iron Bbls ee Polarine, Iron’ Bbis. ..44.8 evs vecheeue 2 50° PICKLES Medium Barrels, 1,200 count 12 00 Half bbls., 600 count 6 . 5 gallon kegs ........ 26 Small POPTOS oo. a a a es 14 00 Halt barrels ....2+.s% 7 50 5 gallon kegs ..... -. 2 80 Gherkins Barrels... ccs veseces 2000 Haif barrels. sce enane 13 00 5 gallon kegs ........ 4 50 Sweet Small POTTOIS vececcvecace 00 5 gallon kegs ....... 5 00 Halt barrels: .o. eis 14 50 PIPES Clay, No. 216, per box Clay, T. D. full count Cob, 3 doz. in box .. 1 25 PLAYING CARDS No. 90 Steamboat .... 2 25 No. 808, Bicycle .... 7 PEDRANC sc ecevc creas 25 POTASH Babbitt’s, 2 doz. .... 2 7 PROVISIONS Barreled Pork Italian Bon Bons .... 25 Clear Back .. 52 00@53 00 Short Cut Clr 49 00@50 00 bape Clear 55 00@56 00 weer eee reoeeerses Dry Salt Meats S P Bellies ... 31 00@32 00 Lard Pure in tierces .. 29@30 Compound Lard 24 @24% 80 lb tubs ...advance % 60 Ib. tubs" ...advance % 50 Ib. tubs ...advance % 20 Ib. pails ...advance % 10 lb. pails ...advance % 5 lb. pails ...advance 1 3 lb. pails ...advance 1 Smoked Meats Hams, 14-16 Ib. 35 @36 Hams, 16-18 Ib. 3474 @35 Hams, 18-20 Ib. 33 @34 Ham, dried beef SAGEM fo cae ees 87 @38 California Hams 23 @24 Picnic Boiled PAINS os es ss 85 @40 Boiled Hams .. 47 @48 Minced Hams .. = @23 BEACON i. gets ae 0 @50 Sausages BOlORNA 2. cece cee oe 18 PAVE? 5 cose sc hae cases 12 BTARKRIOTU.. oes cece css 19 POCK po... 2a =e 14@15 MORE ecco k si eueee ss 11 VOWS ois cas sce 11 Headcheese .......... 14 Beef Boneless ..... 25 00@27 00 Rump, new .. 30 00@31 00 Pig’s Feet % bbls : % bbls., 40 Ibs. coccss @ Wha clo ocala: OOM 1 BOL ac eee eee 16 00 Tripe Kite, 16: 108. 22... 3k. s. 90 ww pbis., 40 ips. .<-... 1 60 % bbis., 80 Ibs. .... 3 00 Casings Hogs, per Ib. ....... 50@55 Beef, round set .... 19@20 Beef, middles, oe . 45@55 SHOOD os ska sae 15@1 35 Uncolored een Solid Dairy ........ 28@29 Country Rolls ~.<..5 30@31 Canned eete Corned Beef, 4 Corned Beef, 1 Ib. .. 4 70 Roast Beef, 2 lb. .... 6 60 Roast Beef, 1 Ib. .... 4 70 Potted Meat, Ham Flavor, 48 ......«. 56 Potted Meat, Ham Blavor,: 4S ..sss. ce 95 Deviled Meat, Ham WiIgvor, US .ic. co cc es 55 Deviled Meat, Ham Flavor, %8 ........ 1 00 Deviled Tongue, 4s .. 1 80 Deviled Tongue, %s .. 3 10 RICE FANCY .cccccvcsces Blue Rose ........ 10@i1 Broken ...scsccsvess ROLLED OATS Monarch, bbis. ..... 10 25 Rolled Avena, bbls... Steel Cut, 100 Ib. sks. Monarch, 90 Ib. sks. .. 5 10 Quaker, 18 Regular .. 1 95 Quaker, 20 Family .. 5 20 SALAD DRESSING Columbia, % pint .... 2 25 Columbia, 1 pint .... 4 00 Durkee’s large, 1 doz. 5 25 Durkee’s med., 2 doz. 5 80 Durkee’s Picnic, 2 doz. 2 75 Snider’s, large, 1 doz. 2 40 Snider’s, small, 2 doz. 1 45 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN SALERATUS Packed 60 Ibs. in box. Arm and Hammer .. Wyandotte, 100 %s .. 3 00 SAL SODA 3 Granulated, bbis. .... 1 95 Granulated, 100 Ibs. cs. 2 10 Granulated, 363 pkgs. 2 25 SALT Solar Rock 56 Ib. sacks ............ 52 Common Granulated, Fine .... 2 Ss Medium, Fine ........ 2 2 SALT FISH Co id Large, whole ..... Osh Small, whole ...... @15 Strips or bricks . ey POROCK io. ccc cscs Holland Herring Standards, bbls. .... - M. Mee vasectc es Standard, kegs ...... ¥: M. kegs eeeenacs Herring Full Fat Herring, = to 400 count . Spiced, 8 7 pails sccsc ‘out No. 1, 100 Tbs. Sues tws No. 1, 40 Ibs. . No. 1, 10 Ibs. ... No. 1, 3 Ibs Mackere! Mess, 100 Ibs. ....... 22 00 Mess, 50 Ibs. ......0. u ao is 2 05 No. 1, 100 Ibs. ...... 21 00 No. 1, 50 Ibs. ....... 11 10 No. 1, 10 Ibs. ........ 2 60 Lake _— © WBS icc ce ee cae e SHEDs AMMBG © eis eek ree aie Oe Canary, — oleae a COFRWAY bocce ce ve st Cardomon, “Malabar 1 0 COlGRY oi so oe ciae ... 5O Hemp, Russian ...... 12 Mixed Bird .......... 12% Mustard, white ...... 40 POODE cnisesccacesuss FRAO one ee ee 18 SHOE BLACKING Handy Box, large 8 dz. 8 50 Handy Box, small .. 1 26 Bixby’s Royal Polish 1 20 Miller’s Crown Polish 90 SNUFF Swedish Rapee, 10c 8 for 64 Swedish Rapee, 1 Ib. gis 60 Norkoping, 10c, 8 for ..64 Norkoping, 1 Ib. glass .. 60 Copenhagen, 10c. 8 for 64 Copenhagen, 1 Ib. glass 60 SOAP Lautz Bros. & Co. Acme, 100 cakes .... 5 50 Big Master 100 blocks 6 00 CUES foo. cc ac ceca we - 6 00 Queen White ..... eee 5 90 Oak eat ch. oc. eas 5 50 Queen Anne ........ 5 50 Proctor & Gamble Co, PiQNOR oo. 55 ost cess 5 65 Evory, © 02.) .4...77 3 6 65 Ivory, 10 07. ........ 10 80 PREAE ok cose agave 5 30 Swift & Company Swift's Pride ........ 5 50 White Laundry ...... 5 65 Wool, 6 oz. bars .... 6 50 Wool, 10 oz. bars .... 9 40 Tradesman Company Black Hawk, one box 8 75 Black Hawk, five bxs 8 70 Black Hawk, ten bxs 8 65 Box contains 72 cakes. It is a most remarkable dirt and grease remover, with- out injury to the skin. Scouring Powders Sapolio, gross lots .. 9 50 Sapolio, half gro. lots 4 85 Sapolio, single boxes 3 40 Sapolio, hand ........ 2 40 Queen Anne, 30 cans 1 80 Queen Anne, 60 cans 8 60 Snow Maid, 30 cans .. 1 80 Snow Maid. €0 cans .. 8 60 Washing Powders Snow Boy, 100 pkgs. . 5 66 Snow Boy, 60 pkgs. .. 3 55 Snow Boy, 24 pkgs. .. 5 00 Snow Boy. 20 pkes. .. & 25 Soap Powders Johnson’s Fine, 48 2 5 75 Johnson’s 100 .. 5 75 Rub-No-More ........ 5 50 Nine O’Clock ........ 4 00 Lautz Naphtha, 60s .. - oid Soap Powder, Oak Leat Soap Powder. 100 pkgs. ........... 5 Guan hoe Soap Pow- der, 60 pkgs. ...... 8 60 Old Dutch Cleanser, 100s SODA SPICES Whole Spices Allspice, Jamaica .. @12 Alispice, lg. Garden @11 Cloves, Zanzibar .. 55 Cassia, Canton .... Cassia, 5c pkg. doz. @35 Ginger, African .... @15 Ginger, Cochin .... 20 Mace, Penang ...... Mixed, No. 1 ...... @17 Mixed, No Deakcus 6 Mixed, 5c pkgs. dz. @45 ‘utmegs, 70-8 .... @ Nutmegs, 105-1 @45 Pepper, Cayenne .. @322 Paprika, Hungarian Pure Ground In Bulk Allspice, Jamaica .. gi Cloves, Zanzibar .. = sia, Canton .... Ginger, African ... Mace, Penang . Pepper, Cayenne .. O30 Paprika, Hungarian @465 STARCH Corn Kingsford, 40 Ibs. .. Hi Muzzy, 48 llb. pkgs. 9 Kingsford Silver Gloss, 40 llb. .. 9% Gloss Argo, 48 5c pkgs. .... Silver Gloss, 16 8lbs. .. a Silver Gloss, 12 6lbs. .. 9% Muzzy 48 1lb. packages ...... 9% 16 8lb. packages .....‘ oe 12 61b. packages ...... 9 50 Ib. boxes .......... 6% SVRUPS Cern Balt barrels .........-. 75 Blue aia No. 1%, 2 doz wieccscecce 2 Blue Karo, ‘No. 2, 2 dz. 3 80 Blue Karo, No. 2%, 2 GOB cocks c ni icccaces: & 10 Blue Karo, = ~ 7 ds. 3 95 Blue Karo, No. 10, % OOE | cco cscs cccccces. STO ReG Karo, No. 1%, 2 GOH ice cccccnvcs 2 80 , No. 10 % GOR. cccssccse pceasas 00 Pure Cane Fate ....: ee tnecsaesece Mhaisro TABLE SAUCES Halford, large ........ 3 75 Halford, small ...... 2 26 TEA Uncolored Japan Medium © ....scccres 34@38 CHOW viciccccrc cos 35@38 Bane 45-52 cc0s ec 45@55 Basket-Fired Med’m Basket-Fired Choice Basket-Fired Fancy Wo. LE -Nibbs......-<. @45 Siftings, bulk ....... @23 Siftings, 1 lb. pkgs. @25 Gunpowder Moyune, Medium .. 35@40 Moyune, Choice .... 40@45 Young Hyson CHO 06 cee ices as 35@40 WANCY (6. cccs cscs 50@60 Oolong Formosa, Medium .. 40@45 Formosa, Choice 45@50 Formosa, Fancy 55@75 English Breakfast Congou, Medium 40@45 Congou, Choice . 45@50 Congou, Fancy 50@60 Congou, Ex. Fancy 60@80 Ceylon Pekoe, Medium .... 40@45 Dr. Pekoe, Choice .. 45@48 Flowery O. P. Fancy 55@60 TWINE COtton, SONY oie cs seeks 15 Cotton; 4: ply vide cee cece 75 onan. GDI .ccccccese «al, 100 Ib. bales .. 20 VINEGAR White Wine, 40 grain 20 White Wine, 80 grain 25% White Wine 100 grain 28 Oakland Vinegar & Pickle Co.’s Brands Oakland apple cider .. 35 Blue Ribbon Corn .... 25 Oakland white picklg 20 Packages no charge. WICKING No. 0, per gross ...... 70 No. 1, per gross ...... 80 No. 2, per gross ...... 1 20 No. 3, per gross ...... 1 80 WOODENWARE Baskets Bushels ..........004. 2 00 Bushels, wide band .. 2 25 Market, drop handle .. 70 Market, single handle 15 Splint, large ......... 5 75 Splint, medium ...... 5 25. Splint, small ........ 4 75 Butter Plates Ovals ¥% Ib., 250 in crate .... 50 % 1|b., 250 in crate .... 1 Ib., 250 in crate ... 2 lb., 250 in crate ..... 75 3 lb., 250 in crate ..... 90 5 lb., 250 in crate .... 110 Wire End 1 Ib., 250 in crate . 2 Ib., 250 in crate ..... 55 3 Ib., 250 in crate ..... 65 5 Ib., 20 in crate ...... 75 Churns Barrel, 5 gal., each .. 2 40 Barrel, 10 gal. each .. 2 55 Clothes Pins Round H 4144 inch, 5 gross .... 1 50 Cartons, 20-36s, box.. 1 70 Egg Crates and Fillers Aumpty Dumpty, 12 dz. 24 No. 1 complete ...... -. 50 No. 2 complete ........ 40 Case, medium, 12 sets 1 80 Faucets Cork lined, 8 in. ....... 10 Cork lined, 9 in. ...... . Cork lined, 10 in. ...... Mop Sticks Trojan spring ....... Eclipse patent spring 1 60 No. 1 common ...... 60 No. 2, pat. brush hold : ¢ Ideal, No. 7 120z. cotton mop heads 3 i0 Palis 10 qt. Galvanized .... b 25 12 qt. Galvanized .... 6 00 14 qt. Galvanized .... 6 50 UES ioe cick ce ceases 9 75 Toothpicks Tdeal ....i aveee es es 85 Traps Mouse, wood, 4 holes .. 60 Mouse, wood, 6 holes .. 70 Mouse, tin, 5 holes .... 66 Rat, wood .........c.06. - 80 eat, OPTI occ cess secs 15 Tube Wea IDE ce ssn ca ce 42 00 NO, 2 Bibra 265.505 38 00 No. 2 inne 2... a6 33 00 Large Galvanized ... 18 00 Medium Galvanized 15 60 Small Galvanized 13 50 Washboards Banner Globe ........ 5 25 Brass, Single ........ 8 00 Glass, Single ........ 6 25 Double Peerless .... 8 00 Single Peerless ...... 6 75 Northern Queen .... 6 25 Good Enough ........ 6 25 Universal i. ...-.0.0 6 25 Window Cleaners 12 in. 1¢ im... 16 in. Wood Bowls. 138 in. Butter ........ 1 90 15 in. Butter ........ 7 00 17 in. Butter ....... 00 19 in, Butter ........11 00 WRAPPING PAPER Fibre, Manila, white .. 6% Fibre, Manila, colored WO. EF PIOee 26. ssececs Butchers’ Maniia_ seen € WOVE (oo ccciscesicece 2 Wax Butter, ‘short c nt 20 Parchm’t Butter, rolis 22 YEAST CAKE Magic, 3 doz. ........ 1 Sunlight, 3 doz. ...... 1 Sunlight, 144 doz. .... Yeast Foam, 3 doz. .. 1 Yeast Foam, 1% dos. 86 YEAST—COMPRESSED Fleischman, per doz. ..24 SPECIAL Price Current asse BAKING POWDER CALUMET 10c size, 4 OZ. ......... 95 20c size, 8 oz. ....... 1 90 30c size, 1 Ib. ........ 2 90 5c size, 2% Ib. ...... 6 2 $1.25 size, 6 Ib. ......18 00 ARCTIC EVAPORATED MILK FEMME Sika icknctacicecce © OM SSODY hee ceuene 26 Manufactured ‘by “Grand Ledge Milk Co. Sold by all jobbers and National Grocer Co., Grand Rapids. AXLE GREASE 25 Ib. pails, per doz. ..18 80 KITCHEN KLENZER 80 ean cases, $4 per case PEANUT BUTTER Bel-Car-Mo Brand 6 oz. 1 doz. in case .. 2 90 12 oz. 1 doz. in case .. 2 50 O64 4 ID. Dells ns so cae 6 10 32:2 1D; BAUS 2c en cece 5 60 5 lb. pails, 6 in crate 6 60 10. 3D. PANS co ce cs cee ex 20% $5 1D. Paes . ose scsses 20 95 Tk PAs Aveda s ents 19% BO Ib; -tiOe 6. ces ss 19% SALT Diamond Crystal 24 2 Ibs. shaker ..... 1 70 86 2 Ibs. table ....... 1 30 150 2 Ibs. table . 86 3% lbs. table .... 5 60 28 10 Ib. flake ...... 4 80 280 lb. bulk butter ... 3 38 280 Ib. bulk cheese ... 3 88 280 lb. bulk shaker .. 3 88 28 Ib. cotton sk, butter 40 56 Ib. cotton sk butter 85 35 Ib. D. C. coarse .. 70 Ib. D. C. coarse ... D. C. stock briquettes 1 D. C. block stock, 50 Ibs. Morton’s Sait im 09 oooew Per case, 24 3 lbs. .... 1 80 Five case lots ....... 1 70 THE CASUAL SHOPPER. How To Make Him a Regular Cus- tomer. There is a vast difference between a customer and a mere purchaser. The former is a friend of the store, one who makes most of her purchases at a particular store and continues this practice for years. The latter is mere- ly one who drops into the store now and then, but who distributes her patronage among any number of stores. But every casual purchaser is a potential customer and many are the methods that have been devised to bring about the transition. All the special little services, such as rest rooms, writing rooms, theater and railway ticket offices, beauty parlors, play rooms for children, banking facil- ities, fur storage, bundle checking privileges, etc., were devised for the purpose of making shopping attrac- tive in the particular store in which they were installed, to make it more attractive than in competitive stores, to the end that the casual purchaser coming into the store to use these conveniences would find them so to her liking that she would return to the store to do all or most of her future shopping. These services in most cases are extraneous to the mer- chandise line, and even those for which a fee is charged are usually run at a loss, but the investment is good and more than pays for itself in the increased trade. Another method, containing more of the element of psychology perhaps than the special service idea, is that of establishing the personal contact between the store and the customer. The favorite method of doing this, of course, is through the follow-up sys- tem of letters or advertising sent through the mails. The various meth- ods that are used in accomplishing this have been described in previous issues. The largest source from which mer- chants obtained names for their mail- ing lists is from their charge ledgers. Of necessity the name and address of every charge customer are contained in the firm’s books, and it is compara- tively easy to make up a mailing list of these names. Another fruitful source has been the names and addresses appearing on the sales slips of customers; this merely duplicated the names already appearing on the books, but in the case of cash customers it was the only source from which the names could be gathered. With the “Carry Your Own” cam- paign in full swing as a war measure, this source to a large extent was de- creased. There are, in every store, a number of customers now who pay cash and carry their own bundles with them, and leave no record in the store. The advent of the automobile also has decreased the deliveries, as many women now use their cars for shopping and carry their purchases home in them. A few months ago it became appar- ent to many stores intent upon build- ing up an established clientele that it would be well to keep in touch with MICHIGAN TRADESMAN these cash customers who left no trace of their patronage other than a sales slip on which was noted only the merchandise they bought and the amount of their purchases. At least one New York store has devised a system for doing this, and after more than a month’s experiment is convinced that the plan is a success and is continuing it indefinitely. This store is located on Fifth Ave- nue, and is one of the most prominent specialty houses. Its charge custom- ers are among the best people in New York, and the store has built up a reputation for certain lines which is nation wide. A great number of shop- pers are attracted to the store for this reason. Many of them make cash pur- chases and carry away their own packages. It was desired to develop these shoppers into permanent cus- tomers through the store’s mailing list. Accordingly, it was decided that each salesperson, when making a cash sale in which the customer carried away the purchase, was to ask the name and address of the purchaser. The salesperson frankly tells the pur- chaser that the store desires her name and address in order that it may keep in touch with her and inform her ot special merchandising features, sales, etc., which it announces through the mails from time to time. Each salesperson is provided with a little pad form for the purpose of writing down the names and address- es she obtains in this manner. At the end of the day these slips are turned into the section manager, who in turn sends them into the main office, where they are transferred to cards and filed in the general mailing list. According to an executive of the firm, the fear that a large proportion of the purchasers might object to giv- ing their names and addresses to the salesperson is entirely unfounded. No accurate record is kept of the number of refusals, but it is so small that it is almost negligible. In fact, the cus- tomers are usually delighted to give their names and addresses and imme- diately feel a certain amount of kind- liness toward a firm which is so so- licitous of even its casual customers that it desires to keep in touch with them. The element of vanity, ever present in human nature, is catered to. All of us like to feel that we are be- ing paid special attention. It pleases the vanity of a woman when a great store asks her name and address to place in its files. It makes her feel more important. There is a certain amount of dupli- cation, of course, when the customer shops at a number of different depart- ments. Her name is taken in the first department, and’ she is asked for it again in other departments. In most cases, the customer tells the sales- person who enquires the second time that she already has given her name to a saleswoman in another depart- ment, so that after all this duplication is relatively small. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the test of any system is the manner in which it works out in actual practice. This system does work, and through its medium the store has added several thousand names to its mailing list in a little over a month which it would not have obtained in any other manner. 2.2 Trend of the Retail Grocery Trade. Written for the Tradesman. There are some lines of business which were in evidence fifty years ago which have almost entirely dis- appeared. I have particularly in mind the cooper shops, where barrels and kegs were made by hand, and the harness shops. Cooperage is now produced almost exclusively in our prisons, while harnesses are made in large factories, under competitive conditions which cannot be met by the individual manufacturer. I have no fears .that the grocery business will ever be abolished, be- cause as long as people are born with stomachs and appetites, so long there will be a noccupation open to the pur- veyors of food products. That great changes are in store for the grocery business, I have no doubt. I believe the dirty, unsanitary store must go and that the filthy grocer— of whom we unfortunately have too many—must give way to men who realize that the public has a right to insist and demand that food products be handled in such a manner as to in- cur the least possible contamination. If I was a young man and had ample means to work out my ideas or could prevail upon my moneyed friends to invest in such .a project, there is nothing I would like better than to establish a chain of grocery stores—all conducted on the same plan and managed from a common headquarters. I believe it is a money- making business if it is rightly ad- ministered and economically con- ducted. I would not give the stores such an outlandish name as Piggly Wiggly, which is suggestive of any- thing but cleanliness and sanitary surroundings. I would select a name more in keeping with the ancient and honorable traditions of the grocery business and I would make quality and service the prime factors in at- tracting and holding trade. Frank Stowell. SE a Germany Has “Flourless” Bread. Several German newspapers have printed under the title “flourless bread” reports of experiments in making bread direct from the grain without first grinding it to flour. This is done simply by soaking the grain in water and kneading it into dough. The war committee of Ger- man millers claim, however, that this method was tried 30 years ago, but has never been used, except in small bakeries, and the expectations of ob- taining a large quantity of bread in this way have not been realized. From 100 kilos of grain, 98% kilos of flour are obtained, 1%4 being lost in the form of.dust. Using the. grain itself, soaked in water, would there- fore at best save only 1% per cent. Even then what might be gained in weight would be lost in nutrition, as the bread made of grain would con- tain many impurities which are taken out when the grain is ground and bolted. December 4, 1918 Timely Advertising Efforts. The abnormally high prices exist- ing to-day as a result of our entrance into the great world war have caused people generally to consider, with unusual seriousness, the problem of reducing living costs. With this in mind, not a few wide-awake dealers in various lines are availing them- selves of this opportunity to do ef- fective advertising on some of the money-saving items of their lines. For instance, a certain Illinois hardware merchant has. carefully checked up his entire stock, making a list of everything which could in some way be suggested as a relief expedient. He then worked out strong advertisements on these com- modities, placing special emphasis on such features as commend them to the economical house-wife who is anxious to reduce living expenses to the minimum. Among other things, he presented aluminum ware, directing attention to the fuel-saving property of these utensils. The fuel-saving argument he also applied to fireless cookers. - He explained how scraps from the table can be converted into hash and other appetizing dishes by means of a food chopper; how the washing machine makes possible a substantial saving on the weekly wash bill, etc. This series of advertisements was unquestionably productive of results, the dealer said. —_+2-—_____ A Millinery Novelty. While manufacturers of women’s hats are still getting calls for up- turned or rolled brim effects in- tur- bans and small hats on the mandarin order, the bulletin of the Retail Mil- linery Association of America calls attention to a new shape that is now being offered here. This has a brim that is very narrow on the right side, but very wide and upturned on the left. In some variations of the idea the left side has the appearance of a wide envelope flap that is broad enough to touch the center of the crown. According to the bulletin this will probably be a hat which will appeal to many, because it shows the hair. A modified shape on these lines, it adds, makes a very good hat for matrons. —_2++___ Retail Delivery Costs. An interesting investigation has been made recently by the Depart- ment of Commerce to determine the cost of retail delivery in the city of Washington. Figures obtained from 128 concerns doing one-third of -the total retail business showed an aver- age delivery cost of 6.2 per cent. of gross sales. Out of every dollar spent for merchandise more than six cents was paid for delivering it. The actual cost in different lines of business ranged from 1% per cent. to 45 per cent. It totaled $8,000,000 as against $7,250,000 for inbound freight. Each family in Washington thus paid on an average $101.26 for retail de- livery during the year. ——_o. It takes an experienced undertaker to look solemn and conceal his satis- faction. reeset ——— ene ———— vet ani remand <> | Den amen Sopananistnr ey me eR oe Se Eo tellin. 008 <> December 4, 1918 Ideas That Count In Merchandising. A man once got rich by conceiving the idea of putting a bit of rubber—to be used as an eraser—on the end of lead pencils. Another accumulated wealth and no small amount of fame by being the first merchant to offer for sale a wide variety of goods at small, fixed prices. A third saw steam escaping from the spout of a tea kettle, and the uitimate result was the invention of the steam engine. The foregoing are but three of the almost countless instances in which apparently trivial ideas have led to the advancement and comfort of the human race or to the financial success of the individuals whose minds gave them birth, While possibly not so revolutionary as the ones cited, ideas are daily leading to the improvement of business in many directions and to the promotion or financial better- ment on the part of the employes who conceive them. Hardly any- where else is this truer than of the modern department store. Like advice, the “suggestion box” that is found in the employes’ sections of most of the country’s big stores is ignored more often than it is made use of, and yet executives say it is one of the most valuable means they have of finding the kinks in the op- eration of the business and the best methods of relieving them. While most of the suggestions received in this way are unavailable—some of them being absolutely fantastic— many have at once been seized upon by the men in authority and put into effect. They are said to cover all parts of the business, from receiving goods to delivering them and from window dressing to ac- counting. Strange as it may seem, the most useful ideas most often come from employes who are either new to the store or to the department in which they are working at the time their suggestions are made. The reason for this, according to one well-known executive, is that the average employe after being in a certain department for any length of time will ignore any catch there may be in its oper- ation because he or she has become accustomed to it, while the new work- er is likely to perceive it at once At first there is wonder about why such a situation should be allowed to exist, and then, if the employe is made of the right stuff, comes a suggestion for its correction. In many stores the giving of suggestions is stimulated by awarding substantial cash prizes monthly, and it is agreed by execu- tives that the money spent in this way is well invested. As has been said before, the sugges- tions received have a wide scope. An apparently trivial idea that was adopt- ed to good advantage by a local store had for one of its objects the cut- ting down of the waste in pins. This suggestion came from one of the of- fice workers, and was to the effect that many pins might be saved in the course of a year—and money as well —by abandoning the practice of the store’s mail order department of fas- tening, by this means, the mail order received to the envelopes in which MICHIGAN TRADESMAN they came. -At the same time it was suggested that the envelopes them- selves might be sent to the supply department, and there given out for scratch paper. Both ideas were ac- cepted. Another idea that had for its object the conservation of paper was embodied in the suggestion that the reverse side of the paper used in an electrically operated machine for transmitting handwritten messages from one part of the store to another might be made to do service by re- winding it on the spools that hold it. One of the things that consumes considerable time in the average store is getting an article from a show win- dow. In most stores, it is said, there is a rule that goods making up a dis- play must not be touched by any person not connected with the win- dow-dressing staff. Often the head- quarters of this staff is situated in an out of the way corner of the store and hard to get at without recourse to the telephone. Using the tele- phone in cases like this always means an added strain on the store’s system, and often means that a salesperson must temporarily abandon a’ custom- er to make the call. These objections in a certain store have been over- come, as a result of an employe’s suggestion, by the installation of an indicator that shows the part of the store from which the call for the dresser came. It is operated by a push button from stations that are conveniently located for all concern- ed. An idea relating to the receiving room recently was turned in by an employe of a certain store and ac- cepted, which does away with con- siderable handling of merchandise and produces an equivalent saving in time and money. In this store, when merchandise was unpacked it was placed on tables for examination and then transferred to hand trucks for de- livery to the proper department. Asa sult of the suggestion in question, however, wheels have been attached to the tables and the merchandise is now distributed with a minimum of effort and time. The element of dam- age through soiling, which is -always in prospect when goods are han- dled frequently, is also. reduced. In the selling end, a recently ac- cepted idea had to do with the chang- ing of mirrors in the section of a de- partment given over to semi-made skirts from half to full ones, in order that the customers might visualize the merchandise in the form it will be ultimately used. Some years back, at the time events were cul- minating which led to the affair at Vera Cruz, it was suggested by a newly employed executive that it might be a good thing to get away from the ordinary type of Christmas window trim and put in a battle scene in which the martial end of the toy department would provide the actors. This was done, to the pronounced stimulation of the demand for the kind of toys used. _——2---o Also better watch the man who tries to impress you with the state- ment that he is giving you over weight. 31 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. must accompany all! orders. No charge less than 25 cents. Cash BUSINESS CHANCES. We can sell your business, farm or property, no matter where located. Cap- ital procured for meritorious enterprises. Herbert, Webster Bldg., Chicago, Ill. 1 WANTED—SALESMEN TO SELL ON COMMISSION, attractive assortment braided leather watch guards, watch straps, billies, etc., strictly to retail clothing and jewelry stores. Premier Manufacturing Co., 1640 E. Eager St., Baltimore, Maryland. 7 For Sale—100 pound Stimpson Com- puting scale. Price $85.00. A. W. Hay & Son, Fenton, Michigan. 8 Ice Plant—Only one in county seat town of 2,000; bargain if sold soon; $6,000 will handle. Address Creamery, Seneca, Kansas. 9 For Sale Or Trade—Elevator and coal business in Michigan; fully equipped; main railway; no opposition; large trade; handling 500 to 2,000 bushels daily. $17,000 or trade for farm. Norman Ed- dington, Brighton, Illinois. 10 FGR LEASE—Handsome storeroom in new, modern business block; will be ready December 1; a chance to get the best location in the best city in Northwest Missouri; Woolworth’s 10c store is on one side of this room and the largest retail business in the city is on the other side; come and see this splendid opportunity. Mrs. lL. Michau, 219 W. 2d St., Maryville, Missouri, 11 For Sale—Grocery stock located in live city of Owosso. Annual sales $33,000. Reason for selling, physical breakdown. Full particulars on request. George S. Dickson, Howell, Michigan. 12 For Sale—Best country store in Michi- gan. Good business. : Pleasant location. Address No. 2, care Michigan er. For Sale—Candy, tobacco and grocery store. Dwelling connected. Good concrete basement and barn. $2,000. E. G. Little, 1022 Trumbull St., East Side, Bay City, Michigan. 3 For Rent—Are you planning on going into business for yourself or changing your present location? One of the best located stores in Marquette is available. Write for particulars, stating business. Box 264, Marquette, Michigan. 5 Will pay cash for whole or part stocks of merchandise. Louis Levinsohn, Sagi- naw. Michigan. 757 Wanted At Once—Cash paid for mens and boys’ clothing, furnishings. hats, caps, shoes. M. Kahn, 504 Washington Ave., Bay City, Michigan. 996 For Sale—One of the best grocery stores in one of the best towns in Michigan. Doing a splendid business. Only reason for selling, cannot stand the work. Ad- dress No. 6, care Michigan —s For Sale—Grocery stock in town of 1,000. Invoicing about $4,000. Sales for year ending August 30th, $32,000. Ad- dress No. 990, care Michigan a For Sale—Stock of general merchandise, store and dwelling, two acres good land located center fine farming community. Address No. 993, care Michigan Trades- man. 993 Pay spot cash for clothing and furnish- ing goods stocks. L, Silberman, 106 B. Hancock, Detroit. 9386 Stock Wanted—Have 225 acre stock farm; level; good buildings; timber; near three markets in Southern Michigan. Will exchange for stock merchandise up to $40,000. Write what you have. Flood, Dexter, Michigan. 989 Cash Registers—We buy, sell and ex- change all makes of cash registers. We change saloon machines into penny key registers. Ask for information. The J. Cc. Vogt Sales Co., Saginaw, Mich. 906 COLLECTIONS. Collections—We collect anywhere. Send for our ‘‘No Collection, No Charge’”’ offer. Arrow Mercantile Service. Murray Build- ing, Grand Rapids, Mich. 390 SEE NEXT PAGE. Advertisements received too late to run on this page appear on the following page. COLEMAN rand) Terpeneless LEMON and Pure High Grade VANILLA EXTRACTS Made only by FOOTE & JENKS Jackson, Mich. Economic oupon Books They save time and expense They prevent disputes They put credit transactions on cash basis Free samples on application AB Tradesman Company Grand Rapids, Mich. torte i i 4 9 TO SOLVE TRADE TANGLES. Trade Hoping for a Permanent Mer- cantile Arbiter. With demobilization of food control by Federal officials already well in hand and with the sugar division defi- nitely naming a date when it will cease to functionate, there is a grow- ing demand in food trade circles for a systematic study looking toward some form and measure of permanent regulation that will meet a long rec- ognized need of fair trade. While the period of Hooverism has unquestionably found Federal author- ity applied in extraordinary ways which would not be tolerated in nor- mal times, it has demonstrated its ability to do a great many necessary and desirable things which can not apparently be done otherwise and which the trade generally, as well as consumers, would probably find wholesome and economically effective in preventing undue activity of the h. c. 1. hoodoo, which is always with us and will probably become rampant as soon as official pressure is removed. So far as can be noted now, noth- ing tangible is in progress looking toward the framing of permanent plans along such lines. Once upon a time business men hoped that they had a non-technical, semi-judicial, semi-commercial tribunal in the Fed- eral Trade Commission—one that would look at a problem in a practical way and seek to solve it as business men would solve it—but any such hope long ago vanished, since theor- ists, lawyers and politicians took posi- tion in the saddle and hung out their banner as one more official investigat- or, prober and prosecutor. The feel- ing is that some remnant of the Hoov- er administration promises better than anything else and that now is the time to shape its function and status be- fore the Presidential edict formally ends the whole business. No one in the trade wants perma- nent ‘domination by officialdom that will sweepingly suppress individual- ism as have the regulations of the past eighteen months. Every sensible and courageous merchant wants the open field and fair competitive condi- tions restored and will fight for it. Hiad it not been for the patriotic reali- zation that war is no time for individ- ual freedom of action, Mr. Hoover could not have put over a fraction of what he really did accomplish and his course would have been a path of thorns instead of a bower of friendly co-operation. But his eminent fair- ness won him the trade confidence and his sympathy and intelligent ap- preciation of the tradesman’s view- point made him their champion. Incidental to it all and quite apart from the main ends ,accomplished students of merchandising and eco- nomics found evidence of potential in- fluence upon individual action which suggested the remedy for long-en- dured evils that had long hampered the course of fair trade and which were responsible in large measure for the high cest of living and which could not be- prevented by business men; especially if the laws against MICHIGAN TRADESMAN concerted action were to be applied by ambitious public prosecutors and po- litical office seekers. The grocers had the motive to correct individual obliquity, but not the power. Per- sistency on the part of one in a bad practice let down the bars, if it did not actually compel following the leader, by the others. Take the matter of speculative ad- vances in price; not that of the ‘pro- fessional -manipulator, but the panicky influence of the law of supply and de- mand on an open market. The most vital and far reaching thing Herbert Hoover did in all his career was to decree that hence forth prices should not be made with regard to replace- ment values, but strictly in accordance with a permitted advance above actual cost. That alone struck the death blow to speculative advances in the cost of food, although it took some time for it to fully demonstrate the fact. For years, and especially since the opening of the war, grocers had com- plained of the fact that in times of great excitement, public demand would run away with all reasonabre conduct and unduly force prices up. In times of scarcity, too, speculators could “corner” a scant supply and force prices up. Every time goods changed hands they acquired a fresh increase in price—and it was actual value, obtainable in the market—until prices went far above what the trade recognized as the real value. Only a few months before we went into war tomatoes that had been sold at a fair canning profit of less than $1.50 sold like hot cakes at $2.40 or more. Every one knew the advance was purely arti- ficial and not economically justified, but it was the free market price and the speculator was in clover. The same thing is sure to occur again the minute the rules against re- selling and limiting the profit to a margin above actual cost are relaxed. No one can stop it and no one ex- pects to. If Uncle Sam keeps all the food he has already bought for the army and the civilian supply remains scant as it is now, every ounce of it will go up like a rocket when control is relaxed. And if the Government should suddenly dump large accumu- lations into the pit, the prices might react in the opposite direction, al- though probably not seriously on most things because of the scarcity. Just what form of arbiter might be interjected to prevent such things— to officially interpret values better than the buyer anl seller can—is not clear. No one wants the freedom of buyer and seller unduly hampered. But there is a feeling that careful con- ference and incisive study might find some way in which violent inflation might be prevented. And the twilight of Federal regulation is believed to be the most favorable for such intro- spection. With the exception of some such permanently constructive plans, the sooner the unnatural restrictions on trade are abolished the better, save that policies should be changed with due regard to the fact that the pres- ent condition of stocks and sales obligations are on so artificial a basis that they must be protected in the resumption of normal. Few lines of the food trade have been so completely torn out by the roots as the canners and none feels so much like the proverbial “cat in a strange garret.” The economics ot the business compel the sale of “fu- tures” very early in the season and as the normal time for making contracts is usually in February and March, it is necessary that the policies of the Government be indicated very soon now, unless the canning industry is to be forced into a position of dangerous conservatism that might very easily result in a short pack when a large one is imperative. Evidently Food Control measures have raised the deuce with canners. Economic law has been upset ana even contracts have been in a consid- erable measure mere “scraps of paper,” or at best memoranda the full force of which has not been known until the close of the packing season. With no desire to criticise or com- mend any particular market reporter, there is importance in the recent at- tack of the Department of Agricul- ture upon one of the best known mar- ket reporters of the country in an offi- cial bulletin. Taken in conjunction with the recent extension of Govern- mental market reporting and an ef- fort to secure the recognition of Gov- ernmental quotations as the only ones to control in official findings, it con- stitutes an assault on private initia- tive that transcends anything the Food Administration has ever under- taken. One of the peculiarities of the offi- cial mind is that it apears wholly unable to grasp the fact that in busi- ness, the false and unreliable do not live long and when any agency—mar- keting or reporting—has survived the storms of trade competition for a number of years and still commands respect enough to be prosperous and influential, the chances are that it is dependable. Market reporting is not a hap- hazard process- nor based on super- ficial facts. Judgment in a variety of directions enters into it and he would indeed be foolish and short sighted who played a partisan game in the statement of market facts. There is no reason why a Governmental re- port, manifestly and openly designed chiefly to serve the farmers, shoula be more dependable than one intend- ed as an impartial basis: for trading by buyer, seller and intermediary alike. If the Government chooses to set up market reporting no one has any objection, but if it is to be made the entering wedge for a system that will displace private market agencies, it becomes paternalism of the most militant and objectionable type. —_..2—_—__ PASSING THE PEAK. Symptoms already manifest in the canned goods trade indicate that un- less some usually reliable indications are to be disregarded, the country is passing the peak of the high cost of living, and from now on will witness a decline in commodity prices, aecord- December 4, 1918 ing to trade authorities. Whether this decline will be abrupt or gradual, what classes of commodities will be most conspicuously affected, and to what level prices will be carried, are ques- tions to be answered. That the de- cline is at hand, that fundamental factors are at work to give it impulse and acceleration, may be discerned by those who observe closely the signs of the times. Prominent among the influences tending to bring about a recession in prices is the conservatism, amounting to more than hesitation on the part of large buyers of merchan- dise as well as materials entering into some lines of manufacture. Prudent merchants realize that prices are high, that peace will bring its re-adjust- ments. They feel that any revision i prices is likely to be downward. S vere losses might result from stockin up heavily with goods under such ci: cumstances. Sellers thus become mor: anxious than buyers, and concession are made to move stocks. In certai. lines, notably textiles, cancellation have made their appearance in dis: quieting volume, thus adding to the feeling of trade unrest. Although the trend appears to be clearly marked, present expectations of a sharp decline may be disappoint- ed. Stability will be injected by the urgent needs of Europe as soon as tonnage and means of payment are provided. Moreover, foodstuffs for the time being may not share propor- tionately in the general movement. —>->—___ Those who are still inclined to regard with apprehension the effect of the Allied triumph on Germany ° as a future menace to the world, might be invited to recall some of the factors which formerly they counted in the estimate of German power. The entry of the French army into Mets has more than its dramatically symbolic meaning, pow- erful though that consideration must be. With the re-occupation of AlI- sace-Lorraine comes the restoration of a strategic frontier in favor of France. With the re-occupation of the lost provinces Germany loses three-fourths of her iron output, and iron has been the foundation of the colossal development of Essen and one of the pillars of the Hohenzol- lern, The future can hardly see the accumulation of such war material by Germany—granted that the will exists —as she gathered for her raid on civ- ilization. Finally, France wins back a population of two millions, which should mean an adult male population of about 400,000, constituting an ap- preciable offset for the tragic drain on French manhood in the cause of liberty. oo Almost any man can convince a woman that he really and truly loves her, but he has to work overtime to keep her convinced. BUSINESS CHANCES. Mr. Merchant—Here is your chance to exchange your store, lock stock and bar- rel, for either eighty acres in Indiana eighty acres in Wisconsin, one hundred sixty in New Mexico, three hundred in Tennessee, one hundred sixty in Florida, all improved, or good income property. Take your choice. Describe your prop- erty. Write me quick. Immigration Agent PHILLIPS, Manchester, Tenn. 13 * PWINELL-WRIGHT co. ‘s White House Red Crown me Coffee Teas The Public’s Preference Every where and Always ‘It’s the QUALITY that catches ’em” Distriouted at Wholesale by . GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. as cau) Fy JUDSON GROCER CO. 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 teniperature—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 Chicago (INDIANA) The Iron Safe Clause in Fire Insurance Policies, which is frequently used as a club by unscrupulous insur- ance adjusters to coerce mer- chants who have suffered loss by fire to accept less than the face of their policies, has no terrors to the merchant who owns a York fire proof safe. This safe is carried in stock and sold at factory prices by the Western Michigan representative of the York | Safe & Lock Co. GRAND RAPIDS SAFE ‘CO. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN To Avoid Waste In,these days of con- servation avoid all bulk sugar waste and loss by using Franklin Package Sugars They save spillage, labor, paper bags and twine. The Franklin Sugar Refining Company PHILADELPHIA ‘‘A Franklin Cane Sugar for every use”’ U.S. A. The Master Cigar £ (onlin nae ct EO eure — —— aan S eemnenenamel amie dimmaeninetnet to sad 5 Sonal _— : Manufactured only by the | _ G.J. Johnson Cigar Co. | Grand Rapids, Michigan