Michigan Artisan; 1907-02-25

Notes:

Issue of a furniture trade magazine published in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was published twice monthly, beginning in 1880. and /r (, Twenty_seventh Yea.r-No. 16 FEBRUARY 25, 1907 Semi-Monthly L, it; IT:'! .";,. ~(f :.\; High Grade Office Chairs and Rockers i ., 1907 CATALOGUE 18 now being mailed on request. "f!....uality will he rememhered long after price Ita; heen forgotten. " THE B. L. MARBLE CHAIR CO., Bedford, Ohio , MAKING GOOD "Making good" is a hobby with us---making good LEATHER FURNITURE for one thing.---the bes'. "Reliance'· Natural Grain Leather is the handsomest and moSt dependable brand of M. B. Furniture Lea'h« manufactured, but we ask no more for "Reliance" Leather work than many charge for inferior grades. If something cheaper is wanted. buy our "Oakdale" No. 1 Natural Grain stock---we are quoting this at special low figure5~ The "Oakdale" quality is fully equal to the average market best. Some manufacturers of Leather Furniture use Grain Leather for the wearing surface and "Split" or "Deep Buff" for bands; backs and trimmings. We condemn this practice . ---we use no "Split" Leather--no "Deep Buff"---nothing but Natural Grain stock. BIG CATALOG SENT TO DEALERS UPON APPUCATION. JAMESTOWN LOUNGE COMPANY JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK The Line That Caught Them All I GREATER THAN EVER I POSSELIliS' PERfECT PATTERNS DID THE BUSINESS. NEW CATALOGUF. IN PRESS. Posselius Bros. Furniture Mfg. Co., Detroit, Mich. The Safe Side is the Right Side THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE REFRIGERATOR TRADE IS FILLED BY THE BELDING-HALL MANUFACTURING co. MANUFACTURERS OF REFRIGERATORS THAT CONTAIN ALL THE GOOD POINTS -IN-REFRIGERA TORS THREE GREAT FACTORIES CAPACITY,80,000 Per Annum WRITE FOR OUR CATALOGUES INVESTIGATE OUR QUARTER SAWED CASES saUD· QUARTERED OAK The Belding - Hall Manufacturing Co. BELDING, MICHIGAN BRANCH OFFICES---213 Canal Street, NEW YORK; 196 Monroe Street, CHICAGO. 1 -----------------------_ ..._---- 2 Beautiful Bedroom Suites In our new catalogue we are showing a number of beautiful bedroom suites. With our enormous variety of styles and designs, (for example, one dresser case is provided with seven different styles of mirror, and each is made up in four different finishes, making a total of 28 different designs to choose from), it is very easy to make up bedroom suites to please any and every customer that might come into your store. Our new catalogue is now ready showing hundreds and even thousands of hand-some and new designs. We have more white and birdseye maple than any other manufacturer in the United States. No one else can give you the splendid grading of price that we offer, from the lowest to the highest. Elegant simplicity is the popular rage in furniture this year. We have always been leaders in high grade simplicity, and now we are enjoying a total business far in excess of that done by anyone of our competitors. You had better gel fm",har wilh our new linejusl as quick as possible There is money in ilforyou. Send for our NEW CATALOGUE. Northern Furniture Company SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN 2 7th Year-No. 16. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., FEBRUARY 25, 1907. LONDON FURNITURE MAKERS Talk With Two ons of Harris Lebus Who Are an an Amer-ican Pleasure Trip. Louis H. and Herman A. Lebus who, with their father Harris Lebus OVVll and manage the largest furniture factory in the world, located in London, Eng., are making a tour of the United States and Canada. They came over during the first 'week in February and were in Grand Rapids, lvIich. for a few days during the past week. They will visit Chicago, Mil-waukee, 51. Panl, 1'1inneapolis and vVinnipcg and then go west to the coast and return east through the southern states. This is not their first visit to America and they do not expect it to be their last. They aTe sharp, keen obser-vers, aTe not at all backward in the matter of asking ques-tions and declare that their travels in this 'country have pro-ved beneficial in a business way; hence they are not in a hurry hut propose to take the time necessary to see anything that is \vorth seeing as Herman 1\. Lebus put it. "V\'e are here for pleasure rather than for husiness;'"' said Louis H. Lebus, '·'Of course we find pleasure in looking through your factories, observing your methods and inspect-ing the products, but we do not expect to give much atten-tion to business. \Ne did not gct over in time to visit the furniture expositions, but we expect to see some of the best displays in the factories. 1,Ve hal,."e nothing like a regular sales season on our sille. It is all the year with us, though we ship more in some months than in others. V/ e have no organizations of manufacturers-no combinations as you have here-and witbout uoitc.d action an exposition would not be successful. \Ve do not need an exposition to introduce new styles-designs are not changed so often as they are here. "Business has been quite good with us for several years. The people of England are quite prosperous and business of all kinds is good an<l steady. "Yes, we have a large factory. Americans who have visited us say that it is the largest in the world. It is surely larger than any other furniture factory in Europe and if there is anything larger on this side you ought to know about it. '''vVe have about 2,500hallds and 'we make all kinds and styles of furniture from the cheapest to the most expensive and from little chairs to roll top d.esks, parlor and chamber suites. Our methods are quite different from yours in both construction and finish. 'ATe use the best machinery that 'we cari find and I think we have some machines that are hetter than anything T have seen on this side. "There has been no material change in the cost of labor or material with us in the past year and we have made no advance in our prices recently:" "vVe are going all over the country," said Herman A. Lebus. "That may mean a long trip, but if we keep up with your people here it will soon be over. Your people here move quickly-always rushing. '{OUr business men are $1.00 per Year. quick. They could not do things in their way in England but it seems to be easy here. Everyone seems to have what you call a 'cinch' on l1is business here while on our side it is a struggle for everybody." The Lebus brothers are accompanied by a friend, Edgar D. Rosewall, who is not interested in the furniture business, but as it is his flrst trip to America, is much interested in the great country and its people. Radical Regulation of Corporations. The· legislature of North Carolina has under consider-tion a most drastic measure for the control of corporations. It forbids corporations to pay more than six per cent. div-idends, giving the state the right to sue for and turn· into the treasury all earnings over this percentage, and of all the sur-p'lus retained by corporations. A corporation commission is to fix the salaries of the officers of public serdce corpor-ations, and no dividends or interest is permitted to be paid except from net earnings. The two-cent passenger rate rule is not tb be confined to states cast of the Mississippi river. A bill fixing the two-cent rate on all main lines in 1.fissouri has passed both houses of the legislature and the governor has signed it. Judging from Ohio's experience 1l,'1issouriroads may now expect an increase in passenger earnings. THE CORRECT Stains and fillers. THE MOST SATISFACTORY first Coaters and Varnishes CHICAGOAwooIiCi=iNIStIlNu CD. 259·63 ELSTON AVE"'2·16 SLOAN ST, CH I CAe D. 4 Short Credits .Favored in Scotland. Reporting on, the matter of mercantile credits, Rufus Fleming, American Consul at Edinburgh, Scotland, says: "Each year extends and confirms the thirty-day credit rule in the domestic trade of British industries and wholesale houses. Manufactureres and exporters on the continent of Europe doing business here arc also conforming to the gen-era" lly accepted system. It .is nbt so much a restriction of credit as an acquiescence in the common wish of dealers them-selves. On the part of most dealers longer credit is neither required nor favored. In fact there are few established firms that do not pay cash for wares and merchandise on thirty-day bills or accounts if they thereby get the benefit of even a fraction of one per cent discount. Some leading firms buying large quantities of goods abroad deal through their own agents, the discount for cash paying the agents' commissions. "Speaking of this part of Scotland only-although con-ditions are probably much the same in all sections-I find that prominent business men take the view that the object of trade credits is fully served (except in special cases) when fat children was one of the fine and beautiful traits in his character, says St. Nicholas. He was never known to be unkind to a child. He often inconvenienced himself that he might oblige children and ·give them pleasure. Many of Longfellow's most popular poems are founded on real events, real places and real things. His "village blacksmith" was a real man in Cambridge, and the "spreading chestnut tree" under which his smithy stood was a very fine and old one that Longfellow loved, ,for he was a great lover of trees. \~rhen the street in C:;lmbridge in which the "spreading chestnut tree" stood was about, to be widened by the city, Longfellow protested ,to the utmost against its being cut down. His protest, however, did not keep it from being felled, much to the regret of Longfellow. Then some good friends of his had a "happy thought." It occu,rred to them that it would be a pleasant thing if the children would have a chair made of some of the wood of the old chestnut tree and make a present of it to Mr. Longfellow on his ap-proaching seventy-second birthday. The children of Cam-bridge fell in very heartily with the idea and nearly 1000 of them gave ten cents each,to pay for having the chair made, A Talty Modern Interior. the period covers the delivery of the goods. A longer term offers a temptation to the purchaser to pay interest on the money value of the goods, thereby reducing his profits. The advantages of short credits-the lowest prices and also the best opportunities for the future-are lost in proportion as length of credit may create a sense of obligation for a favor. The average Scottish business man esteems above everything else his independence in business matters, and therefore dis-likes above everything else the fetters of favors received. He wishes to discharge any obligations with the least pos-sible delay, to feel free to deal with whom he chooses, and to secure the best bargains obtainable. What specially com-mends the short-credit system to the trading community as a whole is that it simplifies business and reduces to the min-imum the friction in the machinery of trade." Longfellow's Arm Chair. The one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Long-fellow, which occurs on the 27th of this month, will remind many men and women of a de"lightful event in the poet's life -an event in which these men and women had a part when they were children in Cambridge. The great poet's love and it is a very handsome chair indeed. It was designed by the poet's nephew. The wood was ebonized 50 that it was a dead black. The presenting of the chair was what the children always enjoy, a "surprise present." Mr. Long-fellow did not know anything about it until he found the gift in his study on the morning of the 27th of February, in the year 1879, and as that was twenty-eight years ago, the boys and girls who gave their dimes for the chair are now men and women. Railroad Receiver Starts Important Suits. Judge Harmon of Cincinnati, as receiver for the Pere Marquette and the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railroads has started proceedings in the federal courts that may go, far to solve the car shortage problem, by determining the extent to which a railroad may use or detain cars belonging to other roads. He has brought, suit against several lines that he alleges have been iHegatly using a number of the cars of the two roads in his charge. Either an accounting of profit derived from using the cars or damages for loss of business due to their detention will be asked. 5 NEW IDEA IN FURNITURE DISPLAY FORT SMITH ARKANSAS Overcomes Long Experienced Difficulty in DISPLAY of FURNITURE. A $4,000 to $7,000 Stockcan be dis~ played in a room 25x 100 feet so that Every Piece of Sample Stock will be in plain view, not obstructed . from view by other pieces. Plan also provides for considerable Storage room in same building. Stock Presents a Most Attractive Appearance from any part of Store. For full de~ scription and Storage arrangement, with photograph, send $1.00 to W. A. WILLIS FURNITURE AND CARPET CO. 6 FURNITURE FRAUDS. Tricks in Trade Practiced by Sharpers Who Trap the Unwary Bargain Hunter. One day there came into the warerooms of a furniture manufacturing establishment in an Eastern city a man who asked to see parlor-suite frames, and, having been shown them, selected a cheap set and inquired the price of it made up in showy, inexpensive covering and stuffed with hay. The surprised salesman never had received such an order before, but, there being no good reason Why he should not fill it if the customer so desired, he named a price, which, after S0mc haggling, was accepted and the bargain closed. The suite was duly finished and sent C. O. D. to a vacam house in a good quarter of the city, where it was received by the buyer in person and paid for. It was not till several weeks later, and by accident then, that the furniture firm dis-covered just what the purchaser was up to. It seemed that he was in t~e habit of hiring fm a few days unoccupied houses in respectable localities, stocking them hurriedly with trashy but outwardly attractive furnishings, and. then advertising a forced sale of them at an enormous sacrifice on the repre- "Did you get your money?" asked the suspicious husband, when the glowing recital was finished. "N 0, not yet-except a dollar for that old broken table that stood in the corner of the sitting-room; he took that with him and said he would call for the other things later and pay then." Ah, I se,e," commented the suddenly-enlightened man of the house; "very much later it will be, I think you'll find." His surmise was correct. The broken table was a gen-uine antique and, with a little repairing, could probably be sold for twenty dollars or more; the other articles were al-most absolutely valuel'ess except as firewood; and it is need-less to add that the wily dealer, having secured the only ....ein that trusting dame's collection, entirely omitted to cdrI for the trash he had pretended to buy at such generous prices. Would Waste No Space. Operating and traffic officials of the western railroads are of the opinion that the climax of unreasonableness has been reached when strenuous objection is made by shippers MADE BY CENTURY FURNITURE CO.. GRAND RAPlDS, MICH. sematiOl1 that L1leowner either died ur had been ohliged to leave town suddenly, or that for some other irnperatinc rea-son the contents of the bouse must he disposed of at once quite regardless of cost. It is hardly nccessary to say that the buyer "was the victim of the "sacrifice." Another easy game, played some time ago on the too-credulous housewives in a certain surburban community, though not financially serious in its consequences, was rather humiliating to the victims. The example more immediately under notice is this: One evening, when the man of the house returned from his daily grind in the city, he was greet-ed by his wife with a radiant face and the glad announcement that she had sold all "that old furniture that had been cum-bering up the attic for years-and at perfectly splendid prices, too:' It appeared that an itinerant dealer had called at the door and asked if they had any old furniture they would like to sell. As there happened to be in the house considerable lumber of that description she had invited him in and had sold it to him. With astonishing readiness he had bought two bedsteads at five dollars each, and a dozen cane-seated chairs at two "dollars. to their in~i';ling that all shippers, in order to be entitled to carload rate,;, ,;hould be obliged to Jil! the cars furnished for their use to normal holding capacity. Tn times like th(:sc, when there is a car scnrcity from -:\lainc to Oregon ;[lld from Texas to I\.finnesota, anJ the whole country is suffering from 1::tck of facilities to movc their business, the railroad men declnre it is preposterous that they should be expected, much less required, to a11O\vany of their space to be ruthlessly wasted for the benetlt of a small proportion of the shipping public and at the expense of the great ma-jority of shippers. The officials declare that to allow shippers carload rates when cars are only partially filled, even 'when the maximum weight is put in, would be a direct violation of the spirit of the Hepburn act, which is opposed to discrimination of any kind. If the claims of the few small shippers alluded to were to be conceded, they say, it would be a gross discrim-imttion against the great body of shippers. In justice to all concerned it is declared necessary that cars should be filled to normal holding capacity, and shippers who cannot thus load them are in no sense entitled to car rates. THE GREATEST LINE of the GREATEST MANUFACTURERS OF _. CHAMBER FURNITURE Every Dealer Wants It Because Everybody Buys It. SLIGH FURNITURE COMPANY, Grand Rapids, Mich. Manufacturers of BEDROOM FURNITURE EXCLUSIVELY. New Spring Line ready. We operate the largest factory in the world producing chamber furniture. The Ford & Johnson Company "EVERYTHING IN CHAIRS" When in Chicago do not fail to see our immense display at our salesrooms, 1435-37 Wabash Ave. Many new patterns. IOGel Solid Mahogany. ==== SEE OUR ==== Complete Dining Room Suites--Oak and Solid Mahogany. Chairs and Roekers--All Kinds. Mission Furniture~~AllFinishes. Children's Go-Carls and Carriages. Reed and Rattan Rockers. Fibre Rush and Malaeea--The Ideal Furniture. ===GENERAL OFFICES === Sixteenth St. and Indiana Ave., Chicago. . SALESROOMS~~ CHICAGO BOSTON, MASS. ATLANTA. GA. 1433-3S-H Waba~h Ave. 90 Canal 51. Marietta and Bartow Sb. NEW YORK 202 Canal St. CINCINNATI. O. FRANKFORT, KY. 47 E. Sixlh St. l06C7 Solid Mahoa-Bay. 8 ESTABLISHED 1880 ~i'?~ , ~ ~ I I \ \ J " I , :if"'"' ,\ ~"§v~ ~~~'-~~ pua"ISHEO BY MICHIGAN ARTISAN CO. ON THE 10TH AND 25TH OF e:ACH MONTH O~P'ICe:-2-20 LYON ST•• GRAND RAPIOS, MICH. ENTERED AS MATHR OF THE SECOMD CLASS The mail order problem seems to be solving itself. Mer-chants are finding ways to meet competition with the cat-alogue houses and the people are discovering that it does not pay to send their money away from home. Many merchants have suffered more or less from the competition with the mail order houses but their experience has been beneficial It has sparred them to greater efforts, to the adoption of better methods, caused them to wake up and improve their opportunities and advantages, until most of them have lost all fear of mail order competition and very few are really losing trade in that direction. As now seen the mail order scare appears to have been a clear case of borrowing trouble on the part of country and small town merchants. It was very much like the department store scare of twenty or twenty~five years ago when, it will be remembered, many merchants imagined that their business would. be ruined un-less they could find means to stop or control the growth of the department institutions. The department stores, how-ever, continued to increase and multiply until now every town of any considerable. importance has one or more and their existence is hardly considered a menace by the straight deal-ers. The mail order problem will soon be considered as of no more importance than the department stores and it is prob-able that the danger to retail merchants from the proposed parcels post will prove to be largely imaginary. Experience has shown that the wide awake retail merchants-men who understand their business, are energetic, enterprising and up-to-date in their methodS-have little to fear from legiti-mate competition of any sort. Dishonest, unfair or illegit-imate competition may bother them at times but it can not Jive long enough to cause permanent injury to merchants who deserve the confidence and patronage of the peop'le. An examination of the 1800 page catalogue of a great mail order house revealed the fact that only a comparatively small number of pages were used in offering furniture for sale. The "..stuff" illustrated and described was low grade work-low in design as well as in price. Anyone acquainted with the goods made in Grand Rapids, Rockford, Chicago or other manufacturing centers of importance would declare at a glance that the stuff illustrated was of faulty construc-tion and not in any respect like the product of the factories in the cities n.amed. The Grand Rapids, the Rockford and the Chicago "expression" was lacking. Regular single line dealers should not fear such competition. By handling a better class of goods they can rise far above the level of the mail order houses and in a short time forget that the mail order houses handle furniture at alL Charles Stedman Hanks, of Brookline, who has been making a study of the nation's corporations in Washington for the last year and a half, estimates that twenty~five per cent of the business wealth of the country is !lOW under corporate control. Mr. Hanks also agrees with the statement recently put forth by another economist, that seven-eighths of the country's wealth, seven hundred billions, is owned by less than one per cent. of the population. The alarming rIFt.T I >5' ..7U'l t 2"· significance of this condition df affairs is not so much in the present ratio as it is in the fact that the proportion of wealth owned by the -few is rapidly increasing. Twenty years ago it was estimated that ten per cent of the population con-trolled only three-quarters of the wealth of the country. Some retail furniture dealers are disposed to grumble because the hardware men are handling kitchen cabinets, which until recently have been sold only in the furniture stores. The kitchen cabinet business seems to have been overdone. It is probable that the action of the hardware men is due largely to importunities from the manufacturers of kitchen cabinets who have found difficulty in disposing of their output. The furniture dealers have little caus.e for complaint, however. The hardware men are only getting even for loss of refrigerator trade. A few years ago refrig-erators were sold almost exclusively in hardware stores. Now it is ~stimated that the furniture dealers sell at least twenty-five per cent of the refrigerators and they still hold a consid· erable share of the kitchen cabinet trade. Can it be that marble is chea?er for table and dresser tops than lumber? One of the large corporations engaged in the business of making furniture in Grand Rapids, is using considerable Tennessee marble for the purpose stated. Twenty-five years ago no fine or medium priced work cou'ld be marketed without tops of marble. While the brown and pink slabs from the mountains of Tennessee were be<].utiful to the eye they were cold to the touch and lost favor in the estimation of the public. Why the slabs should be again in demand can not be accounted for unless their cost is less than figured lumber. What's the matter with Chicago people anyway? They have had their automobile show and their horse show re-cently with other attractions intended to induce people to visit the city but the merchants do not seem to be satisfied with the winter's business. They have now arranged a "bargain week," beginning March 10. If that does not prove successfu1 they should borrow a street carnival company from some of the country towns. Operators of furniture factories in the flood districts ha ve fully recovered from the damage done by the winter freshet in Grand Rapids, and abandoning the basements and in several instances the attached buildings of plants, have placed their property beyond the power of the river to do further injury. The machinery of one entire floor in a large I factor}' was taken out of a basement permanently. Some of the fire insurance managers are borrowing trouble over the operations of the pure food law. They fear that it will make some factories useless or unprofitable and thus increase their tendency to burn easily. Well, "it's an ill wind," etc. What injures the fire insurance men should ben-efit the "lifers." If theories are correct the pure food law will lengthen the lives of many men. The new clerk may make himself unpleasant at times by comparing your stock with that of his former elnp!oyer. This is not an unmixed evil. Perhaps the other fellow has a good line of goods, and possibly his arrangement may be superior in some particulars to your own. You can ~tal1d for the comparison if you can learn anything. lErch properly stained makes a good imitation of Cir-cassi~ l.llwalnut. Few can discover the deception. In view of tqe rapidly increasing demand for goods manufactured of Circasaian walnut, there was created an opening for the stain' maker of which he was quick to take advantage. BUCHANAN CABINET CO. :BUCHANAN, MICHICAN NO. 132 KITCHEN CABINET. Say you saw this Ad in the Michigan A'rtisun. Send for our New Catalogue of SIDE· BOARDS KITCHEN CABI-NETS HOUSE DESKS THE LI N E 0 F MONEY MAKERS -,.,- the Merchants 9 PATENTED JULY 29, 1902. The Best FASTENER for Five Legged Tables Write for Prices and .Information. -10- Invincible Table Fastener Co., Shelbyville. Indiana. The Luce Furniture Co. INVITES ATTENTION TO ITS LARGE LINE OF Bed Room and Dining Room Furniture. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Salesroom at Factory Only. 10 ~MI9«HIG~N $ VARIOUS MATTERS. E. M. Hulse, president of the E. M. Hulse Company, although still young in appearance and just over the line dividing youth and age, has had a long and varied exper-ience in the furniture business. He has passed through trials that sap the energy of most men, and came out, like the individual sung about in the comic opera, years ago-he "bobbed up serenely" in every instance. No man in the trade has tested the value of the trade papers as a means for drawing business morc thoroughly than he, and his decision is that the trade mediums are useful and valuable. Certain journals he esteems morc highly than others, asa matter of course. A few years ago he engaged space in all the trade papers, taking a page in each, and offering one dollar for every coupon which formed a part of the advertisement, returned to his office. The main attraction was a very g"ood Turkish rocker, in leather, for $25.00. It was illustrated, described and guaranteed as to value. In printing the ad-vertisement an error occurred in the price of the rocker in one of the trade papers employed by Mr. Hulse. His feel-ings upen reading the offending publication in which the $25.00 rocker was offered for $15.00, can he more easily im-agined than described, and when the stenographer was called into Mr. Hulse's office the very atmosphere was filled with resentment. In brief, yet pointed language Mr. Hulse in-formed the publisher that he would fiU every order for rockers sold through the medium of the journal for $15,00 and would look to the publisher to make good the difference. Many orders were taken on account of the advertisement in the other trade papers, but not one ever reached his office for a rocker for $15.00. Mr. Hulse was dumbfounded, and when lie recalls the incident he is inclined to go into a dumb-founding mood. "Every man has a hobby," remarked an eminent min-ister of the gospel. When asked to name the particular hobby under wf:lich he labored, he replied, "A single-jointed stove pipe hat." The minister in question was seldom seen without a shining head piece. D. W. Kendall's hobby is painting; he has an "annex" to his particular affectation, however; it is playing the fiddle. F6rmerly it was a bull dog. William Widdicomb likes to. make speeches before assemblages of business men. He acquired this hobby in the commOn council many years ago. His remarks are never dull or without interest. A good horse delights John Mowatt. He is never without a fine roadster. E. H. Foote seems to give most of his time and thoughts outside of ·his business to the Michigan Soldiers' Home-a hobby he is proud of. A plantation on the' island of Cuba, is the source of pride for John D. Case, while John Shanahan delights in sailing a naptha launch. David E. Uhl is too busy to give much time to a hobby, but a good horse pleases him as much as anything. W. H. Gay, Ralph Tietsort, "Rob" Irwin, Mi- ·ner S. Keele, W. A. Gunn and John R. Shelton dote on automobiling while A. W. Hompe would rather sail a fast single sticker than sign a check for a million. His business associates, Messrs. Irwin and Tietsort would leave their automobiles standing in the road if Mr. Hampe should bear down upon them under the power of a stiff breeze. The manufacturers at Jamestown, N. Y., are fully sup-plied with hobbies. Charles W. Herrick, of the Maddox TOLbleCompany finds rest and recreation (the term is used advisedly) in the study of finance. Probahly no man outside of Wall street, in the greac Empire state, has stowed away in his brain as much ir.tormation as he regarding stock cor-porationsand securitit:s. He reads prominent newspapers devoted to finance, the letters of Henry Clews, Holden and other monetary authorities. He is an official of a prosper-ous bank and a director in several corporations, but having entered a banking house when a boy his mind naturally 7fRe T I.s ..7I.2'I =e clings to the influences of his earlier employment. A beau-tiful summer home on Lake Chautauqua and the new home he bas under construction in Jamestown call for the full em-ployment of his mental and physical energies. A story is told of a farmer who aroused his son at four a. m., and direct-ed him to feed the horses, milk fourteen cows, split a cord of wood, sho.vel the snow out of the paths, build the' fires, feed the chickens and the hogs, and while resting before breakfast, to peel the potatoes, grind the coffee and bring water from tbe well. Like the farmer's son Mr. Herrick is the busiest "rester" in Chautauqua COUIlty~ "Tom" Crane knows the history of every actor worth mentioning since the days of Shakspeare; Frank O. Ander-son is a skilled navigator; L. C. Stewart smilingly acknowl-edges that his week old daughter is a good enough "hobby," wbile Mr. Corne"ll of the Jamestown Lounge Company fairly "gloats" over beautiful painting. W. J. Maddox, of the Maddox Table .Company has a hobby which he employs in promoting the business of his company. His "mad ox" is known to everyone in the trade. A few months ago be con-ceived the idea that a large white ox in action could be made useful, but was unable to find any among his large force of carvers, who were able to execute the animal in wood. Finally his brother, J. W. Maddox, undertook tbe task and turned' out a very good specimen of an ox in pine. It attracted much attention at the late exposition at Grand Rapids. Mr. MaddOX decided to have the specimen .repro-duced in a smaller size in plaster and called in an artist from sunny Italy to make a mold. Many attempts resulted in failure, the curling tail of the imitation animal breaking off, repeatedly. Finally, Mr. Maddox suggested that wire be used to support the tail, when the efforts of the artist were successful, and a considerable number of casts were made. The artistic spirit of tbe Italian conceive·J tbe idea that an ox could not be enraged without an object to excite his resentment, so he brought to Mr. Maddox various casts to supply the deficiency. A girl in a red skirt was suggested and rejected. An ugly looking Turk followed -and finally a crocodile was presented but all were rejected by th~ exacting Mr. Maddox. The artist is still busy with bis brain and hands, and promises to exbaust the animal kingdom in an effort to please his employer. RemOTe. Shipping Mark." Marst Scratcbest Staina. Clean8t Fills in and PoUsbes. 11 ALL PROSPEROUS. Notes and News From a Few of Michigan's Furniture Factories. The Lentz Table Company of Nashville, 1tIich., had a great business in 1906-the largest in the history of the com-pany. During the last year they made many improvements and cnlargernents, and in addition to largely increasing their sales they have steadily kept in view the making of higher grade goods, and eliminating as far as possible the cheaper lines. This has been a wise move, for while the averag"c price is higher the quality of the goods more than makes up for the difference in price, and every dealer realizes that when he puts a Lentz dining extension table on his floor he is prepared to show his customer an article that he can guarantee to be without a superior in its grade. Lentz ta-bles always sell well; the value is there-materials, style, workmanship and finish. Good stuff. Sturgis. The Sturgis furniture factories, five in number, are all busy and prosperous. Sturgis is rapidly becoming one of the most important manufacturing cities in Southern Mich-igan, and prospects are bright for several more factories locating here this year. The Royal Chair Company has recently fitted up a new set of offices and made other important improvements. The past year was the most successful in the history of the company, and Mr. \Valton, the manager, is pushing business with such energy and skill that every month sees a steady gain. The Royal and Regal Morris chairs have become fa-mous all over the land, and the merchant who does not handle them is missing one of the best selling lines in the market. The Stebbins Manufacturing Company although the latest addition to the furniture industries of Sturgis, is one of the most prosperous, and thc growth of the business is something extraordinary. The line of parlor and library tables made by this company js onc of the best on the market. The \Vallick Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of refrigerators and kitchen cabinets, are enjoying a fine trade. Business seems to grow with this house every month in the year. Alusbrook & Sturges, the oldest furniture manufacturing company in Sturgis, is pursuing the even tenor of its way, SHELBYVILLE DESK CO. MANUFACTURERS OF OFFICE DESKS Mahogany. and Imitation Qyartered Oak. Plain Oak in Three Grades. SPECIAL FEATURES A SQUARE DEAL Write for lotnt Catalogue. SHELBYVILLE, IND. manufacturing an excellent line of medium priced chamber furniture, sideboards and buffets. The Grobhiscr & Crosby Furniture Company, is one of the largest in the manufacture of dining extension, parlor, library and office tables. Buchanan. Once in a while a fire proves to be a blessing in dis-guise. This seems to have been the ease with the Buchanan Cabinc1 Company. Last year fire completely destroyed the main factory, and now in its place they have a fine brick building with more than twice the capacity of the old onc. Ke.v engine house and dry kilns, a side track to the shipping house door, the boiler room, dry kilns and lumber yards, a new 150 horse power Corliss engine, new machinery through-out and a larger business than ever before. The plant pre-sents an air of prosperity calculated to make one congratu-late Albert Richards the manager, and all the stockholders. The line is made up of sideboards, kitchen cabinets, house desks, book cases and sewing tables. Its a good medium priced line and trade is fine. Hastings. Hastings is the county seat of Barry county, one of the most prosperous agricultural counties in Michigan. It is a thriving little city, with numerous manufacturing concerns, among them four furniture factories, the Tyden Car Seat Company and the Hastings \Vool Boot Company. The fur-niture companies are the Hastings Cabinet Company, man-ufacturers of kitchen cabinets; the Hastings Table Company, dining extension tables.; the Grand Rapids Bookcase Com-pany, bookcases, china closets, buffets and serving tables; and the Barber Bros. Chair Company, manufacturers of high grade dining chairs, rockers, etc, The Table Company, the Bookcase Company and the Chair Company have gone into a combination scheme for making dining room sets to rnatch, one furnishing the tables, another the chairs and serving tables. This makes a very nice arrangement, as it enab1es the merchant to purchase complete dining room sets to match in style, wood and finish, and ship in the same car in car lots or open freight, as desired. Hastings furniture has a name for excellance that is as wide as the continent. The Hastings Cabinet Company made a fine. display at the January exhibit in Grand Rapids, and is enjoying a fine business. Their white maple kitchcn cabinets are among the very best made. A new catalogue is ready for mailing. 12 ·§>~MI9,.HIG7}N Evansville, Ind., Feb. l8.-The manufacturers here have voted to discontinue the practice of giving the long time fall datings to customers on all orders for immediate ship-ment. This move has been agitated by certain influential members of the Evansvilte Furniture Manufacturers' Asso-ciation for some time past, owing to the way that some of the retailers have taken advantage of and abused the priv~ iIege, and recently an agreement was circulated and signed by practically all of the factories abolishing the practice. The trade in Texas has been particularly culpable and un-scrupulous in this matter, some of the dealers there going so far as to hold back the manufacturer's money for a whole year, turning it over once and twi.ce i.n the meantime, and with the small margin of profit that is left to the manufac-turer now, he can't afford to a(low anything of that kind or he will find his balance on the wrong side of the ledger at the end of the year. Consequent1y all the Evansville plants have notified their salesmen that in future no datings must be allowed on goods ordered for immediate shipment. \\lhere the purchaser leaves the shipping date to the dis-cretion of the factory, and they choose to ship the goods early to get thcm out of their warehouses, then the dating is given same as formerly. All the factories here that were closed down during January either for invoicing or to make some much-needed repairs have resumed operations again. All the plants have plenty of orders and everything looks bright for a cracking good year. The Fellwock Automobile & Manufacturing Company is now the name of what was formerly the Feltwock Roll & Panel Company. P. B. Fellwock of the Bockstege Fur-niture Company and his brother who has been running the roll and panel works since he was put in charge of the Bock-stege plant, have bought out all the other stockholders and have changed the name as above. The new concern will manufacture rolls exclusively and is the biggest exclusive r01'l manufacturing plant in the country. A. F. Karges of the Karges Furniture Company who is the guiding hand of the Karges-Globe-Bockstege inter-ests, is one of the most prominent men in the furniture business in Evansville. Like most men who have risen several rounds higher on life's ladder than most of his fellows, ~Jr. Karges is averse to talking for publication. When approach-ed by your correspondent, he at first said that the only thing he cared to say was that his plant had recently issued a handsome new catalogue.. Asked if he thought that bus-iness the coming year would equal that of the year just closed, Mr. Karges said: "I see no reason why business during the· first six months of 1907 should not be fully as big as that of last year. Further than that I would not like to make a prediction, for conditions in the business world are altogether too uncertain for any man to set himself as a prophet, and furthermore, the state of affairs in Texas has a large bearing on the trade of most of Evansville's fac-tories, and until the cotton crop is gathered no man can tell what Texas will do. However, money seems to be plen-tiful throughout the south and west, crops are good and are bringing good prices, and unless something untoward should occur, I believe we will enjoy another year of undiminished prosperity." "Ben" Bosse, of the Globe Furniture Company has re-turned from a visit to \Vashington, D. C. Mrs. Bosse was with him, and they had a most enjoyable visit. The Globe Company have prepared an entirely new line for this year, and their new catalogue, just off the press, shows some de-signs that certainly ought to catch the dealers' eyes and their orders. They build sideboards, buffets, chamber suites, odd dressers, chiffoniers, cupboards, kitchen safes, etc., that are unexcelled. Evansville now has a triumvirate of salesmen on its floor-the third-at the exposition building at Fourteenth and Locust streets, St. Louis. Proctor Shelby has joined Vining and Wilson, and the three ought to send in many a good order for the coming year. The United States Furniture Company find -that they can't turrt out ladies' desks, library tables and mantel and upright folding beds fast enough in their present quarters. They are building a three-story addition to their plant at a cost of about $4,000 and when it is completed they will use it for finishing and warerooms and will devote the floor space in the main building which was formerly occupied by these departments to the installation of several new ma-chines. Old Rebate Claims Are Dead. The interstate commerce commission has announced that it will not authorize the payment by railroads of rebates and claims for overcharges previous to January 1, 1907, the date on which the anti-rebate law became effective. This was in response of an appeal from Mr. King, traffic manager of the Alton, and -Mr. Boyd, traffic manager of the Chicago board, who explained that a large number of claims originating before the date named the railroads hesitated to pay without' specific authority from the commission. CANADIAN FACTORY. WALKERVILl.E ONTARiO CHICAGO, CINCINNATI, ST. LOUIS, SAN FRANCIScO. BERRY BROTHERS' Rubbing and Polishing Varnishes MUST BE USED IN FURNITURE WORK TO BE APPRECIATED THEY SETTLE THE VARNISH QUESTION WHEREVER TRIED WRITE TODAY FOR INFORMATION AND PRICES. FINISHED SAMPLES ON REQUEST. BERRY BROTHERS, LIMITED VARNISH MANUFACTURERS DETROIT NEW YORK, BOSTON, PHILADELPHIA, BALTIMORE:. Our Oak and Mahogany DINING EXTENSION TABLES Are Best Made, Best Finished Values. All Made from Thoroughly Seasoned Stock. No. 506 Dining Table Top 44X44. Made in ~arter-ed Oak. Full Polished. Castered. LENTZ TABLE CO. NASHVILLE, - - MICHIGAN No. 506 Dlnlng Table. All Kinch of BASKET WARE MADE TO ORDER Please Send for Catalogue and Prices FOR WILLOW and RATTAN WARE I manufacture the Fineat Clothes- Hamper or Bedroom Basket IN THE AMERICAN MARKET F. PARTHIER, Manufacturer of Willowand Railan Ware, No. 209 GRAND AVE., CHICAGO, ILLS. "This Tlade Mark Guaranlees I~e besl." No. 526. No. 525. 13 14 FREIGHT RATES FINELY FIGURED. Loss of a Mill per Ton per Mile Would Bankrupt Many Railroads. Addressing the Railway Employes' Transportation Club of Chicago, recently, A. B. Stickney, president of the Chicago Great \Vestern Railway, a man noted for his conservative views, declared that a reduction of freight rates of one mill a ton a mile would wipe out all the dividends earned by the greatest and most prosperous railroads in the country. After quoting figures showing the average rate of interest on bonds and dividends on stocks paid by the leading rail~ ways, Mr. Stickney showed that in 1892, the year of greatest depression, the average rate of interest was 4.23 pcr cent. and the average dividends 1.93 per cent. 1n 1905, the most pras-considerable length the Question of statements to mercantile agencies, and in the course of his decision said: "It has never been decided whether under any circum-stances a false statement contained in a report to a commer-cial agency can be made the ground of successful objection to discharge. The conditions advanced in re Dresser & Co. are entitled to great weight, and in my opinion show that the usual commercial agency report obtained by an agency in order that it may gi\re the merchant a "rating," and for gen-eral distribution among its customers, cannot be made the basis of successful action by an objecting creditor. ';If, ho\vever, such a report as is here shown be obtained from a merchant by a comme;cial agency at the request, dis~ c10sed or undisclosed, of one or more of the agency's cus-tomers it seems to be incredible that the merchant furnish-ing su~h report call be supposed to have given it for any V1EW OF A WELL-DESIGNED INTERIOR. perous year, the average interest rate \vas 3.6:') per cent and the average dividend rate 3.02 per cent. "There is no other business in the country," he said, which is done on so gmall a margin of profit as 3.02 per cellt dividends. No other invested capital gets so small returns as the capital invested in railroads, and the tonnage carried is so large that a reduction of the insignificant amount of half a cent a hundredweight on a lOO-mite haul would deprive the stockholders of railways of all dividends. - "Such a decrease of one mill per ton mile would have substantially the same effect upon all the great lines, and put into bankruptcy most of the minor lines in the competitive territory extending from the Atlanti.c to the Missouri river and from the Gu1f to the Great Lakes." An Important Bankruptcy Decision. A decision that will surely have an important influence in the administration of the federal bankruptcy :law was re-cently handed down in the United States District Court of New York. In the ease in Question a discharge from bank-ruptcy was denied by the judge on the contention of the cred-itors that the bankrupt made a false statement in writing to a mercantile agency on the strength of which these creditors sold him goods, and also that the debtor made a false state-ment in writing to another creditor. The judge discussed at other pUf]lOse than of cn1igbtening those persons \'vho hab-itually deal \vith him on cre,lit as to his true financial con-dition. "It cannot be that a merchant may in bankruptcy avoid the consequences of making false statements by always ma-king them to a commercial ag-ency, even though such agency specially request him to tel! the truth for special purpose." For several years there has been no material decrease in the cost of anything used in making furniture, except alcohol. Years ago grain a1coho'l, used for cutting shellac, etc., cost $2.40 per gallon. Then wood alcohol was intro:" duced and sold at $1.25, gradually decreasing to 90 and finally to 75 cents. Kow, as a result of the law removing the tax on alcohol not used as a beverage, manufacturers get the denatured article at H5 cents per gallon, and it is predicted that if regulations can be made that will allow the farmers to make the stuff the .price will go down to 25 cents. Of course alcohol forms a very small proportion of the material that goes into a piece of furniture, but the reduction in its COSt will help to offset the advanced cost of other materials and, alcohol at 25 cents per gallon new uses will be found for it that may be of great benefit to the country-it may soon cut a great figure in the cost of heat-ing and lighting. 1 Furniture Dealers need have no more fear. \Vith the use of CHne's Caster Cup one table may be placed on top of another without injury. Made in two sizes in the following fi nishes: Oak, Mahogany and Rosewood. Special prepared feet bottom, preventing sweat marks, scratching, etc. Price: 2)( in. per 100, $3.50, 3% in. per 100. $4.50 Wealso manllfacture the most reliable Card Holder on the market. :: Write for our new 40 pale Catalo_ue. L. Cline Mfg. Co.. 123'W.b~h-Av;;. Chicago WE manufacture the larg-est line of FOLDING CHAIRS in the United States, suitable for Sunday Schools, Halls, Steamers and a.ll Public Resorts. . . . . We also manufacture Brass Trimmed Iron Beds, Spring Beds, Cots and Cribs in a larKe variety. . . . Send for Cllta!o&ue and Price. to Kauffman Mfg. CO. "SOLAND. OOID Morton House American ......Plan Rates $2.50 and Up Hotel Pantlind European ......Plan Rates $1.00 a.nd Up GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. The Noon Dinner Served at the Pantlind for 50c is the FINEST IN THE WORLD J. BOYD PANTLIND. Prop. The New Banquet Table Top III well uOFFICE. DINING and DIRECTORS' TABLES are OU1' specialty. STOW & DAVIS FURNITURE CO.• ~:e'''''' Write for Catalogue, Get samplelof BANQUET TABLE TOP. five Complete Lines of Refrigerators RIG"T PRICES at apalite Lined Enameled Lined Charcoal Filled and Zinc Lined Zinc Lined with Removable Ice Tank Gal ranized Iron Lined Stationary Ice Tank Send fOI" nt:w CATALOGUE and let us name you price Challenge Refrigerator Co. GRAND HAVEN, MICH., U. S. A. 15 16 MERCHANTS WIN FIRST ROUND. Dakota Judge Denies Montgomery Ward & Co's Applica-tion for a Preliminary Injunction. Retail merchants throughout the country have reason to be pleased with the result of the first decision in the case brought by Montgomery vVard & Co. against the Retail Merchants' Association of South Dakota. The matter is of much importance to others than the South Dakota retailers because there is no doubt that if l\'lontgomery ¥lard & Co. could win this case they would start similar proceedings against many other state organizations and also against city and national associations. It is true that the decision of Judge Carland of the Fed-eral court at Sioux Falls, is only preliminary-it simply de-nies the motion for a preliminary injunction-but it is be-lieved to foreshadow the court's views on the merits of the main question, because it contains this declaration: "Where the only object of a suit in equity is a permanent injunction, a temporary injunction will not issue where the court is of the opinion that there is no probability that the complainant will succeed on the merits." Those words surely mean that "Judge Carland is of the opinion that the complainants are not likely to succeed when the case is brought up for final hearing on its merits in ApriL As some of the readers of the Artisan may not-have seen the letters issued by the South Dakota Retail Merchants' Associatioll on which the complaint of Montgomery Ward & Co. is based, that part of Judge Carland's decision in which the letters appear is given here: l'The South Dakota Retail Merchants' Association is a voluntary association organized for the purpose of correct-ing trade abuses, to develop the mercantile profession and to co-operate with other organizations having like objects. The retail dealers held their annual meeting at Mitchell, Jan~ uary 2?, 1906, and soon after said meeting there was with the· consent and knowledge of its principal officers issue-d and sent to a great number of wholesalers and jobbers throughout the United States who were not members of said association the following circular letter:" F. A. Grimm, President. L. S. Tyler, Secretary. THE SOUTH DAKOTA RETAIL MERCHANTS' AND HARDWARE DEALERS' ASSOCIATION. Sioux Falls, S. D., March 1, 1906. The South Dakota Retail ~1erchants in convention as-sembled at Mitchell, S. D., January 23, 24, 25, 1906, expressed strong sentiments and were unanimous on the subject: Re-lating to the selling of merchandise by the jobber and man-ufacturer to the catalogue or mail order houses. That it was unfair treatment on the part of the wholesaler toward the retailer. The retail merchant of South Dakota feels that the cause of the catalogue house has been advanced by the wholesa"ler, inasmuch as the stock of the mail order house is carried by the _wholesaler. The retail merchants have suf-fered. in consequence of this arrangement. Wilt you not act with the. retail merchants? Do you at the present time encourage and help the catalogue house business? \i\Till you not refuse ,to sell -to the mail order house, and will you confine your trade to the legitimate retail dealer? Any suggestion for co-operation' for our mutual inter-ests of both the who"lesaler and retailer we would as a body of merchants be glad to receive aild consider. This letter is endorsed by the_board of directors as above named and sent out under their instructions. Yours truly, L. S. TYLER, Secretary. 71R T I.s .7I.Z'T e 7 e I<That on July 14, 1906, there was issued and sent to the members of said voluntary association a letter in words and figures as follows:" F. A. Grimm, President. L. S. Tyler, Secretary. THE SOUTH DAKOTA RETAIL MERCHANTS' AND HARDWARE DEALERS' ASSOCIATION. Sioux Falls, S. D., July 14, 1906. Dear Sir:-The attached list comprises those, jobbers that refused to answer in any way the letter that was sent out by the Retail Merchants' & Hardware Dealers' Association at your request in March, asking them if they would act with the retail trade and not with the cata!oguehouses. In these houses refusing to answer our "letters and ignor-ing the merchants, through their association, the secretary cannot come to any other conclusion than that they prefer the business of the catalogue houses as against retailers of this state. It would seem that, in the course of business, a jobber that depended on the retail trade for his support might have courtesy enough to reply to a fair question even though he might not be in accord with it and preferred to trade with the catalogue houses. Hang this over your desk for reference. Yours truly, L S. TYLER, Secretary. "It also fairly appears from the evidence that the retail dealers have agreed among themselves that they will not pur-chase merchandise from who'lesalers and jobbers who sell to catalogue or mail order houses. It does not appear, however, that said retail dealers intend to do anything in connection with the matter in controversy different than they have done already." Further quotations from judge Carland's opinion read as follows: "For damage arising from the commission of lawful acts the law affords no remedy. The facts in evidence on this hearing show that the retail dealers have agreed among themselves that they will not purchase merchandise from wholesalers and jobbers who seU to catalogue and mail order houses. That they have corresponded with jobbers and wholesalers stating that the retail dealers were opposed to said wholesalers and jobbers selling to catalogue or mail order houses and have requested the former not to sell to the latter. Are these acts of the retail dealers unlawful? Do they show unfair trade c,ompetition? Is persuasion un-lawful when considered with reference to the facts of this case, or, in other words, is persuasion unfair competition? Upon the answer to these questions depends complainant's right to a temporary injunction. I'That the retail dealers have a lawful right to agree among themselves that they will not purchase merchandise from wholesalers and jobbers who sell to catalogue or mail order houses cannot be denied, and it necessarily follows that they have the right to inform each other as to what whole-salers and jobbers do sell to catalogue or mail order houses. The question in this case is, what may they do in ~ddition to influence the wholesalers and jobbers not to seIt to catalogue houses? I'lt must be conceded that complainant has the right to transact and carryon its business free from intimidation Or coercion. That this is a property right, and that a com-bination to interfere with this right otherwise than in fair competition must show justification. "The American cases, however, when carefully consid-ered, show that the great weight of authority in the United States is in favor of the proposition that it is not unfair com-petition, intimidation or coercion for a combination to inter-fere with this right by persuasion or any peaceable means. "It thus appears that the retail dealers have done nothing nor threaten to do anything which is actionable." Inset Ranney Refrigerators and Kitchen Cabinets are shown during the WINTER FURNITURE EXPOSITIONS -at - CHICAGO ManufactureR' Exhibition Buildinll, 1319 MichigaD Ave., Fim Floor. NEW YORK Furniture Exchange, 43d and Lexinatoo. A full line of samplesat each ex~ position and com-petent salesmen in charge. THE BEST MEDIUM and HIGH PRICED REFRIGERA-TORS on the Market. SEE THE SEVEN LINES LAPLAND CHIEF, OAK, THe Lined. CHARTER OAK. ENAMELED. ASH. Whi'e Ennmel on Galvanized hon. LAPLAND. OAK. Galvanized Iron Lined. MONITOR, ASH. Galvanized Iron Lined. CHARTER OAK, ASH, Galvanized Iron Lined. Ail with metal Ice Racks, Adju&able Shelves.Self ClosingDoors, Removable Ice Chambers, and other improvements MASCOT, HARDWOOD. Galvanized Iron Lined. RADIUM, HARDWOOD, Galvanized Iron Lined. Ranney Refrigerator Company, aHnOdMFEACOTOFFRIICEESS. GreenVaIlle, Mic[n. CATALOGUES FURNISHED ON APPLICATION TO THE HOME OFFICE. Inset GRAND RAPIDS UPHOLSTERING CO. Davenports, Odd Chairs, Library Furniture, Sofa Beds, Overstuffed Leather Goods. Get our PICTURES and PRICES-then the GOODS-and you'll put MONEYin your 'bank. GRAND RAPIDS UPHOLSTERING CO.,Grand Rapids, Mich. Say y~u saw thir in the MICHIGAN ARTISAN. JOHNSON CHAIR COMPANY CHICAGO, ILLINOIS We manufacture as complete a line of OFFICE, DINING, LIBRARY and BEDROOM CHAIRS AS ANYONE IN 'THIS COUN'TR r G.atalogue to the :rrade. EXHIBIT: Furniture Exhibition Building, 1411 Michigan Avenue. GOOD RAILROAD POLICY. President Finley of the Southern Outlines Duties of Freight and Passenger Agents. \V. \V. Finley who succeeds the late Samuel Spencer as president of the Southern Railway, while addressing a meeting of 150 freight and passenger agents in Atlanta, recently, expressed ideas that may seem new to many patrons of railroads who have had more or less aggra vating exper~ ience in dealing with agents. President Finley urged em-ployes to build up erfLcient transportation facilities, and de-clared that the railroad, as an institution, must he fair to the people. He said: "Your duties arc two-fold. 'lOll mve duties to the railway company by which you are employed and you owe duties to the public.' These double duties do not in any way result in conflict or divided allegiance, for he serves the railway best who serves the public best. The policies of the railway are formulated and mapped out by the general officers, but 17 officer, but the: damage done to the reputation of the road cannot be remedied. Questions that seem to you to be trivial may be considered of importance by the person ask-ing them, and they should be answered with patience and courtesy." Reductions in Western Freigpt Rates. Several reductions in freight rates in favor of Denver have been made by the western classificition committee. The rate on unmanufactured tobacco from the Mississippi river to Denver in carload lots is reduced from $1.45 to 02 cents a hundred pounds. Lawn swings from Chicago in carload lOb from $1.25 to 77 cents. Talcum powder man-ufactured in Colorado is given a rate of 80 cents a hundred pounds instead of $1.2;',i,when shipped to points on the Mis-souri river. Electrolytic carbons arc reduced from third class to fifth class, and the class rates to Utah common points, from $1.85 to $1.54. The SOllthern Pacific is preparing to make a flat reductio"n of fifteen per cent to points in 1\ew Mexico and MADE BY LENTZ TABLE CO., NASHVILLE, MICHIGAN. the application of these policies to spccific transactions must he entrusted in the main to mcn in the field. It fo!loovs, then, that you have, in a substantial sense, the reputation of the Southern Railway Company for fair and just dealing in your hands. "\Vhethcr the company shall be popular or unpopular depends in a very large measure upon your attitude toward the public, and upon your treatment of those doing business ,,,·ith the road. It is of supreme importance, therefore, that yOU, who daily come into intimate contact with the public shou"!d bear in mind constantly that it is the unvarying pol-icy of the company to be just and fair to all alike, to the small shipper and the occasional travelc:r as \vell as to the larg-est shipper and the regular traveler; that you should be perfectly frank in all business dealings: that you should always be considerate and patient, and that you should do all in your power to make the services of the road satis-factory for whom they are performed. "\Vhile everything possible should be done. for the ac-commodation of those doing business with the road. care should be exercised not to promise the impossible in the, way of facilities or service. \Vhen failure to fulfLll such a prOm-ise follows, the man 'who made it may he able to shift re-sponsibility to the operating or some other department or Arizona. A reduction of from 1:'j to 18 cents to all stations on the Oregon Short Line in Utah, Idaho, Montana and eastern Oregon will be made shortly. The Rock Island has made a horizontal reduction of twenty per cent to western Kansas. The Burlington has made a reduction of twelve to twenty per cent as far east as 1TcCook, Neb., and as far west as Billings, 1'10. The rate on pig tin from New York to Denver has been reduced from $1.11 to 93 cents a hundred. The changes noted above went into effect on February 15. It is expected that other roads will announce similar reductions to take effect March 1. Chili Wants "Little Brown Men." ,Vhile many Americans vie"", the deluge of Japs with alarm, little Chili down in South America is inviting them with open arms and promises of extraordinary liberality. She offers forty acres of rich land to the J ap settler, twenty more to each son over eighteen years of age, a yoke of oxen, a set of farm implements and $15.00 a month in hard cash for the fir,';t twelve months of residence. Such a proposition seems attractive enough to nearly depopulate the Japan~se island. 18 OWQSSOFactory Notes. Business in Owosso is good. The furniture factories are busy and everything points to a great year in this city. The Woodard Furniture Company had an excellent trade in Grand Rapids in January. Their new line of Circassian walnut and mahogany chamber furniture was much ad-mired, and the whole line, including the above woods, birch, Made by Woodard Furniture Co., Owono, Mich. birdseye maple and quarter sawed oak sold well. Trade keeps right up, and if anything, grows better all the time. They have just contracted with the Grand Rapids Veneer \\larks to put up their dry kilns with their new system, and will be in better shape than ever before to take care of their orders. The Robbins, Table Company is having a fine business. Sales so far this year are ahead of last year, and that was t'.le best in the history of the company. The American Blowcr Company has just fitted up this plant with two moist air kilns with a capacity of 75,000 feet, which is double Cut which they had before the fire which destroyed their form~r kilns a few weeks ago.· The Estey Manufacturing Company will soon erect an addition to their factory containing about 4,000 square feet of floor space. They are elljoying a fine trade, and in July will bring out some finer goods than they had to show ill January. A Cane Chair. "The stranger, who had long white hair, good features, singularly bold and well defined for an old man, and dark, bright, penetrating eyes, looked round with a smile and sa-luted the carrier's wife by gravely inclining his head. "His garb was very Quaint and odd-a long, long way be-hind the time. Its hue was brown all over. In his hand he held a great brown club or walking stick, and striking this upon the floor, it fell asunder and became a chair. in which he sat down quite composedly."-Charles Dickens, in "Crick-et on the Hearth." RIGHT MAN IN THE RIGHT PLACE. Louis Kanitz, president of the Muskegon Valley Fur-niture Company, who has served four years as a member of the board of managers of the Michigan Soldiers' Home, lo-cated at Grand Rapids, has been re-appointed for another term by Governor \\Tarner. The re-appointment of Mr. Kanitz is heartily approved by all who know of what he has done for the So1diers' Home. He is greatly interested in the institution, in fact, has made it something like. a hobby. It is conceded that he has given it more time and attention than any other man ever connected with its management. During the past four years it has been nothing unusual for }Ir. Kanitz to spend days and even weeks looking after the interests of the Home and he has done it without financial recompense. New Furniture Dealers. Central Furniture Company, Paterson, N. J. Donald Furniture Company, Newark, N. ]. Geo. E. Tole & Co., Lancaster, Pa. r>.1ackley, IVlah,an & Co., Pittsburg, Pa. Bariteau & Girouard, :::lashua, N. H. F. R. & Robert \Vadsworth, Pittsburg, Pa. The Julius Campbell Company, Traverse City, l\Iich. Samuel Adkr, Hattiesburg, Miss. H. R. Fox, Bay City, Mich. O. L. McKee, Joplin, Mo. A. \10.1. Bills, vVaterloo, la. Petti Bros., Germantown, Neb. Peoplcs' Hardware & Furniture Co., V\linfield, La. Spande Furniture Company, Logan, Utah. Hillstrom & Bennett, Vancouver, vVash. "V. P. Sherman, Eureka, Mont. No. 244 Music Cabinet. --Manufacturersof-- BOOKCASES, LADIES' DESKS, COMBINATION CASES, MUSIC CABINETS, and CHINA CLOSETS. New Catalogue ready for mailing. Mr. Dealer: If you want your ordeI filled promptly and want goods that you can make good profi.ts on du.ring the commg spnng sea-son, mail your orders to us. We solicit trial orders. Sheboygan Novelty Company SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN, U. S. A. ~MIEfHIG7}-N Changes in Firms, Transfers, Etc. Poe & \-Vhitson, Gowen, }10., sold to J. P. Holbert. Charles \Vrenu, StOCktOl1, Mo., succeeded by \Vrenn & Young. A. \f>y'. Beswick, \VinfielJ, Kan., sold to L. C. Long-side. J. \V. Parks, Jr., succeeds Dixon & Parks, Hillsboro, Tex. J. A. Dahlgrectl, Enid, Okla., sold to Alva Goff. O. VI/. Strong's Sons, Albuquerque, X. 1'1'1.s,ucceeded by F. H. Strong. "Vestfal! & 1Jitchcll, \i\/eldon, la., sold to C. E. Bodley. YVeichel & Tatul11, Plymouth, Neb., sold to Clement Haake. Franklin (.Keb.) Furniture & }fllSic Company, succeeded by P. L. Sturtevant. J. P. Gilbert & Co., Falls City, Ore., sold to ]. C. Talbot. J. C. l\lcAdams & Co., Kaw, Okla., sold to B. E. John-son & Co. e. B. \Vebb, Eddy, Tex., succeeded by Beard & \"ebb. 19 Benton & Co., Fordyce, Ark., succeeded by the Thomas Furniture Company. O. L. Harris, Mercer, Mo., sold to Moore & Mollestoll. J esse Child Mercantile Co., Richmond, Mo., succeeded by A. B. Conrow. Zimmerman, Clyde & CO.,Dodge City, Kan., sold to Doolittle & Traynor. The manufacturers of Rockford do not cater to the mait order houses nor have they encouraged the efforts made by certain promoters to establish a factory in that city to man-ufacture lovv.grademail order furniture. Representations that have been published in the news and trade papers that the manufacturers of that city were catering to the trade of the mail order houses were erroneous, based upon false infor-mation, and the Artisan cheerfully publishes this fact be-cause an injustice has been inflicted upon a manufacturing community that should not have been subjected to it. PART OF BEDROOM SUITE No. 1431. Made by the Nelson-Matter Furniture COO. Graud Rapids, Mich. 20 MUST OPPOSE PARCELS POST. What It Would Mean to the Retailers and: to Small Towns. One of the features of the national convention of retail merchants, held in Dallas, Tex., recently, was an address on "The Parcels Post; Its Rc'lation to the Retail Trade," by George E. Green, editor of the Retail Merchants' J ourmil of Peoria, Ill., in the course of which he said: "If there is anyone question before the public today in which the retailer is directly interested, it is the Parcels Post agitation, which has been before congress during the past several sessions. The advocates in favor of a Parcels Post measure for this country afc· very active and are ex-erting a powerful influence in its favor. The principal agency for advocating the passage of parcels post enactment for this country is what is knmvn as 'The Postal Progress League.' The question would n~turally arise-what inter-ests compose the Posta'] Progress League, and the question is very easily answered in the statement, that the Postal Progress League represents the large catalogue mail order houses of our country. Literature is sent out by the Postal Progress League, making the statement that 'The only things that stand between the eighty millions of people of the United States and the Parcels Post enactment, arc the ex-press eompanies and the small shop keepers.' In the eyes of the Postal Progress League, these two intere.sts seem to he insignificant and should'be brushed aside. "I cannot stand here before you with any apology III favor of express companies, but I do stand here hefore you as a staunch advocate for the preservation to this country of an avocation in which over one-half million people, men of intelligence, men following an avocation for a livelihood and the passage of a parcels post enactmcnt would mean, if not complete ruination,: at least ,;'I. ,serious crippling of qt.e business avocation of this so [arge·'{clas5,of represen'tative husiness men of our co~n;try, and th'c'T'~'1t're,ac~ording'to a conservative estimate, from statistics which I gather one mil-llon retail dealers i.n thc United States. The twelvi:'. principal lines, such as dry goods, grocers, clothing, boots and shoes, drugs, jewelry, millinery, mens' furnishing goods, stationery and books, harness and carriages and furniture, make up in excess of 350,000. There are about. 175,000 genenl stores, carrying either several or combining all lines. On the other hand, the catalogue and mail order houses are comparatively few. \Vhile they as an individual business represent a larger investment than the average dealer, the aggregate capital of over one-half million of retailers, far exceeds the aggregate capital of the mail or~ler houses, viewed in a comparative sense, and in justice and equity to all business interests of the country I would consider a Parcels Post enactment as in favor of a very small proportioq of merchants as against the many, and would greatly question the wisdom of congress in pass-ing any legislative act in favor of the few against a great ma-jority. "The principal tendency of and the desire for enactment of parcels post is to serve directly from the producer to the consumer, which means the practical elimination of all mid-dle men. The thought of receiving goods from first hands, theoretically sounds quite agreeable and has an alluring fas-cination for the purchaser. But connected therewith are many things which not only the retailer, but the public in general, should carefully consider. The tendency under the operation of a parcels post enactment would be for a concen-tration and consolidation of business interests into a few large trade centers, to the detriment of the smaller towns and vi11ages throughout our country. The future of the retailer depends upon the growth and prosperity of the smaller towns and villages, and therein the residents of the rural districts are also vitally interested. * * '" * * "It is true, that the tendency of rural residents, is to trade away from home. We; need not, however, confine our attention entirely to the residents of Tural districts, but we find that this tendency is growing even in our smaller cities and towns, and as a matter of special regret, it has come under my observation and experience, that merchants them-selves have this tendency to a large extent, This tendency has been created, it has been nurtured, and encouraged by catalogue mail order houses. *' *' '4' '4' "" "The relation of Parcels Post to the retailer is alarming. It is one that deals with the perpetuation of retailing as an avocation and in the thought of how catalogue mail order buying was created, there lies a great study for the retailer. The press of our country is a great power. The press is a great molder of sentiment and any question handled by the press, although there be two sides to the question, if viewed only from the one side, sentiment is inevitably created in that direction and so I find an unusually large number of pub-lications that arc being utilized in favor of this proposed measure and against the direct interest of the vast army of retailers in our land. In dealing with any question it is not only the purpose of holding to view the great dangers and particularly in dealing with the topic under consideration Made by Century Furniture Company, Grand Rapid.. Mich. there call be no question as to the relation of the retail mer-chant to parcels post; every indication demonstrates that Parcels Post is antagonistic to the retailer and the retailer must exert himself if he will preserve unto himself and future generations the privilege to deal in commodities in a small way. I would therefore give these few thoughts for your consideration: "First of all, I would say that since Parcels Post is being agitated by a few large interests for their particular advan-tage and since they arc seeking legislative enactment to enhance their particular business interests to the detriment of the retailer or small shop keepers of the country, the small shop keepers must unite in a determined and vigorous protest against its passage. One thing is certain, that even though we concede that cata\oguemail order houses are not with us to stay, -..vecannot and never should concede that they are a greater power or influence than the retailers of this country and that the retailer can and must prevent any legislation at the hand of our federal government which means rUination to his business. * * * * * "The relation of the retai'! dealer to Parcels Post must at all times be an unequivocal opposition and he must see that the same does not become a law." MAlL ORDERS TO KiI(~en (a~inets of· Oualil~ Sell at sight, and make a greater profit than other lines of kitchen cab-inets. Send for catalogue. Th. BBST of QUALITY f" least money. We have dcmbled our CllDacity aod will be better able to take caEe of oUE trade than before. We solicit your patronage. C. F. SCHMOE & CO. SHELBYVILLE, IND. 21 ARE THE JOY OF THE CHILDREN. SPRATT'S CHAIRS Our new CHILD'S MISSION ROCKER was a winner from the start. Write f~r Catalogueand prius. Our line is large and prkes are right. We make CHAIRS fo' GROWN-UPS as well as CflILDREN". GEORGE SPRATT & CO. Sheboygan, Wis. Say you law this ad in the Michigan Arti-san. SAFETY and COMFORT Are Best Secured by Using Lockless Metal Folding Beds Made by the SAFETY FOLDING BED CO., Ltd. " \ £ ~, II DETROIT, MICHIGAN Full Line of Samples shown at the Furniture Exhibition Building, 1411 Michigan Ave., Chicago. Second Floor, Front Middle Section. 22 OUR NEW 1901 LINE OF ALASKA REFRIGERATORS with side ice chamber is made in twenty-one styles, zinc lined, white enamel and porcelain lined. Our cataloguewill interestyou. IFritefir it. THE ALASKA REFRIGERATOR CO. Exclusive Refrigerator Manufacturers. MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN. EFFECTIVE ARGUMENTS. Mail Order Catalogue Patrons Thoroughly Convinced by Odious Comparisons. A retailer in a small. town located near a 'large mail order center, has a good method for keeping the home trade from ordering from the mail order houses. He was driven to this idea by circumstances and has followed out the plan long enough to see that it has been a big help to him, and one thing in favor of any kind of advertising which holds trade at home is the fact that once you thoroughly convert a customer, be is not likely to again relapse into the mail order habit. His neighborhood several years ago had quite a mail-order craze, and its effect was pretty bad on the local dealers. This particular dealer, however, was not satisfied that it was paying anyone but the mail-order house. A good friend came in one day and told about a neighbor who had pur-chased some article through a catalogue, and that it was very unsatisfactory. Our dealer at once saw his 'opportu-nity, and sent word to the man to bring it into the store and he would allow him the full price paid for it on a better grade which he'had in stock. Upon arrival of the mail-order house article, he explained to the owner that he wanted to buy it just to show the difference between a good article and an imitation, and asked to be allowed to tell where he got it. This privilege was readily granted., and the man purchased the kind of an article he had expected to get from the mail-order house when he ordered, and went home well pleased that he had made a good turn of a bad bargain. The dealer made a couple of good big cards, one for the mail-ordcr article, giving the price it sold for, and calling attention to the differcnce in quality between it and the gen-uine, which was displayed beside it, bearing a card, giving its price, and the strong points of superiority. This at-tracted the attention of all customers, and a little talk with each one who mentioned it caused them to go away with a better idea of the real value of mail-order purchases, all the bargain-counter features of their offers having been explained away. He always told them honestly that if they wanted to spend less money than good goods cast they could get cheaper qualities at the mail-order houses at cheaper prices, but that the quality was always cheaper, and he could not afford to handle it, because he was selling goods to his neighbors and felt that he had to give good value. After his regular trade had seen the two articles side by each, where they could be handled and closely inspected, he put them in his show window, where they could be seen by everyone who passed by. The result of this display was so very apparent that he decided to carryon the campaign for a considerable length of time, and took in several other unsatisfactofy articles from neighbors, giving them the same kind of publicity. The next visit he made to the city he went around to the 1l1ail-order houses, took their catalogue and selected a number of things in his line which looked to be particularly cheap and asked to see the goods themselves. He was allowed to in-spect them, and found them exactly as expected, in nearly every instance. They showed ,they were not of the value of Grand Rapids Caster Cup Co. 2 Parkwood Il.ve., Grand RapIds, Millh. We are now putting on the best Caster Cups with cork bases ever offered to the trade. These are finished in Golden Oak and White Maple in a light finish. These goods are admirable for polished floors and furn-ure rests. They will not sweat or mar. PRICES: Size'2X incbes ...... $4.00 per hundred SizeZ%, inches······ 5.00 per hundred Try a Sample Order. F. O.B. Grand Rapids. goods imitated) so he made several purchases, and while at the wholesale houses bought some of the goods imitated, where there was not already plenty of them in stock, When he got home, he cut the picture and description of onc of these articles out of the catalogue and put it on the article, then put the priee and. description on the imitated artic1e, and a big card calling to the difference in quality was put in the window with them. But one mail-order article wa's used in each dis-play, and attention was always called to the difference in value, on a big window card. Californians Are Greedy. A correspondent of the Artisan, writing from Oakland, Cal., under date of February 16, 1907, says: "Dealers make 150 per cent. on mixed carloads of goods shipped from Grand Rapids and· Chicago. Several· are not satisfied with the profit they are earning, and talk of establishing factories, in the expectancy of obtaining goods cheaper. It's the old story, but few are wise enough to be satisfied with a' good thing." 23 A Beautiful Daven-port by Day and a Comfortable 4 ft., 6 in. Bed at Night. fl No double somersaults--~works smooth and easily from the front. C] Finished in our Old Ivory it is the swellest thing on the market. g Mattresses upholstered in Bagdad aT Corduroy Velours or T apeftry, and filled with twenty pounds Sanitary Felt; Center of Curled African Fibre. g A soft elattic Bed, it makes a deep cozy Davenport. q Try a sample on approval. We take the risk. HARD MFG. CO. 117 - 133 Tonawanda St., Bnffalo, N. Y. Charge Railroads With Conspiracy. J obhers and merchants in the larger cities on the ?vlis-sauri river have filed a complaint with the interstate com-mission charging that the Chicago & Northwestern, Burling-ton and Rock Island entered into an unlawful conspiracy to prevent them from securing reasonable freight rates from the eastern seaboard. The complaint alleges that these railroads conspired together to stop the St. Paul and the Great V\iestern from putting in rates which would have given to the Missouri job-bers relief. It is declared the roads named threatened to boycott the 51. Paul and the Great \Vestern, to treat them as unfriendly connections, to refuse to route business ave,r their lines and to do everything in their power to destroy their business, provided they made the readjustment of the Missouri river rates which they were then contemplating. But for these iJ1ega1 acts, it is stated, the Missouri river merchants would have securcd a reduction on freight rates in 1906 ",,-hich would have permitted them to compete with other jobbing districts including Chicago. They therefore petition the commission to order these rates put in by all the railroads. It is claimed by the petitioners that, when compared with the rates from the seaboard to 51. Paul and Minneapolis, the The only CASTER CUP that will not Mar or Sweat A NewCaster Cup, it furniture Protector iIIndill Rest We guarantee perfect salls-fadion. We know we have the only perfect ca"ter cup ever made. This cup is in two sizes, as follows: 2U Inch and 3 ineh. ana we use the cork bottom. You know tbe rest. Small size, $3.60 per 100 Large siz.e, 4.50 per 100 F O. B. Grand Rapids. Try it ana be convineed. Our Concave Bottom Card Block does not touch the sur-face, but upon the rim, permit. ting a dre;ulation of air under the block, thereby preventing moisture or marks of any k.ind. This is the only card block ofits klnd onthe market. Price $3.00 per 100 Srand Rapids Casler CUPCo" 2 .,,'wood A.e.• Srand Rapids, Mich. Also can be had of LUSSKY, WHITE &. COOLIDGE, 111-113La(i(eSr., Chfcaoa rates to the cities on the l\:fissouri river are discriminatingly high. This view of the case was taken by the St. Paul and the Great \\'estern, and, it is alleged, but for the terrorizing methods said to have been used, a correction in the rates would have been made. The Chicago Commercial Associa-tion also opposed the changes, claiming Chicago would suffer. The five ciass rates from the seaboard to St. Paul are $1.15, $0.99, $0.76, $0.53 and $0.46, and to the Missouri river points $1.47, $1.20, $0.\13, $0.68 and $0.57. The petitioners ask for the following rates from )Jew York and the seaboard: $1.10, $O.95?"i, $0.727"2, $O.5n-;;; and $0.44. The distances from the East to the twin cities and to the Missouri river points are said to be substantially the samc. The railroad defense for this disparity in rates is water competition, which lowers the twin cities tariffs, A hearing and action on the complaint is expected at a meeting of the commission to be held in Chicago early in rdarch: The deadliest problem is not a hard one to solve, but the practice of the solution is more difficult. Every mer-chant has it ·within his power to restrict credits. How he may do so wisely is a different thing. Therein experience and discussion assjst greatly. The White Directory =====OF MANUFACTUORFE==R=S== FURNITURE, PIANOS, ORGANS, IN-TERIOR FINISHES and Kindred Indus-tries is now ready. Price Send in your order. l5.00 Who Ite P"r1nting CO. PPRUI8NUTSEHRESRs,ENGBRIANVDEERRSS: 2.20 LYON ST .. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. GLOBE SIDEBOARDS ;--------- ARE THE -----------, BEST ON THE GLOBE FOR THE MONEY GET OUR CATALOGUE. Men/i," the .MICHIGAN ARTISAN when writi"g. Globe Furniture No.257. Price $18.50. Has 48 Inch Top,S Legs and is Highly Polished. It's One of the "SUPERIOR" -- ..~== There are many more, all Peaches Pie and Pudding. Send for Catalogue and get a taste. THE BOCKSTEGE fURNITURE CO. EV4NSVILLE IND. Company EVANSVILLE, INDIANA. Kar~es. War~ro~es are Good Wardrobes GOOD Style Construction Finish PRICES RIGHT Write for Calalugue Karges Furniture Company, EVANSVILLE, IND. MAKE MONEY MR. DEALER BY SELLING THE D055f KITCHEN CABINETS CUPBOARDS SAFES and WARDROBES Best Goods Lowest Prices The "ELI" f No Stock 00 OLDING BEDS ARE E tnplete without the Eli Bed . PROFrl~I~N~RND LI 0• MILLE R S In Mantel and Up,;.ht 5 &, CO. ~,;~:rsoaInnd~dpiariiDc~eas ~~. BOSSE FURNITURE CO., e or new catalope. et today, It will pay Evansville, Ind. yEoVuAtoNSVILLE DESK CO. Manufacturers of tl send us an order. Writ f DESKS on the mrt.r~e BEST VALUE OP 26 HORN BROS. MFG. CO. 281 to 291 W. Superior St.. CHICAGO. ILL. MANUFACTURERS OF Chamber Suites, Odd Dressers, Chiffoniers l4D1ES' DRESSING TABLES to match Made ill Golden Oak, Genuine Maholf<l:DYVeneered, Birdseye Maple, White Enamel Highly Pohshed or Dull Finish. We also make a line of PRINCess DRESSfRSfrom $13.00 up, In Quarter-Sawed Oak. Mahogany and Birdseye Maple. Veneered If you. have not nc~ved OUTSpring Supplement, ask lor it. SAMPLES SHOWN BY PECK &: HILLS 1319 Michi~D Avenue, and HALL &: KNAPP, 187 Michigan Avenue, Chicago. MOON DESK CO., Muskegon, Mich. OFFICE DESKS SEE OUR NEW TYPEWRITER CABINET No. 924. Muskegon Valley Furniture Co. Muskegon Mich ••. Odd Dressers Chiffoniers Wardrobes Ladies' Toilets Dressing Tables Mabogany Inlaid Goods Ladies' Desks Music Cabinet. LimJ on 8ale in New Man1tfac-iturero' Bftild-ing, ()RAND RAPIDS. Tlte Sargent Mfg. Co. MUSKEGON, MICH. ;. Bachelors' Cabinets Ladies' Desks Extra Large Chiffoniers --- __ Aloo Manufacturers and Exporten: of _ ROLLING CHAIRS Chairs adapted to' all kinds of invalidism, both for house and street use. OVER FORTY DESIGNS TO SELECT FROM 27 REX [::~~]MATTRESS CHAS. A. FISHER & CO., 1319 Michigan Ave., Chicago. WRITE FOR BOOKLET AND PROPOSITION WarehOUlelll: ST. LOUIS, MO. KANSAS CITY. MO. MINNEAPOUS, MINN. PEORIA, ILL. LINCOLN, ILL. CHICAGO, ILL. STILL ON THE GRILL. Grand Jury Investigation of the Alleged School Seat Trust Not Yet Finished. The investigation of the so-called "School Furniture Trust" which began before the grand jury in Chicago on February 4, has not been completed. So far no indictments have been returned, but F. A. Holbrook the managing director of the American Seating Company has been ar-rested on comp"laint of District Attorney Sims. It is ex-pected, however, that several indictments will be secured, including officia'ls of the American School Furniture Com-pany. A. H. Andrews & Co., Sherwood & Co" The Super-ior Manufacturing Company, E. H. Stafford & Co. and others. The evidence is said to have tended to show that while several apparently distinct concerns were engaged in the manufacture and sale of school and church furniture, they were really combined under a "gentleman's agreement." \Vhen the investigation began it was supposed the American Seating Compa.ny had aC<luired title to all the other con-cerns in the combine, but the evidence is said to have shO\-vn that such is not the fact. It appears to have been organized merely to manage sales for the others and it did not have complete contro! of the sales. The government relies for an indictme.nt .Rot only on the showing made regarding school furniture, but that of thea-tres and churches as well. Among the theatre owners especiaHy there has been much complaint, for here the persons dealt with were private individuals, who are usually more canny in such things than a public hody spending public funds. The man who is credited with stirring up the govern-ment along this line of action, is Eugene Carpenter, a lawyer in Grand Rapids, Mich., who was formerly connected with the Haney School Furniture Company of that city. President Boyd, of the American Seating Company is reported as denying the existence of a "gentlemen's agree-ment." I-Ie states that the American Seating Company ..v.as formerly known as the American School Furniture Com-pany, which was organized in 1899 with a capital of $10,- 000,000. They did business under that title until April of last year, when a new company, known as the American Seadng Company was organized and purchased the assets of the oM concern. The charter calls for nine directors. There are two vacancies at present and Mr. Boyd names the seven, now acting as follows: O. M. Stafford, Cleveland; F. Billmeyer, New York; S. H. Carr, Dayton; W. P. Orr, Piqua, 0.; ]. P. Drouilard, New York; Edward Case, In-dianapolis; and T. M. Boyd, Chicago. )..lr. Boyd was asked why it was thought best to re-organize the American School Furniture Company into the American Seating Company. He hesitated about replying, but final1y admitted it was a "financial" reason which he did not care to discufiS. More than ordinary secrecy has been maintained as to the identity of witnesses. It is known that many of them live in Racine, Grand Rapids and Buffalo, but these for the most part are employes of the American Seating Company. Chicago men in the employ of the same company have also been subpoenaed, as have the employes of the A. H. An-drews & Co. and the Sherwood Company. It has been reported that the investigation has shown that the American Seating Company contro']5 the product of the furniture plant in the Indiana penitentiary, but the report has not been confirmed. One of the men who is we'll informed as to the affairs of the American School Furniture Company says it is true that the reorganization was necessary for "financial reasons" as stated by President Boyd. It appears that immediately after the organization of the old company-the American School Furniture Company-bonds were issued, or author-ized, to the extent of $1,500,000. The bonds did not sell readily to the public but most of them were taken by the stockholders. Then it was found that the bond issue had impaired the company's credit and in order to restore it, the reorganization was effected, the bondholders exchanging their bonds for stock in the new company. It has been surmised that the alleged "trust" was held together by a plan invented by a Rochester lawyer, named Oviatt-the Oviatt plan-by which each member of the com-bine executes an immediate note for a certain amount, the dates to be filled in and the notes thus made negotiable, due and payable, in case of failure to stand by the agree-ment, but gentlemen who are supposed to know ,-ieclare that no such notes have been given and that there is no written agreement-that the old company simply bought the plants, paying for the most part in stock and bonds and that the new company has simply taken charge and contin-ued the business-that the only object of the reorganization was to call in the bonds and thus strengthen the company's credit. Edith-T do so admire a man who says the right thing at the right time. Harold-So do I-especially when I'm thirsty. 28 .:f'~ J:'vl.IF,HIG7J-N , TRAGICAL TALES OF SIGNS. Hard Luck and Business Reverses Cause a Demand for Window Cards. Did you ever notice anything in the advertising columns of a newspaper that told a tale in brief as plainly as if it filled a column of the reading matter in another section of the newspaper? Some people read between the lines roman-ces and tragedies of the signs as readily. A city sign-painter has recently chatted entertainingly about the suggestiveness of his work. Ever since r first learned my trade, he said, I have been a reader of signs as well as a maker of them. Between the lines of many a sign I read a story-a talc of triumph or a tragedy of ddeat. Again, I have acquired the habit of industry, and ,by industry I thrive, pay rent, meet bilts, keep square with my fellowman and am in tbe shop when wanted. I painted a window card for a prominent merchant years ago. It read, "Boy ':Vanted."It was a ,remarkable boy who got the job. As I lettered it, I imagined who the boy would be and how he wou"ld turn out. I kept my eye on the boy who took the job, the merchant's daughter for a wife, and a place in the finn. That was a romance, and a fact. In my time I have painted many a "Boy \\'anted." Vv'ell, some of them did not turn out so well as my first hero, more than one was not wanted long and went to the bad. It was only the other day that a man along in years dropped in on me. He purchased a "Furnisbed Room" card and T could not hide the expression of surprise on my face. He explained that he had lost a fortune since retiring from bU'siness. He told me that the only thing that was saved from the wreck was the family home which, as good luck would have it, was in the name of his wife. As he paid for the placard he said sarcastically: "My wife has furnished rooms to rent in the house and I have a vacancy in the upper story." I have in my shop now a "Piano Lessons" sign that is a dirge of buried hopes. The job was done to order for as nice a woman as ever trod the -earth, the flower of a family of high degree. No end to their wealth, so everybody thought. Father died, left an immense fortune in trust. Trustee, a scoundrel, beggared the estate and skipped. When the exposure took place, girl was about to marry a nab. He had a frozen heart on account of the changed financial con-ditions, and the wedding, already announced, was postponed. The Lord didn't postpone the measley chap. The races and the bucket shop got him, and if he lives long enough he will be peddling shoestrings Saturday nights and panhandling the rest of the week. The brave little woman is now giving piano lessons to support herself and mother. Everything they had went and they are the poorest of the poor. Another sign reads: "Receiver's Sale. Entire Stock to be closed Out." There -if, a story goes with that. A man in trade crawled all the way up the ladder by patient degrees, winning every inch and every dollar by hard work, square dealing, and clean methods. Then at the height, Mr. man got dizzy from a swelled head and thought that he knew it all, made some blunders that jarred him, but taught him no lesson. Then he got gay, became extravagant, then reck-less; instead of hauling in sail, he sprl.::ad more canvas, threw discretion to the winds, and his craft turned turtle. Mr. :vIan is in a sanitarium, his affairs in the hands of the re-ceiver, and his wife was in yesterday and ordered a window card. "Board by'the Day or \\'eek." I sell "Girl \Vanted" signs to the restaurant folks. The last one that T disposed of produced unexpected results. A wicked wag stole it out of the window and fastened it to the coat tail of a bachelor friend and he paraded the whole length of the street with the announcement in view, and as he passed down the street a pretty young woman ran after and halted him and removed the sign with many apo'logies and blushes. That strange meeting led to an acquaintance and a wedding. Bennett Company's Booklet. The Charles Bennett Furniture Company, Charlotte, Mich., have just issued a neat little pocket booklet on buffets, chinas and sideboards. This is a forerunner of their regular catalogue which will be ready to mail about March 1. The Made by Ch... Sennett Furniture Co., Charlotte, Mieh. above cut and the one in their advertisement on another page of this paper, will give a slight idea of the beauty of design in this new line. These are money makers for merchants because they are excellent values, well made and finished, and cheap. Great Demand! ·for New Freight Cars. Orders for steel cars amounting to $150,000,000 are now in the hands of the steel car building companies of the Pitts-burg and other districts for construction this year and in. quiries are coming for cars that already give indications of orders amounting to from' $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 more. This is startling in the face of so much talk that the railroads have been compelled to curtail their buying because of failure to secure funds. Despite ~the enormous aggregate of cars now in the hands of the steel car builders the railroads would be willing to buy many thousands more if they could be assured deliv-ery within the next twelve months. Practically every steel car building company in the country is booked ahead for more than one year, and plans are on foot for extensions that will "largely increase capacity. The need for cars was never more urgent than at present, but the buying has been limited only by the capacity of the builders. Recently the Standard Steel Car Company which has 6,000 men at work at its Butler plant, began the con-struction of a $3;000,000 steel car works at Hammond, Ind. to care for the orders which are threatening to overflow it. This new plant 'will be almost a duplicate of the Butler works, and it is expected to be in operation in August. Al-ready the railroads of the \-Vest have placed orders for cars to be constructed there during this year. This plant wilt relieve the Butler works and allow orders for eastern roads to be handled more quickly at Pittsburg. Good Sellers Sample Always. Order Try No. 46, Single Cone. .2.00 Net. GENUINE TEMPERED ALL STEEL WIRE MATTRESSES MANUFACTURED BY SMITH ®. DAVIS MFG. CO.•St. Louis. Mo. Callinet Makers In these days of close competition, need the best p08liible equipment, and this they can have in • • • • BARNES' Hand and Foot POWER Machinery Our New "and and Foot Power Circular Saw No.4 The strollgest, most powerful, and in every way the best machine of it!l kind ever made, for rippiJlg, cross-cutting, boring and grooving. Send for our New Catalogue. "W. F. ®. JOHN BARNES co. 654 :Ruby Street. :Rochford. Ill. 29 30 WILL AWAKEN LONDONERS Marshall Field's Former Manager to Give Them a Depart-ment Store on American Lines. London is experiencing a new invasion by the American ideas and has been told to wake up by Harry Gordon Sel-fridge, former manager of Marshall Field & Co's retail store in Chicago. Mr. Selfridge has been in London for the past year looking over the situation and has come to the conclu-sion that the London shoppers need an up~to-date depart-ment store. An article in the London Daily Telegraph con-cerning the enterprise quotes Mr. Selfridge as follows: "Shopping in London presents a problem that will be interesting to solve. I confess it fascinates me. I had prac-tically retired after the Marshall Field store had been set going on a successful basis; but the business holds me still. The direction of a large number of men and women toward one honorable end of legitimate success, in which all har-moniously co-operate, seems to me an ambition that is worth while. "If a big store in London is rU,n on lines that are elastic and adaptable; if it starts without any old world prejudices and methods except the essential virtues of hard work and honesty; if it deliberately trics to please the women, first, last and all the time; if it is never afraid of a new devel~ opment merely becausc it is a ch<:wge; if it rca'lizes that a woman's shopping can be made more pleasurable to her than ever was the case before-then I venture to think a real ,vant will have been supplied." The invasion seems to have bccn complete for th('. Lon-don Press sounds a warning note to the London merchants . when it says: "For years the English producer and ,;endor has had the best article on the market in many trades. But he 'win never take the trouble to change his methods of sale, or to alter his pattern to suit any of his customers. If they don't like what he offers them they can go to-well, as a matter of fact, they have gone to Germany; not for the best article, which England still possesses, but for the article they want, which England will not sell them. ::'-lotcontent with losing the markets of the world, England's merchants are now to see the actual trade of London itself challenged before their very eyes. "The writing has long been upon the waH, and few who ran have read. Those few have profited accordingly. But the majority, who will lose their trade because they will not change their old habits, will suffer; and it will serve them rig~t. But his words were uttered to ears already sealed in stertorous slumber. Now it is the sleeper's pockets that wi!! suffer, 'and the appeal may prove more intelligible. The c~mpetition is close at home; the gage of battle is thrown down on his front door step." The motto of the Se"lfridge & Vv'aring store, as it will be known will be "integrity of business principles, the highest quality of merchandise and accuracy in all our statements. \Ve shall stock only the best. The purchaser remembers "enry Schmit &. Co. "opkln. _Ad"_rrlet St:t. Cincinn_U. 0, K..U::.llS or UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE LODG~ AND PULPIT, PARLOR LIBRARY, HOTEL AND CLUB ROOM the quality of goods long after he forgets their prices According to the architect's drawings the plans for the new store provide for a magnificent building. 250 by 200 feet fronting on three streets. The date of the opening has not yet been announced. An Endless Belt Window, It remained for an ingenious and enterprising Cleveland merchant, says a contemporary, to discover a way of mul-tiplying his available window display space by four-a seem-ing impossibility. This is how he did it: The window floor was arranged 50 that it re.volved like all endless chain over two clrums at either elld; the window Chas. Bennett furniture CO. CHARLOTTE, MICHIGAN Buffets, China Closets, Side- Boards No. 615 Buffet. Write tor Pocket Edillon of the BEST SELLINGLINE you ever handled. Say the Michigan Artisan told you SQ. floor extending back into the store the depth of the window and being s.eparated by a black velvet cloth. The different aluminum articles-some two hundred in number-were wired to the moving window floor, and thus produced such a unique and striking effect as to challenge the attention of a large number of pedestrians. Before this device \',,·as installed, but fifty pieces could be shown, and that in the old time stationary stile. This enterprising merchant has i<blazed a new trail" in the window display line which merchants in many other lines of business. may find it to their advantage to employ. The device was home-made, simple in design, inexpensive, and driven by a small electric motor concealed below the floor. Every man stamps his own value upon the coin of his character in his own mint, and he cannot expect to pass it for more, and should not be disappointed if people do not take it for more than its face value. 31 Woodard furniture Co. of Mahogany, Circassian Walnut, BIRD'S-EYE MAPLE, Quarter Sawed Oak, BEDROOM fURN ITU RE is the sensation in the Furniture Market today. rt's the kind the best. merchants everywhere are buying. If you are not onto this, get next quick. If you say you saw this in the Michigan Artisan \\'e will let you into a get rich scheme that beats anything you e\"er saw. OWOSSO, MICHIGAN OUR 1907 LINE The New "PERFECT·· FOLDING CHAIR PATKNTEP OCT. 20, 1903. Comfortable Simple Durable Neat The Acme of Perfection in the line 01 Folding Chairs. PERFRCT CaMP"cTNESS wh«n folded. Hard maple. natural finish. WRITE FOR PRICES. No. &1 15M PEABODY SCHOOL FURNITURE CO. North Manchester, Indiana UNION FURNITURE CO. ROCKFORD, iLL. Buffets Bookcases China Closets We lead in Sty~, CQnt.lructron and Finish. See OUI CatalOille. Qur line an pern1aDelltexhibitim. 7th Floor. New M.tRllfacturer.! BuildiDe. Grand Rapid" NALLS', the Polish thai Is Making Evansville Famous. Nan's Red Star Polish dries instantly and never soften:;; or gums. No dis-agreeablt! or offensive ooor. Never set-tles or evaporates. A trial order always makes a permanent customer. Brings out the finish and gives new Ufll!:10 furniture, This PoUsb is free from add. Can be used by any child. Guaranteed to give satisfaction. Sold in 1, 2, 5 and 10 gallon cans and in barrels, also put up III 2, 3and 6 oz. bottles retailing for 100. 15c a.nd 25c. allowing a liberal profit to the retailer. Write for prices and state quantity wanted, Aperfect Polish and Cleanerfor Furniture. Office and B..r Ffx-tures. Pianos. Organs. Bicycles. Iron beds. Carrh,iea and Automobiles. We re.r~l' you to the Crescent Furl1,iture (fo" The E'IJQnsvitle Oe8k (fo" The Eli D. j!filler Folding Bed 00., and the Oity National Bank of Evansville. AMERICANPHARMACALCO., 'os UP". "ROT ST., Evansville, Ind. EXCEPTIONAL FACTORY OPPORTUNITY Do yOll wish to find all opening for a CHAIR FACTORY or would like to remove to some more favorable 10caHon? If so, it would repay rOll to at once request information about a fille location itl tbegreat timber section of Southeast Missouri along the • Liberal indll~ments are offered to secure a bona fide proposition em-ploying !Lotless than forty men. Good di.;tTibuting facilities for finished product. Correspondence is invited regarding this and other excellent opportunities for furniture, mattress, iron bed and other factories along our line~. Send forindustriat d68cripliN3 matter about the Rock Istand- If'riseo. M. SCHULTER, Industrial CommissiOlll}t. RDCk Island.Frisco Lines, 1144Friscf) Bldg" ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. THIS PUSH BUTTON distinguishesthe "ROYAL" Morris Chairs from the other kind MORRIS CHAIRS ·--FROM-~- $6.00 to $30.00 CATALOGUE UPON APPUCATION Royal Chair Co. STURGIS. MICH. Six Years of Test Have Good Traits in Employers. The ideal employer is, no doubt, the one who gets the most efficient work from his employes with the maximum of contentment on their part. Under cover of anonymity, says a writer in \Vorld's "'lark, I can tell several stories of employers, and describe certain of the qualities that make men popular or unpopular with their employes. One was a grocer in a small western city for whom I kept books. His sales people liked him because in rush hours be worked behind the counter with them, and on the occasion when he asked overtime work, he was always on hand and did more than anyone of them. But my own lik-ing for him was based 011 two incidents which happened soon after I went to work for him. I was told that every morn-ing I was expected to sweep out the office where I worked. I disliked this small piece of drudgery because it seemed menial and I~pproached the l<boss" on the second day and said: "Me G-, am I supposed to sweep out the offiee every morning?" He responded with a simple "yes." There was no emphasis on the word, either of command or irritation, or other emotion, but it was as final as a judgment of the Supreme Court, Some. months later I had an offer of a position with a higher salary. I needed the extra money, so I went to Mr. G-- again, and said: ".:lir. G--, I like to work here and I don't wish to leave, but Blank & Co. have just offered me $60 a month-" "I'll give you that," he interrupted, in the same dispas-sionate tone as before. I stayed. I liked two qualities of the man-this instant decisiveness and the impression he always produced that he would stand by his decisions. It made us who worked for him feel that we knew just what he could be expected to do when he said a thing. THE."ROYAL PUSHBUTTON MORRIS CHAIR EstaLhsLed Suprem.lcy Another employer had a quality which won me in spite of his rather acrid disposition. \Vhenever he set me a task he took great pains to make clear just what he wanted done- ;Ind how-and when he wanted it. He would patiently. an-swer any numbeT of ,questions that would make these things clear. Then I heard no more of the task until it was done. H it were done properly, he merely said, "thank YOu." If it were wrong, or not on time, I got a scorching "call-down."' His theory was a fair one-that when he had given a man every chance. to learn what was wanted he had a right to ex-pect the results. But I appreciated especially the fact that between the time the task was set and its conclusion, I heard nothing about it from him. Other men for whom I had worked had nagged me almost to distraction. Reasons Are Necessary. A. salesman, early in his career,learns to judge his buyers, and to adapt his arguments and methods of approach to each individual case. You cannot address a different ad-vertisement to each individual, but you can get at the kind of people you are selling to and show up the points about your goods that will get them to buy. Give reasons why. That is essential, 110 matter whom you are addressing, but the specific reasons why must be adapted to your particular audience. Don't FoUow the Ban<t Wagon. Don't be a band-wagon man. He never amounts to anything. Nobody respects him. He is not even respected by himself. The world admires a plucky fighter even if he goes down in defeat. Friends know that he can be depended on, enemies know that he is to be counted on, and such a one himself feels more like a man because of it. Stand for something. Don't be a nonentity, for that is what a band-wagon man is.-Chanute (Kan.) Tribune. THE LEXINGTON Michigan Blvd. & 22d 51. CHICAGO, ILL. Refurnished and re-fitted throughout. New Management. The furniture dealers' head-quarters. Most con-venienlly situated to the furniture display houses. Inter·State Hotel CO. OWNER & PROPRIETOR E. K. eriley. Pres.; T. M. CrHey, V. Pres.; L. H. Firey. Sec- Tte3.S.. Chicago, Feb. 23.-,\1though the exposition season is a thing of the past there is enough activity in the retail mar-ket to employ the millc1s of tile buyers and sel1ers. The man-ufacturers are now reaping the benefits of their talks to the buyers at the ShO"'\'5 and the orders seem to be coming in pretty rapidly. In fact, there is no let-up to the volume of business. Salesmen in the city and on the road report good business and every body seems to be satisfied. The only difficulty experienced is with the manufacturer who either cannot get material enough to fill his orders or is unable to get cars to move his goods. The exhibition buildings have again fallen into the be-tween- season state, and with the cxccpt~on of a few buyers (mostly in the city) the attendance is very limited. Plenty of goods, hmvcver, remain on the floors and even now the furniture buyer should have little difficulty in selecting his goods. The Banta Furniture Company, which has had a won-derful growth under the management of llarvey F. Banta, has begun an expansion of its plant at Goshell, Ind. Here- Why Not Order? Say a dozen or more Montgomery Iron Display Couch Trucks sent you on approval ~ If nol satisfactory lhey can be returned at no expellse to you whalever, while the price asked is bUI a tri8e, com~ pared to the convenience Ihey afford and the economy they represent in the saving of floor space. ThiIty-two couches mounted on the Montgomery Iron Display Couch T fUcks occupy the same floor space as twelve dis~ played in the usual manner. Write for catalogue giving full descrip~ bon and price in the different finishes, to~ gether with illustrations demonstrating the use of the Giani Short Rail Bed Fastener for Jron Beds. Manufactured by H. J. MONTGOMERY PATENT"-R Silver Creek, New York, U. S. A. Dennis Wire and Iron Co., Canadian Manu~ facturers. London, Onto 711'<-T I oS' J'I~ 27ft 7 $ .a 33 9 tofore, the company has made library and extension tables -which have proved satisfactory-and now, with the erec-tion of a new building and the installment of new machinery for the purpose, a complete line of dining room furniture \-viII be manufactured in connection with its present line. \Jr. Banta assumed charge of the old factory five years ago and by his energy and ability has tripled the output. The Chicago Furniture ::'vIanufacturer's Association held its anntlal meeting Feb. 12 in the banquet hall of the Chicago Athletic Association. A large number of the members were present and occasion was taken to cc'lcbrate the birthday of the Great Em,ancipator. The Fourteenth Street Furniture Market was unex-pectedly turned in to an auto show the first of the month. The Ford 1Iotor Company's sales rooms on Michigan avenue were gutted by fire and manager l\lcCready generously ten-dered the company ample space on the first floor of the build-ing. A new furniture concern known as the ,Manufacturer's Sample Furniture Company will be opened in Chicago the middle of ~larch. The controlling parties in the venture are Sigmund Kline and Louis \\l eil, the latter former manager of the Sample Furni'ture Company of this city. The company wilt occupy five floors at 346-8 \Vabash avenue, which will give them a display space of some 30,000 feet. Both men arc \vell and favorably known to the trade and the enterprise will undoubtedly he successful. J. C. Hills, of the Peck & Hills Furniture Company, left la,st week for a trip to Cuba. He was accompanied by his wit, and th. Ruiz, manager of the foreign department. Mr. .-Jills will combine business with pleasure and expects to remain in the tropics for the next two months. Four new companies for the manufacture of furniture in Chicago have formed during the month. They are: The Empire Furniture & l\Ianufacturing Co., with a capital of $10,000. P. L. ::VlcArdle, F. P. Brodculis and A. ]. Schmidt are the incorporators. TlIc People's Portrait and Frame Company with a capital of $3,000. J. E. Dittus, H. II. Costello, 1. R. Lewis, incor-porators. 11ahogany Koveity Company, capital $10,000. To man-ufacture picture frames. Incorporators, R. J. Cook, D. B. Graham, and Vv'alter Frahicus. International Mirror Company, capital $5,000. S. C. Car-roll, E. E. V/augh and Nina Johnson, incorporators. Secretary McCready, of the new }lanufacturer's Furniture Exchange, realizing the difficulty dealers have in remembering the names of the various Chicago exhibition buildings, has decided to re-christen the name of the new exchange. It will hereafter be known as the Fourteenth Street Furniture :'darket and will continue to be the home of Chicago-made furniture. A new name has been added to the selling force of the Columbia Feather Company. ZoIa C. Green, manager of the company, has succeeded in enlisting the services of James A. Dean, former manager of Mandel Brother's metal bed and bedding department. !vfr. Dean is well known in the retail trade in Chicago and is a valuable addition to Mr. Green's growing business. A. H. Revell and family have been visiting in Washington, D. C and Palm Beach, Fla" the past month. The Derby Desk Company, 311 \J\.!abash avenue, sustained a loss of $30,000 by fire February 13. The blaze started in the basement which is used as a storeroom by the Derby company. Before the firemen could arrive the fire had spread to the first and second floors and was making danger-ous bead way. Two hours of fighting, ho",1ever, extinguished the blaze. Several other companies suffered an aggregate loss of $30,000, among them being the Chickering-Chase J 34 B'rothers Piano Co., and the Henry Holtzmann & Sons Com-pany. F. T. Plimptoh has added the line of the Spencer & Barnes to his list. The Hawks line was dropped from the Plimpton exhibit in January, when no showing was made by that company. Chas. Kindel, of the Kindel Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, was in Chicago Feb. 18 to confer with John A. Arton, the Chicago representative. Mr. Kindel reports good bus-iness in the St. Louis territory and a satisfactory season in New York. He was on his way to Toronto to look after the Canada branch of the company. Mt ~rommersberger, vice-president of Charles Emmer-ich & Co., is in New York attending to the company's bus-iness at the exposition. Condemnation proceedings have been instituted by 'the Northwestern -Railroad Company against the- factory sites nothing to do but make a settlement and vacate. How soon that will be I cannot say; it will probably be some time, though. VVe have done nothing in the matter of a site for our factory. Several locations have been offered but none has been accepted. There are so many companies affected by the ruling of the council that it will be months before we are obliged to come to a settlement." The police authorities of Chicago are still searching for W, R. Wieboldt, a furniture dealer at 1302 Belmont avenue, who, after setting fire to his store, disappeared, Every effort to locate the missing man has proven futile. On the day of the fire it was fQund that blankets satur-ated with coal oil had been hung from the ceiling of the store, which caused the p01ice to look further into the causes of the blaze. Insurance policies to the amount of over $30,000 were found, aU of which had been taken out a month or two previous to the fire. Between twenty-five and thirty com- DAVENPORT MANUFACTURED BY GRAND RAPIDS UPHOLSTERING CO., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. of the Johnson Chair Company, the L. F. Kounast Table Comrany and the Koenig & Gamer Furniture Company. This is the result of an ordinance recently pas5ed by the city council giving the 1':J orthwestern the privilege of widen-ing tqe right of way amll II).aking various other improvements in the Halsted street di~~trict. The plans of the railroad company contemplate the des-truction of a number of manufacturing pla.nts but the three companies named are the 'only ones connected with the fur-niture trade to suffer. The Johnson plant will be cut in half, the line of demarca.tion, so to speak, starting in at the south-east corner of the site at Halsted and Erie streets and con-tinuing through t,o the northwest corner on Green street. This will leave a part of the factory untouched but the ware~ rooms and office will be included in the path. The northeast corner of the Nonnast factory, on Green street opposite the Johnson plant, will be cut off, and almost the entire site of the Koenig & Gamer factory will be taken in by the proposed improvements. It is possible that the Nonnast plant will be able to stand the loss of the corner and yet retain its present location, The: other companies, however, will be obliged to remove completely.' In regard to the suit and bis plans for the future, :\/Ir. Ne1s Johnson of the Johnson Chair Company said: "We have been served with a notice that proceedings have been started but there has been nothing done so far, We will have panics were repre5ented in the policies nearly all of which wcre for $1,000. Other papers found in a satchel in the v'lie-bolelt apartment were worth $20,000. \Vieboldt's daughter disappeared at about the same time and left a note saying that both she and her father had ended their troubles in the: lake. The suicide story, however, has since been discreJited as reports from both parties have been received by friends in this city, It is now supposed that Wieboldt is hiding in St. Louk Upon the request of the American Trust and Savings Bank, receiver in the affair, an order was entered by the court permitting the receiver to sell at 'private sale the two stores owned by \Vieboldt. Mr. Flesh Changes Base. l- Vl. Flesh, the popular salesman of eron-Kills & Co., has become general sales manager for the L. C. & W. L. Cron Company of Piqua, 0., who are about to discontinue their export trade and devote their energies to satisfying the American demands for dressers and chiffoniers. ,Mr. Flesh is thoroughly competent, both horn his long exper-ience as a furniture salesman and on account of his exten-sive acquaintances with buyers in all parts of the country, to ,guarantee the sales of this company's output. Mr. :Flesh is very enthusiastic over the new patterns. He says that they are bound to make good. 35 ROBBINS TABLE COMPANY OWOSSO, MICHIGAN No. 318. American Oak. 44x48 in. Top. American Base. 7 in. Pillar. Rockford Chair and Furniture Co., Rockford, III. OUR SPRING LINE -01- Dunels. Doo~mes. Oina (IosetS. li~rarJ Cases, On sale at our ware-rooms, BLODGETT BLOCK, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., dur-ing January, 1907. 36 ·:f'~MI9]iIG7JN Detroit, Feb. 25.-The Palmer Manufacturing Company wiH soon he in full possession of their new three-story brick addition. One floor is already filled with parlor and library tables and pedestals. A large part of the first floor will be occupied with offices, which will be handsomely fitted up. The second floor will be used as a sample room, where sam-ples of their full line will be kept for the inspection of buyers. /\. new old gold finish has recently been added to the large line of finishes previously shown, and already it bids fair to rival in popularity their famous Rookwood finish. Tbey re-port their January sales in Chicago as the best for January they have ever had in that market. The Pioneer }1anufacturing Company have recently fitted up a neat set of offices on the second floor of tb'eir fac-tory, directly over the old offices; hut they are much larger, lighter and more convenient in every way. They report trade as very satisfactory, their sales in January in Chicago ·being nearly equal to their last July sales, and much greater than any January in that market. Their line of reed and rattan rockers, children's carriages and go-carts 'is large and grows in popularity every season. The Posselil1s Brothers Furniture }\{anufaeturing Com-pany report a good volume of orders on their books, and the big factory is being operated to its full capacity. Their dis-play at 1319 ~1jchigan avenue, Chicago, in january, was the largest they ever made, and their sales were corresponJ~ ingly heavy. The Safety Folding Bcd Company is another of the busy ones, and under the skillful guidance of manager Farrel is growing steadily from year to year. J. C. \Vidman & Co., made such a big display of china closets, buffets and ha1l furniture in Chicago and Kew York in January that they "caught the crowd" and are full of bus~ iness. The vVolverine Manufacturing Company and Cadillac Cabinet Company report business active. The Detroit Folding Bed Company is one of the suc-cessful ones in the way of providir.g vehicles for the babies. Some of their goods are illustrated in this issue. Look up the pictures, get their prices and prepare to gladden the hearts of the young mammas and the future presidents, dce-presidents, senators, representatives and other great men and great women who are coming to take our places in the conduct of affairs in this great and glorious nation of Uncle Sam's. The "'1'/. E. Barker furniture 'store at 178 \¥oodward avenue has been vacated, and the goods that were not sold in the recent clearing sale were moved to the Michigan ave-nue store, corner of Third street. The big Michigan avenue store is filled with goods, as the peop1e are discovering, and a good, steady business is carried on. Owing to the putting in of the foundation of the huge eighteen story office building at Griswold and Congress streets, the foundations of the ~1offat building, (in '",hich Geo. J. Reindel & Co's office furniture store was located) re-quired to be strengthened, which rendered it necessary to vacate the premises. Temporary quarters are now occupied on Farmer street, but the fine six-story building now being erected for them wilt give th(',m in a few weeks, one of the [Lnest furniture stores in the city or state. Geo. Reindel is one. of the busy merchants of Detroit. \\Then he removes froin "Voodward avenue there will be but four furniture stores on that street, viz: \iVeit & Co. and A. A. Gray & Co. on the east side and Keenan & Jalm [lnd H. R. Leonard & I Co. on the west side. There arc nearly a score of furniture stores on 1\1ichigan avenue and about as many more on Gra-tiot. ~lost 'of them carryon an installment business, and some of them have an immense trade. \i\lith the opening of navigation, ""'hich is less than eight weeks away, will commence the usua1 rush of spring and sum-mer visitors. Official reports show that the steamboat pas-senger business of Detroit far exceeds that of any port on the lakes with the possible exception of Chicago. This al- 'ways makes busincss brisk for Detroit merchants. Some of the enthusiastic Detroit boomers arc now pre-dicting that this wilt be the sixth city in population when the. United States census of 1910 is completed. The city is certainly making marvelous strides in growth of population and business, but it is quite possible that these boomers are not com1ting on what other cities are doing. But that's the way to make things grow. Had there been no enthusiasts Pioneer Mf,g. Co ... DETROIT, MICH. Reed furniture Babu Carriages Go-Carts Full IiDe shown on secoDd floor. ] 3; ] 9 Mlcbi1!an Ave.. Chi-cago. iD January. «OOKWOOD and a general line of ff\NGY Tf\BLES Write for Cuts and Prices PALMER Manufacturing Co. 1015 to 1035 Palmer Ave. DETROTT, MICH. Full line shown on second floor, 1319 Michigan Ave., Chicago, in January. :a Chicago it would be far from the second city in the United States and the fourth or fifth in the world. The writer, who is far from being an old man, was in Chicago when it was not not more thaI). half as large as Detroit is at present, so there is every reason for the residents of Detroit to look forward to a city of one million souls in less than twenty years. Andrew Dutton, the Boston jobber in upholstery goods, will open a branch in Detroit, from which he will fill orders from ~1ichigan and the northwest. Murphy Chair Co. MANUFACTURERS DETROIT, MICH. ' A COMPLE

Date Created:

1907-02-25T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Collection:

27:16

Subject Topic:

Periodicals and Furniture Industry

Language:

English

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