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- Issue of a furniture trade magazine published in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was published twice monthly, beginning in 1880. and / / ,.:.. em TIS MICH.ENG ..cO. (r,R. . , r , New England FurnitureCo. MADE OF Q.UARTERED OAK OR BIRCH MAHOGANY, IN THE HIGHEST GRADE OF WORKMANSHIP AND FINISH. ALL COMPLICATED PARTS OMITTED, FOR THEY ONLY ADD TO THE LIABILITY OF TROUBLE IN USE. GOLDEN OAK THE STANDARD FINISH, BUT OTHER FINISHES FURNISHED UPON ORDER. - '\. ..\. \.,, -~ The New England Furniture Co's Sectional Bookcase is the one that goes together, so different, and while it is built up of units, it also is virtually one solid piece when together,and castered, thus making the moving when and where 'Vouwish, decidedlyeasy. THE GLASS DOORS ARE HINGED, BY STEEL HOOKS COMING IN CONTACT WITH STEEL PINS, BUT BY LIFTING THE DOOR A VERY LITTLE, CAN BE EASILY TAKEN OUT WITHOUT DIS-TURBING ANY OTHER PART. WE BELIEVE WE CAN SHOW ANY DEALER, POINTS OF MERIT THAT WILL WIN BUSINESS. ------,== GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. ==-- THE McDOUGALL IDEA McDOUGALL KITCHEN CABINETS The variety of patterns and range of prices of the Fall line of McDougall Kitchen Cabinets will supply practically every kitchen cabinet demand of the trade. The dealer does not hesitate to recommend McDougall Kitchen Cabinets, as he .knows that the name .. McDougall .. on a kitchen cabinet protects him as well as his customer. Every McDougall Kitchen Cabinet is absolutely guaranteed. The reputation of one of the largest and most reliable institutions in the country is back of this guarantee. McDougall Kitchen Cabinets are specially constructed to withstand the unusual hardships and the varying temperature of the average kitchen. They are designed to meet the needs of the over~burdened. housewife. They are graceful in proportion and "pleasing to the eye. Ten million people have been reading about McDougall Kitchen Cabinets in the magazines. Nine ladies out of ten have heard about McDougall Kitchen Cabinets before they see them on the dealers' floor. Will you profit by this advertising? The new catalogue, describing fifteen new and original designs, is now ready. A postal request will bring it to you. G. P. McDOUGALL & SON, INDIANAPOLIS, IND., u. S. A. THE COMPLETE DISPLAY IS NOW BEING SHOWN IN CHICAGO, MANUFACTUREHS' EXHIBITION BUILDING, 1319 MICHIGAN AVENUE, AlSO IN INDIANAPOUS. 1 '...'& :~ I No. 214 Dresser Plain Oak. 15,,42Tor. 2h:21l Oval Mirr:>r. Top Drawers Veneered. GLOSSF1N[SIi. PRICE, $8.50 . No. 33 Chiffonier Plain Oak. 20,,34 Top. Two Top Drawers Veneered. 14x2-1.Oval Mirror. PRICE, $7.00 Every Day Sellers w IT'S THE PRICE THAT CUTS THE ICE TERMS: 2 'Pet" ceo.t off 20 da". Net 60 da.,.s F.O.B.LOGAN,OHIO No. 227 Dresser Plain Oak. 22x44 Top. 2-J.x3UPattern Mirror. All Drawers Veneered. GLOSS FINiSH, PRICE, $1 0 .00 MAIL ALL-. ORDERS TO Snider Mfg. ·Co. LOGAN, OHIO No.1 Com.mode Plain Oak. 2Ox34Top. GLOSS FINISH. PRICE, $3.00 ., No. 520 Bed-Golden As;h. Price $5.50 TERMS, 2 per cent. off 20 days 60 days net Holland Furniture Company HOLLAND, MICH. No. 520 Commode -Golden Ash.. Top, 20x34. Top polished. No. 520 Dresser-Golden Ash. .Top, 21x42. Pattern Mirror, 24x30. Top pol-ished. Price. $9.50 Exceptionally Good Values SOME SELECTIONS -----FROM THE HOLLAND LINE Price, $4.00 SEND FOR CATALOGUE ./ , r No. 2074 Dresser. Full serpentine 24x30 plate. 22x42 top. Full Veneered. Q!!artered Oak Standards and Swing. Made in Birdseye Maple, Mahogany and Oak. The Quick Selling NORTHERN LINE The Attraction of the Season Especially attractIve to buyers who are lookingfor MONEY MAKERS. NORTHERN FURNITURE COMPANY SHEBOYGAN, WIS. No. 3071 Chiflonier. Full Serpentine. 14x24 plate. 20x34 top. Full Veneered. Ch!artered Oak Standards and Swing. Made in Birdseye Maple, Mahogany and Oak. \ , 26th Year-No.2. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., JULY 25. 1905. $1.00 per Year. August Sales. Semi-annual sales in Angust and l"'larch were, until re-cently, luxllries indulged in only by the larger stores. They (JJ"ig:inated, as most things of that kind do, in the enst, and of late years arc as much a detail of the year's business ill the np-to-date store as Christmas trade. The best huyer who ever lived will accutllulate sti(:kers, and he who does not, who buys no poor sellers, at the same time neglects to buy some good sellers. In the opinion of the writer, the buyer who can guess correctly just ·what will and what wi)] not seJJ from a given Jine is not yet christened. \Ve \viltadmit sOl11e st(l~'('S show practically 110 stickers, yet busi-ness is flourishing- and money flows in rea:lily. The question naturally arises, would not !,,01l1e of the i11rnitllre passed over as likely to be stickers IHn'e proved, if hought, to be tine sellers in disguise? I t is stated, and generally believed, that not over sixty per cent oi the average line is the srlling end, the balance tapering off from medium to poor sellers, some patterns not selling at alL \Vherein does a buyer hecome possessed of the wonderful faculty of fore-reading the desires of his cus-tomers in regard to certain articles to be selected or passed by him? III the endeavor to pass all d011btful things, it is in-tensely possible that he fails to select some good things. Variety of stock ill these days is a large element of success. ,The timid puyer, fearful of stickers, is llSually lamc in his variety. It may even be said that stickers serve a good puqJose. The customers of an up-to-date store need a 1\.'1arch or /\l\gust tonic just as reminders that things are moving. It is an axiom of modern business that an occasional loss hreeds profit. Tn the same town hvo stores of eql1al weight a.nd importance Illay be doing business. The one having JIO stickers feels the need of no special sale to clear its blood and takes no tonic. The other. having bought freely the new pat-terns in order to hold the attention of the public found some unexpected good sellers and a few unexpected l:-ad Jlllrchases. The aile ,vas the penalty of the othel'. Given thcn a chance to unload the poor stuff, ''''hieb, of COllrse, in future buying would he avoided, the unexpected good stuff ,,,,otild be pretty mllch vel vel. Here is where the August sale comes in. Feed the stickers to the public as a tonic at low prices. adding thereto some judiciously purchased <inaps. Close out jol:s, sample lines, or whatever looks salable at an c-,,])ecial low figure. The store 'vith the stickers and the sale will get the ]lUblic, if the prices are genuine, "..·.hile the clerks in the other store have time on their hands. ] t is hetter to have busy salesmen making no money in a dl:ll month than to have no salesmen b11sy "\'ith the same result. The public get into the habit of g-Oillg in September to the store they visited in August, particularly if a barRain \vas found. Some stores lHay for fires, and alterations, and eXCllses for commotioll .",ales, as the farmer prays for sunshine in hay time. They are both praying for what they know they need,. The August sale must Jlave undisputed bargains. 1£ the [)llhlic, after look-ing, iind no bargains, the hot weather offering may become a frost. These bargains must extend throllghotlt the stock to be effective--that is, the s]o",,' stock should be cut deeply, ('\'en lJelow cost, ,and the good stock cut lightly. All this, of course, hefore the spring or fall stock comes ill. During the dry goods white sales of January, getting ready for new stock sales of March, or the blue tag summer sales of July, watch the women of your family, Note the in-terest it creates, and if it is expected and waited for, note the small sa\'ings in order to be ready for it. \-Vhat your women do about other men's dry goods, other women do about your furniture. The same human nature prevails on other streets as on yOurs, and your knowledge and ability to take advan-tage of it gauges your success. You maybe successful and not know such a thing as human n~ture is to be reckoned with, so may a man unable to write his name become rich in competition \,,,ith educated men, hllt that proves nothing ex-cept in hiS particular case. Amel'icans have risen so often from log cabil1S to the presidency that at one time the man horn in a brownstone front had practically no chance in coo1- pal·json. Nevertheless, from our day forward yOll can pin your faith on the brick building man at (east. Only a generation ago a clear2.nce sale i.n August would have betokened a need for money that would endanger credit, but times have caught up to the brownstone front man and log cabins are memories. The furniture dealer at a loss for tonic inspiration can do well to watch the dry good!5 store or the department store more particularly, for that class of business does and will set the pace. Purely because wome'n dominate the buying for the houschold is this the case. What a woman will do in the way of a bargain temptation on MOl;lday, you can counL on her repeatil}g on Friday, if her money holds out. Having in view then the dull month sale, prepare for it. Buy with it in view and you wjl1 reap advertising results that .\'il1 discount all your, apparent loss of profit, Exhibitions are full of sample lines, which, after the season, are for sale at a discoll11t. Some for certain dealers arc risky, others are safe, others ag-ain are absolutely sure of selling, being staple goods at popular prices. The discount is practically your head start, and if you arc wise in buying, a sale to the public at about wholesale will net you little or 110 loss and still get yOl1 the advertising advantage. If the value of sample lines for advertising purposes were more generally known, there would be very little heard of sample selling at Grand Rapids; as their sale would be so scattered as to obviate any of the present much discussed evils in that connection, Over half the factories in the country, toward the last of each season. throw out a Humber of patterns to make roome,Jor new ones. 1n many case.s the old may be better than the "i~ew, but there being a limit to Sf ace and capacity, such .111U;;t be the program. Thesc dose-outs are eagerly watched for by the August sale L:llyers, and information in regard to their quantity and dis- COl1nt seldom spreads beyond the few. A few inquiries will put any wide~awakc dealer in possession of these facts, and no store is too small to take certain advantage, should the o)])ortunity be available. More iurn-iture per .capita can be sold than is wId, since a targain in a desirable article is a temptation hard for most women to resist, and only one in a large numher is amply furnished. Bargains beget bargaini. The woman having acquired one is on the hunt for another. You're it. Find her. r OUR NEW CATALOGUE SHOWS A MOST COMPLETE ASSORTMENT OF Dressers and Chiffoniers In QUARTERED OAK MAHOGANY VENEER BIRDSEYE MAPLE CURLY BIRCH Not a Sticker in the Line LIBERTY FURNITURE CO. JAMESTOWN, N, Y. DRESSERS and CHIFFONIERS TO MATCH In Qyartered Oak, Birdseye Maple. Mahoganyand Curly Bitch CATALOGUE SENT UPON REQUEST CENTURY FURNITURE co. JAMESTOWN NEW YORK - .'\.'.. =====~ ---_.- "Kingspring" Couches "KINGSPRING" construction is the latest development in Couch Making. H KJNGSPRING" springwork is the most elastic, easy and yielding ever devised. In every particular, the nearest approach to per-fection. The H KINGS PRING " quality gUluantees the greatest degree of comfort and service. It has none of the stiffness of wire tied spring work and will not become noisy and rattle after a little use. The two styles here shown are "KING· SPRING >' . Couches. Note the advantage gained by the low base-space usually wasted. is utiiized for our special spring construction. "KINGSPRING n value is big value-dealers can double their profit on "'KING· SPRING" Couches. Prices are not as high as you chink-but you can get nothing better for any amount of any kind of money. OUT new Catalog now in press shows a full line of " KINGSPRING" work. Jamestown Lounge CO. JAMESTOWN, N. Y. , 7 400 Pieces Library of Parlor and Furniture Consisling "f Colonial Repro-ductions, Odd Pieces and Suites in Louis XV, Loui, XVI, Sheraton, Hepp~lwhite and Chippendale Designs. Also large line of Leather Rocker~ Chairs and ··Couche,. 159 CanalStrett, Grand Rapids, Mich. CENTURY FURNiTURE CU. All the kids are in love with Spratt's Chair CHAIRS AND ROCKERS FOR EVERYBODY Send for CataLogilC GEO, SPRATT & CO. SHEBOYGAN, WIS. No. 88-Child's High Chair with Un~er Safety Gllard. r MECHANICS FURNITURE CO. No. 227 China Closet Siaeboards Buffets Chitta ClosetJ Parlor attd Music Cabimts In Oak, Birch and Mahogany Write tof New Catalogue ROCKFORD, ILL. No>.35 Sideboard "THE STANDARD LINE OF AMERICA" China Closets Buffets Combination and Library Cases CONSISTING OF WRITE FOR CATALOGlJE ROCKFORD STANDARD FURNITURE CO., Rockford,Ill. Parlor .Cabinets Music Cabinets Dining Cabinets Hall Seats HaU Racks Framed A Stub-toed Truth This is the Famous Rockford Line, That shows the spirit of the time; That gives the merchant joy and ease Because it's made to always please. It's full of perfect Art in wood Pronounced by every critic good. The finish shines like polished glass, And outwears any of its class. It's merit's sung from shore to shore By those who use it more and more. You're kindly asked to join the throng, So let your orders come along. The Music IS In Our New Catalogue ASK FOR IT Mirrors ROCKfORD. ILL. Shaving Stands Cheval Mirrors Dre.sing Tab. Dressin s Cha.lrs WILL ALSO BE SUNG BY OUR JOLLY SALESMEN With Patent Adjustable Mirro~ Rockford Frame and Fixture Co. Rockford,lII,nOiS , 9 10 Grand Rapids Foremost Line of OFFICE DESKS Ahea.d of all previous efforts in the Manufacture of a oomplete line of Cheap, Medium and High Grade ROLL AND FLAT TOP OFFICE DESKS NEW FALL CATALOGUE MAILED TO DEALERS ON REQUEST No. 557 VALLEY CITY DESK COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. The A, C, NORQUIST CO, ============JAMESTOWN, N.Y.============ Medium Grade Dressers and Chiffoniers In Plain and Quartered Oak, Birdseye Maple, Veneered and Solid Mahogany EXHIBITS AT New York, Chicago and Grand Rapids Catalogue on request I, !IrI fI ! ' fI , COMPANY SKANDIA FURNITURE No. 62MI, China Closet 1":10. 330 Buffet WE wish "merely to suggest" to the thousands of Furniture Dealers . who do not attend the expositions that the "next best way" to see our new line is to get a copy of our catalogue, which will be sent upon request. It is in itself an exposition of " Rockford Furniture" which no wide-awake Dealer can afford to be without. WE HAVE THE LARGEST FACTORY ~"THE BIGGEST LINE" -" RIGHT" PRICES ROCKFORD ILLINOIS r 12 • SOMETHING NEW JUST OUT ATTENTION! RETI\IL fURNITURE -- DULERS-- Do you want a Trade Winner? If so, see that the UNGER SAfETY GUARD is attached to your high chairs. Cost is only $1.00 per dozen over the ordinary. Yuu get 25 cents per chair more, besides giving your customer a highly superior article. Showing hlll'h chair tabtf'l with lfllard aUach"'d. Patented Jul}' 4, 1905. Other patelll:. ..""ding. Showing how the children slide down and out of the old style chair. Showing how the child cannot possibly slide out or stand up in chair. If your manufacturer does no' make them, order from TUE FORD &. JOHNSON CO" Chicago, III. BUCKSTAff &.. EDWA.RDS CO" Oshkosh, Wis. 6fO. SPRATT&.. CO., Sheboygan. Wis. ____ ~A=nyc-=:0thfese will see your want!; supplied. /. UNGER, Patentee, Iron Mountain. Mich, .71R'T' I k5' JI.L'J' 2 7'Wii'i 1 5' T7 t¥f! Is the Triumph of our Anol~er "Ameri(an" VidorJ No. 99 Reclining Rocker "Wylie" Adjustable Chairs and Rockers "SIMPLY PULL UP THE ARM.S" A TRADE: A TRADE: Our BIG Our BIG CATALOG CATALOG for your for your Little Little Postal Postal N<J. 19 Mission Rocker Prices and Goods "will do the Tes!" '%- Tnt AMtDIeAn (nAID (OMPAnT Seymour llOlana No. 124 Library Chair FURNITURE INSURANCE. The American Association Planning to Organize a Company and Prevent Extortion. At the anl1nal meeting of the FurnitllTc Association of America, held in New York on July T8. the committee ap-pointed last January to consider the 111att(,1" of insurance, pre· scnteet a report outlining a plan for the organization or a stock company for the special purpose of carrying risks on furniture and other wood-working factories and also un the stocks and bllildillWi of fl1Tnitlire dealers The report '.. vas ac-cepted and preliminary steps were taken [0 perfect the plans and carry the recommendations illto effect. The report describes the metllOds \1scd by tbe C011lmittee t(l secure information as to the ratio of losses to premiums and discusses the merits ::l11dadYal1tages of stock companies as compared with mutual companies and reaches Lhe c011chl-sion that the stock plan is preferable for furniture manufac-turers and dealers. The committee has found tl:at _pI rep-resentative Cllnccrns, scattered in 40 states and 289 cities, paid ill a ccrt,ail1 period $2.161,03f.54 in premiums, while they re-ceived dllring the same time only $275,423.25 for lossC'.s sm.- tained, tll11S esLaUishing a ratio of losses to pn'l11il1ms of I T.:P7 per Cell\. 111 other words, the premi\1Jlls paid by the 4zr policy holders exceeded the losses by $1,885,608.29. Tt is estimated that there 'are :~,ooo manufacturers of fllrniture and 25,000 dealers in the United States and that the ratio ShOWll hy the 421 which have been re];orted may he consid-ered a fair average for at least 10,000 out of the total of 28,000. Continuing, the report says: "An examination of the results of all the business done by all the fire insurance companies in the L~nited Stales fOf the year 19°3, as appears by their pllbli,shed reports, convinces 11S that all appeal to thesc companies for a reductiolJ in the rates levied against furniture manufactllrers and dealers could l10t result in any appreciable reduction. I-<'romthe published reports fr(l111,125 stock companies lhefol1owillg ligures can he obtai1l{'d: Premiums raid to 325 stock companies (biJtll foreign and American).. . , $21.1,886.970.00 Receipts from SOllTces other than premiums. [7,020,[47.00 Total receipts ,Vhereas their disbursements sta1l(l as Paid for dividends (American com-ranies ()11ly). . $8.125,864,00 Paid for expense. . ,75,7AA.233.o0 Paid to sUfplllS acco1l11t 4 r ,s6r .832.00 .... $230,907,rr7.00 fol1uws: $2.10.907,I 17.00 "Upon all examinaTion of these ligures yO\1 will notil~e ihat the raymcnt for dividcnds ($8,12.5,864.00) is \css th3.n one- I'alf the companies' receipts from SOl!rccs other than pre11li1J111S ($'7,020,f47.00). \Vith such a showing as this confronting them, it is extremely d(ltlhtful that tbey could he induced to nlake a reduction in the rate to this trade that would even a')proach the scvent:y per cent which the investigations marie by your committee lead it to believe that you arc paying in excess of what you should pay." The committee recommends the org'anization of a stock company to be known as "The i\.Jerchants' and l\lannfacture,-s' Fire Insurance COI1lt:any," capitalized at $4°0,000. That the stock be divided into 4,000 shares of bce value of $100 each and tbat the shares be ~old al not less th<1.I1$12,; eaell, the $100,000 atove par value to go into the reserve fUlld. Rela- Live to rules and management the report recoml11ends: "That all applications for insurance be passed upon by a committee of gentlemen actively engaged and well known in the hHniture trade, aClluainied with tbe moral and physical hazard of each risk. "That the detail of underwriting, frclIl) tbe insurance siandpoint, be in charge of a competent ttnderwrilCl' who lIas 13 spent a great many years as fidd and office man with leading-fi. re insurance conipanies, "That no policies be \-vritten thr.ough agents, but will only be issued from the home office after they shall have been ap-proved by the insurance committee. No policy will be writ-ten until after the risk has been examined. "By elimi'nating agents' commissions and so-callerl pre-ferred business (which is obtained only under excessive cost), the prevailing eXjJellSe ratio of the insurance companies, as at present conducted, ·which anlOllllt to an average of over tllirty-se\"cn per cent, and which is the one thing that prc- \'('11 lS their making equitable rates, can be. and in fact has been, cut down by comr anies conducted upon the principles we pnJpose to adopt, to hventy per cent and less. Tn the rt'- dnction of this expense ratio and by the careful selection of risks Sf) as to maintain the loss ratio of eleven and one-third l~er cent indicated ill our statistics of fire insurance history in the fllr11ittlre business, we would have a total expenditure for losses and expenses of thirty-three and one-third per cent of 01H gross receipts, ·which ..v..onld ellal~Je tiS to set aside sub-stantial rt'serve and surplus and yet retl1fn avery excellent di"idl'nd to policy holders. "Our plan is that at the end of each year twenty per cent of the net prolits of the business for the preceding twelve mouths, after setting aside the reserve r'cquired by law on all J:olicies in force, will he set aside for SllTplilS and contingent funds. Twenty per cent of the balance of such net earnings at thc end of each year will be paid to the executive cOlllmit-tee in consideration uf their giving their time and attention to the company's business during the preceding twelve mouths, and in lieu of all salaries; to be paid to them in the proportion that the board of directors shall decide and when the annual report of the directors shall have been approv~d by the stockholders at their annual meeting." Stability. One IIf the 111(istimportant things in a 'successful business life is stability. \Vithout stability success is impossible, Tu stay in the right place is as imporLant as to get into (or be put illtn) the right place. One of the trials of the furniture dealer is to be called down by his customers because of loose pulls that are easily.broken and mar the frollts of drawers' and doors, This is all due to a lack of stability on the part of pulls that will not stay where they are put. All of this Lrouble is removed hy usiug the Tower patent fasteners, ltlan-llfactured only by the Grand Rapids Brass company. These little fasteners lend stability to the drawer pulls; in-deed, rcnder them as stahle as the furniture itself. There call 1)(' no marring' of furniture from this source when the pulls arc made secure with the Tower r:atent fasteners, and whcn it is remcmhered tha"t these, fasteners do not cost the m;llllliacturcrs a cent there is no good reason why the mer-chant shol1ld not. insist 011 having them put. on all furniture having- drawers 0'- doors. Dilless the merchant is very busy indeed" it will usually ]lay him to look at a salesman's photos even if he does not intend to buy. He is likely to get some information as to price or styles that may be of great value to him_ .:0" r 14 TRUSTS WITHOUT MONOPOLY. Statement of Facts in Regard to the Pacific Purchasing Com-pany and the California Furniture Company. Nothing is more obnoxious to individtlals, lirms or corpo-rations banded together in a common calling than the term trl1st, as ordinarily applied. No word in the vocabulary of trade is more carelessly handled about. and it is ,iust as true that the term as generally applied is a misnomer. Once this word trust had an honorable signitic<LllCe and to a certain ex-h~ l1tit yet bears this distinction. but hardly in its commercial sense. 1t is \11l)re often a term of reprobation. and with some degree of justice, for at the bottom the trust as we know it is an artificial monopoly, seeming by greed and oppression an lIndue advantage over otners; the power to filch from others through nefarious business conduct a measure of profit to whieh it is not entitled. Trl1:sts of this kind might weB be conspiCtlOlIS tor their rarity, for it lilllst necessarily follow a trust in the popular acceptance of the term lTIllst have a combination of capital and business men in restraint of trade. A trlll;t in reality, to which this opprobrious term may trllthft1lly be applied, lllllst comprise all or nearly all the individual institutions doing one general line of business. admitting either of 110 competition, and thus be enabled to market its ·wares without regard to the rights of consumers or to have so minimized competition as to leave it pitiably weak and non-effective. It naturally follows that the term as applied to the Pacific Purchasing company, of Los Angeles. Cat.. is far from right or just. This is a combinatiull of furniture houses for the purpose of giving strength to its ]Jllrchasillg power and minimizing fregltt rates and the cost of operatio11 of the individual houses. There remain a 11l1mher of prosperous arid important hlrni-ture houses in Los Allgeles \vhich are as actively in competi-tion with it. and it cannot therefore be a combination in re-straint ()f trade. The people who patronize. either or any of the houses ,,,,hich are in the F. P. company, as it is locally kno,,,,n, are free to patronize the furniture houses which arc llot now and never have heen in this amalgamation of furni-tt1re l1ollses. The Pacitic Purchasing company is something entirely ncw in the nature of combinatiollS among furniture houses. There havc been purchasing syndicates galore. bnt they have conti.ned themselves to branches of the same general estab-lishment in different cities. or to a Humber of dealers and firms in various cites who, visiting the market together. pur-chase in sylldicate, to obtain the better prices ,,,,hich attend such wholesale buying. These purchases are distributed among the respe.ctivc parti(~s to the syndicate, as is desired. In such combinations there is 110 common interest save pur-cha.~ e and distributioll, their individual houses being con-ducted along lines which are as varied as their locations. Herein lies the difference between the Pacific Purchasing company and all other purchasing syndicates which have pre-ceded it. This combination is decidedly young, and its cOll1petitor~ L'iaim it is far too soon for either its members or others to declare it a SlIceess. They wilt not goo so far as to assert it a failmc. but there is significance, in which perhaps the thought is father to the wish, that one ShOllld wait a year before giving the stamp of either approval or disapproval to this new factor in the coast furniture trade, I t was formed only last December, and S<I.\"C for tIle 811- llouncement in a rather vague ,vay giving the trade to uncler-stand it was for the pttrpose of secnring tp the individual mem-bers greater benelits throug"h the combined purchasing power uf the whole. there has been little or nothing known as to what in reality this new movement in the furniture trade meant. . Being a combination regardless of the other houses in the city in which it is located, it was immediately and very .7'IR'r I0'A.l'I . T $1* generally dtlbbed the Los Angeles furniture trust, and there were all kinds of vague threats as to what would happen to it. Kothing has happened to it yet. It is in very vigorous work-ing order and its exponents arc exultingly pointing to its future with a great (lcgrce of pride. Yet e\'en tJ1Cmembers of the company felt the policy of the P. P. company was too tittle understood, and thus President Barker and Vice Presi-dent IVlackie visited the furniture market as emissaries to make known its objects and to disabuse the minds of the fur-nitnre public of any false impressions which mi'ght have been formed. Vice President Mackie's statement wa!:; the first official ut-terance of the P. P. company, Mr. Mackie said the combina-tion had been eminently successful, since its inception, and that it had not only brought about all that had been expected of it. but that it had gOlle even further, bringing benefit's which its organizers had not dreamed of at its lancbing. As the basis of the combination, he stated, was the desire to take advantage of the peculiar freight conditions which obtain on the coast, where ill, shipping in car lots, the dealers obtain a rate which is much less than that where goods are taken in 0re11 freight. Through this had come the necessity for the combination aud a central purchasing agency. Under the individcal }Jla11each house would buy car lots in various products. In the course of trade the line,s·would become broken. To fill meant the huying of a car lot of certain sizes, and in time this meant tloors filled with a lot of practically dead stock in those sizes which were in little demand, This tied I1p su much capital in time that no individual house could stand beneath the b1lrdell of the dead stock. In the combina-tion plan car lot.s could be bonght in the llal11e of the general company and distributed among the respective houses as de-sired, no one house at any time being overstocked with goods. Dovetailing into this came the augmented purchasing power of a combination which could purchase in many car lots. whercas formerly the individual house would have some little dini.culty in caring for a single car load. Both of these theories worked out to the satisfaction of those concerned and then entered in the bencfits which had becn unlooked for. :.Jatllrally there must be a central warehouse for storage aud distribution. Clerks were needed, and it speedily came about that a force of some twenty of the best help in the respective hOllses had relinquished service under the several firm banners to enroll themselves beneath the ensign of the P. P. t~o1l1p3.ny. This worked "veil also and simplified business in the office of each firm. vVhereas they had formerly car-ried accounts individually with fifty or tnore furniture facto-ries in various parts of the country, they now had btlt one accotltlt for supplies, and this with th(' Pacific Purchasilig company. Each firm did its OWl] carting under the old order. ITere was born a new idea. A carting company was organized among the members of the general COmpany. This did all the hauling for the respective stores. There is a great de-crease in the number of teamsters who formerly did the work. There is less money tied up in horses and etjuipment and each team is working t.o its full capacity and at all times. The cutting dm'Vn in thc fixed charges of the individual houses was quite considerable up to this point, but it went still further. The respective houses had five men canvassing the city, measuring and taking orders for shades, says Mr. :rVlackie. This force has now been cut to two, and they are doing the work well. He naively added that when a contract for shades is to bc figured upon the ,vork is done by expert clerks in tlw central warehouse, and whjche.ver firm happens to be the favorite house in the locality under consideration, that firm puts in the bid which gets the contract. Nothing is said abollt a general division of profits as might be supposed to follow under stlch a system. and as MI'. IVlackie did not remark it, certainly it is not our privileg-e to deduce anything further, Such a system has been ill effect in many other places, and it works all right for those upon the inside, but the public • somehow 11a;; all ohjection tu Lids on contract \\lark emanat-ing from a centr,11 sotlrce. There is something here very ';tTllst-like," as tbe general public tlllderstands stich things. yet apparently there is Lluthing WTOllg abollt iI, or IvJr. ~\lackic would not have been so free ill stating how shade CUlltracts were apportiouerl, even though he did overlook the matLer of il1utllal proj"it s!l:uing, He stated in summing up that the comllinatic'll had worked to the lll<isl complete satisfactioll of those interested, and he was cOIJ(idcn[ the P. F COlllj.)(llly was rive years ahead of its competitors t he land over. There are Cllw8}'S two :-:ides [u a stor~y, as allY llC\VSP<LPCT 1l1an and it guurl mally lawyers C<lll assert: with t1101",lllgl1 COll- \-iction. and to (jlle il1terested ill g(:ttillg" dear light 11P()11 the Il"\V methods th' COIning of Prt'siden1 :\. H Voight <1'111 J. c. Manufactured by tlle Udell Works, Ilidiallapolis, Ind, I\annister, of the llew1y fnrmcd' California Flll'llitllre C'Hl1- pany, of Los i\ng'cles. was <lIvaitcd with a cOllsideralJle d('- grce of interest, :\!e"srs. Uallllistel' and Voight were re-spectively identitied for eightecn and ,[\venty years with the Los Ang-eles Furniture company. which is nllt' of the strung" furces in the P_ F. company. Th('rc was nothing ill that C01l1- bination \'vhich appealed to them. They stood fnr the indi-vidual s)'stel11, and leaving" their old house formed the quar-ter of a million dollar enterprise with v",I1;("11they are idel1ii- I-ied and whieh illstittttioll \-vil1 open its doors ill October. So far as they 'Nould l11<lke kIH)\-Vl1 their views fill' jlu1J]ica-lion they slated thal they \vere in b\1,'.;iness competition wi11l the Pacific P\1rcLasing CUlllpany anll that they helieyed tl1or- (Iugbly ill the (lId and ilonol"able system nf trade C0ll111ctitilJIl as generally 1I1l(lersto()(1. They would not criticisc the 11lem- Lers of the comhinCltil)n <t.e; a l11atter of bnsiness principle and trade ethics. They werc personally and socially on the most ]Ieasant terlllS with the men \".-ho iOl'med the Clnnbillatiul1. They had little tll say in uppc)sition [II the corporation itself. ~,ave that thcy believed the old open systenl of compelltl()ll was the bettcr (or trade and the COllSlllllel", an(l said that timc alone could demonstrate \','hich was right ill the contention, the individualists or the exponcnts of the combination sys-tem, One thing they \voll1d say; the c()ntelltioll the CUllr-bination was for taking advantage oi favorable rates ill car lot purchases could hardly be substantiated ill whole. No huyer of any importance nil the coast, they declared, sel1t shipments forwnr(] in open freighl, bllt assernbled his pnr-chascs at a cel1tral puiol. and \\-"hell sufficient had been gat1l-cred to secure the l:ene!it of this car lot provision fur warded them. In thcir case there \vas little: or nothing the new bouse would hu.y ill car lot amOlltltS by itself, bllt they would pur-chasc so freely that when assembled 111 Chicago lltey cul\ld 15 Illrward carloall lots of variOI1S ljroducts, givil1g the special rate privileges w-hich would accrue from this method.. More- ()\'cr, if there .vas ally advantage ill the respective, modes of jltln::hasing, it rather lay, in their opinion, with those buying less o[ auy 01le article, yet getting' the rate throllgh the ag-gregate qualltities, and such ran little risk of overstocking . . \s to which was rig-ht in the contention (If l~eing ahrt'ast of the times. it remained for the future to disclose. The Cali-fornia Furniture company, declared ~lessrs. Voight and Ban-l1i", ter, is comprised of men experienced in the furniture trade. They would not engage ill such an l1l1dertaking if tiley were n'lt. ahso1tlte1y assured of their positioll and the success the rl1turc was to bring. COLlversely, the Paci~ic Purchasing com-pally was comprised of progressive, energetic anrl successful lUl"lliture men uf luany years' experi.ence, and they wcrc just ,\S certain they werc established along th,e right lines. /\n issue is here sqnarely joined, and as both canllot he right the dccisioll call only be awarded in the court of time. Su f81' as the general public of Los AIlg-eles is concerned, 11lllbing \-vas brought out in the conversation with either :1-'11". \Iackic OJ" ,\Iessrs Voight and KaOllister, as tir its attitude Illwartl the comhllatioll or the illdividtlal houses ollsic1c it. .--\prarently trade is just as much divided today as it ever was ill lhe paOi!, \vith the majority of the public little hceding the. ITllst talk and o}lliviol1s to thc central organization, contin- !ling to patrunize tbe J\Jackie--Frederieks company, Barker 1-\r()tllers, lhe LIIS Angeles company or any of the other COI11- p'1l1ellt parts Q[ the central cumpany, as suited it.. Tt has ht'CIl intimated t11at th~' method of passing; around contracts. ;l;-; relate<1 hy\:fr. \-lackie. is heing looked upon asknnce; but it proklhly l-J8S nnt yet resllltec1 in an)' great pllblic cJamol" or \1 r. lVfackie would nut artlessly [H1.Ve told of this phase of tile 1111sincss. TI IORNTON PRESCOTT CRAFT. The Furniture Premium Scheme. H ('\"c\\"ilh is 1'e1;ro<11.1ced a sample of the arl'v'ertisements that are b.::ing used by concerns tbat offer furnitllre as J)rcm-iUllls \-\'ith orders fur groceries, soap, de. l,'lIrther pat·tieulars Dr their schemc, how they induce \\'omen to f(lr111 clubs, ray ill a dollar a week and then cast lots for the prize are gi\'en in \lle interview of V'v' S. BrOlln1. of Illinois, published ill this Ill\mber uf the Artisan. It is Ileed}e~s t'l say that tile desk ra;'i the che<l]leq of the chealJ- ll1{T('I\' is i1. cheap affair thrown together -ill and Tau Ca It Furnish Tour Ho... IIDm-pleta Without Cost hyorderlng yoord!>Uy h""""bol<1 BOPPU,," from uo. tll" nl./IJlufOlll-lure ...... nd ge\t.lng ."lo"l>le .... d .en"ll>lu p<emloms (ree. We <:&n lI!~'e you Sbe.e p<omlo..... 'r.... b&- u~..·.... e we cut out _hole ... 1-- ~nd' reu.lJer's p,ofltB and " ...... lIn« ... l""men•' ... d otl<" ""ala .. a.penoe •. n<liled. The cost to the advertiser is 110t 11lore than $2.00 or $2.2,:;. and the value of the ;;gooos" del-iverec1 with the desk is prubably less. It is safe to say that the name or trade mark of the Iranufaetllrcr is not found on the desks. It, would scclil that fllrniture dealers who are troubled with such com-petilion might gel rid of it by having the facts Jll1bliRhcd 111 their local papers. " 16 SLIDING DOORS AND ADJUSTABLE SHELVES. The Sectional Idea Has ],ccome so 'well established that it is no longer a question of sectional or non-sectional bookcase, but simply a question as to ,,,,hieb of the different styles of sectional cases possesses the 1110St desirable: features. The "Danner" is the original and ooly case in which the sectional idea has been combined with sliding'doors and adjnstaHe shelves. and with these exclusive and distinctive features stands at the head of all bookcases ill style. quality, convenience and gell-eral I1tility. \J./hcrc\'{.'f a bookcase can he used the "Danner" ers. This is causing a reduction of imports. [t has long been thotlght that the Japallcsc were masters of the art of imita-tion, ])t,1 it is ,now generally admitted the world over that they also possess powers of great initiative. "1\ recent report of the British consul at Kobe records the fact that the import of cotton yarns shows a big decrease, due to tbe increased growth of the Ja:~anese ind11stry, which is gradually hut surely ousting Lancashire coarse cottons from the Japanese market. Among woolen manufacturers the out-look for imported goods is not bright. The mal1ufactme of tlannels in O~:aka has improved to sllch an extent that imports of this article have fallen off considerably. Japanese manufac-turers today arc producing the cheapest kind of cotton unde1· ,case will be fOllnd suitable. These cases are furnished in qttart{'red oak, in all the late"st styles of finish; also in ma-hogany. Catalogue hlfllished on application. Japanese in the World's Markets. Japanese t;nterprise in various manufacturing industries is being felt in the Japanese markets hy British and German traders Ernest L. Harris, American comnl(~rc.ial agent at Eibenstock, Germany, writes on this subject: "1'hc products of Japan's industries are gradually i()f(~illg themselves into variOi1s m<lrkets of the world where their competition is being keenly felt by English and German traders, Japancse ingenl1ity and industry are beginning to exert an influence to such an extent that their exports are in-creasing, while at the ~amc time the markets in Japan are passing more and more into the hands of home manufactttr-wear, socks. wilel :"nap and lamps. The illJigo and tobacco trades are al~o rapidly passing into Ja:ancsc bands. Suit for Infringement. J11 a !-ecent issl1c of the Chicag·o Law Bl111etill announce-ment is made of snit begun for infringement by the American 2.'fattress & Cush ion comrany against the Springf-ield Mat~ tress COlnpany and C. S. lvlontgomery. The mattcr in con-troversy is the alleged infri11gcment of one of the pHtents on the inner tufted mattress now being exclusively manufactl1red Hnd sold by Messrs. Charles A. Fisher & Co..' of Lincoln and Chicago, 'who have exclusive rightR. This patent is now owned and controlled by the complaining company. Never. "Arl~ hl:r parl:tlh ];()()r:" "Yes: her husband will never forgive her for being their daughter." Smith & Davis ST. LOUIS MAKERS OF METAL BEDS WITH STANDARD ~ REVERSIBLE RAILS No>. 328 $Q. ·7.5 All Iron u. net Pillars, 1 1~16inches. Filling, 3-8 and 5-16 inch. Head, 56 inches. Foot, 40 inches. Sizes: 3 feet 6 inches and 4 feet 6 inches. Weight, 67 Ibs, SOLID .. .. RIGID REVERSIBLE Mfg. Co. Standard Reversible Rail Patented July 15, 190Z. No. 704702. This rail is reversible in the true sense of the word-can be used either side up and enables the dealer to make one set of rails answer instead of having two stocks, one of regular, the other inverted. BEDSTHAT DO NOT WIGGLE. W00dardFuml.ture CO.OMwicohssigoan You should see our New Fall Line of Medium Priced BEDROOM FURNITURE in all the Fancy Woods before placing your order Full line of 400 PIECES on display m Grand Rapid, Exhibition .Building Third Floor In charge of T. ASHLEY DENT New cal~ue ready July 10th Robbins Table Co. OWOSSO, MICHIGAN No. 286 Improved Extension Table Leaves stored in top Center column does not divide CATALOG AND PRICES TO DEALERS ON REQUEST 18 ESTABLISHED IS80 PUBLISHED BY MICHIGAN ARTISAN CO. ON THE 10TH AND 25TH OF EACH MONTH OFFICE-2-20 LYON ST.• GRAND RAPIDS. MICH. ENTE~E; "'S MATTEA OF THE SECOND CLASS Because of misrepresentations (collstituting- a fraud), :oaid to have been made by H. S. Smith, a representative of !\. H. A11{lrews & Co .. Judge Steere, of Sault Stc. Marie, Mich., en-joined the board of supervisors of Chippewa county from purchasing furniture for a l1C\.Y court bOllse. The contra::t "rice was a trifle LInder $.1,000. Local dealers started a s~lit to stop the deal. one firm claiming that it offered to furnish exactly the same goods for several hundred dollars less, but was tumed down. The committee that bought the furniture is exonerated on the ground that it was misled. After the contract had been awarded to Andrews & Co., Smith died and, therefore, could not appear at the hearing- in court, Exhibitors in the fnrniture exposition tm.vns of the central west are plucking bouquets and tossing them to the big-hearted, enterprising and .liberal buyers of the far west and south. Buyers from the east entered the markets not only with "cold feet," but icides on their whiskers, and their chilly presence upset the manufacturers completely. \~lhen they with-drew to look over their measly orders preparatory to cancel-ing a considerable part of the same, the men from the west and south made their appearance. Immediately there was '''something do in," and from the present to the close of the year the factories will be veritable "hives of industry." The Manufacturers' club, of Buffalo, is endeavoring to obtain pledges from members and their friends to purchase goods of local manufacture, "all things being equaL" The club argues that the purchase of goods "made in Germany," or other than local manufacture "does not show public spirit; it is not giving fellow members of the club a chance, and it is not giving fellow citizens a chance." This policy, when pursued, promotes good feeling among citizens and SlIS-tains the commercial interests of a city. Not much interest was manifested by the trade in the con-vention of the Furniture Association of America, held in ~ew York recently. The proceedings were perfunctorv and of no particular lotCTest. The fate of the aSf,ociation ";ill probably be that of many associations of furniture makers and dealers of the past. Death was caused O\ving to the lack of interest on the part of the classes they were organized to aid. The retailers and n'.amlfacturcrs of furnittlre in Chatta-nooga, Tenn., after several conferences, have signed an agree-ment by which the latter discontinue the sale of furniture by r~etail and the former will handle more goods of local manu-facture than formerly. Reciprocity never fails to prove ad· vantageous to the participants therein. One thousand buyers placed orders with the local and out-of- town manufacturers in Grand Rapids since the season opened June 26. Recognized authority places the aggregate amount of the sales at $ro,ooo,ooo. A pretty figure, aU things considered. The manufacturers are well provided with orders. Many I~ave sold their output for the remainder of the year Dealers who failed to order the stock needed for the fall season of trade may experience considerable difli.culty in obtaining goods. The midsummer buying season in the markets of the middle west was notable for the cool weather that prevailed dnring the rast two months. The proximity of Grand Rap-ids and Chicago to Lake Michigan make those cities all that could be desired as regards climate. ANew York fi.nancial paper grudgingly declares that Rockefeller's $ro,ooo,ooo gift represents only half his income ior one year. That is most inconsiderate. Think of the poor mau's being without any income for six months. An insight of the installment business is furnished in the delightful story published in this number of the Artisan, "The Furnishing of a Matrimony Flat," The story first appeared ill Everybody's Magazine for August. "Tom" Lawson warns young men that as a business prop-osition speculation is as bad as playing the races. There are times when "Tom" as a guide, philosopher and friend is simply great. Valuable suggestions, based upon experiences in business, are contained in the interviews with buyers of furniture pub-lished in this issue of the Artisan. Strong language cannot carry a poorly constructed, ill-designed sideboard from the slow-moving to the fast-selling class. The earnestness with which your competitors lie about you may be employed as a means for measuring your success. The "Sad, Dark End." John Sebastian, a funeral director of Fitzwilliam, N. H.. lt1 an address to the undertakers of Philadelphia recently praised rich and elaborate funerals, pleasing the fraternity very much. "The beginning and the end," said Mr. Sebastian, "the 1;e-ginuing gay, the end sad; the beginning bright, the end dark -let us, then, do all we can to render this sad, dark end, which is common to us all, less miserable." Mr. Sebastian then advocated the employment in funerals of mutes, of black plumes, and even. on special occasions, of muffled music. There was a murmur of protest, and the speaker, smiling, said: "/\h, hi.e,mls, let us make the end as s.eemly and pleas-ant as possible. The end is so different from the beginning. In that it is like marriage, isn't it? "T am thinking of two Fitzwilliam women, the one young, the other old. The two sat on a granite rock under a white birch tree one July afternoon and talked philosophically about life. 'I am happy enough,' said the young woman. <The only tJ:ting I have to complain of is that my husband goes away every morning and onesn't return till evening,' 'My husband,' said t.he older woman, 'goes away every evening and doesn't return till morning.''' The Yeager furniture Company ALLENTOWN, PA. NEW LINE OF UPHOLSTERED PARLOR FURNITURE and NOVELTIES POLISHED WOOD SEAT ROCKERS --IN-BIRCH OAK AND MAHOGAKY. An endless variety in Gold, Gilt, Mahogany and \VeatlJered Oak Fillishes. "WE MAKE OUR OWN FRAMES" Complete Line on Exhibition a.t CHICAGO ONLY Manufacturers' Exhibition Building 1319 MICHIGAN AVitNUE. SEVENTH FLOOR The Schirmer Furniture Co. Mamtfacturen; ...ot. .. "all Racks Settees NQ, 640 Height, 40 inches. Maholl./.lflYand Oak. Polished. Finished Back. Adjuslabks Shelves. ONLY $9.25 Genter Tables ------ Makersof ----'---- MUSIC CABINETS, LADIES' PARLOR DESKS. LIBRARY BOOKCASES, HOUSE FURNISHiNGS THE UDELL WORKS INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA WRITE FOR CATALOGUE 1911-1915Elm Street. CINCINNATI,0"10 I " 10 THE CREDIT 8UREAU OF THE FURNITURE TRADE The LYON FURNITURE AGENCY ROBERT p, LYON, General Manager CREDITS and COLLECTIONS IMPROVED METHODS which are haunting you about Olsen Desks. Do you think that because they are cheap they can't be good? That is all wrong. Olsen Desks are as carefully and intelli-gently made as those costing twice their price. By Hintelligently made" we mean keeping always in mind the service they are to render. Every drawer slides without catching, every curtain runs smoothly, the pigeon-holes are conveniently arranged, the whole desk is just the neatest affair imaginable. The woods are selected with great care and the finish is faultless. The only thing cheap about Olsen Desks is their price. These facts ought to banish all your doubts. Don't delay putting Olsen Desks in stock another minute. When they arrive and you see how readily they sell you']) be sorry you didn't order them before. Write now. Grand Rapids Ollice, 412-413 Houseman Bldg. GEO, E. GRAVES, Manager CLAPPERTON & OWEN, Counsel THE STANDARD REFERENCE BOOK CAPITAL. CREDIT AND PAY RATINGS CLEARING HOUSE OF TRADE EXPERIENCE: THE MOST RELIABLE CREDIT REPORTS COLLECTIONS MADE EVERYWHERE PROMPTLY REUABLY Danis~T~oseDou~ts o. C. S. OLSEN &. CO. THE ONLY GASTER GUP THAT WILL NOT MAR OR SWEAT A New Casler Cup. a, Furniture Protector and a Rest We guarantee perfect salis-faction. VIle know we have the only perfect ca'ltercup ever made. This cup is in two siz"'f;. as iollows: 2}{ inch and 3 inch, and we use the cork bottom. Vou know the: rest Small size, $3.60 Itef tOO Large size, 4.50 Itef 100 Try it and be convinced. F o. B. Grand Rapids. Our Concave Bonam Card Block does not touch the sur-face, but upon the rim. permit-ting a circulation of air under the block, thereby preventin~ moisture or marks of any kind. This is the only card block of its kind on the market. Price sa.oo Mf tOO Grand Rapids Gaster Cup Go., .... kwoo' A.. " Grand Rapids, Mich. ROCKFORD U~ION FURNITURE CO. ROCKFORD, ILL. Buffets, Bookcases, China Closets \Ve lead in Style, Construction and Finish. SEE OUR CATALOGL'"E. . TALKS BY FURNITURE MEN. Various Views, Ideas, Suggestions and Opinions on Subjects of Great Interest to the Trade. N at the ]('8.st of the benchts derived from a sojourn in Grand Rapids or Chicago dnring a brnitnre sales season comes from 8 comparison of notes, an exchange of ideas, "ie,,,,s and opinions. on methods used ill buying ann selling, store manag('ll1cnt and other subjects of gcneral interest and importance to all ('ltg'aged ill the industry. The Artisan. realizing that comrarativdy few of its readers are able to visit the expositions and arc thus denied the pleasures and !JCI1cf-its mentioned, 11<1"collected a !lumber of interviews with prominent manufacturers. buyers, selld's and retail dealers, boited them down until htl1e more than the meat is left, and ]Hlblishes them h0r('\vith for the pleasnre and cOllvenience of the stay-at-homes. In soliciting the Tuten'iews it has heen aimed tn hare the gentlemcn talk Oil subjects of direct interest to the trade. hut they "...ill be found to contain considerable information ill re-gard to the advantages, improvements, business conditions, etc., in various cities and sections of the COlllltry. I t: will be noticed that the talks are llnallimotlsly optimistic as to the present and tbc future and that where any complaint is made as to the imlnediate past the trouble was due to local rather than general conditions. 1t -will also be noted that the importance of display windows is conceded and T do not say it boastfully. \".,'e handle many various ideas and opiniow; being expressed in regard to thc samrles problem, the "sticker" question, the nse of hrie-a-brae and other business methods. The interviews will fuUmv the name, connection and ad-dress of the talker, witbont quotation marks: Alabama. I i· Joseph ll. Loveman, of Loveman. Joseph & I.ocb, l.iir-mingham- TlJe ~('as(J!J just passed liaS recorded tlle best spring trade ever dnlle by onr Ii.nn, and the prospccts for the fall are exceptionally bright. Birmingham, as you know, is located in the heart of a very rich and highly developed part of the state, being surroltlldcd by large mining, lumbcr and agricultural interests. from ,...hich a large trade is drawn, The cOllsequence is that everyone is employed and making good money; tbe latter fact especially in 110 "lay fails to gladden the heart of the retailer. Om store is the largest of its kind in the south. in fact. the largest south of the Ohio river. That is conceded and T do not say it boastfully. \Ve handle many different lines of goods, among \v11ich we bave a very larg'e furniture department. There are prol;ahly some tbirty other tirms III Birmingham individually J1l the furniture line. Speaking of "stickers," the best solution of that problem wOllld be to never have then!. That, however, is impossible, becallse they always do and alwa:ys wilL at one time or an-uther. make themselves e"ideHt. At first 1 thought of getting rid of them by means of the '·P. }1." system, bllt .1. have a peculiar set 01' boys in my department, and y,,j]en I proposed ."Inch a method they objected and declared they would con-sider such an arrang-enlellt as an insult, that r was paying them a good salary and it ""as sufficient. fn consequence I abandoned that idea and decided to give the benefit to the customer, and have ever since l11.arle one cut in the price of a "sticker"--not a stlcces"ion of cuts, but only one, and that one to such a ridiculously low hgllre that l have never kn'own it to fail to move the ObllO;.;iollS article. 1 always act on the theory that the l-ir::t loss is the best loss. Arizona. C. n. Dorris, of the Dorris-Heyman company, Phoenix- Trade has been exceptionally good ,,"ith 11."1 dming the past 21 season ancl has continued so well up through the heated term, \I·hidl commencecl about June I. It will be immensely in-creased whcn the great Tonto reservoir is completed, which is bcil1g cOnstructed at a cost of $4,000,000 by the government. The dam is located at the' juneion of 'Salt river and Tonto creek, and will furnish water for the irrigation of over 250,000 atrcs of the best land in the Union. Then Phoenix will be in the center of the garden of the -world. People don't realize it. but we can raise every form of grain Or vegetable knowri, and we can do so abotlt one month earlier than elsewhere. Our oranges are ripe oyer a month befol-e those in SOl1tlH'rn California are placed on the market, and the superior quality of our paper-shcll almonds arc already giving- Phoenix ..v..orld-wiele fame. The head of the dam is located at Roosevelt, abollt sixty Illiles from Phoenix, and a magnificent wagon road between the two points has beeti built by the governme~t at all expense of $J 50,000. Yes, Phoenix has a great future and the people are fully aV,.:are of that fact and preparing to take adtT,'Lntage of it. Arkansas. D_ Lichtbach, of the Arkansas Furniture company, Texar-kana- Texarkana in the state elf Arkansas is the gateway to the great southwest. \,Ve have 'eight trunk lines of railroad passing through am town, and anyone wishing to go to Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma of beyond that, Old Mexico and Paerllc coast points, by the southern route, must go through Texarkana. Thirty-cig-bt rassengcr trains arrive and leave each day. Om w\",'n is located uear the border of Texas and Louisiana and i.~rapidly forging to the front. At present we have a population of [8,000, which is steadily increasing. Real estate val lies have increased wonderfully. Just as an ex-ample, abOll! five years ago a friend wanted me to buy some property Oll the outskirts of the town at -$50 an acre. 1 did not invest, and 1 am sorry for it 110W, because a year ag'; that saIne property sold at $250 a lot. and today the price is $500 a lot. \\'hen you consider that the average is six lots to the acre :you can realize what 1 missed. '0/e have two furniture factories that manufacture chamber suitcs and dining room tables of a cheap grade and have a combined output of abollt $60,000 a year; but T don't helieve our part of the south wifl ever make a success in the furniture manufacturing line. We lack tbe skilled labor, and it is almost impossible to get it. \Vhell a lot of workmen are brought down they get lonely and leave after a few nV)11ths' stay. \Ve have the lumber, all kinds of it. and of the best. l think, however, it would he more satisfactory if the lumber were shipped north, turned into well-flnished furnitme and then placed in OUf market. The workmen brought down are paid the same wages tJley g-et in the north; but they find the living higher, and, as I said beforc, the:y get lonely and leave. Until we can get skilled workmen I don't think the manllfactme of furnitme in Ol\r secti~l1 will be a success, _ . . I Claudll1s Jones, of the Jones Honse Furnlshmg 'company, Little Rock-Ground has just been broken in our city for a quarter of a million dollar hotel, which is to be completed and opened to the public within a year, and which will give us one of t.he finest hotels in the south. The town is growing rapidly and is doing- a lot of building of all classes. The population is increasing and business of all kinds is booming. Cotton is away up, and as this is the staple upon which we are most largely dependent, there is nothing in sight for our merchants tilis fall ll\.1t tlle best of times. In addition to our very large husiness tltrotlgh regular channels tl1is last spring our trade was mat.erially increased through big buying on the part of the Hot Srrings 'people who suffered in the big fire there a short time ago. This will have more than a temporary effect, for 011(:(' ha\cjllg come into the Little Rock market and hav~ 22 iog discovered that prices and goods were rig-ht, these same people \"ill come again and bring others with them. California. vViliiam l\Iackie. of the Mackie-Fredericks company, Los Angeles, and vice president of the Pacific Purchasing com-pany- The formation of the Pacific Purchasing company was brought about only after thoroughly canvassing the situation and as the result of thc, combined thought of the £urn1t\.\'re men who had made business successes in our city. \Ve now go into the market and buy OUT car lots, getting the advan-tage which accrues to this style of purchasing in heavy vol-ume and of the favorable shipping rates attendant to such methods of transportation. The goods go to a central ware-house and therefrom arc distributed among the various firms which constitute the P. P. company as they are needed. In this manner we always have OllTcapital working for ('urselves and not us for our capital. Speaking of business generally, times have been good this last spring and there i:>every indi-cation of a bright fall trade. It werc better and no'arer the truth to say "\ve have continuous trade in gOI)dly volume, ior in Los Angeles we really have ·no seasons as the term ajJplies to most communities. The city is growing steadily, as it has done for years in the past, and it is the sub:,t:wtiat kino of growth, which will continue indefinitely. Largely at tbe basis of our growth is the big frult industry; but we have a nice jobbing business. There are three such houses devoted to groceries, onc to dry goods, one to hardware, and 1 al11 now making arrangements to introduce a furnitur..:: jobhing house there. The transportation facilities have lJe~n greatly im· proved sincc tlIe completion of the Salt Lake r03,d, anu we cover a big stretch of territory to the north and east with our mercantile business and fully 800 miles into Arizona and New 1lexico. Thcre is much more than the ,:o:Jrist business to Los Angeles, althoug'h this is and always has been a big fac-tor in the prosperity of the city. "Gus" Lion, of 1.. Lion & Sons, San Jose-While San Jose has a population of 30,000 persons, the Santa Clara valley shoves up the total figures to the 80,000 mark, and the pros-perity of the country is largely, if not altogether, dependent upon the fruit industry. To make a statement of affairs there concise, it might be mentioned that, with a single exception, all the lrlllts raised in that region are showi:i1g beavy crop returns. There will be a short crop in prunes this season, and with prices naturally high in consequcnce fa:' such stocl{s as a few holders may have, the boarding house proprietor,; \"i11 have to turn to dried apples or somethillg eqllally p'th.table when taken in large quantities and as a regtilar diet. There will be not over half a crop this year, but what fruit matures will be fine and large. \\rhen 1 know what the 'oNater pO\vcr is worth with us and then see yOUTGrand rive,- going to v,'a"te I am simply astounded that somebody docs not take advantage of the opportunity for a wealth-producing enterprise rushing unheeded by your doors. T. E. Kenney, of tbe Emporium, San Francisco-Our house is a dry-goods establishment primarily, and the biggest institution in the coast metropolis in the line of a department store. As you know, most of the big houses in 'Frisco are the exclusive furniture institutions, and the people there dirl not take kindly at first to a dry-goods store going outside what was strictly considered \its field. We have been estab-lished there now seven years and the furniture department is a little more than three years old. T went ont to the coast from New York to take charg-e of that department, and it has been a slruggle against the prejndice of the people, to say nothing of th(', strong competition of the strictly flll"11i-ture houses. ,"Ve have won our battle and now have a highly satisfactory trade, 'which is steadily increasing. San Fran-cisc is free and hospitable, but still I am an eastern man, and while I most thoroughly enjoy the coast I suppose I am like thc majority, feeling that somc time I shall go back home. This feeling is not at all inspired by discontent nor homesick-ness, but is a sort of intuitive feeling ,vhich any eastern man can understand and which is inexplainable to others. Charles Iv1.Campbell, Sacramento---Business in and around Sacramento during the past season has been more than good, and wc are all expecting this fall that it 'will show a greater increase. That is the general condition in eastern middle California. \\Fe certainly are enjoying an era of prosperity, and the abundance of work and good wages paid are placing the people in a position to demand a higher grade of goods than they lIsnally purchase. The question as to whether the system proposed by ).11'. Calder, of Grand Rapids, for the purpose of modifying the evils of sample furnitme' sales is one which would 110t affect me at all, and consequently J have little interest in it. It may, however, result in great benefit for dealers east of the divide. Our method heretofore in dealing with "stickers" has been to force their sale by cnt-ting prices. The more 1 have heard of the HP. M." system, however, the more favorably it appeals to me, and I think I will adopt it in the near future. There is no do'ubt that the lIse of lamps, vases, t1cnvers and palms has proved of great value in promoting sales. One thing which will go farther, thoug-h, is judiciollsly arranged show windows, which catch the eye of the passers-by and by exciting their curiosity and admiration induce them to enter and examine, and then, eventually purchase. 11any a good and lasting customer of a house has been obtained in that way. Canada, .1. S. Anthes, president of the Anthes Furniture company, Berlin, Ont.-vVhat will take the place of the golden oak? I think you will find that the golden oak is being eliminated from the calculations of many manufacturers in this country today and that more will follow in this process as soon as they learn the trend of the times. I know that many houses are closing out their lines in this finish, and that they intend to make no more at least for the present. The only reason advanced for this movement is the feeling that the golden oak has had a long lease of life; that the buying l-lllblic has taken about all it will stand of it, and that it is turning to other finishes, largely to the Flemish and the weathered. I a111rather favorable myself to the golden oak, hut there is no accoullling for the change of popular taste, and when it does change from an old favorite and seek something new it does so quickly and apparently 'without warning. The manufac-turer who can discern this coming promptly is the one who captures the big end of the new trade, and certain it is that some of those who at least believe they are most closely in touch with conditions are confident this change is almost here. After all there is nothing so lasting as the mahogany. This is always in style and in harmony ..".i.th practically every kind of furnishing which one may desire to place in his home. The new dull finish, I think, has come to stay, as it brings out most clearly the grain of the wood and makes it therefore more attractive to the true lover of mahogany and its varied figuring. The :Mission stuff is all right for the den and porch, in some instances for dining roolns, and in special furnish-mgs. The dcn is about the only place in which I really ad-mire it. This is now standard, but it is being made in mahog-any, and that I consider a fadism which will soon die a nat-mat death. Colorado. Carl Thome, of Daniels & Fisher, Denver~Everybody gets "stickers" if he buys any stock at all. If any firm of any degree of business can keep its stocks ,clear of such things I should like to go to school to that house for a few lessons iu buying. It is praeticaHy impossible to so thoroughly be in touch with your trade at all times that you will each season buy just exactly the number of goods of anyone kind which YO\1r trade wants. If a person could do th.,at they would make more money fortune telling than they would in retailing furniture. Undoubtedly there are certain phases of the fur-niture trade, such as the installment bl1siness, where the goods can be peddled out, but that will only apply to a cer-tain grade of goods and for a certail1 class of trade. In the high grades, where the purchasers keep in close touch with changes in styles and finishes, and where they havc the money and the ability to take or leave the goods, it is utterly impossible to SO stock that yOIl w'ill at all times have exactly' the amount on hand "vhich your trade calls for. vVe have them, and I am not ashamed of it, either. VIT e allow a cer-tain length of time for goods to stay on am Aoors; after that they go into the "P. 11.-1." class and they are promptly moved. The salesmen 113.5 not been to blame for not getting rid of them before the "P. :'\'1." ' ....as put on, either. Put yourself in his place. If you had an article which had been passed by over and over again, especially ,,,,'hen you well knew that that article was "veil worth the price you asked, and when you also knew that articles inferior to it ,vere moving, yOU would naturally get a little bit afraid of it. You would at length arrive at that point, without believing in things superstitious, where yOll would think it ho~dooed and pass it by lor some-thing to which the public did not seem to be antagonistic. It is no disloyalty to the house or lack of interest in its welfare if yOU can only revive your courage ,vhen the ·'P. 1\'1." is placed on such goods. Connecticut. James J. Dempsey, of the Calkins & Post company, Mid-dletown- Middletown is one of those old manufacturing cen-ters for which New England is famous, and it has a nmnber of well-established industries, the majority of which were in business long before my time. Apparently they will be con-tinuing long after J have passed away. Our manufacturers are of a peculiar sort. Some places in New England are largely given to shoes; others to cotton mills, and still others to wool goods and particular classes of producs. Onrs are diversified. We have an immense hammock factory which supplies these comfortable lounging swings to a big portion of our general population. V'.le also have the oldest pomp manufactory in the country and a number of other plants which, as the circus bills used to say, are too numerous to mention. All are operating on full time, with plenty of orders ahead and mOre coming on. Georgia. Francis E. Hunn, J\.fanager of the Chamberlin-Johnson- Dubose company, Atlanta-There is more money in the south now than at any time since the war, and it is being freely used in the development line. The strides which are now being taken are nothing short of phenomenal. YOll will hardly believe me when T tell you that there has l;een a gain at the rate of $225,000,000 a year for tIle past five years in property values alone, and that astol1nding increase has been brought about by the building of cotton mills and the devel-opment of manufacturing interests in almost every line. N ow, as you know, nothing talks like figmes, and while too many of them make dry reading, a few, well chosen, cannot be else than of intnest when used to show the true facts of the southern prosperity. Take the two years, 1902 and 1904· In the former the value of corn raised amounted to $276,000,- 000, in the latter $370,000, showing an increase of nearly $100,000,000. In 1902 $38,000,000 worth of wheat was raised, in 1904 that figme was increased to $70,000,000. The total value of the staple crops, outside of cotton, in f904 showed a clear gain of $36,000,000 over the previous year, and leaving out both cottOn and the staples we see that in- the same year the 23 farm products amounted to $55°,000,000. The total v~Iue of southern agricultural products, outside of cotton, for the year 1904 reached the stupendous figure of $1,000,000,000. This year the average for farm products will run much higher, be-cause the cotton acreage has been very perceptibly dimin-ished. Now you can see what has been going on below Ma-son and Dixon's line. Northern capital has been simply pouring in and the influx continues, which amply proves that the investors know a good thing when they see it and don't hesitate to hike advantage of it. Very few people know that Atlanta ranks as the third city in the United States for its high buildings, and that statement alone should certainly be an eye-opener. 1Jore than seven of them run over twelve sLories. and above that height a few reach the eighteen-story limit. The eonstnlctiotl of these sky scrapers was imperative, and they are crowded with the southern offices of northern corporations that make Atlanta their headquarters, These little facts will show yOll that while there have been no loud Llasts of trumpets, the south is advancing at a rate which is not only not appreciated but really not known by many peo-ple throughout the rest of the United States. L. R. Carmichael, of the Carmichael Furniture company, Atlanta-If the buildings in our city keep on going up and the population increases as rapidly as it has been doing for the past fIve years, it won't be long before Atlanta will be as large as Chicago-and that's no joke, either. You have no idea how Atlanta is forging to the frollt. One thing which helps above all others is that there are no factions in our lawn-what one wants a.ll want, and what is more, all start in to get it. I remember when the. people in Richmond, Va., wanted a new postofIice. Some wanted one street and some another, and the two factions struggled just long enough to fail-they got no postoffice. :-.row, we wallted a postoffice baJly, and all of tiS, cvery one, started in to get it. We agreed to any location if we only got a new postoffice, V\I"hat has becn tJ-](. result? The government is putting up a magnifi-cent building that will cost over $2,000,000. That question settled, we are now all joined together on another prtposi-tiol). VV'e want the railroads to give us equitable rates. We have combined to make them do so, and what's more, we'll ke2p hammering away until we make them grant what we ask. When we discover a "sticker" we cut the price and keep on clIuing until it is moved. T don't believe in the "P. M." system. I t is not customary in the south to offer premiums to salesmen for making sales. VI,'e select our men carefully and pay them good salaries, and then it is up to them to make the sales. "Of course, I use a few pieces of bric-a-brac in my show windows, but don't think it adds to the attrac-tiveness of the interior stock. In fact. I think it rather aets as a detriment, is apt to scratch the furniture, and also dis-tracts the attention of the customer from the article under consideration. King Stillman, of Rich Brothers & Co., Atlanta-Our business has been of most satisfacory volume and the out· Juok for the fall could not be jmproved upon. Atlanta con- Lil1tles to move right to the front and not only is the grandest city in the south but in the country. That may be big talk, but that's the way I feel about my home town, and I think I can back up my claims for its excellence by a few statistics if anyone cares to dispute my contention. Aside from my natural pride in my home city, which feeling can be found in allY man, there is much for which our city can claim pre-eminence even in the minds of strangers. It ha.s long been known as the Gate City of the South and it has been given the helping hand in its upward movement by men who have won the high regard of the northern leaders in no less degree than they have the love and respect of the people of Atlanta, among whom they moved and labored. There is a spirit of progress in Atla.nta which may well be emulated in larger and r 24 perhaps mOTe widely known cities, and that is what has brought \lS great growth in popl1lation, in industrial strength and in all that goes to make up a modern city ill this age of achievement. Not alone in Atlanta, but in Georgia, in vary-ing degrees, and in general throughoLlt the south, the condi-tions in all lines are indicative of prosperity for the present and for the future. Illinois. 'Ai. S. Broom, vice president of the Illinois Retail FLtrni-tUTe Dealers' association, Effingham-In OUTtown we aTe at present suffering from the "soap microbe." The soap COIll-panics, through the mail. appoint a woman agent, and she forms a club of ten members, each of whieh agrees to pay $1 a mon11r, and then they draw lots to line! which one of the clnb wins the premium. Every month some woman gets $10 worth of soap and a piece of furniture as a prize. Also if she adds a littte more money to her certificate, on the side, she gets a more expensive article; for instance, a $10 order for soap and $4 in coin will obtain a china closet and so on. Now, if the fnrniture ma11llfacturers could only be induced to stop selling the soap people this furniture, they could be prevented from offering it as a premium, and also if the manufacturers could be brought to realize that the offering of sHeh a low standard of furniture was not only hurting the dealers in the vicinity. but also injuring themselves, both in the estimation of the purchaser and the dealer, the custom would very quickly be ended. It must be remembered that only so much cheap stuff can be P11t out in a given territory, and when that is supplied it prevents the purchase of regular goods in a normal way, ann the manufacturer in the end is the sufferer. I think if the manufacturers would Cllt all this trade out and devote themselves to the legitimate trade they would not only sell just as many goods, but get better prices for their prod-net. I al·ways believed in the use of bric-a-brac I believe in scattering it through my inside stock and in my show win-dows. I think it would help to bring in lots of people who could not be induced to come in by any other method, and I think it is a great incentive for making sales. I look upon it rcally as 011e mode of advertising, and I believe in that thor-oughly, using· the columns of fourteen papers in our eonnty to place the quality of my goods before the public. I. A. Hall, buyer for ]'vlontgoll1ery Ward & Co., Chicago- There isn't much use talking about the season whieh has just closed, except to say that we did a good business. Added to this we do not care particularly to talk about strikes. Those things are now matters which have passed into history, and as the world moves with us they have come close to being ancient history by this time. 1 don't -believe the charges made against our competitors in the gra9d jury investigation any more than I believe the charges which have been made against members of our own firm. Vile have competition, hut there is no occasion for enmity being a part of it, and there is no enmity for their competitors upon the part of right thinking and dealing business men. The troubles of the past we shall permit to remain with the past, which in many re-spects is a dc'ad issue, and shall bend our energies toward ac-complishments for thc future. There is nothing in the pros-pects for our own house or of Chicago in general \vhieh is not bright with promise of good ..(.'.sults comme..-cially and other-wise in the immediate future. 'lV'. P. Day, of the Day Furniture & Carpet com-pany, Peoria-Vv'hat you tell me about the scheme for a clcarance house for samples 15 practically new to me, although I had heard something about it. This plan might soh'e the so-called sample furniture evil, but it seems to me it \vould necessitate the making of a double hill to the market by any dealer who desired to enter an offer for one or more lots of this sample furniture. This \v0tlld eliminate. the small dealer, and perhaps it is just as well any\vay, as he is not the man who would be lncli11ed to halH'iie "l1eh gOO(L<; in any event. \Vhile we have been talking an idea comes to me in regard to this sample matter, which, it seems. would be of benefit to both parties to the transaction and still be just as beneficial in ridding the furniture trade of what many consider an evil. I would have it klHYWnto every buyer who comes to the market. and to thc sellers as \>"ell, that all arti-cles in sample lines were for sale at the close of the season to the highest bidder. Then the buycr \vhen visiting the exhibit and seeillg an article which he might care to take at some-thing LInder the list price would say to the salesman: "I ·will give you TO, I':;. 20 per cent of that price at the close of the seaSOll. The salesman would list this bid in his book. I( any buyer offered the same as another, naturally the first making the offer \vould be favored. At the close of the sea- SOl1 the salesman would tahtdate Ilis offers and would notify the highest bi(lcler in each caSe and forward the goods. In that manner cvery buyer would have an equal show for se-curing' the samples on offns made during his one visit to the market and the goods wot1ld be scattered throughout the country. Isaac Fish, buyer for the L. F'ish Furniture company, Chi-cago- I ha\'e read ]\{r. Catder's circular outlining his plan' for the sale of malluiacturers' samples, but I don't think his idea is practical. 1t seems to me that the sale of these sam-l~ les don't hurt trade a particle. I like to buy some of them myself, and 1 dont' blame the manufacturer for getting rid of them at the end of a seaSOll. A manufacturer having a good staple line don't give you more than fifteen or twenty per cent discount. and even when one buys at that reduction there is always a chance of getting stuck by ·what seems a -nrst-class bargain. 1 know some of them I would not tOllch at tifty pel' cent off. 1 don't see why so many howls have been raised. because it seems to be an even break both ways. As a rl1le we rarely have "stickers" in our stock, and if we find one we g-ive the customer the benefit of it and cut the price. \Ve prefer to ray our salesmen straight salaries and have nevel-had any use for the "P. :\1." system. The use of brie-a-brac_ T think is a great illcentive to sales. Scattered through the interior stock it produces a brightening and home-like effect and will frequently help dispose of an article which othenvise-would be very hard to move. \!Ve change anI' show windows every week and strive to make them as attractive as possible; one will be a carpet window, one a stove, another a bedroom, etc., and we nevey display the same article twice, in that way keeping up a succession of new attractions, which we find a great help to our busincss. C. L. Sandusky, Danville. -\\'ithout going deeper into the case I should indorse the plan of .Mr. Calder and register my opposition to that of :',,[r. Day. Under Me Calder's plan I can readily see, even while T have no persollal expericnce of this so-called ,sample evi! and in the nature of my bl\sin<:ss could not have, tl1at such a rlan as :'.1r. Calder has devised. would be equitable to the trade a large. Tt would appear that ]\-1r.Day has an idea that a double trip would be necessary to the market 011 the J::art of those .vho wished to take advantage of :Jill'. Calder's clearallce scheme, and yet that plall is so well worked out that any buyer who desires to take any of these samples can obtain all the information and make all of the inspection of ,samples which he desires while he is here at-tellding to the regular business \vhich calls him into the mar-ket. Theft! is no question that under this plan every dealer has an eqral opportunity to obtain those samples, and if he doe,S 110t take advantage of the opportunity he has no right to object to the competition of those who do. With ~1r. Day's plan a dealer who Inade the bids upon the fllrniture samples wfmld never know until some time after the exposi-tion had closed how heavi~y he had bought of those ,samples, and it might and probably would occur that after the bids had been sifted down he would have loaded \lP with more stock than he needed and 1110re than he cOllld handle. Tho opposite to this might also OCCllr, for there is 110 dml1Jt that l1nder such a plan as ?v'fr. Day's a man \vol1ld (lg-l1re mOre or less \1]1on these sample goods and thus arIect his other buy- Ing. The Day plan, yOU can see, would \vork both ways, and neither o[ then) wOl1ld be at all satisfactory. T am ql1itc con-vinced from c:lnva"sing the situ8tion evell in this s1](1<t titTle that Mr. Calder's scheme is the one practical solntioll of the difficnt)'_ Indiana. F.1o. Carvin, of V\TassolJ & Co., Indianapolis-Tndianapolis 1S the most perfect railroad center ill the country. VIle have eight interm[;ans entering a celltra1 station in the heart of t1H' city and they gridil'ol1 the state. Threc mor~ interurbans are building, one from :{ewcastle, another from Le'banon and an-other covering anolher territory. 'lOll can practically reach ::Iny point ill lndialla from Indianapolis 110\,\' viii. thc;.;e intcT-urbans, and the competition with the steam roads which they have created has Pl1t rates to that point and so ea;;;ed travel that it is cheaper to go abroad and in many cases more cnill-fortablc than it is to slay at home. VOll may imng;nc w!l;),t effect that lJas 11J-1(,n the mcrcJJallts who do bllSillC";S tJl('rc. Tile peo!Jle patronize these roads freely, giving the prefercnce in most cases to the electric roads over the steam line". The superintendenl of the central station told me that the av-erage number of people who l:asscd the gates, going in :lJI directio11s, "vas 19,000 a day. You must think this over a moment to gel its hlll effect. Ii you have llever heer:! in In-dianapolis you cannot comprehend what this s,ystem of elec-tric roads means to the <;:ity and its people. Henry \;Viler, of Henry '\Vi1er & Cu., Logansport-Lo-gansport has as good tributary territory as can be found any-where in the gTcat state of Indialla, a11(l the farming com- 111t111ityis in bel tel' COL1([itioL1than it has been 'for )·ears, crops have been good everywhere and money is plenty, You would be surprised at the high quality of the goods the farmers are I}OW purchasing. There is nothing too' good for tllClll, they want the lJcst and they get it. Of course the "stickel'" prop-osition will ah ....ays be with us, and wbcn ,[ find one T Cllt the price and keep cutting until it is gone. The space it ocC':upies is too vaillable, if you even have to give it away. 1\lr. Cal-der's idea of modifying the evils of sample furniture salcs is a good one, and I hope it \vill be carried 011t. Every dealer sJlOuld ha,,'e the chance to pick out aU the samples he desires at the close of an exhibitioll. I don't believe in the sale of these samples lleing monopoli;ced b:r one particuJar firm, and I think such a practice should be coudemned by zl11 right-minded dealers and remedied as soon as possible, Edm11nd Johnson, of Anderson-\Ve try to get slow-selling goods or "stickers" off our floors as fast as possible, and if we don't sell tJlem at regular prices clli down on the price. For instance, if I should buy an article costing me $14,25 and I found tl:at 1 could not sell it at say $22.251 would mark it (\0\\,11 to $16.25, .vhich ",'auld leave me a profit of $2. I do not mark goods "P. M.," although the plan is very likely <Lgood onc. 1 saw a good suggestion in one of the inter-views I read in a Grand Rapids furniture paper. The plan spoken of was to sell the slow-moving stllff off during the year rather than to wait until the end of he year, wben a lot of such goods may have accumulated. VIle change Ol1r win-dow \ displays once a w-cek, or every ten days, \\./ e have a thirty~six-foot windo"l front and make lip our displays one week from a list of mahogany rockers and chairs, tbe next week put in a parlor suite, including mahogany stands and cabinets. The "veek following we make a display of mat-tresses and springs and so on. \,I"/e ha\'e a local merchants' <Lssociation, and the main thing we arc trying to clo is to dissuade people from buying goods frorn - the mail houses, gT,arallteeing our prices to I.H; equal to those offered by the mail h(;l1s(" ·the quality also fully as good, all:: that all defec.ts '11' errors arising can he better taken care of and will he prop-erly adjusted, the goods being purchased at home making it all e:1.sier matter to correct all diffcrences, Kentucky. \V. n. Trumbo, of the Trumbo company, Louisville-vVe never have trollble with "stickcl's" at our establishment. I (hI 110t know why we have Hot had trollhle of that character,'- ;c,; it seems to be more or less prevalent \""ith the trade in gcneral. It lllay 1;,.: that we keep in closer touch with the necds and the peculiar ..\.'.ant5 of ollr patrcJ11s than do most of the others. 1 am not making this statement to a:lpear to greater ;L1vant3ge than my brothers ill the trade. but so far as tile siulatioll with \1S is concerned, it is the fact in regard t() the sri-called ;'stickers," /\t times goods llave lingeree! be-yond their allotted tinH'. That was not 011 account of the goods, 11L1t};ecause we had t<lI"'ll on a trifle more of them than the season and the dcmalH[ w'irranted. III snch cases th.e goods were o[ such charaC1('r that if they did not sell in the ."'ea."'on for \\'hich they had beell bought thcy could readily be carried over into tho' next season's stock, and they did not fail to lllO\'C tl'Cll. r }l.'l\'t' neyer found it necessary to resort to such expedients as extra ((lmrcn,:atioll to my help, nor to cut prices to move any stock. Louisiana. D. ]. Geary. of the D. H. Holmes company, Ltd .. New Or\cans·-Ttvo years ago J was in this market, having come tbrol1gh here on my way back home from a purchasing trip of decoraLive articles in the )Jew York and castnn markets, T \V'anted to see this exhibition and I saw it. T not only saw but I,vas amazed at its immensity. From my many years of experienc(' in handling articles of interior <1ecoratioll and furniture specialtics tlw artistic side of my nature ·had been well developed and J v,,·as at Ollce impressed with the beanty and perfection of detail in the furniture displayed here. I thOllght I saw an opportunity for us to extend our business; hilt while \ve had dealt ill such furniture specialties as came in lil1e with 0111' extensive dealing in interior decorative articles, we could not havc been called at that time a furniture house by allY stretch of the imagination. I determined to try an experirnent, however, and J lllaJe the rounds of the exhibits pretty carefully,· selecting a trial stock of furniture, 'in the Jligb aud medium grades, wIliell readIed a value of $15,000, This 1 har.lforwarded and placed upou our floors, v..'e have the largest department store in the south and one which will compare favoravly with the big establishments of like kind in the north. vVe cleared a space for the new showing, and, making it as presentable as possible, awaited the action of our regular trade. Jt was a uovelty to them, our handling this line, and they did Hot know just how to take it at first. The trade v..·.c appeal to j;; of the very best class. It knows and appreciates good furniture just as it knows and appreciates everythiug else that is good; it was not long before we wen~ moving that trial stock of furniture into the homes of many of the leading people of our city. That stock was our feeler ill the furnitme line, and it felt its way so promptly into the a.flection and keeping of the people with whom we do business that we determined to add a furniture department permanent-ly to our general business as soon as 'we cQulrt lay our lines to take care of it in the proper manner, and we are ready now. J\Irs. J. G. Grant, of the Grant Furniture company, New Ol'lcalls-)Jew Orleans is having a great boom just now, and it: is entirely dne to the Panama canal. YOtl would hardly know the tOWIl. Real estate values have doubled during the rast year and are still increasing, while more building is ,110W going; on than has taken place for years past. The building ot ,he canal is certainly one of the best things which has ever 26 happened for the cities on the gulf, and it means an immense increase in prosperity. When we find a "sticker" we inva-riably cut the price until it moves, giving the customer the benefit. Tn regard to the l1se of bric-a-brac throughout the stock, I think it is one of the best means for making it more attractive to the customer, and in my experience 1 know it has very materially increased sales. Then you nIl:st not for-get your show windows. 'l':hey are the eyes of the store and must always be kept bright and attractive and their contents frequently changed. Henry Uthoff, president of the 1\ew Orleans Retail Fur-niture Dealers' association-OuT association was organized with the primary purpose in view of making the furniture manufacturers in allf section do the fair thing by the furniture dealers, and we have succeeded in establishing an excellent degree of harmony among the two branc,hcs of the trade, 'Nc found one of the local manufacturers selling a consider-able portion of the factory's output to consumers. The as-sociation took the matter up and told the company if they were going to continue the practice we would like to have them open up a retail store so w~.and everybody else would know that they were in competition wih the dealers. This had a wholesome effect, the manufacturing company agreeing to discontinue selling to consumers, which agreement T am glad to say they have kept. By making this demand we opened up the manufacturer's eyes, letting his company know that he was getting about $100,000 \...o.rth of the New Orleans dealers' business and that if they kept on selling to con-sumers our patronage "would be withdrawn. Our local asso-ciation joined the National Retail Furniture Dealers' associa-tion last year, and I believe the national association to be a good scheme. Minnesota, E. l Scriver, of 1vloore & Scriver, Minneapolis-The mar-ket looks good to me. Our business in the early part of the year was hardly up to our expectaions, although it would not be fair to say it was at all disappointing. But in May and June it picked up surprisingly, and the summer trade is heavy. From all indications the fall should be big, and I am buying with this in vie·w. All things in Minneapolis are in th'e best of condition. The city shows the improvement which is noted in all communities which are not moribund, and those arc hard to find in the United Staes, with building pro-gressing in a manner which tells of the confiden.ce all classes of people have in the permanency of the present business conditions. I can truthfully say that we are not troubled with "stickers" and never have been. The reasons for that are very many, but they may be summed up in the declaration that the character of our trade is such that we can buy care-fully. ~h.:vloore and myself do the buying in alternate sea-sons, and as we sell seventy-five per cent of the goods our house handles and aims at all times to keep in touch with the wants of our customers, we never lay in stock anything which is not speedily taken after it has been placed upon our 'floors. Maryland. Nathan Lowenthal, of L. Lowenthal & Sons, Baltimore- I conscientiously believe that every furniture man ought to stick a ticket in his hat labeled with the llame of every sales-man, agent or manufacturer who sells to the pUblic, either di-rectly or indirectly, whether it hurts his business or not-and cut him out. You must remember that there is the output of no factory that cannot be duplicated-dealers can buy from one just as well as from another, and I think if that plan was carried out the representatives of a manufactory selling to the public after a course of six mOllths' treatment of such a character would only be too glad to agree to dispose of their goods only to dealers. The plan of Mr. Calder, of Grand Rapids, I think a very good one, and I hope it will be suc-cessfl1lly carried out. Every dealer should have a chance to buy samples if he so desires. Of course, it don't hurt my firm; \,ve are too far removed from the center of the disturb-ance to feel its effect, but jf the same principle was carried 011tat the New York exposition, it would be a proposition of an entirely different character, and we would not only be ~'ery quick to register a kick. but we would stay with it until it was remedied. \-Vhen I find a "sticker" I cut the price and get rid of it. I don't use the "P. M." system. It is not nec-essary, because we are brothers working together and are all equaL I remember one, though, which almost broke o.ur hearts. It was a bedroom suite that had cost $45. We had it for eight years, but Jlnally disposed of it for $25 after in-ventory, and \ve got out ahead at that. No, I don't like bric-a- brae, it's all right occasionally in a show window, but prac-ticually useless in interior stock. 'We are selling furniture and we don't want to introduce anything which 'would tend to distract the attention of the customers from the object which it is our interest to sell. Massachusetts. J. A. Ivlalone, buyer for Jordan, Marsh & Co., Boston--- \\le have had an excellent spring trade and are not only an~ ticipating a fine fait business, but one which will be larger than usual. This is due to the generally prosperous condi-tion in which trade of all classes finds itself in Boston and its immediate neighborhood. In regard to our measures ior moving "stickers:' I might say 'we don't have much of such goods to move, but we do have some. It would be the height of foolishness for a man to claim otherwise. Be as careful as you may in your buying, and keep yourself in as close touch as possible with the trend of the times and the needs and desires of your trade, you will at times, especially if you are carrying anything like a varied stock, find certain articles remaining on your floors, ..v..hich for some unaccount-able reason the public, or rather your public, does not seem to care for. With our house there is but one method, and it is probable this method will always be pursued there. This is to hold semi-annual clearance sales and cutting the prices down to an attractive figure. The custom prevailing in some stores of giving a ten per cent special commission to the house salesmen, or a "P. M.," as the trade term has it, al-though what it means I have never learned, may be all right and it may ,_'a_rk out properly and to the liking of those who employ it, but we do not believe in it. Our salesmen are paid good salaries to dispose of the goods we carry, and if there are any "stickers" and it becomes necessary to cast off a part of the profits we originally figured upon, we prefer to give that proportion of the profits to our customers. \Villiam Paisley, of the Allen & Paisley company, Boston -Cotton certainly cuts quite a figme with tiS in Boston. There is an enormous amonnt of money invested in the fac-tories of New England. which are dependent upon the great southern staple for their raw materiaL When the material is so high that the manufacturers cannot work their plants at a profit, and when there are strikes, large or small, in those factories, it affects to a greater or less extent every class of mcrchan'ts in the New England cities. This I know by the experience of a year ago, when the high price of cotton, glo-rious as it may have been for the planter, worked disastrously for the cotton manufacturers and the thousands who obtain their livelihood in the factories. This year the shoe has been on the other foot, for in the early part of the year the planter was the one who felt the bard knocks, while the manufacturer was enabled to get his raw material at very low prices. All through 1\ew England, so far as I have been able to learn, the conditions are such that they promise every meed of prosperity which one might hope for in the coming months. The spring business has been good and the fall promises to be even better. Michigan. \V. E. Barker, president of the 1\lichigan Retail Furniture Dealers' association, Detroit-\Ve shall probably have a niecting of the l\lichigan Retail Fnrnilure Dealers' associa-tion shortly after the beginning of the month. There is nothing of particular importance to be taken up and the gathering- will largely be concerned with rontine matters. There is some talk among the boys about reducing dur,',;, and it is possible that this will he donc. The members now l~ay $5 a year, and some of the smaller dealers in t-he country towns think this is too much for the benefit they derive from the organization. It does not cut much figure with us in De-troit, save that we might likewise appreciate a reduction. as we belong to two organizations, with .dues to each-the city and the state associations. Pretty much everything in the nature of a trade evil has been eradicated, but it is essential that the organization be kept intact, as there is no telling when something may arise that \\'ill require our attention. Our business during the spring months was of excellent vol-ume and the outlook for the fall trade is all that could be desired. In Detroit we have a peculiar condition of affairs in the business \,yorId now-there isn't anywhere near enough business property to go around. There is a big and growing demand for locations, with one man bidding over another for a Dlace in which to carty on his vocation, and this has sent re~ltals sky-high within the last year or so. I used to pay $3,800 a year, and my rent is no-w something ovel' $7,500 an-nually. I have taken the hull by the horns and intend to build my o\vn place, starting thc work this fall. \Ve have no trouble nowadays with the sample selling of fmniture, but as this is a phase of the business which must affect some merchants to a gTeater or less extent, it would douhtless he a good thing if the samples could be scattered around among the trade instead of going into the hands of a fe,Y dealers local to the sales markets. George J. Reindel, of Detroit-This talk of buyers about having "stickers" is <lmm,ing to 111e. There is "J ones & Jones" over on Gratiot avenue, for instance. I saw some stuff in their show window the other day that looked as if it might have come over in the Mayflower. Tl1ere is no fea-ture of our business 1 watch closer than the "stickers." Tt is no use trying to work them off on cllstomers \'\'ho want something else. If a lady comes into our store and wants a dresser, there is no use trying- to sell her a folding bed. but when S0111e011e wants a folding bed, don't let him get away until you sell him. That reminds me that there is a vast difference in locations as affecting the goods to carry. When we were on Gratiot avenue ,ve used to sell htmdrcds of fold-ing beds, while today we haven't a half dozen in our store on \Voodward avenue. I sold the best one T had in stock abollt two weeks ago, and was glad to get rid of it. J. M. Keenan, of Keenan & Jahll, Detroit-The great thing to do in the furniture bl1sines.;; is La pick out one or more articles whose appearance recommends them to the purchaser and then make a run on them, advertising them widely and attracting the public's attention in every legiti-mate way. That's my way of looking at it. \Vhy, 'we've got one dining room table design of which 'we've sold over 400 in the last year, and T could mention many other articles that vl"e carryon which we have started great runs. resulting in many sales. \iVe are in the business to sell fumitllre, and that alone. VIle first see that the article is of good value for the money, and then we push it-but we don't throw any bric~a-brae or attractions of any other character among Ollr stock with the hope of incre8sing its s8le. Missouri. R. B. Cornwall, Jr., of the S1. Louis House Furnishing company-Candidly speaking, we have but few "stickers," and nobody can get back at us for this assertion by saying 27 we don't buy many goods. Mr. Goebbcls is our "sticker" man, and when he gets on the floor anything in the line of a lingerer has to move and_pay its cust01uary prottt at the same time. \Ve do have stuff at times which ,cannot be moved \vithont some special device, and as 've are opposed to cut-ting as a rule, we "P. l'vr." those articles. Then the.J go. We have clearances twice a year,hut these are special to our husiness and for the purpose of ~attracting new trade. As for samples, we are too far removed from the central market to be troubled by that phase of the furniturc business. Our spring trade was not so bright as it might have been, but then, all things considered, it was abont as good as one could reasonably expect. The city natmally felt the reaction from th.c boo111period of the world's fair, but it is rapidly recov-ering fr0111that. The fair brought us permanent advantages, and this \-vill be shown clearly in the fall and,in future sea-sons. It was simply this reaction and nothing else which caused the spring months to appear dull. I know many mer-chants are decrying thc times in our city, hut they have no more real cause to do so than we havc. There is always a lot of men who, if thcy make $50,000 one year, will assert that they are losing money if they do 110t make $60,000 the next year. Michael J. Mulvihill, St. Louis-There are twelve storage companies in St. Louis. four of which carryon a general re---' tail iurniture and house furnishing business. Their buyers go to the markets and have the same buying opportunities that the regular dealer's enjoy, which is aU right as far the manufacturer is concerned. I'm not kicking on the manufac-turer selling tllcm, uut I object to their arguments. For in-stauce, they tell would-be pmchaseri; that thc goods they olIer were taken to satisfy claims of storage, and conse-quently are enabled to quote very low prices. They quote the lo\'\' prices all right, but do it by representing their goods as of a higher grade than they really are. For instance, I huy an all-brass bed of the Greenpoillt people that costs me $22. It's a good article and one which I can recommend to anvone. The storage people buy a much cheaper article and re;resent it as a very fine piece which they werc obliged to take for non-payment of storage rentals. \Vhat is the rcsult? \Vhy, they are cutting into the rcgular furniture dealers and depriving them of many salc< Of course, this may be but a passing experience, for misreprescntation brings but tem-porary benefits. They have some natural advantages. In the first place, they are generally located on side streets, where the rents are comparatively low. Then they are not obliged to maintain as desirable showrooms, for the more like storage it looks the more plausible is their argument. Then again, they do not require thirty-five or forty-dollar-a-week sales-men for the same reason-the man in overalls helps to. clinch the argument. New Jersey. S. B. Harrison, of Keech & Co., Newark-Cutting prices upon your goods is educating your public along false lines. Our house has "stickers" from season to season, just like am' other fllrniture establishment which strives to carty any va;iety and any volume of stock. No matter how carefully you may buy, you will find tbat certain goods will linger upon YOUI' floors, for no possible reason that you can discover, while others which you consider vastly inferior will have moved out promptly and the public, perhaps, have been clam-oring for morc. \1'1/'ehave all seen this oddity in public tastc, the passing by of those things, not only furniture, but in every phase of life, for the poorer articles. In such cases there is one of two things to do. You can "P. M." them or vou can cut the price. Either you must pay additionally to ~rour salesmen for moving goods that they are. hired to move, :lr give the public the impression that in the regular season you asked too much. I think the latter is the more severe to face, and so we have always utilized the "P. M.," and with 28 rffcct. In cutting" your prices the tendency is to undermine confidence in eitber .you or your hOllse. A large class of traders will wait fOl" yOUl" dearing saIe:s. jf yot! have such things, before buying, and those people "I'!w have paid the full price in the regular course of trade, seeing similar arti-cles ClIt more or less in price, will feel that they have heen, to a certain extent, rnbbed whell they patronized yOll. New York. (r. A. Heinl, hllyer for Frederick Loeser & Co., Brooklyn-- don't know ,vhy it is so, hut T have aiways had confiden.;c i" Ijrooklyn real estate. ~l1ld particularly business property. [ \NetS ahvays seeing- p(Jssibilities in it, and my frif'llds used to say to me: "Gus, yOll have the inclination u[ a Vanderbilt and the pocketbook of a lobster." \:"et my idcas have hC<.'1I Rood at all tinles, so far as J can recall, in this Farticlllar. There is a case in point that J now recall-the property now controlled hy the Latimers, near liS. Old man Schnitz owned it and he valneel it at SIRS,ooo. He had a mortgage 011 it ior ,l!;rlut $100.000, and he ,,\'anted to get out. He asked 111e t;) buy it, and said if he could only get his eqnity 0\11' he '/vonld be satislied. I told him with $3,000.000 tied IIp in re:dty T didn't think the house w:,-nted any more, but he importuned me, so I took the matter up. Tbe house tl1rnf:d me clown cold, altbough 1 ad\'ocah·d the purchase. They had the 1110ney and 1 the opinion, so "\ve did not get that property. That was eight years ago. The Latimers tOC'K the nld man's bargain, and they have bee11 recently offered $400,000 for tehir bnl(lings. Tbe Latimers say they will sell when they get half a million dolla1"s for it, and I do not think thr;y will have long to wait. The difference between$r8s,ooo nnrl S400,OOO in eight years' time is quite pronounced and pretty good car-rying" charges for the pcrirHI, to say nothing of the use of it all these years. l'vT. P. ?vfarkle, of A. D. :\'1atthews' Sons, Brooklyn--l am thoroug;hly in fa\'o1" of 1\'1r. Calder's plan for modifying the evils of sample furniture sales. 1 h3VC ah",ays been opposed to the idea of one house baving the right of buying them all and cnt out all other competitors. At the close of the New York furniture exhibition the samples are sold to any dealer that desires to buy, and ·what remain are returned to the fac-tory. l consider that to be the proper way, and think Mr. Calder's proposition of a clearing house has strllck the right plan, which would bc equitable to both manufacturcr and dealer, This season has been the best we ever had in the history of our hOllse, and the outlook promises better things. No, the strikes in New York in no way interfere with our business-in fact, we scarcely felt their intl.nence. .My plan of getting rid of "stickers" is to both cnt the price and put on a "P. JvI." that divides the benefit equally between the salesman and the customer. and 1 have fonnd it, in every in-stallce, to result in effectually removing the obnoxious article. J. I-1. Smith, l\liddletown---I cannot agree with rdr. Anthes tInt the golden oak has about reached the limit of its use-flllness. l' 11dieve that it has a deep hold upon the J.H1blic, and that it is here to stay. Certaillly the trade and the Jlub-lic could dispense much nlOr~, readily .."..',ith any ot11er one Jinish we now have in the oak goods rather. than the golden, for of all oaks it harmonizes best with other stuff. Of course, it is not mahogany, but that is in a class by itself, as it is in keeping with r ractically ony surroundings. As for changes in styles dtlring the last few seasons, the American manufac-turers of the better grades have been appealing directl:y to the taste of the hetter cbss of buyers, a class, by the way, \..·llich is not only large, hut. gTowing, and demands the sim-ple fonrlS of beanty. It is a class opposed to ostelltatioll, regardless of the form in \",hich it appears, and dillS T am led to believe that the styles which we no\\, have \vill be Slandard for a long time to come. l North Carolina. \V. A. Thon~as, of the Kincaid Furniture cornpany, States-ville- The southern manufacturers will not make lower price~. ~I:he only advantage ·WC', ha\'e is the climate and the cheap-ness of bmber. \Vages in the 5011th are abollt the same as ill the north. Of (:O\1rse, tbere arc cheap goods' beillg maJe. and there yvill be, but Ollr [:eople, as they are leartling the secrets of mallufactllre, arc striving to improve the value of their goods, not to lessen it. \,iVithin the next fonr years yOll Iyill find lW! <lilly a hetter class of goods coi11ing from the sOLlth, but 111rlre eXJlensive goods. In lny opinion, there \",ill be IlO competition of any account beyond that produced by th~ difference ill the designs, lluality and finish of the goods. The sOllth is e.dncating itself from the experience of the north, and is not hesitating to take advantage of nnrthenl skill. J11st a," an instance, T will tell yOLl that our designer is from Grand Rapids, and th3t the superintendents of our various departments are mostly from the north. So it is all down the line the south is drawing on and making- use of 110rthenl c:"\periellcC". Ohio. R. C. Stewart, of Stewart Brothers, Columhus \Ve ncver have any such thing as "stickers" \.lpon our J1o~-Jrs, and for that reason \ve do not have to resort to either the cut or the "~Po l'vl." I n fact, in neither of these systems of trade meth-ods do we belicve. Take, for instance, the "P. M." Now, we have no objection to a man, be he salesman or anything else in the busy world, making all that he can legitimately in the course of his daily \-vork; but we }Jay our men good salaries and \"e believe that they should at all times exercise their best efforts to dispose of the goods. vVe have never sought to make e.xtr~vagallt pronts, bill' we do expect to get tlie full measure, and we abate not one jot nor tittle of these either in cuts or extra compensation to our saleS1l1en. If at any time we notice gt)ods are moving a triBe slowly and fol-lowing Ol1r statement it can readily be seell that this \-vill he no fault of their own, simply some fancied dislike on the part of the public. we ask our salesmen to make especial efforts to move these goods. vVe evell work upon the floors with them, and we have never yet scored a failure. Some people may objejct to this and think that \",e are holding back other goods to give promillellce to these slow movers and that we have 110 right to do so. The stock is ours, the trade is ours, and as we can claim the rig-ht to be called fairly successhTl we don't think for one moment we are doing anything detri-mental to the interest of that trade. 1£ we did it would he detrimental to Ollr business, alld it is hardly likely we 'shonld take measures which would damage that. Any man can sell goods to a person anxious to buy, but it takes a salesman tn sell to the man who don't think he wants an article. .l~.]. Brown, of Brown Brot.hers, Cleveland-Arrange YOllr hl'ic-a-hrac scientifically, make a study of it, and you will find that your sales of f\1rlliture will greatly increase. Arrange it so that it will make a $JO article look as if it \iliUe worth $15, and when yon have reached that state of skill, yOll will realize what an importallt factnr in making !'.ales bric-a-brac really IS. lvIake your shuw windows extend invitations to those passmg. Arrange them so carefully and so tastefully that they will almost seem to say '"Come in and buy" to those ad-miring them, and I'll warrant yom cash box will kecp getting heavier and heavier as each week draws to a close. 1 change my windows every week, sometimes twice a week, and I de· pend on them almost as much as I do on my salesmen. \Vhen we disC(wer a "sticker" we }Jut a "~Po 1.'[." on it. and if it then fails to go we, cut the price, bnt still keep the "P. M." on. [ have never known it to fail in disposing of them. \!lie cash up about fifty lip, ).,1.'s" every week, and we find their nse a good thing, becatlse it keeps the stock always in a good con-dition. 1 A. ]. llcllzy, of A. J. HCllZY & Co" Tiffin-There's nothing th:11 moves "stickers" like a modcrale sized "P. 1\1." Jt may be true that the salesmen is paid sufficiently. \ve11, hut most of them are inclined to make work as light as possihle. If, on the aUier hand, tbe:r know there is a little sometlJing besides regular pay in sig'bt for disposillg of goods \vhich the hOllse wants to g-d rid of, they ":vill \vork everlastingly at Ow.t par-ticular piece 11111'i1 it lTIO"ves. The plan T follow in regard to the "stickeL';" and which has ah'lays served 0111" hO\1se with satisfaction. is to work s11eh goods off through the year. [ don't take the '''stickers'' ont of the stock. but 1 natur"lly have them spotted. and so do all OIlT salesmen, They arc put in some place where they wiil not fail to be noted by the C11S-tomer. If anything. they are given more prominel1ce thall the new goods. 1 don't believe in special sales; we never have them in onr house. In my estimation it m(:'a115 tile ruination of reg-uhr husiness. \V. C Huschman. of Bl1schman & Co .. C1cvdand-\Vc haven't any strikt,s. Everybody who wants to \vork has no trouhle in securing emplnyl11Cllt and all of it that he wants at good ·wages In regard tn "stickers," '..vc Ctlt the Roods promptly when it is Jlccec>sary. ¥/e do not believe ill ·'P. !\L's." The salesmen arc paid to movc the stock, a11rl if for some llnkllO\V11 reaSOll goods linger nj10n the Hoors beyond a certain time we pnt a price llpon them which \.vill canse somebody looking for a bargain to take, them off our hands. This method has always been follcHved ill n\1r store, and it has always been effective. The "amvle furnitnre business docs not touch t15 and [ do not fe(>j called upon to discnss this phasc of tl1(' ftu11ih1re trade. Oklahoma. J. G. Street, of Street & Harper. Oklahoma City- \Ve raise a multitude of good crops, including cot.ton, and all the crops arc in fine condition this year. There is nothing particularly new about SllCh a "tatelnellt as this, I know, but it is a pleas-ure to be able to make such reports au each successive trip to the market. Our husiness is rapidly 011 the increase, and I might say the same for others in this regard. Onr people are all intensely interested ill the growth of the territories amI in the cities with ..v..hich they are dotted. As a people we are prosperOl1S, whether we are hllsiness men or agriculturalists. \-Ve are rapidl}.- developing our resources. Oregon. VIl. 'Iv'. Bailey, of 'full & Gibbs, Portland--It has bec~n fig-ured out that with ten thousand daily admissions the Lewis and Clark EXJlOsition \vill pay eArcnses. To date the at-tendance has been doul;le that and the rllsh has !lot sel in. That makes it appear that OUT fair \,vill be a hig financial suc-cess. I do not mean that it will pay the original cost; that is never cxpected at any undertaking of that kind; bl1t it \',,,ill much more than pay the running expenses. The fair has been strictly a bnsiness proposition ·with our people from the start. Tile men in charge have been most conservative in their expenditures, although by no mea11S niggardly. That \voul<1 not be at all in h~eJling with the ,vestern spirit nor the character of the Portland peo;..:le_ \Ve spent all that was necessary to make an attractive, artistic display, and 01le which ..v..ill ""arrant people in spending' money and time to \;jsit thc COast. Vv'e "vant peorle to see \",hat we have, on the Pacific slOllC and are confident that the fair will resnlt in big gTowth to the many cities of that part of the countr:y. Not a man of us bclieves for a moment that Portland nor the Sl1r-roundin~ country will snffer any ill" effects after the exposition is over, n..J mattcr what has been the l1istory of other centers of such exhibitions. There is too much that is substantial at the basis of our business life to Inake that possible. Pennsylvania. G. \V. \\:tber. of \,Vder & Linde, Philadelphia -Philadel-phia has been much in the. public eye lately 011 account of the 24) attempted gas grab and the manner in ...vbich lvIayor V>leaver defeated that intended steal. J believe that he is a man who has heell greatly misunderstood. 110t alol1c hy our own people, but by thl' country at large. He has showl1 he is the right mall in the right place, a11(t before his action in this gas mat-ter he hart never had the chance to show what wa", in him. It is as foolish as it is !lseless to gD behind the retllT11::>. yVheu he found the people ,",!ere with him he took the COl\rse which has given the pe.ople conlidence in him and placed Pbiladel-phia in line \vith the other communities of the cotllltry whieh have. gone on record against graft, whether it ..v..as in private husiness or in public officc. I know it has taken our people a long time to awaken from their lethargy, but they arc now wiele <Hl'ake, and woe betide tbe man or nteu, public or private, vll1lO attempt to stand in the' way of the rights of the public. The revolution which bas been so long predictcd has come. The grafters do not seem to recognize the signs of the times, ex-cept in isolated installces, and it will be all the more a sorry day for those who do not take to co\'cr wllile the 0PP0rlullity prese.nts itself. The people all over the coulltry are in antis against the syst.em which has rohhed them right and left. and impoverished thcm to enrich a few men. Now they wil1 have their OWll and the criminals "vill suffer the penalties of their misdeeds thc same a" any other class of robbers. Joseph H, .Reuben, of the Skelley-Haney Furniture com-pany, \TcKeesport. formcrly buyer for the Niagara Trading Stamjl company---N ot any more buying on my part for the ::-.J"iagara or any other trading stamp concern. That sort of ellterprise has received a very black eye in our part of the country, and one or two of the concerns have failed outright. /\s to the merits or the demerits of the system, I do not care to say anything·, at least not at present, I ccrtainly consid-ered the scheme perfectly legitimate or I should 110t have eonncded myself v,,'ith the Niagara company in the capacity of bllyer. The people seem to be arrayed against this system, and to have placed it upon a planc of illegitimacy. I have a big and growing bu,siness in which I have an interest of tflC legitimacy of which there can be noque,stion. J. D. 1'1artsolf, of the Martsolf FUT1liture company, Heaver Fal1s·--\Vhcrc we Jind a "sticker" we reduce the price, and if we find taht don't do \ve hold a special Saturday night sale of "stickers" only, and 'Nlonday morning generally nn(ls their places vacant. No one can afford tfi keep a "sticker" long, the space it occupies is too valuable. TIric-a- brae we use sparingly, preferring to let the furnittlTeshow for itself without any accessories. It's the furniture we're sel1ing, not the bric-a-brac, and while in many instatices it may serve to increase sales, I think it has a great tendency to distract the customer's attention, and in the end procably docs more iujury than good. Tennessee. Isaac lvIcndd, of Rosenbaum & "!\lendel, Memphis-\lIre never have "stickcrs," or at least not enough of them to be counted. Ther is nothing strange about this. We are an installment house, and while carrying al1 grades of furniture, as one must in an establishment of tbis class, I have never believed in handling "plunckr," but while offering my patrolls goods at reasonable and even low prices, to always offer them something which will prove ::;ubstantial. As tbe styles are largely conventional in tl1(~se days, except in the special and ltig-b priced g-rades, the goods (',an readily be carried over horn one season to another and peddled out withota resorting to "P. )'l.'s," C;11ts in prices, or clearance sales. There is method in all things, and 1'his is the method I have found efiectllal in keepil1g my stock dean and. in making every article of furniture, and other wares as well, return me a rea-sonable profit. There is nothing new in installment methods. 1t is a type of business which has not only come to stay, but which has been put upon a. higher plane as time has ad-vanced. The St1cccs~f111 man in thiB line of work is similar to r, 30 the successful man in the cash and commonly kno"vn credit systems-he must carefully guard l,is reputati.on for business probity and see to it that the }Jublic has confidence in him and his methods. ProJits may be made quickly at the ex-pense of reputation by r;esorting to cut-throat methods, but men who make such alleged successes afe not the men whom the general business world is imitating. Installment houses are as fully legitimate as others, but they mU5t be conducteu upon honor. Any other basis means theil- speedy do' ...n.f.all. Texas. ]. C. Skeen, of the Dorsey Frinting company. Dallas-Tex-as is a big state and it is growing higger every clay. It ranks fifth in population, having run ahead of IVlissouri Juring the past ten years. In IggO Texas contained 1,500,000 people. Tt is estimated that its population at present numbers :k500,ooo. About 700,000 of this 1lIH11bcr are negroes. It has a greater railway mileage than ally other state, having rassed Illinois and Pennsylvallia with ill the past two years. More than one-third of the cot toll grown in the Gnited States is raised in Texas. The value of the taxable farm pro;lerty is $950,000,000. The growing of peaches is an important industry, while apples, nuts and grapes are very important crops. In 1897 500 carloads of fruits and veg-etables "Were shipped out of the state; in 1904,9,700 cadoads was the record. Ul1der the local option law nearly three-fo11rths of the towns of the state have declared for prohibition, and most of the cities for high license, with a charge of from $750 to $1,200 for the privilege of sel1illg spirit.s. All of the natural resources of the state are but rartially developed and Texas extends a \velcoming hand to emigrants of the better class to aid in making the most rich and prosperous commonwealth in the union. Utah. James H. Douglass, of the Boyle Furniture company, Og-den- Probably that which is most important to the present and future of our city is the Lucine cLlt~off across the Great Salt Lake. That is doubtless the longcst bridge in the world -it is twelve miles in length. Tt is a trestle work across the great lake and enallles the Southern Pacific to haul with one engine three times the llumber of cars it did when it was forced to enter Ogden over the mounlains. Its i.mportance applies particularly to our city, but that is not the only thing that is bringing our town to tbe front, for it is keeping right along ill the march of progress with other places. Its popu-lation is increasing steadily and Sl1bstalltial1y and all kinds of building are going on, with every line of industry in a flour-ishing condition. The railroad~ are. doing a whole lot for our city and for our part of Utah, bringing tiS into closer alld quicker touch \vith the world. We have the Southern Pa-cific, the Union Pacific, the Oregon Short Line and the Den-ver & Rjo Grande. The importance of the city and the terri-tory of which it is the center is fully recognized by these roads, and they are HOW engaged upon the construction of an-$800,000 union station, w·hich when finishedwili be one of the finest in the
- Date Created:
- 1905-07-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Collection:
- 26:2