Newspaper Page Text
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TTEARST’S SUNDAY AMERICAN, ATLANTA. OA., SUNDAY. JULY 27. 1013.
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WHAT ATLANTA MANUFACTURERS AND JOBBERS ARE DOING
How Straphanger’s
Nickel Is Divided
Conductor and Motorman Get $.008; Bondhold-
ers $.007; Plaintiffs, $.002.
Abuse of Jobbers Draws Logical
Reply That All Who Market
Goods Are Producers.
"Wa hoar much a bus** nowadays
directed against the middleman."
sny« W. M. Birrlie, of H. H. Whit
comb & Bnrke Co., Atlanta’s fore
most grocery broker*
"Atlanta** prosperity to largely due
to 1t» pre-eminence as a jobbing cen
ter—ft might be called a city of mid
dlemen—and It seems to me that some
reply should be forthcoming to these
critic*.
""We bear fulmtnation* to the ef
fect that the producer gre*s the small ,
end of every bargain, while the job
ber and the retailer get the biggest
share of the profits of nearly every
thing sold to-day.
"In my opinion, commission men
and retailers are. In most case*. just
as Important as the man who pro- I
duces, considering the present scope
of business. The middleman per
forms a function for modem society,
• nd an Indispensable function. 1 have i
been using the word ‘producer’ In j
the popular sense. I think It can be
proved that all of us are ‘producer* ’
"Now, our firm stands In tbe po*1- |
Mon of middleman, and 1n the strictest
sense. We do not touch the original
producer on the one side or the ac
tual consumer on the other. To make
It clear, we handle lard, tinned meats
end canned goods, among a quantity
of o<her things. Yet we do not deal
with the man who gTow the fruits,
the hogs or the osttie from which
these product* came. We get these
things from the Chicago packers
whom we represent and from facto
ries. Take lard, for example. It "s
quite likely that some broker or buyer
stands between farmer and packer, so
that, passing from farmer to hog
buyer, from hog buyer to packer, and
from packer to us, we are ths fourth
to handle our goods.
"We do not sell to retailer*, in anv
rase. So wholesaler and retailer
stand between us and the consumer.
Five men, then, stand between the
farmeT who bred the hog and the
housewife who buys a pail of silver
leaf lard.
All Have Real Use.
"This makes our position clear
Now, I think the existence of every
one of these men can be justified.
First, the man who buys up live stock.
Unless he Is in business on an excep
tionally large scale, no farmer can
ship a solid carlot of hogs, and It is
evident It would not pay him to ship
less to the Chicago stockyards. The
buyer who gives him a fair price for
his hogs, pays cash down and hauls
them away, then, performs a useful
service for the farmer. The buyer
serves the packer also, for without
him the packer must employ buyers
of his own to scour the country for
hogs, make them up In carlots and
attend to all the details of getting
them to the Chicago.,market.
"Now. neither the farmer nor the
hog buyer can make lard either well
or economically. I think the exist
ence of the packer is justified so
plainly as to need no argument.
"But the packer can not profitably
maintain a selling department large
enough to deal direct with the con
sumer—imagine Swift & Co. Ailing
mail orders for single palls of lard’
Nor can the packer afford to deal
with the hundreds of thousands of
retailers all over the country—that
would be almost as bad. For the
same reasons the packer can not deal
direct with the wholesale grocer—
that would necessitate installing, for
one thing, a credit bureau of national
scope and maintaining a gigantic
force of salesmen. Profits are too
narrow' for such methods.
Serve Both Parties.
"Here we are Justified—in effect,
we act a* agent* for Swift A- Co., to
mention only one concern. We serve
the packer well in marketing his
goods, and we e*»rve the wholesaler in
being able to All his order for any
reasonable quantity of Swift’s prod
ucts ‘in8tanter.’
"The wholesaler, having intimate
acquaintance with the retail trade,
with hi* salesmen on the road, and
Where doe* the nickel go that you
give to the street car conductor?
Ever find out?
According to statistics compiled by
the Census Bureau of the Unite 1
States, a large part of the passenger’*
fare goes to labor.
Of the whole fare, 32.1 per cent,
or 1.606 cents, is disposed of In this
way. Conductors get the largest
share of this amount, with motormen,
road and track men and car and mo
tor repairers following In the order
named. Fully 60 per cent of that
part of the fare which goes to labo/
is received by conductors and motor-
men.
The supply men come next. They
get 19.3 per cent of the nickel, or .905
of a cent. Thing* that are paid for
under thl* head Include fuel, wire,
rails, ballast, stationery, printing and
general publicity. Next come the
company’s creditors. They share the
fare to the extent of 14.8 per cent, or
.74 of a cent. Under this head come
men or corporation* from which mon
ey has been borrowed on bond or
mortgage, on short-term notes or oth
er collateral.
The landlord** claim to the nickel
dropped In the box amounts to 11.2
per cent, or .66 of a cent. Unless this
claim is paid the companies may be
dispossessed of piece* of roads, ter
minals or of trackage right* and fa
cilities.
The State, county and the city also
share In the Income of the various
companies, and consequently the tax
collector comes In for 4.6 per cent
of the fare, or 23 of a cent. Prompt
payment of thl* charge is necessary
New Furs Cheaper,
Undyed Pelts Cause
Fashion Favors Pieces Made From
Skins Left Ju*t as Taken
From the Animal*.
At no previous time have buyer*
been aWe to procure such attractive
fur sets at reasonable prices. This Is
due to the number of styles that man
ufacturers have brought out for all
classes of trade, and to the extensive
use of undyed pelts, by which many
new effects were added to the lines.
Silver kit fox 1* prominent this
season, as well as the Imitation, coney
kit fox, which costs about half the
price of the genuine Natural kit
fox is quite new, and is one of
the most popular of the incxj>ensive
furs shown for fall.
Variety Is the keynote In the styles
of both scarfs and mu As. The new
est muffs have the outline of an elon
gated pillow'. Some are twenty Inches
long, and the width of an ordinary
muff. While the majority have square
edges, some are rounded in front to
give a heart-shaped outline. Huffs,
ties, collarettes and small crossover
pieces are the smaller neckpieces sub
stituted for the heavier ones.
because he assembles everything the
retaJl grocer wants, gives it to him
promptly on demand, and extends
proper credit for it—performs a use
ful service. If we, on the one hand,
had to maintain such an organiza
tion ot sell our special lines, we would
have to take the wholesaler’s proAt to
pay for the service. If the retailer,
on the other hand, had to go to a
dozen different places to get his stock,
he would lose, in time, labor and ex
pense, enough to eat up his profit.
"The wholesaler, then, is necessary.
And, I take it, there can be no argu
ment necessary to prove the need of
the retailer.
"All this might be gone Into much
more deeply. But it is easy to prove
that everyone who assists in the
economical marketing of any product
is a producer. In the old days the
farmer raised his hogs Slaughtered
them, made lard himself and sold it
himself at the grocery, or perhaps
even direct to families. He then was
THE producer. But now' that he has
delegated seven-eighths of this work
to others, are they not alBo producers?
And the producer needs no apology
for his existence."
to prevent the Infliction of penalties
or extra fees and Interests. Claims
for Injuries to body, soul or spirit,
and to property (Including horses,
cows, dogs), take care of 4.2 per cent
of the far**, or .21 of a cent.
After the average company treas
urer has paid out for miscellaneous
expenses another slice of the tare
amounting to 1.5 per cent, or .076 of
a cent, he makes provision for "rainy"
days. For this 3.2 per cent of the
nickel is put In the secret drawer to
take care of emergencies. Only .16
of a cent of each fare 1* used In this
way, however.
Executives of various kinds receive
2.9 per cent of the cost of a ride for
their share, there necessarily being
many of them In systems that boast
of any »lze at all. Their share totals
only .145 of a cent, but It helps to
reduce returns to the stockholders.
I^sst. but not least, come the stock
holder*. To them, for the use of
their money, goes only 6.2 per cent of
the fare In actual payment it repre
sents .31 of a cent. If these stock
holders could be paid what savings
banks would pay them if the par
value of the shares had been depos
ited In 4 per cent savings banks In
stead of being Invested In electric
railways, they would get 19.5 per cent
of the nickel. But that can’t be done,
and the stockholders must be con
tent with their 6.2 per cent.
“This," the bulletin adds, ‘may ac
count for the disheartening state of
affairs shown in the following fig
ure* Miles of electric railways built
In 1902-7, 12,154; miles built in 1907-
12, 5.295; decrease, 6.859 miles, or
56.4 per cent."
New Firm Displays
Holiday Goods Line
Flelding-Behrend Co. Opens Branch
House In Atlanta, With Two
Salesmen In Charge.
Newcomers to Atlanta are Harry J.
Sternberg and George S. Anderson,
who will represent In Southern terri
tory the Fielding-Behrend Stationery
Company of New York.
A branchhou.se has been opened in
Atlanta, at No. 8 Peachtree street.
Mr. Sternberg later will travel South
Carolina. Florida, Alabama, Missis
sippi. Louisiana and Georgia, while
Mr. Anderson will have for hip terri
tory Virginia, North Carolina, Ken
tucky and Tennessee.
The firm deals In holiday lines, In
cluding calendars, brass and metal
novelties, box papers, leather goods,
desk sets, albums, artificial flowers,
mirrors, purses, cut glass, china, toilet
goods and silver plate goods.
The lines represent the product of
nine manufacturers. Both the sales- |
men In Atlanta are well known In
Southern territory.
ON REPORTS IF
BUTTERFLIES TRIM HATS.
Butterflies are the newest trim
mings for fall millinery. These flare
made In very natural effects of vel
vet edges, with metallic dust to give
the brilliant color effects, and also of
feathers cleverly pasted to show' the
soft spots on the wings. Two, three,
or four butterflies In one cluster fit
straight up on the hat, and every
movement sets them fluttering In life
like fashion.
TD IF GREATER
More From the Selling Force Will
Become Partners in Future
Than in Past
Whether salesmen any longer have
the opportunity of mating big money
as salesmen Is frequently discussed.
There are many who say that per
sonality la a, larger factor than ever,
and that this, together with the
science of salesmanship, will always
maintain the value of selling power.
A prominent manufacturer said the
other day that a salesman had to be
better posted along scientific lines to
day than ever before. He must study
his customers’ competition and be ex
pert In retail merchandising, as well
as a keen reader of character.
He must have the knack and Judg
ment of knowing what his trade
w’ants, and must aid his customers in
making selections. He must be a close
student of his own lines, and be able
to point out superiorities and infe
riorities. He must also have personal
magnetism and the power of making
friends.
Must Control Temper.
Besides these, absolute control over
his temper and actions Ip necessary.
Disagreeable scenes often come up.
and the salesman of to-day must
either he clever enough to smooth
them over or else school himself in
making as graceful an exit as possi
ble. A clever salesman will never
quarrel with a customer or a pros
pective one.
It makes a bad name for his house,
and besides it does not pay, because
he knows that the day may come
when he will sell that man a bill of
goods.
“With such qualifications," remark
ed the manufacturer, “the modem ex
pert salesman will command more
money than ever, because personality
and unusual efficiency are necessary
in all line* of business. More sales
men in the future will probably be
come partners, because tbe type of
man successful in the selling field
embodies qualifications and executive
characteristics that have not been
thought necessary In the past.
Neglect New Firms.
"Old-time salesmen rarely open a
new account, but go on, season after
season, evidently without knowing
that new' merchants are constantly
starting in business. There are plen
ty of such men puttering along Just
where they were fifteen years agoi
simoly taking orders from the custo
mers they have without trying for
new ones.
"In the same houses men have been
made partners who entered long aft
er the order takers started. Order
takers would never be anything else
anywhere. They never get ahead. It
is the salesman with plenty of energy
and a desire to get ahead that can
rise to a partnership. To men of this
caliber selling goods offers greater op
portunities than ever In all line* of
business."
$100,000,000 Goods
Wait on New Tariff
No Such Wealth Ever Held In New
York Before—Sugar Worth
$12,000,000.
Yield of 10,000,000 Bales Ex
pected, Which Is Short of De
mand, Says Authority.
Jute costs much more now than
it did two weeks ago. according to
the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills,
among the largest users of burlap in
the United States.
Ben Elsas, of this company, says
that a jute crop of about 10,000,000
bales certainly no more, is expected
from India this year.
"Trade authorities assert that this
is something less than enough to go
around,” says Mr. Elsas.
The South uses large quantities of
burlaps, particularly in sacking cot
ton seed meal and oil cake.
Estimates of the Indian crop vary.
Somo Bearish Figures.
One prominent Calcutta house,
which is Interested In twelve burlap
mills, estimates a record breaking
yield, placing the crop at 10,300,000
bales, while other authorities believe
that the yield w'ill be much smaller
than expected, and not over 9,500,000
bales. The British Government’s pre
liminary estimate indicated an in
crease of about 6 per cent over last
year, but from private sources the
information has come to hand that the
crop has been badly injured, and the
output will be of poor quality, with
the total production not above last
year, which amounted to 10,000,000
bales.
Cables asking whether the estimate
of 10,200,000 bales was likely to prove
correct brought replies to the effect
that the concern giving this estimate
was "bearish” on the market, as the
new crop gives every Indication of be
ing below the 10.000,000-bale mark.
On the other hand the last authorities
are reported In other quarters as de
cidedly bullish on crop conditions.
New crop jute has advanced to
£28 10s a ton, and is reported as very
Arm at the higher price level.
Calcutta Burlap* Up.
Calcutta burlap prices are reported
to have advanced several points, with
the market strong, although there Is
not much forward business being put
through.
Buyers have been watching the crop
estimates, and until they have a bet
ter Idea of the situation, are not like
ly to start in covering ahead. Im
porters are also holding back on for
ward contracts, pending further de
velopments. Prices are stronger than
they were.
Cables from Dundee report slight
advances in that market, with manu
facturers firmer in their price ideas,
especially when it comes to a ques
tion of forward contracts.
Southern Railway Company has
sold to bankers $1,750,000 5 per
cent equipment trust notes to pro
vide for additional cars.
* m m
Virginia-Carolina Chemical Com
pany directors will consider the com
mon dividend at the annual meeting.
‘Bungalow Beds’ an
Atlanta Innovation
Iron Bed Factory Has Products Human Race
Wants From the Cradle to the Grave.
Tight Skirts Cause
Decreased Profits
For Silk Weavers
From the cradle to the grave, and
one-third of the time between, the At
lanta Metal Bed Company claims to
take care of members of the human
race, which perhaps Is as ambitious a
project as any Atlanta factory un
dertakes.
Cribs and doll beds make provision
for the youngsters. Then there are
"bungalow beds” for girls and boys,
beds of many descriptions for adults,
and. to complete the list, casket
stands for use during the rites over
the dead.
"Bungalow beds” are worth a para
graph in * themselves, for they are
unique. No other manufacturers as
yet have introduced them. The ••bun
galow’ bed” is single width, and about
half the height of the regular size—
In other words, its head is about
thirty inches high. These have proven
particularly popular at schools and
colleges* and their introduction in
such Institutions has built up a de
mand from students who want the
same kind of furniture for their
homes.
Make Hit at Show.
^ These made a hit at the High Point.
C., furniture show, where the At
lanta products were exhibited. So did
the doll beds. Of course, there are
(loll beds of all kinds, but these are
bronz, white enamel, or oxidized, and
come complete with springs, mat
tresses and two pillows—perfect
miniatures of "sure-enough” expen
sive beds.
There are few metal bed factories
in the South. The reason, according
to L. C. Moeckel, manager of the At- I
lanta plant, Is the scarcity of skilled
metal workers and Anishers. The At
lanta factory' has trained green men.
under the direction of foremen and
superintendents from Northern fac
tories.
Manufacture begins with the as
sembling of the material—angle iron
from the Pittsburg steel district,
round iron from the Atlanta Steel
Works, and tubing from the National
Tubing Company. The materials are
fastened on frames, held in Just the
position the pattern of the bed de
mands. Molds cover each joint, and
into these molds is poured molten
iron. The beds thus are held to
gether by chilled iron castings. When
the rough bits incident to casting
have been chipped off, the beds are
ready for finishing.
But there is another kind of metal
bed. the "chill-less” bed. In this proc
ess the tubing is bored with holes
one-thirty-second of an inch smaller
than the rods. The rods are tapered
at the ends and driven into the holes.
This does away with the little knob
like castings and makes a higher-
priced and more sightly piece of fur
niture.
The work of applying the enamel ts
elaborate. First, a "priming coat” of
white is applied and baked several
hours at a temperature of 150 de
grees. Then follow three coats of
enamel, w'ith a similar baking for
each.
Bronze Blown On.
The most ingenious machine in the
factory is the Vernis-Martin machine,
which bronzes beds, or, in fact, would
bronze anything put Into it, from a
derby hat to a piano. The bed frame*
are coated with "size”—a sticky sub
stance. Then they are put in a cham
ber, into which the blast from a pow
erful blower fan is directed. The
bronze powder is fed in by teaspoon
fuls, and the strong blast drives the
powder against the sticky substance,
covering the surfaces more thorough
ly, more evenly, more quickly and
more economically than the work ever
could be accomplished by hand. Two
men, with this machine, bronze 35
beds in two hours, where formerly,
by hand, it took two men ten hours io
do the same amount of work. Later
the bronze beds are lacquered, so that
the bronze is, in effect, held between
two sheets of glass and can not tar
nish.
Another ingenious machine is the
one which bends two-inch steel tubing
into the shape of a "U,” the operation
taking only a few seconds. This 1« a
patent of the Atlanta factory, and
many of these machines have been
sold to other manufacturers.
Steel cables grasp the ends of the
tubing and bend it at two places
around a grooved wheel as easily as a
man could fashion a hairpin from a
piece of fine wire. All previous ma
chines have bent one curve at a time,
necessitating a double operation for
each piece of tubing, and in most in
stances the Insertion of a plug or sand
filler to prevent crushing the tube.
All
Other Textile Manufacturer* In
Germany Report Better Busi
ness Than in 1912.
The decreased demand for silks
consequent upon the vogue of tight-
fitting skirts has been responsible for
a reduction in the divdends paid by
foreign silk weaving concerns. In a
generally good year for textiles, the
silk mills had earnings below those
of the previous year.
Balance sheets so far issued for
German textile companies reflect a
marked Improvement. The average
rate of dividends paid this year by 123
representative textile undertakings,
having an aggregate capital of $50,-
000,000, works out at 8.4 per cent,-
against 6.9 per cent paid in 1912.
The increase is the more satisfac
tory in view of the fact that in many
cases large amounts have been pirt
aside to strengthen the reserves,
which last year were largely drawn
upon to provide dividends or make up
for losses.
The worsted spinning companies
show a slight falling off, the average .
dividend of twenty stock companies
being 7.8 per cent, as against 8.1 per
cent last year. In other branches of
the woolen industry fifteen represen
tative concerns paid an average divi
dend of 11 per cent, against 10.7 per
cent in 1912.
The average dividend of the silk
mills, which was 8.6 per cent in 1912,
fell off as a result of the changed
styles to 5.8 per cent.
DOMESTIC OLIVE CROP.
It is estimated by the California
Olive Producers’ Association that that
State will produce this year 1,125.000
gallons of pickled olives and 1,000,000
gallons of oil, which will be a record
output.
Write for our latest Catalogue. The leading merchants are adding
the 5c and 10c departments. Why not one for your town?
McCLURE 10c CO., 47-49 S.Broad SI.
Give Your “DIMES” a Chance
DIXIE PICKLE AND PRESERVING CO.
Manufacturers of
Pure Apple and Distilled Vinegar, Catsup, Pickles, Mustard, Pepper
Sauce, Sauer Kraut,.Jelly, Etc.
CANNED GOODS
364 to 378 Marietta Street, Atlanta* Ga.
SIDELIGHTS ON SELLING.
Cravat* of crepe de chine are much
in vogue for wear with shirt blouses,
and the new Jabots are shown made
In black and white, and color combi
nations.
The demand for slippers for home
wear Is greater than ever before. A
firm in Lynn has started Its run on
slippers for the holiday trade a month
earlier than usual.
The Pierrot ruff, a small neckpiece,
is very popular for fall. Thi* comes
in marabou, with shirred crepe de
chine and satin ribbon bows, in all
colors. Marabou and ostrich sets
are In good demand in natural col
ors and fancy combination shadings.
NEW YORK, July 26.—More than
$100,000,000 worth of merchandise is
stored in the bonded warehouses of
Greater New York. Never on the
face of the globe has there ever be
fore been such an aggregation of
everything that the soil yields and
human industry produces.
The fifty-six great bonded ware
houses are gorged almost to bursting
with &41k*, teas, coffee, spices, oils,
rugs, carpets, toys, textile fabrics.
Jute, hemp, wool, chemicals—with
everything in which the merchants
of the world trade.
More than 200,000 tons of sugar,
worth over $12,000,000. are in bond.
The New York Stock Company alone
has 80,000 bags of coffee; its ware
houses. with a capacity of 81.000.000
cubic feet, are filled.
V0LLMER MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Moor; Building
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
MAKERS OF FINE JEWELRY
Special Designs in Platinum .1
Engravers Diamond Setters Watchmakers
Specialists in Jewelry Repairing
Buy Your
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
OF THE MANUFACTURER
and get better goods at the
same price or the same goods
for less.
We manufacture Tablets
and School Stationery in our
own factory—the only one of
jts kind in the South.
Get our new 500-page cat
alog and buy by mail. We
ship mail orders in 24 hours
from their receipt.
MONTAG BROTHERS
Manufacturers—Importers
10-12-14-16-18-20 Nelson St. ATLANTA
TO OUT-OF-TOWN MERCHANTS:
Howwouldyou like to hear the brainiest folks in the mer
chandising business talk about the Big Questions that concern
every storekeeper in the country?
How would you like to rub elbows for a few days with
Four Thousand other merchants who are all keen for more
and better merchandising?
How would you like to seethe way some other successful
merchant runs things that pester you, how he handles the
knotty points, how he succeeds where others fall down?
How would you like to spend a few happy days resting
up and getting the needed change of scene while using part of
the time gathering up inspiration that will freshen and bright
en your business for a whole year?
If these things sound good to you, here’s what do: Make
your plans N3 W to come to the
SOUTHERN MERCHANTS’ CONVENTION
ATLANTA, AUGUST 4 TO IS
No investment you can make will bring you bigger returns physically, mentally, or where you carry your coin than this
trip. Don t give it the go-by. You’ll be sorry if you do. ’ hlS