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TTEARST’S SUNDAY AMERICAN, ATLANTA. FA., SUNDAY, JULY 27, 1913.
m
WHAT ATLANTA MANUFACTURERS AND JOBBERS ARE DOING
TO IE OUTER
More From the Selling Force Will
Become Partners in Future
Than in Past
How Straphanger's
Nickel Is Divided LINES
Conductor and Motonnan (Jet $,008; Bondhold
ers $.007; Plaintiffs, $.003.
Whether salesmen any longer have
tha opportunity of making big money
as aaloamen is frequently discussed.
There are many who say that per
sonality is 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
hlji 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
wants. and must aid hi* customers in
making selections. He must be a close 1
student of his own lines, and be able
t« point out superiorities and infe
riorities. He must also have personal
magnetism and the power of making
friends.
Must Control Temper.
Resides these, absolute control over
his temper and actions Is necessary.
Disagreeable scenes often come up.
and the salesman of to-day must
either be 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 lines of business. More sales
men in the future will probably be
come partners. because the type of
man successful In the selling field
embodies qualifications and executive
characteristics that have not been
thought necessary in the past.
NegJect 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 ago
simply taking orders from the custo
mers they have without trying for
new ones.
“in the aame houses men have been
made partners who entered long aft
er the order takers started Order
takers would mver be anything else
anywhere. They rever get ahead. It
is the salesman with plenty of energy
$nd a desire to get ahead that ran
rise to a partnership. To men of this
Caliber selling goods offers greater op
portunitles than ever in all lines of
business.”
Where does the nickel go that vou
give to the street car conductor”
Ever find out?
According to statistic* compiled by
the Census Bureau of the Unltei
States, a large part of the passenger s
fare goes to labor.
Of the whole fare, 32.1 per cent,
or 1.605 cents. Is disposed of in this
way. Conductors get the largest
share of this amount, with motormen,
load and track men and car and mo
tor repairers following In the order
named. Fully 50 per cent of that
part of the fare which goes to labor
is received by conductors and motor-
men.
The supply men come next. They
j g# t 19.3 per cent of the nickel, or .965
j of a cent. Things that are paid for
| under this head include fuel, wire,
'rails, ballast, stationery, printing and
i general publicity. Next come the
I company's creditors They share the
fare to the extent of 14.8 per cent, or
.74 of a cent. Under this head come
I men or corporations from which mon-
i ey has been borrowed on bond or
mortgage, on short-term notes or oth
er collateral.
The landlord's claim to the nickel
| dropped In the box amounts to 11.2
i per cent, or .56 of a cent. Unless this
j claim Is paid the companies may be
j dispossessed of pieces of roads, ter-
j minals or of trackage rights and fa
cilities.
The State, county and the city also
' share in the Income of the various
j companies, and consequently the tax
j collector comes in for 4.6 per cent
of the fare, or .23 of a cent. Prompt
; payment of this charge 1* necessary
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 fare, or .21 of a cent.
After the average company treas
urer has paid out for miscellaneous
expenses another slice of the fare
amounting to 1.5 per cent, or .075 of
a cent, he makes provision for "rainy'*
days. For tills 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 Is used In this
way, however.
Executives of various kinds receive
2.9 per < ent of the cost of a ride for
their share, there necessarily being
many of them In systems that boast
of any size at all. Their share totals
only .145 of a cent, but It helps to
reduce returns to the stockholders.
Cast, hut not least, come the stock
holders. 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 hanks 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 he 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
ures: 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.”
Net Earnings Show Slight Gains
Compared to Gross—Higher
Operating Expense Cause.
$100,000,000 Goods
Wait on New Tariff
No Such Wealth Ever Held In New
York Before—Sugar Worth
$12,000,000.
NEW YORK July 16.—More than
llOrt.ono.OOO w'orth 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
hutnan Industry produces
The fifty-six great bonded ware
houses are gorged almost to bursting
with Hlks, 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.
Tight Skirts Cause
Decreased Profits
For Silk Weavers
All Other Textile Manufacturer* in
Germany Report Better Busi
ness Than In 1912.
The decreased demand for silks
consequent upon Ihe vogue of tight-
fitting skirts has been responsible for
u 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 pet cent,
against 6.9 j*»r cent paid in 1912.
The increase is the more satisfac
tory in view’ of tlie fact that in many
cases large amounts have been put
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, ns against 8.1 per
rent 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.
SIDELIGHTS ON SELLING.
Cravats 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, n small neckpiece.
Is very popular for fall. This conus
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.
‘Farmers’ Banks' in
France Are Studied
By American Party
Agricultural Commission Takes Much
Interest in System of Cheap
Credits Used Abroad.
PARIS, July 26.—During the last
thirty years, the great credit banks,
with their hundreds of branches
scattered through every region of
France, have driven out of existence
numbers of the old-fashioned private
banks, which, from father to son. had
long been fountains of credit «n farm
ers of their district. Bankers and
farmers were known to each other
from childhood; credit was baaed on
their friendships. With the new
banks, such credit has had to be
given in another fashion and with
more technical precautions.
This is one of the reasons of the
late outcry that farmers have not
been finding credit. It has been made
the pretext of an attack in Parlia
ment on the impersonal credit banlss.
und has induced the Government to
begin the Credit Agricole, obliging the
Bank of France to hold constantly
for Its use a reserve fund of 20.000.00U
francs.
Members of the American Agricul
tural Commission seem to attach
more importance to this phaee of the
question of farmers’ credit and co
operation than to Intensive cultiva
tion, and for this reason the Govern
ment has arranged a series of expla
nations of the way such matters have
been settled in France by various au
thorities of the Government insti
tutions.
Short-term agricultural credit and
long-term credit, both collective and
individual, with constant reference to
farmers' mutual help and co-opera
tive societies, is a subject of study.
Agricultural insurance is also gone
into thoroughly, as well as Govern
ment's administrative organization of
credit, co-operation, and mutual help,
the relations between the Bank of
France and the Credit Agricole hanks,
the central Credit Immobilier for
cheap homes, and the results to date
fo State agricultural credit in France.
GERMAN FORESTS PROFITABLE.
On the best German forests the an
nual expense is $13 an acre, hut the
gross returns are as much as $24; thus
they yield a net return of $11 an acre
each year.
Railroads of the Bout hern group,
which for some time resisted rising
costs after the effects had become
manifest on the more Northerly roads
and the great transcontinentals,
have also succumbed and have been
feeling, to a marked extent, the drag
of higher operating expenses during
the current year.
Total operating revenue of the
four leading Southern roads, name
ly, Louisville and Nashville, South
ern Railway, Atlantic Coast Line
and Seaboard Air Line for the ten
months ended April 30 was $150,603,-
180, compared with $148,028,963 for
the corresponding period of the 1912
year, an increase of 7.1 Rer cent.
Net after taxes and charges was
$41,608,883, against $41,266,961. an in
crease of only .82 per cent. In other
words, out of a gross gain of $10.-
574,217 these four rftads were able
to save in the aggregate only $341,-
922 for net.
Shows the Trend.
This shows in a broad way the
trend of railroad earnings in this
section of the country. The net re
sult, however, was due in large
measure to the unsatisfactory oper
ating record of Louisville. For the
ten months that road showed an in
crease of $2,511,647, or 5.3 per cent
in gross, but an actual decrease
from 1912 of $1,383,730, or 10.7 per
cent in net. ■ In large measure, heav
ier maintenance expenditures both
on roadway and equipment were re
sponsible for this. Louisville and
Nashville spent $18,035,187 on main
tenance against $15,560,110 last year,
or $2,485,077 more. The same is true
of .Southern Railway and Atlantic
Coast Line, and to a lesser extent
of Seaboard. Southern, for instance,
spent $17,091,126 on maintenance
against $14,966,711 last year, an in
crease of $2,124,416, and Atlantic
Coast Line $8,568,234 against $7,731,-
858 last year, of $836,376 more.
Ten Months’ Figures.
The following compilation shows
briefly the operating results of these
four roads for the ten months.
Louisville and Nashville:
1913. Increase. %
Tot op rev . $49,726,295 $2,611,647 6.3
Net nl. rxa. . «.522,087 *1,383,730 *10.7
Southern Railway.
Tot op. rev... 5L77B.683 4.283.339 8.0
610,084 3.3
Yield of 10,000,000 Bales Ex
pected, Which Is Short of De
mand, Says Authority.
1.256.107 6.5
726,541 14 8
Net af. txs.. 1^,564,365
Atlantic Coast Line:
Tot. op. rev... 30,589.746 2.*24.124 8 9
Net nf txs 8.897,478 490,027 5.8
Seaboard Air ftine:
Tot op rev.. . 20,510.456
Net af. ties.. 5,624,962
•Decrease.
It will be seen from the above that
Seaboard made relatively the best
showing, saving as It did $725,541
for net out of a gain of $1,265,107 in
gross. Its gross eg^rnings fbr the
ten months increased 6.5 per cent,
w’hile its net egrnings increased 14.8
per cent, exactly reversing the re
sults secured by Louisville and Nash
ville.
Gross Earnings Grow.
Gross earnings of the Southern
roads so far this year have been of
record-breaking proportions, as have
those of many roads in other sections
of the country as a result of the ex
cellent crop and general business
year of 1912. The 1912 cotton crop
was not up to the 1911 record, but
it was the second largest in the his
tory of the country. This, together
w’ith the big corn crop raised In the
Southern States, furnished a tremen
dous tonnage.
In 1911 the Southern railroads
were able to achieve substantial
gains in both gross and net when
other roads of the country were suf
fering from expense ratios all out
of proportion to gross. The first six
months of the current railroad year
showed a new tendency and the sub
sequent four months since the be
ginning of 1913 have confirmed it. |
Two-Year Comparison.
Thp following table makes com- !
parlson of operating results of the j
four Southern roads for the last two i
years: I
Jute costs much more now than
it did tw’o 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
Ukkuiaps. particularly in sacking eot-
ffn seed meal and oil cake.
Estimates of the Indian crop vary.
Soma Bearish Figures.
One prominent Calcutta house,
which is interested in twelve burlap
mills, estimates a record breaking
yield, placing the crop at 10,300,00o
bales, while other authorities believe
that the yield will 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
firm at the higher price level.
Calcutta Burlaps 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, pen* ing 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 ctf forward contracts.
Southern Railway Company has
sold to bankers $1,750,000 5 per
cent equipment trust notes to pro
vide for additional cars.
• • •
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.
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 w’ords. 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.
N. C., furniture show’, where the At
lanta products were exhibited. So did
the doll beds. Of course, there are
doll 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-
slveHDeds.
There are few metal bed factories
in the South. The reason, according
to L. C. Moeckel, manager of the At
lanta plant, is the scarcity of skilled
metal workers and finishers. The At
lanta factory has trained green men. J
under the direction of foremen and ;
superintendents from Northern fac
tories.
Manufacture begins with the as- ;
sembiing of the material—angle iron I
from the Pittsburg steel district,!
round iron from the Atlanta Steel j
Works, and tubing from the National :
Tubing Company. The materials are j
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 is
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, with 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 frames
are coated with "size”—a sticky sub
stance. Then they are put in a cham
ber. into which the blast from a pow
erful blow'er 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 w’ork 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 is 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.
New Furs Cheaper,
Undyed Pelts Cause
Fashion Favors Pieces Made From
Skins Left Just as Taken
From the Animals.
At no previous time have buyers
been able to procure such attractive
fui^ots at reasonable prices. This is
chip9<» 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.
Sliver kit fox is 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 inexpensive
furs shown for fall.
Variety is the keynote in the styles
of both scarfs and muffs. 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. Ruffs,
ties, collarettes and small crossover
pieces are the smaller neckpieces sub
stituted for the heavier ones.
BUTTERFLIES TRIM HATS.
Butterflies are the newest trim
mings for fall millinery. These are
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 set9 them fluttering in life
like fashion.
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 oar latest Catalogue. The leading merchants are adding
the 5c and JOc 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.
VOLLMER MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Moore Building
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
MAKERS OF FINE JEWELRY
Special Designs in Platinum
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
its 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
10-12-11-16-18-20 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
the
merchant runs things that pester you, how he handles
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 NO 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.