Atlanta Georgian. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, July 27, 1913, Image 10

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10 ft 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.