The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-02-21
PURCHASING AGENTS, &C.


There is no doubt that farmers can say'
large sums of money by buying their agrcul
tural implements of the manufacturers
through purchasing agents, employed either
by the grange or agricultural societies. The
manufacturers are quite as willing TO sell &c
these purchasing agents at wholesale for cash
as they are to any other middlemcn. When
they come to simmer it down. however, the
farmers will find that their large saving re-
suits not from the fact that the new middle
man-,he grange agents one of their own
appolnting; but from the fact that they pay
in cash. Tie grange agent buys for cash
and sells for cash He pays no expense but
| for the handling and the little time he
| is necessarily employed. With the manuiac.
turcr's agent hitherto the case has becH en-
tirely different. He had to give security for
his payments to the manufacturer. and then
had to sell to Tom, Dick and Harry, scatter
ed over half Il state, on part cash and balance
on long credit. OF course to sell his ma
chimes and then make his collections took all
his time and involved many risks of loss as
well as frequent payment of interest to his
principal on account of slowness of collec-
tons None of these veXations trouble the
purchasing agent If they did, the farmer
would soon find the purchasing agent as cX-
pensive a man to deal with as any other mid
dleman. The chief blessing the farmers are
reaping from the grange system, therefore, is
the rigid enforcement it promises to inaugu-
rate of the cash system.
So the farmers by means of their purchas-
ing agents and paying cash can get their SUI
CARS, coffee, tea and other groceries, and some
of the heavier dry goods cheaper than By
of the retailer But let the farm.
cr who has the cash in hand to pay for a bar
rel of sugar or sack of coffee, for instance,
ry one of the heavier grocers in the nearest
arge town-in Ottawa, Peru, or Aurora, for
Instance. Our word for it, the home dealer
an do quite as well by him as the purchas.
ng agent o: the grange. Again tits the cash |
ystem for which the farmer has to thank the |
range movement
While thus the grange have placed it in the |
power of the farmer to make vast savings In
lis purchases, whether he purchase of the To-
al dealer or the purchasing agent, through
he inauguration of the cash system, the far
ners must keep very sharp look out in
Iced if they don't get swindled by impos-
ers at present travelling all over the state pre-.
ending to sell goods at retail from large city
establishments at wholesale prices
These swindlers go from house to house ex.
libting samples of cotton goods, &c. These
hey propose to sell for about one quarter of
heir real value, and Of course take large
lumber Of orders therefor, with the promise
0 deliver the goods soon. Then they exhibit
lot Of cloths and cassimeres, almost worth
'ss, which they sell for a big price deliver
lg the goods on the spot, and receiving the
ash therefor Of course, the cotton goods
re never forthcoming while the swindlers
ave DISAPPEARED with the money they rcceiv.
d tor the worthless cloths, etc
1t is always safe to set this down as a fixed |
in general, goods can be bought at
prices only when bought in whole
ale quantities; and at cash prices only for
ash, or paper as good as cash. The big q
rices of retailers are the result ofthe addition. I
time retailing requires, and the risks it in. l
Olives on account of wastage, the credit sys l.
IN, %c.' and no grange agents or any other C
'rt of middleman can do the business and t
lrry the same risks an iota cheaper than the +
binary retailers of our cities and villages n
no have spent life to learn the business and a
It seldom succeed in so conducting it as to o
4 rich. i