The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-08-27
THE AMBASSADORS OF TRADE,
What it Costs to Keep up the Army
Drummers.
4 Pay Roll of One Thousand Million.
a Year Paid for a Host that not
Only Repays all Expenses, but
also Makes Billions for
ats EnDLouers.
charleston News and Courier

"A paragraph, Wn1cn mas been goinp
the rounds of the newspapers, states i99
effect that it costs more money to nav
the salaries and expenses of the travel
ling statesmen Of the United States
than it would to pay off the national
debt.
els there any truth in this 2" asked
a reporter of a popular and well.in
formed representative of a well known
city house. The conversation tool
place on the spacious and breezr
veranda of the New Brighton, wbero
the tourist is quartered for a week.
rest.
"Well," was the reply, cit NAV ho
a little startling, but | expect the faI,
low who made the statement knew
what he was talking about. Lemma
see," he continued in a ruminativo
tone of voice, 81 suppose it is fair to
say that there is hardly a wholesale
jobbing Or commission house in apv
line of business in the United States
that does not have at least a single
travelling representative, and from
one lone man the travelling force
ranges up as high as l25 or $50 men,
and there may be one or two houses
with ven more. The average of the
most reliable estimates places the
total number of commercial tourists in
the country at $50, 900; and, mind
you, this does not mean peddlers, but
only those who sell goods at whole.
sale.
Now commercial tourists do not
travel second class, nor do they board
second class. The railroad fares,
charges for carrying sample baggage
by freight or express, hotel bills and
numerous incidental travelling expen.
ses of these men will range between
81 and $12 per day, but some men
will spend $25 in a single day
for these purposes without resort1ng
to any extravaganza. Take, for in.
stance, some of the carpet, clothing or
fancy goods men who carry ten to
fifteen trunks full Of samples, take a
packer with them and hire a hotel
parlor to display their goods whenever
they open their trunks. But the
number of these men is comparatively
small, and Sc a day will fairly repre-.
sent the average expenses of these
$50, 900 men. There you have ST..
100000 per day for expenses alone.
Multiply this by 365, and you have
$547, 500, 900 as the amount expended
in n year.
"Then there are the salaries, com.
missions, etc. Few tourists are paid
less than 5000 a year. The largest
number receive between ST., 500 and
So, 500, either in salaries or commits
sions. A lesser number are paid
from $4,000 to SIS, 000-those reoeiv.
ing the latter amount being compare,
lively few. But there are travelling
statesmen who r always in demand
at $40, 900 to $4,000 a year, but
they are few and far between. The
lower salaried men predominant, as
might be supposed, and an average Of
ST., 800 per year is not far out of the
way, Figuring 100000 men at an
average salary of $1,000 per year
gives a total of $50, 600, 900 according
to my arithmetic. To this add $547,-
500, 600 for expenses, and you have
1897, 500, 600 for these two items.
"But there are other items to be
charged against the salesmen's &C,
count. It is impossible to give any
accurate estimate Of the cost Of
trunks, samples and other requisites
of the travelling men, but the items
as we figure them in our store will give
something to judge from. Our five
men require fifteen trunks, costing So
each, or $12O. These men require
two sets of samples yearly-one in
the spring and one in the fall. The
cost of these two sets of samples is
about $1,000 per man Of this ST.
600 worth of goods which are re-
quired for samples every year a con-
siderable portion is lost, while most
of it is SO soiled and damaged by con:
slant handling that it has to be sold
at a heavy reduction from the actual
cost, or else given away. To cover
this depreciation we make an allow
ance of SO 1-3 per cent upon the cost
of the samples"
"Trunks do not need renewing
every year, but repairs and replacing
lost ones form quite an item Of ex'
pense. From these figures it is eVl.
dent that the similar expenses OF
greater or lesser amount borne BY
every wholesale house will swell the
salary and travelling expense item OF
1897, 500, 900 far beyond 81, GOO, OOO,'
900 per year. Those l think are
about the figures that are paid to
travelling statesmen in this country:
If that amount will pay the national
debt, 1 don't know. The national
. debt does not interest me. At present
l am taking my summer vacation.
Good-day; call in again.