The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-08-03
TRAVELLING statesmen.
Their Annual Expenses Equal to the Ma
tional Debt.

Their Annual Expenses Equal to the Ma
tiOnal Debt.
THE money used in a single year to
foot the salary and expense bills of the
travelling statesmen of the United States
would pay off the entire National debt
and leave few dollars over"
This rather startling statement was
made by junior member of one of the
large dry goods houses of this city,
who has force of about fifty travellers
under his immediate charge. AS proof
OF his assertion he presented these par
ticulars: There is hardly wholesale,
jobbing or commission house in any
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 125 or $50 men, and there
may be one or two houses with even
more. The average of the most relia-
BILE estimates places the total number
of commercial tourists in this country
at $50, 900; and, mind you, this does
not mean peddlers, but only those who
sell goods at wholesale.
1.-The railroad fares, charges for
carrying sample baggage by freight or
express. hotel bills, and numerous in
cidental travelling expenses 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
resorting to any extravaganza. Take,
for instance, some of the carpet, cloth
ing or fancy goods men who carry ten
to fifteen trunks full of samples, take a
packer with them, and hire a hotel
porter to display their goods whenever
they open their trunks. But the num-
Der of these men is comparatively
small, and Sc day will fairly repre-
sent the average expenses of the 250,-
900 men. There you have $1,000, 900
per day for expenses, alone. Multiply
this by 365, and you have $547 100000
as the amount expended in one year.
The item of salaries is nearly as
large. Few men are paid less than
5000 per year. The largest number re-
ceive between $1,000 and $500,
either in salaries or commissions. A
lesser number are paid from $4,000 to
$5,000-those receiving the latter
amount being comparatively few. But
there are travelling statesmen who are
always in demand at $4,000 to $15. 900
a year, but they are few and far be-
tween. The lower salaried men pre-
dominate, as might be supposed, and
an average of $1,000 per year is not
far out of the way. Figuring 100000
men at an average salary of $1,000 per
year gives total of $3.50. 900 600 &C.
cording to my arr :.'.7".-". 20 .hls.!sN
$547, 100000 for expenses and you nave
1897, $1,000 for these two items.
But there are other items to be
charged against the salesmen's account.
1t is impossible to give any accurate es
mate of the costof trunks, samples, and
other requisites of the travelling men,
but the items as we figure them in oul
store will give something to judge from
Our fifty men require $50 trunks, cost
ing So each, or $1,000. These men re
quire two sets of samples yearly-ont
in the spring and one in the fall. The
cost of these two sets of samples il
about 81, 900 per man. OF this $50, 00(
worth of goods which are required fol
samples every year considerable por.
ton is lost, while most oft is so soiled
and damaged by constant 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 ar
allowance of 333 per cent. uponthe cost
of samples, or about $500 per year
Trunks do not need renewing every
year. but repairs and replacing lost
ones form quite IN item of expense
From these figures it is evident that the
similar expenses of greater or lesser
amount borne by every wholesale house
will swell the salary and travelling eX
pense item of $997, 10000 far beyond
$1,000, 900, 900 per year. "-Philadelphis
!