Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-10-23

| Aon Ayo-six.ns houses mere are
agencies. There are, however, two man
ufactories located in the city, which deal
exclusively in mechanical goods. The
| agencies supply only the contiguous ter
ritory, as the main houses which the
| local agents represent have agencies in
| the Western cities. The trade runs great
ly to specialties, such as boots and shoes,
mechanical goods. hose, mats and novel;
| ties, while there are several concerns
which handle every thing. The trade in
| rubber mats for passenger elevators and
balls has grown TO large proportions, but
| possibly the most i'm portant branch is the
| boot and shoe line. One wholesale shoe
firm alone had left at the beginning of
| the season stock of rubber boots and
| shoes worth $24O,OOO, aud this amount
was not sufficient to supply it's trade.
There are so many different branches of
| the trade that an accurate estimate of the
| magnitude of the interests can not be
made, but the business will amount to
nearly $l5,O00,000 year.
BOOKS, ETC.
| Possibly no business is so divided in to
| specialtiss as is book publishing. There
are firms which publish nothing but med
| ical books, others handle Sunday school
| books, and another class sell books only
| all kinds of books. Most of the business
| Is carried on by agencies of Eastern
| houses, which are divided into depart
| ments, each of which has it's own corps of
| employees and management. These
| agencies supply not only the trade, but
| do what Is called introductory work. The
agencies cover the territory between Ohio
and the Mississippi. There are several
Publishing houses which belong exclusive
y to the city, and which Sell goods all
over the country. Even the Eastern
States buy large quantities of books
which are published in this city, and
which go into competition with the works
of Eastern houses. The distribution of
periodicals is also great, and many pub
LEGATIONS of world wide reputation first
saw the light in this city.
STOVES AND RANGES
| Since Chicago was of any importance
at all there has been wholesale repre-
| sentative of the stove trade here. The
| early dealers were representatives from
| Eastern manufacturers, and were merely
| jObbers who sold TO the small dea lers.
| The trade grew, and in few years the
| business had increased to such an extent
| that stove foundry was started. Now
| Chicago Is the main point from which the
West and Northwest is supplied with
stoves. Goods are even sold in Ohio and
Michigan, and some specialties are sold
all over the country. The first at
tempt at making stoves here was
not success, but now there are
twenty-four firms which exclusively manu-
facture stoves and ranges. Besides the
foundries there are twenty wholesale
dealers who do large business. In spite
of the fact that many persons are en-
gagged in it, the stove business does not
represent much money. More goods are
sold each month In wholesale dry goods
house than are sold In year by the aver
age stove house. Sales are made on from
four to six months credit, because the sale
of stoves by retailers is slow. Although
it costs considerable to make a stove, it is
well made and does not wear out for
several years.
There are ten scale manufacturers in
the city, who do business which reaches
into the millions. In the early days of
Chicago scales were handled in connec-
ton with hardware and other lines of
business. Now the manufacturers do not
confne themselves to scales alone, but
also deal in railroad supplies, coffee mills
and cOnveyOrs. The NOrthwes tern trade
depends on this market on account of the
that are kept on hand. Conveyors are
sold IN large numbers in Chilli, Peru and
other South American points.
The wool business is about 30 years
old, and hao its beginning when the
farmers in this vicinity bartered their
products to the storekeepers. The wool
came in In larger quantities and one firm
after another devoted itself exclusively to
the buying and selling of wool. Chicago
Is next to the largest wool market in the
West. The market has steadily declined
since 1886 on account of the producers
holding the wool and attempting to
create scarcity of the supply. The
wool is bought direct from producers
and sold only to man ufacturers and other
dealers, generally in the E ist and West.
There several hundred mills in the
Northwest which are dependent upon this
market for their supplies. There is not
enough money IN tbs business to pay the
dealers to make any effort to obtain con-
signments Of WOOL The business will not
exceed 100000 year at present.
CoFFEEs. AND SPICES.
The coffee and spice trade forms an
i'm portant feature in connection with the
wholesale grocery trade There was a
time when the wholesale grocers consid-
cred it only department. of the bust
ness, but now there are twenty-four deal
ers exclusively in coffee and spices, who
do a business of about $2O,O0U,0OO each
year. The business is, Of course, wholly
an importing business, and the goods are
sold all over the West. The mills which
turn out the better class of goods have
been obliged 80 secure means
to protect themselves from unscru-
pulous dealers, who sell adulterated
articles representing that they are pure.
Many of the mills now put their goods in
small packages which they guarantee to be
pure and can not afford risk their reputa-
tions by misrepresen tations. They have
no objections to the sale of cheap goods,
bnt they feel that the trade is injured by
the sale of inferior articles which are said
to be the best quality. This new de-
parture of the mills in putting up goods
in small packages, although it is more
expensive to them, will benefit the con-