The morning call., 1890-05-05
" RAGS, SACKS, BOTTLES."
Something About the Business and
Men Who Have Grown Rich.

The rags, bottle, sacks business is far
from what it used to be-" said the owner
OF one OF the largest junk establishments
In the city to representative OF THE
GALL. "Fortune Is not smiling 80 sweetly
on the buyer OF these articles as formerly.
Why, five years ago these shrewd bar
gamers had everything their own way and can
point you out men to-day who still pursue the
business and ride around in their wagons inces.
sanity crying out the three monotonous words.
who are landlords to number OF tenants and
whose homes are luxurious. Their wives keep
from two to three In help and blazed in dia-
monds among the best at the recent Patti opers
season. You may think exaggerate, but l am
only drawing IT mild. But these men made their
money in the balmy days"
What is the reason that the business is not
SO good to-day as then?" queried the writer
1t seems TO me that the growth Of the city
would increase the trade"
"There's where you are Mistaken reiolned
the merchant. "You see, when these wagon
tradesmen had everything their own way they
generally asked their own prices Of Wholesale
merchants, brewerymen, coal-oil dealers, ETC.,
began 10 grow weary of paying high rates for
articles utilized by them. therefore they started
In to control The market themselves.
For Instance, only few years ago the Junk
men reaped golden harvest on lager beer bot
Ties. Inc gfocers and lquormen seldom asked
deposit on the bottles from customers, and hence
they were sold In what the schoOl-boy calls the
lWO coutS apiece were paid Tor them,
but Tie botllers could not buy them back from
the purchasers FOR less than cents So you see
MS loss and the INST buyers GAIN This kind of
business made the beer.dea1ers put their heads
together and issue all order, which is hung in
every grocery store and liquor-house where bot
tled beer Is sold. Il requires deposit of cents
lor every DOttle. 80 you see people will much
rather return the bottles to tie store than sell
them for 2 or 3 cents
a. In the wine business similar action was
taken. The dealers in serving private families,
charge deposit OF cents on each BOTTLE and 20
TO 40 cents on demllohns-a little more than the
liquid holders cost them at wholesale rates. IL
dealing with the grocers and liquor-houses the
merchants allow them so cents dozen for
s empty wine =, bottles That is really the price
market, but they prefer to let their customers
reap The 5eneht Of the sale, rather than an inter-
offered liberal inducement for the return OF their
cans without dealing with third party.
l." Bags have been very scarce at private houses
countable TO the high rates OF potatoes and
onions Many who almost always kept bags OF
these vegetables were unable TO afford 10 do so
for long time Them TOO bags are not much in
circulation, as many firms are economizing In
buying them by having those which they have ON
them left"
/" Has there been any diminution in the nun.
per OF rags, bottles and SACK men recently 2" In
terrOgated the reporter.
"Oh, yes, considerable; four or five well.
known draws no longer grating on the ear. But
these are well-of men, and finding out that tile
profits are small they have called quits
Yet there are a number who are conducting
the business on very small scale, dispensing
with the expense of a horse and wagon, and
carrying sacks on their back. Sometimes they
make about twenty trips 10 the store day. and,
taking all IN ALL they make pretty good living
on their profits. Their capital Invested is about
81.
There Is one dealer who drives wagon who
Is very rich He always has little, unkempt,
ragged boy with him, who cannot be over years
old. The pair remind one wildly OF Old Pagan
aid Oliver Twist. II is astonishing to think that
the Society for Cruelty to Children has not taken
some steps TO rescue this mite.
Rags, too, have had a setback. OF late large
number of second hand clothing houses have
started up in the southern part OF the city, and
here old clothes are sold instead OF 10 the rag
man. You can count IN Que block at least fifteen
OF these shops side by Side" A. NH.