The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-09-08

America, cheaper than the American
farmer can buy it, Wheeling Register,
Septem6r7.
With regard to the figures and price
lists which the Register kindly places at
tho disposal of DIr. Horr, and with
which the INTELLIaENcER knows Mr..
Horr to be familiar, they cannot be
more interesting and instructive than
that which the American manufacturers
Of farm implements have to say OF them.
Here are a few OF the many straight
forward replies to inquiries;
The Superior Drill Company, Spring
field Ohio, July 81, 1891.-Manutactur-
ers generally have three sets Of prices,
namely, "jobbers' prices" dealers or
local agents prices" and "retail prices"
When We speak OF ''jobbers' prices we
mean prices made to regular jobbing
houses, that will take general agency
for whole State and buy outright
many carloads of implements. The
prices made to dealers and local agents
are usually called or considered whole
sale prices" and will vary, owing to the
number OF goods bought or sold. Those
buying carload or more would receive
lower prices than those buying less
number. Retail prices" are the prices
that the farmer pays. The jobbers that
employ their own travelling statesmen to
sell and make settlements with local
agents receive the lowest prices, and
Justly SO, as the manufacturer is re-
lieved OF great expense aud risk. Man
ufacturers mako liberal discount for
cash, but time sales are generally made
in the United States. Few farmers and
q small proportion OF dealers take ad-
vantage OF cash discounts, while the
foreign trade are required to buy on
cash terms, and in most cases pay cash
before shipment OF goods.
Published list prices are generally
much higher than the actual net selling
prices; and we have known newspapers
Of high standing to publish these list
prices as met selling" prices through
the American agent or farmer, and com :
pare them with the "net cash" price to
the foreign trade. 1t is our belief that
very few, if any, leading manufacturers
Of regular farm implements sell to farm
ers, or even local agents, in foreign
countries. Their sales are to jobbers,
either direct or through their contract
ing agent in this country.
We cannot speak positively for any
manufacture except our own; and we
assert that the Superior Drill Company
does not discriminate against the Amer
lean farmer or dealer, that We do not
sell at lower prices to the foreign trade.
We will cheerfully open our books to
any honorable and responsible party,
individual or committee desiring to OBJ
tain information about "prices and
terms" made to the United States and
to the foreign trade.
We donot know what our grain drills
and other goods OF our make retail to
the foreign farmer; but, we do know
that the foreign dealer could not sell at
lower prices than the American dealer
sells to the farmer without selling at
loss.
Perhaps it is we'll to state to the
farmers and "public men" who have SO
much TO say about the agents OF farm
machinery that there are few business
men that realize less net clear profit on
their sales and compensation for the
work performed than these same i'm
plement agents; and the commercial
books will show as large il not larger
percentage OF failures among imple-
ment dealers than most any other class
OF business men. Their advantages to
the farmer, arising by stock OF machines
and repairs carried by local dealers, is
generally overlooked.-The Superior
Drill Co., Ea@ara L. BaehwaiteY, president.
PIP. Mast & Co., Buckeye Agricul-
tural Implements, Springfield, Ohio,
July %, lS9l.-The prices we receive
for all goods sold for export shipment
are the same that we receive for similar
goods sold to dealers in the United
States; and in many cases the terms OF
payment for export shipments are much
shorter than on the goods sold in this
country. In fact, the majority Of our
export business is transacted on u spot
cash basis. The net proceeds Of our
export sales in every case arc equal to,
and in some cases higher than, the
same identical goods are sold at in this
country; and we do not hesitate to pro-
nounce all statements made to the con-
trary us false. We are perfectly willing
at any time to prove them so by refer
ence to our books.
It may be well for US to state that, in
our opinion, the erroneous reports that
have been circulated through the United
States originated through wholesale or
"net price" lists that have recently been
published in the export trade journals.
OF recent years, manufacturers and ex-
port dealers generally have adopted the
plan of publishing in the export trade
papers their met wholesale" prices on
the goods for export trade. These
papers naturally fall into the hands OF
the public; but as the wholesale or net
price lists are never published in the
trade papers of this country, or
in fact circulated in any way
except TO regular dealers nothing
but retail price lists being issued in
this country, false comparisons are
made by showing up the net wholesale
prices published in the export journals
as against the long, or retail prices,
that are given out to the public in this
country, these prices being claimed to
be the best prices at which the goods
are sold to tho trade of this country.
While we are under the impression
that the parties circulating these re-
ports are fully aware as to the actual
facts OF the situation, it is very easy
with these figures, by comparing the
net cash OF wholesale prices to export
dealers with the long or retail prices to
the consumer, to mislead parties who
do not understand the matter.-P. T.
Mast & Co., per Charles r Grain, Sec.