Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1894-08-23
A Plea for Home Trade.

L L
Minneapolis, Aug 10, 1904.
To THE EDITOR:
As secretary OF the Northwestern
Home Trade Association, it is my
duty to he informed OF the condi-
lions which may influence Northwest
ern business interests and to give
special thought to those conditions
bearing directly upon the matter OF
home patronage. This association
was not organized in the interest OF
any city or locality, nor is the pur-
pose OF the work in the interest OF
any particular class of business men,
but to promote a general sentiment
on the part of the northwestern pee
pie to trade at home and buy north
western products from northwestern
merchants when the prices and goods
are equal to those brought from
abroad. THERE'S, probably, no great
er menace to northwestern retailers
than the practice Of thousands of
farmers and other consumers in send
ing their money and open orders to
the catalogue houses OF Chicago and
other eastern cities, and paying in
most cases more for the goods than
the same could be bought for at
home. There is no greater snare for
unwary than the catalogues from
these houses, A recent comparison
OF the prices OF a Chicago catalogue
OF some 800 pages with the regular
prices of goods in II store in Mime
sofa city of 10000 population,
showed that in nearly every case the
catalogue prices after adding the
freight were higher than the regular
retail prices OF the merchants. It
must be remembered too that cash
must accompany every order, which
makes a difference Of at least % per
cent in favor OF the home merchant,
for, ifthe buyer has credit he can gener-
ally obtain such accommodation as
may be necessary. The selection of
the goods is of necessity left to the
shipper and ii not satisfactory, there
is no redress for the buyer. These
eastern houses who do this business
do not buy the highest grade OF
goods, and OF necessity the goods
shipped will rarely be up to standards;
but the home retailer buys from re-
liable jobbing houses and manufac
turers who are known always to han
die the best goods. In nearly every
instance it will be found that q pre-
MUM has been paid for the privilege
OF buying second-grade goods OF a
concern 400 miles away.
Now, what is the result of this alb
surd and expensive method Of buy
ing goods? TO illustrate the man
ner plainly: The farmer goes to
town with q load of garden truck
which he sells in general store for
cash and in few hours it is consum-
ed. He takes the money received
and sends it to an eastern catalogue
house for goods which he could have
bought as cheap at home. lie has sent
money 400 Or 500 miles away, yet
he marveis il the next week he finds
no money ready to buy his produce.
Ii he will stop to think he will realize
that he has placed it out of the pow
er OF the home consumer to buy
again from him by sending his mon
ey away. The natural place for him
to market his produce is in Chicago
1t he sends the money there with
which to buy it, but he will tell YOU
the freight rates are against him.
which is true. He must fud IL mark
ct at home, and in order to find that
market, he must help to create it by
leaving his money at home Ii he
could buy us good goods at lower
prices after paying the freight, no
protest would be in order, but the
almost universal experience is that
sooner or later they learn that they
are subscribing to II fraud.
Ii the papers OF the Northwest
would call the attention Of the con
sumers to this matter rand emphasigp
how serious a matter it is, much
could be done to overcome the evil.
Let us all have in mind the motto of
this association, "Buyof those whom
you would have bny of YOU. Buy
home products offered through home
retailers and each and every home in
the Northwest will feel the influence
OF this loyalty to local institutions
and much direct prospect y will be
the direct result.
Yours truly,
GEO. w. PARKER, See.
Northwestern Home Trade Asso-
citation.
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