The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-30
HOW THEY MANAGE IN ST. JOE.
TRADE SECURED By PAYING COUN-
TRY MERCHANTs' EXPENSES.

A JObbers' Transportation bureau
Maintained for That Purpose.
Capt. Purse Furnished an ExpIa-
nation of the system by Charles
+. Green-Sevv Orleans Trying 20
Get Trade Out of savannah's Ter
ritOry by the Same Means.
The project Of Offering Inducements to
merchants and others at a distance TO
make their purchases in Savannah has
not been dropped and it is likely that
some definite plan viii be adopted as soon
as the merchants can be gotten together
to consider the question.
Capt. Purse OF the freight bureau has
had his hands fun since he returned from
his vacation. but he has not overlooked
this matter, and will endeavor to secure
united action upon the part OF the mer-
chants for the purpose OF increasing Sa-
vannah's trade. He has received an in
teresting letter from Mr.. Charles Z. Green
Of st. Joseph, No, explaining the system
adopted by the St. Joseph merchants to
increase their trade. Mr.. Green Is a
former resident of Savannah, being a son
Of Mrs W. d. NAPLES. from whom the
board OF trade building was purchased.
Mr.. Green expresses great interest in
the welfare Of Savannah, and his desire
to see the citys business increase At
Capt. Purses request. he took the trou-
bic to secure from Mr. F. w. Maxwell,
secretary Of the jobbers' transportation
bureau of St. Joseph, an explanation Of
the system in use there. This statement
is of interest to every merchant in Sa-
vannah. Invitations are sent out to the
country merchants to visit st. Joseph,
and he is requested to notify the bureau
of his intention to do so, a printed no
tice to that effect being inclosed with the
invitation.
LAS The invitation reads" states Mr.
Maxwell after a country merchant has
received one of them, he buys a ticket to
st. Joseph, taking the railway agents re-
ceipt on the blank at the bottom After
arriving here and purchasing his goods
he then brings the invitation to me and
tells me the names of the houses of whom
he purchased the goods. To be sure that
there is no mistake. l call up the house Of
whom he says he purchased the largest
bill, and If he has complied with the re-
quirements, or purchased a goodly amount
Of goods pay him the amount of his re
ceipt and furnish him with a ticket home
This keep up for a week with all the
customers who may have been in, and
then make a request Of all the houses TO
furnish me with the exact amount pur-
chased of them by each buyer that has
been in the market. 1 then proprate the
expense Of each buyer on the houses sell
ing in proportion to the total amount
bought, and collect so as to have money
at all time in the treasury to pay he next
customer. At the close of each spring and
fail business l make a statement of the
amount received from each house and
paid out to country customers for their
account
The operating expenses, such as salary,
printing, postage. ETC., runs to the end Of
each season and is then prorated against
oach house in proportion as their sales
is to the total sales. A member Of this bu-
reau then pays only as to his sales. In
case of no sales ne has no expense. The
operating expenses and railway fares only
amount to about IL per cent. of the bus
mess done, so that you see any
jobbing house can stand that amount very
readily and profitably. 1t sometimes hap
pens that some country merchants may
come to market more to visit than TO buy
goods, and you ask what we do in cases
of that kind. OF course we try to use
good sense and judgment for we do not
wish 10 antagoniZe good customers for
the sake Of saving a little railway fare
at the same time we do not wish to be inn
posed upon by the buyer, and there Is
where the great advantage Of the bureau
comes in, in such cases no individual
house has anything to say, the Whole mat
ter being left entirely in the hands of the
secretary, so that If the fare has to be
refused the customer can take no offence
at the houses, for he mas made the de-
mand on the bureau and not the house
selling the goods, and the bureau takes
the responsibility for its action, thus the
customer takes his vengence out on the
innocent secretary and feels kindly to-
wards the jobber.
We have now been running this bureau
for the fifth season and all members are
very enthusiastic in saying it is a grand
success in any way that il may be looked
into. The names of country merchants
are furnished by the different houses to
the secretary who makes a new list and
cuts out all duplicate names so that no
firm receives more than one invitation.
The secretary is also forbidden to tell
any house the amount of goods purchased
of another house by any customer, except
the total amount bought so that no
house will know of whom the greater
amount is bought"
That somewhat similar system has
been adopted by the merchants of New
Orleans is evidenced by the fact that mer-
chants in Savannahs territory have re-
Gently received nvitations to visit that
city for purposes of trade at the expenses
of the merchants there. Capt. Purse be-
lieves that 1t will be necessary for the
merchants of Savannah to adopt a SINH
lar plan The plan has been pursued in
limited way by at least one merchant here,
he states, for several years. who has sew
eral good customers at a distance whose
expenses he pays to Savannah every sea-
son in order that they make their pur-
chases from him.
Frank Clarke Captured.