The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-16
sPALDINo TALKS ON THE BICYCLE RATE
QUESTION.

A. q. Spalding, when asked to express
an opinion on the controversy over the
standard price of bicycles, said, that as
he understood the question, ii hinged
on the claim that all bicycles should be
sold for $50, because 1t has been alleged
that all grades of bicycles cost common
price OF $50 apiece.
This contention, he said, will be ridi-
culed by all men OF business, owing to
its obvious absurdiiy. While some
bicycles cost $50 to make there are many
that cost much less, and many others
that cost much more. Every article of
merchandise always finds its proper lev
ell, and in the bicycle business, as in
everything else, high price generally
means a high grade first-class article,
backed by responsible concern and with
reputation for quality. A medium
grade bicycle OF medium quality sells at a
medium price, and a cheaply constructed
bicycle at cheap price.
1--WE are told" continued Mr.. Spald-
ing. "that in cheap stores -ynn-can- get
for s2 the same hats we pay 20 for on
Broadway, but somehow one feels better
satisfied and more.at ease under a hat
made by the best halter than one maze
by nondescript maker. Without dis
cussiDg the actual merits of hats, most
OF us are willing ID pay " for hat and
throw in s3 for the satisfaction. This also
applies to carriages, pianos and other
articles we need. Pianos can he bought
for $50, but are they as good as 5000 or
$1,000 pianos? Certainly not. Ii requires
many years Of arduous work to perfect
the organization OF az piano msnufactur-
ing plant, and ii Is so with a bicycle
manufacturing plant. 1t takes more than
year TO build up finely equipped plant
Experiments with new machinery are
costly.
"Admit, for the sake OF argument.
that all pianos cost S25 to make; the
buyer. who can afford it, is willing to
pay the additional s175 for the saJisfac-
tion OF feeling that he has the best. On
a cheap piano you will generally find the
nsme-piate covered up by an Elaborate
spread, but on the standard makes the
name is always prominent.
"The same line of reasoning might be
applied to bicycles. Admit, for the sake of
argument. that all bicycles cost $50 to
manufacture, and suppose all bicycles
were sold at $50 for the bicycle and then
$40, $40, s50 or $40 be added for satisfsc-
tion.
"Cheap goods and cheap prices mean
cheap methods in every respect. IL
bicycles could be sold like sugar or
horseshoes, and no guarantee or further
trouble from them expected after they
leave the warehouse and the demand was
SO universal, then they might be sold on
the margin of proilt OF those articles, but
there is probably no article of merchan-
disc that is SO expensive to'put upon the
market as the bicycle, for, when In addi-
ion TO the cost of manufacture, one has
paid the store rent, clerk hire, interest on
the capital invested, certain cost of guar
antee and advertising expense, the pro-
gressive and successful merchant will find
that the actual fiat cost to manufacture
the goods in the first place does not rep
resent the entire cost.
No manufactures ever achieves repu-
tation on an article unless 1t has intrinsic
merit, and all the talk in the newspapers
and all the advertising that might he
given IL will not give IL long-standing
reputation unless the article in question
has the merit to deserve IT..