The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-07

two column article appeared in the
Tacoma Ledger yesterday which attegrpt-
cd 10 show that man going to the Ciorl-
nyke would save more than enough by
buying tn Tacoma rather than in Seattle
10 pay his passage and freight to Dyea
Tue article had a large scare head aud
contained comparative tables. which pur-
ported 10 show the exac. difference in
the cost OF Quitting In the two places
The Ledger stated that the list had been
taken 10 the merchants OF Tacoma and
their prices on the goods Were asked
while the advertised prices of Seattle
goods were used. IL also stated that In
every case they tthe merchantsl were ask
ed TO quote on the best grade OF goods
that are sent 10 the gold fields.
number Of merchants Of Seattle who
have for years been engaged in Quitting
Tor just such places as the Clontsyke.
some OF them before Tacoma was born,
and who know. therefore. just what il
needed, were interviewed yesterday and
the consensus of their opinions Is that the
man who wrote the article did not know
what he was writing about. and that the
merchants OF Tacoma never having been
In the Quitting business do not know
what goods are required and never have
them in stock and that II is questionable
as 10 whether they know where TO obtain
them
AS TO the question of price, il is we'll
known that Seattle merchants have al
ways sold the same quality of goods at
much lower prices than the Tacoma nIef-
chants. but that is never a question with
the man who has been there before"
He waits the best, and the best he Will
have
Ii matters little TO him. the saving of
cents on the rolled oats he will take for
years supply. IL he gets the best, and he
knows tina; So cent coffee will go mulch
farther than the IL cent article, and 30 or
60 cent tea four or five times as far as
the IS cent article that is Taeoma's best.
and the freight, which is by far the
greater part of the cost, is the same in
each case. However. let the Seattle mer-
chants speak for themselves. and first
The Wholesale GrOcers.
F. S. Sylvester manager of the Seattle
Trading Company. did not consider the
comparison made In the Ledger at all
fair one. The quantities of goods In the
outfits were different from what We're
needed In such articles as condensed
milk. baking powder. soap. tea, coffee.
and many others on the list. there was
such a wide difference in the quality OF
the various brands that without naIiinc
the brand quoted il would be impossible
10 make any fair comparison. Miners
who had been out before would have
nothing but the best. The footings Tor
an outfit were very misleading, too. Tor the
average outfit that had bsen made up by
his company this season. taking fourteen
of the latest amounted TO $7i 1S. and this
all of the best quality and ample for each
man for one year.
Cooper a. Levy, after looking over the
article said the Tacoma people might
quote any price they liked for goods they
did not keep, or they might advertise
them at low prices and then declare thcy
were just out of the goods IL customer
called for them. but Seattle merchants
did not resort 10 such tricks. AS the
Ieuger gave no brands of the goods they
could make no comparison. He could
SUNNY condensed milk for s4.15 and make
more money out of II than out of the 81
article and II was probably the *i.'o
brand that was Tacoma's best me
prices of provisions In Seattle were just
as low now as before the Clondyke ex-
element in spite Of the fact hat many OF
the goods had cost the merchants consid-
cradle sums in kilograms and heavy eN-
press charges.
II wilcox looked at the Est of Tacoma
prices and said no American graduated
sugar could be bought for less than Al3
for seventy-siye pounds. either In Seattle
or Tacoma or anywhere else. or course
the Tacoma merchant might palm of on
his customers some cheap and inferior
Chinese sugar, but he could supply no good
sugar for less than the Seattle price The
list did not include the best grades or
goods and WAS very misleading. For in
stance In sacks there was neither size,
quality or number mentioned, and simply
the words Sacks $3.50" Sacks. $50,
meant nothing. He sold more coffee for
the Clondyke az q cents a pound and more
tea NJ - cents than he did OF any cheaper
goods "a they would go so much farther.
..rNt them foot their horn" he added.
There j. no money IN buying anything
bnt good goods and these Seattle supplies
Old miners will buy nothing bat the best.
for they understand the economy of that
course"
Touch. Augustine & Co. said the Tacoma
people might make any quotations they
nked on evaporaSea onions, potatoes. APP
piss peaches and currauts. for they had
none IN stock All that now came 70 the
Sound came hy express, and II was the
hardest thing in The world 10 get any, and
~ course Il cost more than IL II came in
the ordinary way. Dried beef was in the
same category. There was none 70 be had
Thev were telesra rhinS for 600 and $50
pounds almost every day, aud were glad
TO get twenty-five pounds on, OF the order
They would pay To attention 20 the mat
ter II ;Ery had 10 decide the matter for the
Seattle papers. still. they knew that the
Seattle prices were the regular standard
low rric~S for good goods. and arv -rA
PONG 70 Tacoma would pSy az least as
high rates as ir Seattle OF course any
one can take another mans bill Of goods
and GU. Ii ali 10 pieces after the goods