The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-31

cent tax on their business for this pur-
pose. ut would come out of the people,
| he said land the hue and cry is that the
cost of living is already too high. The peo-
pie are crying cheaper gas, cheaper water,
cheaper groceries. cheaper rents, cheaper
everything
Travelling Bunco Men
He recalled that one of the first acts of
the Commercial club was to get the city
council to place a prohibitory tax on the
travelling bunco steerers from Chicago and
other cities which would ship old stocks
of clothing and dry goods Into the city
and advertise Bankrupt and Fire Sales
and was of the opinion that the club should
| take the same action in regard to the
"Trading stamp" SCI me.
oliver Chalifoux, of the ]. L. Chalifoux
| & Co., said that he had been approached
on the scheme and had refused to go into
| it as he always did in such cases. He re-
| ferred to the periodical tickets that had
been in use In this city for some time, and
thought that the same action should be
| taken in regard to that company. When
he told the man that he would not go into
| the Stamp scheme the gentleman re-
piled, 1--WE are coming here, and wherever
| we go We get llleHh an. IL hiiS" NiiS
scheme was a fascinating one, that people
were always anxious to get something for
! nothing.
1.-THE Stamp company" he said, pro
| posed to open a store, and offer glaring in
ducements." He favored the resolution,
and thought that some action should be
taken to induce merchants who were using
periodical tickets to give them up.
| RoVd took tho 0oOr defense
the periodical tickets, and stated that his
sister was once connected with the com
pany, but was not at present. He said that
the scheme was legitimate and that
if he had not known this he would not
have allowed his sister to have anything
to do with it. He explained that the peri
| odical ticket company was a local con-
Germ, and bought their premiums from the
| n1erohart-
w. ]. Wheeler, of the Birmingham Bust
ness college, was of the opinion that "pe-
riodcal tickets should be more strongly
condemned than the trading stamp"
scheme, inasmuch as the Periodical COM
pany, which collected per cent, as against
5 per cent. of the other company. Mr..
Wheeler offered the following amendment
to be embodied in Mr.. steiner's resolution;
The Periodical giei.et
"And all similar gift enterprises, incud-
ing also the periodical ticket scheme now
in operation"
Mr.. Rhodes said that he had seen the ad-
vertisements of the Periodical Ticket COM
pany but knew nothing of it's plan of OPP
Grafton. He had been told by the pro-
moters of the other scheme that the peri
odieal tickets were an imposition.
w. ]. Estes of the Estes Stove Co. said he
did not see why the newspapers should
jump on the Grading stamp" scheme when
the periodical tickets had been in use here
several years. He had tried to get into the
periodical company because one of his COM
pettors was in it and thought it was at
tracing some business.
Mr. Chalifoux said that in his opinion the
newspapers were not receiving the proper
support. He thought that any money to
be spent in advertising should be given to
the papers.
A defense of the periodical ticket scheme
was made by Bert Jacobs of Ben M. Jacobs
g. Bro. He said his firm had been in the
scheme since it was first instigated and
| considered it as much of a legitimate way
of advertising as the columns of any news
paper He said that his expenses were paid
by his customers, as were the expenses of
every merchant. Clerk hire, rent, and in
fact all expenses come out of the customer.
He explained that the Periodical company
collected per cent, of which per cent.
was given in premiums, which were pur-
chased from the merchants who were en-
| listed in the scheme.
NJ V. Joseph of Loveman, Joseph &; Loeb,
said: 81 have read up on the scheme for
| several months and in my observation
through the leading trade papers 1 find 1t
condemned. I glad that these papers
have taken this position. Any scheme that
leves a tribute of 5 per cent on man
business is a gigantic imposition that can
| not be too severely condemned. This
scheme would collect from one to two hum
dred thousand dollars from the merchants
of Birmingham with not a dollar of benefit.
The spirit of competition. which it created
is a burden and the action of the courts
show it to be scheme and nothing but a
scheme.
1--WE should ask the authorities to take
action to stamp out such schemes. The
business interests are taxed to excess
already"
| On a call for the question the amend
| ment was before the house and was
adopted The resolution, as amended, was
then taken up and was also adopted.
| Mr.. Chalifoux made motion that a com
mittee of three be appointed to consult with
the mayor and city authorities to see If
there was not some way in which TO prohibit
the operation of such schemes. The motion
was carried and the chair appointed the
following committee:
oliver Chahfoux B. Steiner, NJ. V. Jo-
seph.
Something of the Scheme
The periodical ticket scheme, which came
in for a share of the condemnation of the
Commercial club yesterday, has been in
operation in this city for some years, and
has, it is claimed, given satisfaction to
both merchants and customers. The scheme
is promoted by the Advertising Journal
company, which has distributed a large
number of premiums among the best