Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1897-01-20
IMPLEMENT MEN. WASTED NO TIME
IN PRELIMINARIES.
HOLDING ANNUAL CONVENTION.
ROUTINE BUSINESS TRANSACTED AT
YESTERDAYS SESSIONS.
Gathering Was Called TO Order Yes
terdny Morning in the Grand
Opera House by President
Curtis - Committees
Appointed.

The implement dealers of this section of
the country are men of business from the
word go. and it did not take long for them
to get right down to real work in the frs.
sessions of their annual convention, which
were held in the Grand opera house yes
tcrday morning and afternoon. There
were between 800 and 400 delegates in at
tendance yesterday, and 1t IS believed that
this number will be nearly doubled by the
arrivals last night and this morning. The
work accomplished by the convention yes
terday comprised the appointment of the
regular committees the hearing of the an
nual address of the president, and the re-
port of the secretary, and the open discus
sion of the drayage question, which has
been such a problem to the implement
dealers for 4 long time.
II was shortly after 10 o'clock when the
convention was formally called to order
by President c. c. Curtis, of Wellington,
kas. The appointment of the following
regular committees was then announced by
the president:
Resolutions-J. D. Mcguire, oklahoma;
Frank X. Allen. Missouri, Frank Collody,
Kansas; J. w. Paulen, Kansas a. b.
HutchisOn, Missouri; A. l.. Scoville, Kan
sas. and G.. II. Barker, Kansas
Registration committee-Ed Heeney, Kan
sas; J. b, Robinson, Missouri; II. J. Roet-
eel Kansas; ". H. Hubbard, Kansas: b.
f. Venable, Missouri; G. NJ. Nichol. Mis-
souri,; George b. Shirts, Missouri, and +.
Auditing-J. K. VanZandt, Kansas; II. e.
Noble, Kansas; John Baumstark. Kansas;
n. b. Rohnett, Missouri, and q. II. Ander-
son, Kansas.
These committees Immediately retired to
erter upon the work before them, and the
remainder of the morning session was de-
voted to informal discussion of topics of
interest to the association. The ola and
much veXed question of Catalogue houses
was brought up. and was discussed at some
lei 9Th. Catalogue houses are wholesale es-
tahlshmentS which do not employ travel
hut s..ll fG.AN NV
meGuS OF catalogues, having no dealings
with the retailers. There We're a number
of suggestions of how to deal with this
kind of competition. which the retail deal
ets call unfair. one speaker going SO far as
to suggest that the legislatures of Missouri
and Kansas be called upon to abolish cata-
loEue houses by law. The sentiment of
most of the speakers was that the members
of the Implement Dealers Association
should bind themselves to purchase no
goods of any description from catalogue
house. No action was taken on the ques-
ton. which will come up again before the
convention closes.
Matthew Spraul, of Sparta, H., ex-presl-
dent of the Illinois Retail Implement Deal
er.s' Association, was a visitor at the morn,
ing session. and made a speech, in which
he congratulated the members upon the in
terest they eVinced in the work of their as
sociation, and said that had the members
of the Illinois association displayed the
same spirit it would not have been allowed
to die. He hoped he could take back to
Illinois. with him some of the Missouri and
Kansas enthusiasm.
In the afternoon the frSt order OIL DuSi-
ness was the address of President Curtis.
which was followed by the able report of
Secretary Hodge. The report went into the
work of the association during the past
year, showing Just what was being accom-
plished by organization On the important
question of jobbers retailing goods, Secre-
"Forty complaints have been fled during
the year, a detailed report of which Will be
We have never been able to report the ad-
justment of large proportion of them
and as many cash commissions collected,
but the correspopdence connected with
clusiveiy that what our association needs
more than anything else is an agreement
signed by iobbers that they will contine
their trade within legitimate bounds. Tn
der the existing order of things we cannot
demand commissions on sales made direct
unless complainant happens to be a custo-
mer of the offending firm, and this is a case
| in but small percentage of the complaints
| filed. Especially is3this true in the case of
vehicles. In many instances the Iobber
replies to our demand for commission AS
we had no customer in the town. We see
| no reason why we should be debarred from
| selling the vehicle in question.
Now this convention should devise some
| plan looking to an arrangement on this
| subject that will make certain Jobbers
| more careful to whom they sell, and VIII
cause them TO look parties up before goods
are shipped instead of after complaint Is
| filed. and that will enable complainant to
collect the commission on sales made con-
trary to agreement. Now is the time to do
this work. If it is intrusted to a commit.
| tee, let it be understood that they act at
| once before this convention adjourns, so
| that our members will receive the protec-
| tion such an agreement should afford dur
| ing the approaching season. You have as
| sembled here for the purpose of devisins
plans for the improvement of the imple-
| ment and vehicle trade and this important
| matter should not escape your attention..
| After the report of Secretary Hodge, the
| remainder of the afternoon session was de-
| voted to the consideration of the drayage
| question The members of the associa-
| tion are violently opposed to being charged
| drayage on small shipments from Kansas
| City claiming that the custom of making
| such a charge has been abolished in other
| cities of the West. They fd not reach
| any decision as to how to settle the ques-
| ton yesterday, but the whole matter will
| come up again in the report of the COM
| mittee on resolutions.
To-day's programme will include the dis
! cussion of the report of the various COM
| mittees and the taking up of the ques-
ton of mutual insurance. which is the
| most important 70 come before the con-
| vention. There will be sessions both morn
| ing and afternoon. This evening the visi-
| tors will be the guests of the dealers of
Kansas City at a reception which will be
| given in Masonic hall, in the Ridge build
| ing.