The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-08-12

mcnt stores in some OF the great
cities. OF course this does not have
any local application. We mean GER
tain department stores in foreign
cities. To illustrate: It is not un-
common for them to advertise var
ious goods at an exceedingly low price,
on certain days, even ait loss, and
50 arrange that the clerks in that
will sell just as little as
possible. Suppose the average price
OF oranges to be four cents each. On
Sunday the advert rtisement will an
nounce a sale of oranges for Monday
at one cent each. Of course there is
a great rush to the orange counter
on Monday and looking that way the
customer on arriving at the store
will see hundreds OF persons pos
sibly struggling to buy this frui T,
while INVESTIGATION shows one girl
very slowly putting up packages of
oranges, her instructions being to
work slowly enough to give out very
few oranges during the day. Or per-
haps handkerchiefs have been adver-
tised at a ruinously low price, far
below cost, and the crowd is over at
that counter. where with Ismall
amount Of help, they are playing the
game Of selling just as few handker-
chiefs as possible. The lady Gus
toner who came because of the hand
kerchief advertisement, struggles a
little while to get to the counter bu,
finally gives it UP. goes to another
part Of the store buys something a.
full price and gose home. 5#
Eyes, Doctor, that practice is com
mon in the big stores in foreign cities.
It is one Of their methods of adver-
stising, to take some leading article,
the price Of which is well known,
advertise it on Sunday to be sold on
Monday at less price than 81 mer-
chants can buy at wholesale. What
harm can there be in that e si 4 "a !.
that mig ght be all right it they
sold the article continuously, but hav-
ing advertised it they take care to
sell just as little as possible. The
public has come to look upon this as
q mean advertising swindle which we
may expect in a big department store
hut a method OF trade which would no:
.be tolerated for a minute in a small
store iGst$ s.Ssy !. AZ
BY the way, Doctor, what has
built up those department stores so
rapidly of late?"
8'sThe banking systems Of foreign
countries, as conducted by the de-
scendents Of the money changers
whom Christ drove out Of the temple. 4
The banking system! What has
the banking system to do with build
ing up those large stores and killing
off the small ones?'' 4!
The money loaners Of foreign coun:
tries form a great combine known
as the Bankers Association. They
arrange to have all important tinan,
cial positions in the government filled
by bankers SO as to control legisla.
ton in their behalf . N. 4
.sThose bankers establish banks at
all convenient points, receive the peo-
pies money but give no security for
money deposited With them. The
consequence is that when one, two
\ or three banks fail the people, at
large who use banks. become, panic
stricken, through fear that they will
lose their money if they; con ntinue to
allow it to remain in the bank. In
their excitement, they go to. the bank
and withdraw their money from the
institution. The result is such a
universal withdrawal of money from
tine bank as to cause it to fail.
Then all business shuts down, people
do not purchase goods and great
numbers of merchants are compelled
to go into bankruptcy"
.'The failure of banks and the gen
eral prostration of business that fol-
lows must be as hard on the depart.
ment store, Doctor, as anybody
else ?'
s'This would seem to be so Mr.,
Williams, but the facts are that gen
eral bankruptcy among merchants is
a source of immense profit to the
large institutions. The proprietots
Of the department store with large
capital at command, proceed to buy
up all bankrupt stocks Of goods
at a remarkably low figure. These
goods they advertise as bankrupt
goods for sale at the department store
at a very low price. AS people know
that bankrupt goods, are as valuable