The age-herald., 1899-12-17

must guard against, MT. Wanamaker said, is to prevent stock from growing old. This must be done by selling cheap, for where stock is carried interest on its cost must be added to the price. A rule in his store is that any goods purchased and not as represented may be returned These goods are returned to the manufactures. He must take them back and live up to his contract or lose the patronage of the firm. This rule insures care on the part of the manufacturers
 He said that sometimes bad goods will get into the stock no matter how carefully it is guarded against.
 MT. Farquhar asked the witness if there were not standard and fake department stores.
 q don't want to say anything about the business of men that I know nothing Of, replied MT. Wanamaker. but l can say there are three classes of goods, and some of them deceive the public. They are sold in the stores (fake) that Mir. Farquhar re- fers to-"
 'Is it not dishonest to mark goods 9S cents 49 cents, 19 cents, and so on, to give the impression that the articles are worth respectively $l, 50 cents, or 20 eentsY' ln- quired Mir Farquehar.
 That Is something that we do not per mit replied the witness, flor it creates a wrong impression.
 "Our men, he said, "get a commercial education and they could not exist there DY cne2tlnS. Me ulSGnaTSe enplOSeS TOT lying in trying to make a sale. We take back any article not wanted if it has not been damaged. record of the sales of each employe is kept and examined twice year. If an employe has an unusual amount Of returns we know that he is not as satisfactory as enc who has less. It is very unwise for our employees to misrepre- sent goods. Such a system is far better than the old style retail store, wehre it is every man for himself and the devil take the hndmost.' "
 MT. Wanamaker said that all good depart ment stores furnish amusements and re- creation for the employees, and he mention ed one where a room for dancing is set apart and used during luncheon hour.
 This pays" said MT. Wanamaker, flor every great store knows that it's greatest capital is in its employees" He said that wages are better than in small retail stores ande the hours shorter The hours in his establishment were from o'clock a. m. to 6 D. m. He believed that deartment stores have very salutary effect upon sweat shops, for goods from such places are not desirable because of sanitary reasons. They are liable to convey contagious diseases. How does the department store benefit women?" asked MT. Phillips. Serious Business Women By opening up many new avenues for them,' answered the witness. "Unfortu-
 
 expect to get married and they are not ben efited as much the serious business wo- man. The serious business woman is just as good an employe as a man, and we pay as high as 5000 to some, and many receive $2500 a year."
 MT. Wanamaker declared that the depart ment store had been a great factor in es- tablishing the one-price system He did not believe in 'baiting leaders,, for he said, when one article is sold below cost the diff ference Is made up on something else." MT. Wanamaker said he did not know of differential rates for transportation being given department stores: he had never ask ed for any. He thought that in time all great business interests will be chartered, because of estates coming into them. He believed that a currency a gold basis and a regulated tariff would be of advant- age to the country, and that if trusts are to become fashionable legislation is needed to regulate them and to prevent possible extortionate prices, eXtortions possible to trusts but not to individuals. The commission announces that 1t will not determine until later in the month when it will make its preliminary reports to con- gress but that the consideration of the matter will be taken up at a meeting to be held about the middle of this week.