The Van Buren press., 1899-06-24
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houses. as has been the custom at Van
Buren,, the large majority of the trade
feel that they have been Disseminated
against, which has the tendency to invite
their enmity or antagonism instead of
their support.
The evils of this antagonism does not
fall with much weight upon the COM
mission man receiving the fruit, but
does fall directly upon the shipper. This
result is brought about by the lack of
knowledge of business methods.
In one case we show personal favora-
tism for one or two houses and invite
the antagonism of the others and in the
other we receive the confidence and sup
port of all the trade instead of the one.
To invite the support of all the trade
possible only increases the options on
our fruit and grants the opportunity
and incentive for increased prices, when
to cut off the competition for our trade
simply lessons our opportunities and de-
creases the demand.
We are quick to ask for the eompeti-
tion as between railway companies and
refrigerator car companies but am sorry
to say unfortunately have assisted the
commission man in carrying out his
most wished for object, that is to cut off
the returns of competitor to the
shipper.
Every dealer in our products assists
in the consumption the same that each
individual family assists in the consum-
ption of any article used by that family
and all such dealers should be treated
as factor in the business.
It has been said by commission men
that to divide our shipments would be
to place our own goods directly in COM
petition with our own goods. This
statement from commission man is
intended to misslead and is never made
conscientiously by any one knowing the
facts or except when intending to play
upon the lack of knowledge of the
shipper as to actual conditions.
The real secret of commission mans
competition and that he fears most of
all is the competitive returns to the ship
per and when cars are divided between
several or more honses then the merits
or capacity of each are tried in an effort
to not be outdone and is when each will
use every effort to do just as we'll for
the shipper as circumstances will allow.
About all associations throughout
Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and
southern Illinois when shipping to Ohio
distributor or shippers agent is select
ed that distributes the fruit from cars
where from ten to fifty houses are inter-
ested in each car and where but few
instances are known where the shipper
does not receive the market quotation
for that day, yet we are sorry to say
Van Buren associations seldom receives
more than one half the market quota
tions when shipping car lots to one
commission house in the northern
markets.
1t is customary for a commission
house to employ some unequal means in
securing the car shipments exclusively
for a given market with evident view of
cutting off competitive returns and am
sorry to see that our associations have
assisted them in doing 80. We hope to
see the day when our association will
do their own business through their
agent that is we'll enough acquainted
with the trade to measure its capacity
and invite all the trade possible.
We notice it is customary for COM
mission house to employ some local
solicitor at given point where large
shipments are expected with evident
view of using neighborly influence to
obtain shipments. This local agent
may have no personal knowledge of the
nature of the business nor does he have
any knowledge of the houses capacity
he represents. yet is most always is
prepared with the statement that his
house can handle all you can ship.
His neighborly influence is used until
his house is overstocked; when the
neighborly confidence has been lost, his
influence upon his neighbors has gone
for naught, the house has thrown him
over and laughed at his creadulity and
he has been thrown upon his neighbors
a moral wrech.
In conclusion will just say that the
very nature of a commission mans trade
is much where there are several or
more houses in given market that he
cannot sell to an advantage of that
market a car of perishable fruit as il
should be done.
There are too many details to be
entered into to admit of the time neces
sary without overlooking some of those
details and sacrificing them in whole
sale way by cutting prices to com
petitors.
1t is a we'll known fact and business
principal that fifty men are capable oi
selling more or greater quantity of a
certain article than is possible for any
one man to do and where our goods are
perishable and of unlimited quantity
we should strive to obtain all the trade
possible instead of inviting the enmity
of nine tenths of it. A SHIPPER.