The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-10-21

true of the commission man always. Now.
practically. the jobber and the commits
sion man are done away with. I dc not
know Of any commission house in Phila-
delphia to-day in general dry goods. There
is some representation Of mills for tI~ pur-
pose Of knowing the market; but Y len
was boy we had. 1 should say. certainly
scores Of commission men and jobbers In
Philadelphia. do not believe you viii find
in that city OF 10000 people to-day ten
jobbing dry goods houses.
CLOSE TO THE PUBLIC.
There was a time when the Southern
merchants had their Offices in Philadelphia
and came there and stayed 20. weeks
gathering their goods. Now that is all
gone. The manufacturer does nos need
the commission men. To be logical, the
manufacturer does not need to take the
risk he formerly took. because through
the retailer in touch with the consumer
he can find out exactly what his mills
should make, and often he has the re-
tsiIer's order before a thread Is in the
looms. This is large matter from every
point Of view. He can make his goods
closer TO the time OF distribution; he does
not have to prepare them and put them
first in the commission mans hands to
find a jobber that will buy them. and the
jobber TO find other customers that will
take them. There are long periods dur
ing which interest has to be paid, and the
fashions change, for women's things par
ticularly; so that man might make some
ia - - ind of ,tS
wear. and by the time he got down to the
people who wear them they would only
sell for about what they cost. The man.
ufacturer has less risk, less interest TO pay,
and less trouble in having his collections
made. While the jobber might not be able
to charge back TO the manufacturer, since
he bought his goods from the commission
merchant, any OF his loss, yet no jobber
would buy those goods unless he got them
at price that would give him an insur-
ance against those losses. The manufac-
turer has not directly or indirectly to meet
any such contingencies now, but he makes
the relations with the man who distributes
the goods, who gets the money right away
for them from the people. 1t is a wonder
full advantage to the manufacturers. When
working for concerns like Marshall Field
or McCreery. like number of concerns
in New York. they are just as sure of
their money as they would be if they
were permitted to draw on the Bank Of
England. They work very low. and espe-
cially for stores that know what their
probable output will be. so that they can
give them work through the dull season
when, sometimes, they have had to shut up
their mills. They will often work for
per cent in the dull season where they
would otherwise charge fifteen. The manu-
facturer IS sure of the employment of his
people. In a little village, if the mills
shut down for a month man cannot pay
his rent, cannot pay his store bills So
everything tends toward the manufacturer
making a sure thing; and when he can
eliminate all risk and get a sure output
for his production he can make very much
lower prices. And If the storekeeper, on
his side, can offer these goods at so much
less because of the saving that has been
created it is greatly to his interest to do
that. because he increases his clientele.
OLD AND NEW METHODS.
Many of the commission houses have
closed out. There are few still existing in
new 1OTk CITY, out Iney exist, IN some III
stances. because they are part owners in
the stocks Of the mills. 1t is the remnant
of the old business still remaining. In
olden times a mill at Fitchburg. or wher-
ever ii was, would send some shrewd man
through the country to feel the pulse of the
seasons fashions to try to get an idea
what to make. Now they keep in touch
with the retail stores; they know what the
public is taking; they weave their samples.
A man can go to Philadelphia, if you
please, or to Chicago, and in a single day
get his orders for all the styles of goods
that they are going to use, and the first
orders are afterward duplicated. Instead
Of having a store where all the storekeep-
ers come, as you would think might be
profitable in Philadelphia, it is done in the
way / have described. man from the
mills sometimes brings just large scrap
book of the things they are going to make:
other things. like cottons, are known by
numbers; they do not come in samples at
all. All the work is done without expen-
sive city offices or warehouses, on the side
of some hill where the water power is driv-
ing the machinery.
There is an idea that many owners Of de-
partment stores are also owners of fac
| tories and control absolutely the product
| OF those factories. I do not believe such a
| course is general. When / began business
1 had an idea that the true thing for me to
| do was to manufacture. / said TO myself,
| II 1 can get a thing and sell it for just one
profit / can sell a great deal more of it.
| But I found out in ten or fifteen years that
manufacturing is quite another business.
| and a man had better attend to the bust
| ness that he knows; and 1 practically
/ threw away immense plants of sewing ma
| chimes and all that sort of thing. remem-
| Der very well that Mr.. Stewart did the
| same thing.
| Nor is it possible for the department
| store to buy the whole product OF factory
| for a year ahead, and in that way control
production and eliminate competition in
| that line Of goods. The moment that a
| mill makes a certain class of goods and
| begins TO sell, there will be ten other mills
| that will get at the same thing before very
| long. There is no patent on general mer-
| chandise. There is not department store
| in the world, or three of them, that could
distribute at retail all the stuff that any