Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-21
Implement Dealers
Session at Omaha

1T would be strange business ethics that
would not allow of a greater profit in the
sale of a high-priCed implement than in
that of Il lOw-priced one remarked one of
the speakers at the meeting of the Nebraska
and Iowa Retail Implement Dealers asso-
citation in Omaha the week of January S-l3,
and that remark was the keynote OF the
purpose of the meeting. 1t was a meeting
80 secure conditions that will enable the
local dealers in farm implements to derive
some advantage from the prevailing high
prices and its addresses were full of sug-
gestions that the farmer who INDUCES in
new farm implements during the year 1900
will be asked to share with the dealer the
prosperity promised him in abundant crops
and good prices.
> This meeting was a getting together of
retail dealers, jobbers, manufacturers and
travelling drummers, at which each class
made known the grievances inflicted upon 1t
by the others and all endeavored to reach
an understanding whereby relief and redress
could be afforded. The retail dealers pro-
tested against the sale by manufacturers of
implements to catalogue houses, the estab-
lishment of competitive local branch houses
within the territory of the retailers by the
manufacturers the furnishing of implements
by manufacturers and jobbers to parties for
sale on commission and other conditions
that tend to create competition that reduces
the profits of the business to local retailers.
The discussions were animated, but for the
most part amicable. In this way the rights
claimed by each element of the retail trade
were made manifest and in recognition of
good fellowship and community of interest
each element recognized the rights claimed
by the others.
strong and Growing membership.
The Nebraska and Iowa association of i'm
plement dealers has a membership of about
400. About 400 dealers do business within
its territory. A similar organization in east
ern Iowa met this year at Des MoineS and
another has headquarters at Kansas City.
These three act in unison and in harmony
with others in other sections of the great
Agricultural belt comprised in the Missis-
sippi and Missouri valleys. Thus banded to-
gether the retail dealers are enabled to i'm
pose conditions upon manufacturers and job
bers that carry with them the force and eff
feet of law. Some 400 retailers were present
at the omaha meeting, with about as many
representatives of manufacturing concerns
and jobbing houses. The sessions were be-
hind closed doors and none but retailers
were admitted. At but two of the sessions
were outsiders admitted.
AT these two sessions, however, it was
noted that the theme of the discussions was
. the opportunity afforded by the prevailing
high prices for retailers to reap a better
profit from the business, so long attended by
great hazard and slight returns. Confidence
was everywhere expressed that higher prices
must prevail in the future, owing TO the
great foreign demand for American farm
machinery, now recognized as the best in the
. world, and the scarcity of raw material.
One of the heaviest dealers in Omaha ad-
vised the meeting that his firm is buying
every agricultural implement which it can
procure and that its confidence in the flu
ture is so great that it is not DESTROYS OF
disposing of any of its purchases at present
The Nebraska and Iowa association has