Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-12-30
BUSINESS ON WIND
HOW MAX LEVlTAN MADE
THINGS HUM.
A gMoNTlCELLO EPISODE
Price Cutting War lnaugurated That
Plays Havoc With Competitors
Thrifty Housewives Supply Lar
ders While Period of Opportunity
Lasts.
Madison. Dec. "a.

Madison. Dec. "a
Max Levitan, the Monticello mer-
chant who was arrested and brought
to Madison to answer to the charge
that he was about to leave the state,
and was placed in Jail, secured bail
yesterday in the sum of $1,000 and is
now at liberty until his examination
takes place He went into bankrupt
CIV December IA with reported liabili-
ties of $4,000 and assets of $4,000 or
less. Levitan is about % years of age
and is unmarried. About two years
ago he opened a general store in Mon
ticello and began at once price-cut-
ting war in an endeavor to get the
trade away from the other merchants.
This has been especially severe for
the past three months and to any one
at all familiar with the situation there
could only be but one end to the strug-
gle, and it came swift and sure.
The creditors claim that the intent
to defraud them was intentional, as il
is reported that Levitan had paid but
few bills during the recent months.
For weeks he has been selling goods
at much less than he or any other
merchant could buy them for, and
has spared no pains to get rid of all
the goods that he could and convert
them into cash Hence the creditors
feel that they have just cause for their
action.
His whole business career in the re-
cent months has been noted for bar
gains like the following: They have
proved bOnanZas for the customers
but are rather tough on the men and
firms that furnished the goods Mon
ticello people have been buying two
packages of Uneeda biscuit for one
cent for quite while and thousands
of packages have doubtless been sold
until it can safely be said that the thrift
| ty housewives of that burg or the fam
| lilies either do not need-a-biscuit for a
| long time in the future. He sold a
days at 85c sack, that would have
cost him Csc sack if he had paid
for it.
A case is related of one farmer who
came in and bought ten sacks and
paid for it. While he was trading in
another part of the store the flour was
all sold and carried off, the demand
being so brisk. Levitan offered the
farmer his money back or would get
him some more flour. The man said
he would wait and he is still looking
for the flour that will probably never
come.
Kerosene oil dropped to &c per gal
lon and all other lines of goods were
sold at similar cut rates. Long price
lists felled the columns of the local pa
pers and big posters carried the news
to the rural population. Max and his
prices was the magnet which drew the
trade for miles around and his compel
itors were obliged to content them
selves with the trade which they could
secure at prices which enabled them
to live and pay for their goods. The
farmer especially felt that he was in
clover, for Levitan advertised Chicago
prices for poultry during the holiday
season. Fowls that he paid SC per
pound for he would sell in Chicago for
&c. This cut but little ice with Max,
for the granger took it out in trade
and the more poultry he could sell in
Chicago was just that much money in
hand.
The general effect on the public of
such mercantile record is bad in the
extreme. The consumer will howl for
a long time when he comes to pay the
regular prices and he will feel that he
is being robbed.
Possibly there never was such a
time in the history of Monticello when
the larders of the thrifty housewives
were so we'll stocked as at present.
Everyone who could spare dollar
has laid in supply of everything, and
the other stores are suffering for trade
in consequence Of the unbusiness like
methods, to say the least, of the man
whose business career has now come
to an abrupt termination.