The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-02-12
ALL GRANITE DEALERS

The Barre Granite Manufacturers |
Association has sent out the follow |
ing circular letter, which is of in |
terest to the Granite trade throughout |
New England and elsewhere
Barre, Vt, Feb. 10, 1902.
To the Granite Trade throughout the |
United States and Canada
Gentlemen NO doubt many of the |
people interested in the manufacture
and handling of Barre granite have
had some information, or rather have
been misinfo1med in many instances,
of plan which is now under consid-
Grafton by the Barre Granite Manufac-
| turers' Association, and to place our
selves IN a proper light before you and
the public at large, we beg to submit
| you this circular letter for your con-
sideration.
1t is a well known fact that for the
last ten years the employees in connec-
! ton with the granite industry have
| been demanding and obtaining a re-
| duction of working hours and a CORE
! spending increase in rate of wages,
until today we are paying our work
men more money for a days work Of
eight hours than we did a few years
| past for days work of ten hours,
thus adding to the labor cost of manu-
featuring granite about twenty-five
per cent. In addition to this, the
rough material is today costing from
% to 30 per cent more than it did two
years ago. Lumber for boxing our
stones has increased in cost at least
fifty per cent, and everything connect
ed with the manufacturing establish
ment has had corresponding increase.
In well regulated business, this in
| ,NfS O. Il i
have been added to the selling price,
thereby making our product more ex-
pensive to the consumer, but, on the
contrary, we are selling same today
for less money for the same kind of
work than we obained ten years ago
This has been brought about first, by
the fact that we have never had any
uniform basis or scale of prices by
which granite work has been estimat-
ed. Second, by INSCRIPTIONS Compel
itions, and these have been carried on
to such an extent that the manufact-
urers have found it absolutely neces-
sary to take some measures to protect
themselves. By there being no sys-
tenn by which work was estimated,
we believe the responsible dealers in
our product have suff cred equally as
much as ourselves, and to place the
business in better condition, we
have decided, first, to establish a
scale of prices by which all work shall
be figured, this scale of prices to be
based, as nearly as we possibly can get
at it, ON the actual cost of producing
work and putting same f. o. b. cars
at works Second, by establishing a
Granite Exchange, through which all
estimates on granite work shall pass,
and also all contracts, for the purpose
OF seeing that no price is quoted or
work taken below our established
scale of prices. This will not do away
with our present competition, for it
will be necessary for manufacturers to
add to their profit, as they estimate
same, to the established scale of prices,
but it will do away with the mistakes
and errors that are now made, which
we find are large item in the course
of the year, and we believe that this
| will be as beneficial to the trade as to
the manufacturer, for there has been
many instances where manufacturers
have quoted prices to the trade on
certain piece of work, the dealer
would sell the work based on that
price, offer the manufacturer the work
at price quoted, and, in the meantime,
the manufacturer had found out that
he had made mistake and would re-
fuse to fill the order, or purposely de-
lay the filling of same, compelling the
dealer to buy the work of someone
else for much larger figure. Under
our new plan, there will be no excuse
for any manufacturer doing this, for
he will be assured that he will at least
get the money back that the work
costs him
We expect this plan to go into eff
feet March lst. and all contracts
and orders not placed by that time
will have to go through this office
While it is not our present intention
to raise the price of the manufactured
product, incidentally there is no doubt
but what it will raise the price from
10 to 10 per cent Therefore we ask
that dealers will govern themselves
accordingly, as we cannot accept any
orders after March 10 on estimates
now being made, or which have been
made in the past, unless same are in
accordance with scale of prices now
established.
We ask and hope to merit your
hearty cooperation i'll this movement.
While, as we say the price may be
raised small percentage, we expect
that this will be counterbalanced by
giving you better service, better ma
terial and better quality of work.
Also by wedding out many of the ir-
responsible parties who are now your
worst competitors, as all they make
above cost of foundation, freight an
setting is clear gain
Yours respectfully,
Barre Granite Manufacturers Asso.