The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-03
WILL ASK PLEDGES
THAT WHOLESALE GROCERs DO
NOT SELL CONSUMERS DIRECT.
is INTENTION OF GRoCERS.
MATTER WILL BE TAKEN UP
SHORTLY AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.


President of Southern Wholesale
! GrOcers' AssOciatiOn-He Says De-
mand of Retailers VIII Not BE OPP
posed by WhOIesaIers-Speak
| COunseIIed Organization, Suggest
ed New Garnishment Law, and Put
Himself on Record as Preferring
Revolution to Monopoly Says
| Wholesalers in Savannah Are All
in Good shape.
The retail grocers of Savanpah are
| likely to take steps in the near future
to compel the wholesalers from selling
| direct to consumers of any and all
! classes and not only to promise this.
but to post a forfeit as an instance of
good faith.
| Because of the near approach of the
| holidays the matter will not be taken
up at once but will be brought up for
definite action in the early part of
| January.
This decision was reached last night
| at a meeting of retail grocers, held in
knights OF Pythias Hall, and called to-
| gether by Mr.. ]. A. Van Hoose of Bir-
mingham, president of the Southern
Wholesale Grocers' Association. who
addressed the meeting on the necessity
of organization and cooperation.
The meeting may be said to have
been under the auspices of the Re-
tail Grocers' Association. as it was
| called through the officers of that or
ganization. and they presided. These
| officers are Mr.. Nicholas Lang, presi-
dent, and Mr.. F. H. Marshall, secre-
tary.
MIR. Van HOSES Talk.
Mr.. Van Hoose made an interesting
and forcible address and at it's con.
clusion was called on to answer many
questions that had been brought up
in his talk and of which further de-
tails were wanted by members of his
audience. That the address met with
the heartiest approval of the audience
was instanced by many bursts of ap-
plause during it's delivery and again
when II had been concluded.
Mr.. Van Hoose, said he would not
waste time in compliments to the city
and the people as the beauty of the one
and the integrity and progressiveness
of the other are too well known to
need comment, but that he would at
once get to business for business was
the object of the meeting.
The burden of his theme was the
need and benefits of organization, but
he also discussed the need for new
laws relative to garnishment and spoke
~gainst the trusts, saying that rather
than see one power control manufact-
ure, transportation and distribution he
would welcome revolution.
(f,-x~ 4,.tsx to- 10 es,f1 to
air and everywhere; any set of men or
any body of interests that are not or
ganized are defenceless; the man who
talks against organization is not a
reading or a thinking man, for the
basis of the Twentieth Century work
is organization, and / can't use lam
guage strong enough to impress upon
you the necessity of it,
~ Years n Wholesaler.
The speaker explained that for twen-
ty-three years he has been in the
wholesale grocery business and then,
as an explanation of his interest in
the retailers told his audience that the
interest of the retailers is the interest
of the wholesalers. This fact was rec
| ognized by the Southern Wholesale
| Grocers Association, he said, and so,
| at its last meeting, at Shreveport La,
| it was decided that that body should
| assist in organizing the retailers in
| every one of the Southern States.
| The retail men of a town, he con-
| tinued, are its bone. fibre and sinew,
| and, far from depressing their custom
| ers. as they are sometimes charged
with doing, they themselves are the
/ persons oppressed. If there is a BAN
| quet the retailer must furnish the sup
| per; If a marriage, the trousseau; if
| a death. the shroud, and if a church
| fair, they must buy tickets. From
| giving a niger supper to entertaining
a distinguished guest, everything hits
| the retailer.
Too Much "Deadbeating."
They have to furnish credit. he said
| in discussing protective measures,
which is legitimate, and they could
| furnish more and better credit if they
could stop that unfair. that infamous
practice, that some people have of
dead-beating them in succession for
| short periods of time. AS a remedy to
this he suggested, later in his address,
the change in garnishment laws and
the formation of protective associa-
ton that will be inter-city as we'll as
local IN it's scope.
He held up as an example of what
can be done in this line the grocers of
| Minnesota, who have not only organ
lied as wholesalers and retailers, and
| work In harmony ana Tor common in
| terests but have also secured the en-
actment of equitable garnishment laws
| with the result that the business of the
| state has never been larger or in
better condition. The example of what
has been done in this state is, he said,
a beacon set on a hill
In discussing this question of the
| garnishment law a letter was read
| from Hon. p. A. Stovall, who has been
1r.@1 huVA i. -
House bill embodying the desired
changes. The letter stated that the
| writer was in sympathy with their
views, and that the matter might be
taken up later.
Ills of the Retailer.
Practically all the ills of the retail
| grocer, and they are many, said Mr..
Van Hose, can and will be cured by
organization. The plan the speaker
outlined for this proposed body one
that he said is now in most satisfac-
| tory operation in Birmingham, Chatta-
nooga, Shreveport and in Jacksonville.
rs to have the wholesalers place them
selves on record as to whether they
will sell only to retailers secure from
| those who promise this a deposit. to be
| forfeited to the retailers in case of a
breach Of faith, deal only with those
who will make this pledge and deposit.
and this, the speaker claimed will
force the others into line or out of
business.
Such an arrangement is but right.
he said. for nv this 90 -,