The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-12-02
Harbert G. NorquIst of This City For
tunate Enough to Be Members
of This Gigantic
Combination.
Arrangements Well Uunder Way to
Make the Present Organization of
4s Stores 100 Strong by the
First of July, 1908.
Largest Combination in Mercantile
Circles in the World, and Prob
lem That Is Worrying Many
Merchants in the West.

Quantities III the largest markets OF
the country places them On an equal
footing with the biggest jobbers.
Advantageous rates made by rail
way companies to these people in. car
lots to terminal points cause conster-
nation among competing merchants.
Country merchants unable to com
pete with The Union" will likely
ask the courts to enjoin them from
further consolidation.
Consumers will no longer be asked
to pay exorbitant prices for classes
of merchandise handled by the Fair
stores in the far west.
Their presence In this county will
be welcomed by the great masses of
the people, even if they do work a
hardship on few tradesmen.
A prodigious money saving event
for thousands and thousands of wage
earrers throughout the entire Pacific
northwest.
Several months ago we gave to the
readers of the Bee an interesting ac-
count of the Cash Buyers union and
their unique methods of operating in
| IlAC WCSI' AZ LndL ClIAS llO OuS IuOuSnt
they would ever reach the proper
lions that they have now attained. 1t
is less than four years ago that three
or four merchants in Washington
conceived the plan, and associated
together for the purpose of buying
goods collectively from the largest
and best jobbers in the country. The
| GO
have increased their numbers from
, time to time, until at the present
! writing they have the strongest COM
bination of it's kind in existence, buy
! ing their goods from the foremost
manufacturers of the land.
Harbert & Norquist, doing business
= in Kalispell, under the firm name of
The Fair Department Store are mem
, bers of this combine and although
: they have only been in business
about three years and started with
, a very little money in a very small
way, they are now nicely situated n
= a good location in their own build
a ing, and carry as large and complete
: a line of general merchandise as car
: be found in northern Montana. Their
= unequaled facilities for buying in
! the largest markets of the world has
p undoubtedly been the means of thei1
: success and progression UP to the
n present time. They may, indeed
\ count themselves very fortunate
in being identified with such mon
\ strous concern as the Cash Buyers
4 Union, as they only have one repre-
3 sentative in each town or city. Ar
G rangements are now under way to in
;, crease their numbers, and if thei
= plans now under consideration ma
y terialize they will have an even l0t
y members before July /, 1908. The.
, will then be in a position to contro
: the entire production of some of thu
largest mills in the east, which will
give them an advantage in buying
N over most of the jobbers and whole
4. salers of the country. AS it is now
4. they are on an equal footing wit
the jobbers, buying their goods il
large quantities direct from the mar
ufacturers, saving at all times tn
middle mans profit, which means
saving of many thousands of dollar
- during a single seasons business.
- These people have made advants
geous arrangements with the railroa
- companies, whereby they are enable
to ship in car lots to terminal point:
such as Spokane, Tacoma and Por
d. land at reduced rates. All the tran
portation companies bid for this bu
mess, as it means over one millio
dollars year freight revenues to tn
companies receiving their patronag
es Many thousands of dollars are ais
% saved in this way.
Ill 1t is rumored that some of the lea
es ing merchants in the west, not mer
III bers of the Union, will ask the cour
IL to enjoin this organization from flu
ne Their consolidation, on the GROUND
Oh that 1t is menace to their interest
NJ as they are unable to sell their war
We and merchandise at prices preva
IN ing in the Fair stores by reason
On their inability to buy their goods I
NY cheaply as their alert competitors.
nd is difficult, however, to see how thu
can make this stand hold go'
for certainly there is no law restrai
ing individuals from buying as
est unit and receiving the same pric
Ldy as do jobbers for like quantities
est goods We will admit that it is
his rather serious problem for the av,
eel age merchant to successfully co
18th with, but we fail to find any rene
for the evil as they term it. VIII
girl this is a trust in one sense of
word, it is not trust in the sen
that it controls production and see
for to raise prices, but. on the otf
hand, they seek to lower prices to t
consumer, and this is what the
at taller objects to. and where one m
chant is disconnected thousand p