The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-15
MEYER PROMOTED IT
Minneapolis Hardware Jobbers Talk
About the Dead Merger.
COMBINE PLAN MAY BE REVIVED
Eastern Houses Work on Small Mar
gins and Want a West
ern Alliance. ...5.

Northwestern hardware iobbers inter
ested in the wholesale hardware merger
negotiations received kilograms from the
New York promoters last evening that the
merger CLANS had been nnally ABANDONED
owing to the withdrawal of several i'm
portant houses. T. B. Janney, OF Janney,
semple, Hill Co., Of this city, made the
following statement for his firm to the
Hardware Trade: =. s.:.-,
We have received a telegram from New
York stating that the consolidation will be
Abandoned Our firm, the Msrshall-Wells
Hardware company, Duluth, and Simmons
Hardware company, St. Louis, were respon-
sible for this result. . - :. :.rss.,s Is H. ..!s
We have not in any sense at any time been
a promoter of the consolidation project, and
only considered the matter when certain rep
reservations were made to U.s. >&- (.
I believe that 4 the consolidation project
originated with the officers Of. the, National
Hardware association and the first expenses
up to Jan. were borne by the officers OF that
association and others who were Interested.
We have paid none OF the expenses of pro
noting the consolidation as have some OF the
other firms which were to be included, and
the only expenses we have been to in con-
necton with it were those in connection
with sending our representatives to New York
on several occasions to attend the conferences
held there.
While the newspapers have advertised us as
belonging to it, here was nothing very certain
till May 1 that we would be included. The
reason for our withdrawal at the meeting
Monday is a private matter, but we felt that
we had good business reasons for urging this
action and are we'll satisfied with the results
of that meeting and with the abandonment or
the project at this time .,-,l- Is "... ..s<
We shall continue our business jast the
same as we would had this project never been
brought up, and we are out of the >consolida-
ton project for good. ...--
We have DO criticism to make Of any other
wholesale firm, but we feeel that an unfair
advantage has been taken Of us in attempting
to advertise us as promoting the consollda-
ton, which is not true in any sense. *
Chicago Firm Also Refused.
Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., of
| Chicago would not enter the combination
Their managers said they were satisfied
with the prospects of the firm and had
plenty of ca oital. Janney, Semple, Hill
K Co. and The Marshall Wells Hardware
company Of Duluth doubted that the mer-
ger could be made financial success ex-
| cept on certain conditions. One element
wanted to organize the combination with
out the Chicago firm, believing that 1t
would finally come in. A conference be-
| tween Janney, semole, Hill q co. tne
Marshall Wells Hardware company, and
the Simmons Hardware comoany at st.
| Louis resulted in a determination to emo
! the consolidation.
The fact that reasonably large num-
Der Of hardware firms are for consoll-
dation, leads to the belief among hard-
ware jobbers that another attempt to con
| solidate will Ae made. Hardware houses
! in the east working on a small margin OF
profit and comparatively small volume OF
| business want an alliance with the vlgor-
GUS institutions Of the west