The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-09

people in our town are very much inter-
ested in this work The merchants OF
Winston-Salem are heartily enthused over
the enterprise. think we are more large.
! ly represented in this convention than any
| other town. One of our suburban cities
| Charlotte, IS represented by four The
main thing which we want is "A collection
/ law, a law which will be fair to each the
purchaser and the grocer.
Mr.. Bratton, editor of Southern Mer-
chant" I want to say to you gentlemen
/ that / am glad to be here with you I
want to congratulate you on the lead
North Carolina. Today North Carolina
stands at the head of the list in organi-
cation. | am booked to speak on the trde
press. The National, Southern and North
Carolina associations are represented here
today There is a need and field for each.
have the honor to represent the South
ern merchant" 1 pledged you our support
IN future as in the past in this most
worthy enterprise.
Mr.. Fred Mason, of ST. Paul, Secretary
of National Association of Retail Grocers,
addressed the meeting as to the necessity
OF organization. The purpose of the or
ganlzatlon and the ultimate benefits which
will necessarily result from the co-opera-
ton OF the merchants, both wholesale and
retail, and also cooperation of the man
utacturer. He said in part
1T is necessary for the retailers to or
ganize because they need education in
their business. They want to educate the
trade that the retailer is due and earns a
just profit. To TO this you must stop
plainly, not by words, but by figures, that
the retail grocer cannot run his business
with less than 10 per cent of his gross
sales. That he showed here a gross profit
of Is per cent for their necessary living
Expenses. He explained how the associa-
ton could benefit themselves, the whole
saler and their local town by cooperation
He said that if the wholesale trade is di-
rected in the proper channel-that is-in
the wholesalers of the town in which you
live this would increase necessarily the
business of the wholesaler That the
wholesaler can benefit the retailer by sell
ing only to the trade and not to the con
sumner; that in this way the town would
be benefited by an increase in business
and necessarily therefore an increase in all
branches of enterprise, and an increase
o faxes paid into the municipal Golfers;
that the main thing which the association
wants to accomplish is the neactment of
fair credit law, a law which will compel
man to pay for what be buys when he
ca ndo so. This will prevent the man who
pays his bills from having to pay for what
the man who doesn't pay for what he eats
He reviewed the laws 0S his native State
which had been enacted through the eff
forts of the association. He said that they
had a punishment law which allowed the
merchants to garnishee all over $25 of any
salary of any man who refused to pay his
just debts: that they had a law which,
made the wife Jointly liable with the hus-
band for the necessities of life; that they
have a law by which they can garnishee
a public officers salary who refuses to pay
his just debts He paid a glowing tribute
to the hospitality of the Southern people
He said that he hal almost fallen in love
with the Southern people; that he had
never been treated better in his life: that
there was a better opportunity of coop
Grafton here in the South than in the
North, because there was a closer, more
brotherly feeling between the groeersI
for this by the fact that We do not have
TO contend with the foreign element here
as the ASSOCIATION had to do in the North
He pointed out a way which would be left
entirely with the local associations by
which the grocers could secure protection
from the man who would not pay his bills
That every man who willfully buys goods
from one merchant and does not pay for
them that it was the duty of this mer-
chant to make known this fact to his fell
low merchants: that in this way the
grocer with a small capital could secure
protection from the man who willfully re-
fuses to pay his bills. He said that the
merchants only wanted what was just;
that the motto. so to speak, of the asso-
citation should be- do unto others as you
have them do unto us"
His address lasted for about an hour, but
throughout the whole of it he was listened
to with interested attention. His address
created a profound impression among the
delegates present. 1t will no doubt result
in a great benefit to them
The followin delegates were present att
today's meeting: Fred Mason, St. Paul
Mimi, Secretary of National Association
of Retail Growers: w. G. Quarles Secre-
tary Retail Growers and General Mer-
chants Association of Virginia; G. ]. Will
liams, Organizer Atlanta, Ga; Geo. Brat
ton, editor Southern Merchant, Atlanta,
Ca; N. H. Johnson, D. H. White. Bur
lington ]. H Hatch, L. Austin, 7 H.
Miller, w. A. Advant, Charlotte; H.
Shipes, w T. Shade, r. E. Hurst, T. B.
Tolly. G. G. King. z. l.. SongletOn, Dur
ham; J. c. Haste w. H. Hedrick, Eden
ton; Walter c. Bames, Lea Bames, j. r.
Peterson, E. M. Davis, Goldsboro: J. NJ.
Rankin, ]. H. Shaw, Greensboro; H. T.
Powell, Henderson: A. c. York. M. S.
Russell, High Point; Geo. L. Laroque,
Slater Suggs, Kinston; NJ Rosenthal, ].
B. Green, w. B. Mann, G. s. Terrell, F.