Connecticut western news., 1903-04-23
NOT ALWAYS DAMAGED.

The Goods That Are Known Tn
 Trade Circles as "seconda."
 Ut does not follow" said the buyer for one of the sections of one Of Wash ington's big department stores, that goods which are known to the public and to the trade, and especially to lady shoppers, us seconds are damaged goods.
 Goods of all classes are known to the trade under three great subdivi- sions - the absolutely perfect, the seconds and the short ends-and their importance and value are regulated ac- cordingly.
 '"The manufacturers of goods of all descriptions, from a locomotive to a spool of thread, do not try to dispose of their products as perfect unless they really are such, however light the con- sciences of some retail dealers may be on this point. Woolens and cottons at the mills and all goods sold by the yard and down to bicycle tires are carefully inspected for flaws and de fleets of the minutest description. Such as are not up to the standard of merit placed thereon by the house turning them out are laid aside by the experts and classed as seconds. These are dis posed of to the trade under this name and at a greatly reduced price as com pared with the perfectly made article.
 For instance, let us take the case of mems collars, and especially the high turnover collar. After being laundered they are examined for defects, the most prominent of which is a slight break in the linen on top in front where they button. It may be scarcely per ceptible, but it Is enough to cause it tC be thrown aside, and the name of the maker is not stamped thereon, as would be the case if it were perfect. Very often one of the buttonholes is slightly torn or there is a little scratch in the linen on the outer side. Some firms sell thousands of dozens of these collars 6 year at very low price, while some of the defects are not perceptible to the eye of the purchaser, who buys the goods at retail at less than half the cost of the perfect article. The same is true with bicycle tires, the makers cutting their names off the rubber Dealers are careful not to have theil names go on seconds, as the public would judge their perfect articles by the imperfect, relying upon the name of the manufacturer to buy a perfect article.
 "In weaving yarn goods a broker | thread or a loose pin or a few drops oi oil from the loom will make half { dozen or more yards imperfect, ye salable as short ends. These are cut off from the bolt and sold cheap tC dealers who make speciality of han ding such goods. Some mills will have | at the end of the season thousands O, l these short ends. The retail buyers l and jobbers secure them at low prices the public very often supposing tha they are getting bargains in the per l feet goods at less than known marke rates. Usually they receive full valu | for their money.
 'The loss to the manufacturers anC the mills from seconds and short endi ! makes a big hole in the profits at th' end of the season, and this loss il 1 taken into consideration in the whole sale price asked for the perfect goods In some mills they have a system O
 making the operatives pay for any diff | ference in the damaged goods wher, | the loss may be traced to their per
 sonal fault and not that of the ma chine. This system makes the opera | tives very careful, as it materially af
 fects their wages. If a manufacture
 attempted to put on the market sec onds for perfect goods, the retail deal
 CTS would not buy from him, and tn, public would likewise withdraw it l patronage. Washington Star.