The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-20
CROCFRS MEET in
SOCIAL SESSION
Make Strong Protest Against
Trading Stamps and Sys-
tenn of Credits


Three hundred persons were present
at Central Hall Annex last night at the
reception given by the St. Paul Retail
Grocers' association to the Minneapolis
Grocers' association, the St. Paul Meat
Dealers association and the st. Paul
and Minneapolis City SaIesman's asso-
citation. The meeting was a social gath
ering.
A. j. Refs, president of the local
grocers association, who presided, first
introduced w. l. Nolan. Minneapolis
humorist, who kept the crowd laugh
ing until the arrival of the Minneapo-
lis contingent, who came to this city
in a special car.
w E. Davis, of Minneapolis, spoke
of the necessity of a credit bureau for
grocers and retailers, saying that a
movement had been started in Mime
apolis to organize one. He laid special
stress upon the importance of such a
bureau to Twin City grocers, advising
the St. Paul association to consider the
question and join in the movement.
Few Grocers Fail
T. II. Green, of Green, LIE Laittre &
Co., of Minneapolis, wholesale grocers,
was called upon for an address touch
ing on the failure of retail groceps, but
excused himself after stating that he
did not believe that more than "A of /
per cent of the retail grocers of his city
failed and that therefore he could not
speak authoritatively on the subject.
He said that he believed in the wisdom
and efficiency of a credit bureau and
that he believed it would save the gro
GERS thousands of dollars each year on
their accounts.
George w. Walsh, of ST. Paul, con-
denned the trading stamp.
The trading stamp business he
said, is hanging on by it's eyebrows in
this city. The people are beginning to
realize that it is a fake. While the late
legislation on the evil may have been
unconstitutional, yet it served to show
the trend of opinion generally among
merchants and will bear results. New
York men can no longer come up in
this part of the country, charge the
merchants $3.50 per thousand for the
stamps, and then reap the harvest at
their ease.
He expressed great pleasure at the
work which the grocers and allied or
CARNATIONS of the Twin Cities were
community Of interests between the
two cities and doing away with all the
former animosity, and this feeling was
echoed by most of the speakers who
followed him.
Speaks for Credit
w G. Jordan, a wholesale grocer of
Minneapolis, spoke of the benefit to be
derived from a credit bureau, and said
that less than per cent of the BUSH
ness of the world was conducted on a
strictly cash basis.
Fred Mason, secretary of the state
ami national organization of grocers,
fol Of no vol Of n "a
tail business, and dwelt upon the ne
cessity Of cooperation as opposed to
enmity.
H. V. Knutson, of the Knutson-Fer-
gusOn Fruit company, of Duluth, spoke
at great length of the fight being car
1ied on by his and other firms before
the interstate commerce commission
against the practice of monopolies be-
ing granted to certain refrigerating
car concerns. and cited the case of the
recent victory of his firm over the
Armour Car Line company, which he
said monopolized the refrigerator car
business on the Pere Marquette, charg-
ing from $45 to $54 a car for shipments
from Michigan points to Duluth, when,
he said, as was proved in the hearing
before the interstate commerce COM
mission, the refrigeration for the dis
lance costs but from $12 to $3.50 a
car
This case was brought as a test. and
action will later be begun against other
roads. especially those engaged in the
California fruit carrying trade. He ex-
horted the Twin City organizations to
protest against the practice.
Others Who spoke along the same
lines as previous speakers were Simon
Clark, of Duluth, president of the
State Association of Retail GrOcerS
and General Merchants.