Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-04-25
CATALOGUE HOUSES.

Mr.. Enron = Several state papers
have OF late printed many articles,
ads, etc, tending 10 discountenance
the growing practice OF trading Win
large department stores or catalogue
houses, explaining In glowing terms
that a dollar so expended travels 10
some far-oft city 10 assist'in lis farther
development, while il is taken nom
our local surroundings forever, thus
erippling our local industries, and pre-
venting our local merchants IRON ac-
formulating competency wherewith
they can. In turn, help 10 develop
their surrounding enterprises,
doubt not but that these articles
and ads. are printed through the ef-
fonts OF local merchants and local pub
fishers who benefit by the constant
ads, Of these local dealers. Indeed,
one such pablisher even refuses 10
print both sides OF this question, yet l
am Informed by his son that he "sends
away for his better clothing.
| have always found the editor OF
this paper willing to face an Issue
squarely, and am pleased TO state
through his columns that | belong TO
that erring class OF catalogue house
traders, always when time permits
trading where believe ! can get the
largest return for my money. Neither
the catalogue houses nor local mer-
chants are as near and dear 70 me as
nv own cash. have no objections TO
trading with local dealers, always
have and always shall when II can be
done as economically as elsewhere.
but the tact remains that have traded
with catalogue houses considerably
over 81 900 IN the last thirty months,
and all the articles referred To above
have failed TO change my method or
make me ashamed of doing what
know to be right.
Every dollar that you or ] pay for
the necessaries or comforts OF lie goes
10 the manufactures OF that article, eX-
cept the middlemen's profit and trans
portation cost; therefore, whether we
trade with catalogue house or locally,
the manufacturers part OF that dollar
lands in identically the same place. IL
is lair to presume that our purchases
when delivered to us are worth ut
least the manufacturers price; hence
by our trade we have not made our
town, our village, community nor our
selves any poorer only by the trans
portation charges and the mlddlemen's
profit. The transportation charges
are practically the same wherever we
trade, and are therefore out OF the dis
cussion.
When we take 81 10 our local dealer
and invest it in his goods, he takes a
profit out for himself and profit goes
TO the job6ing or wholesale house
from which he purchased those goods,
through statesmen averaging TO cost
their firms lar over 5000 per month.
| In most eases were we TO purchase
I the same goods from the large cata'
lopue houses. we would find part
of that dollar left in our own pocket
4 because there is but one profit taken
out, as those houses handle an i'm
mense amount of goods and either
manufacture them or purchase direc
from those who do. The profit which
is taken by the catalogue house will
perhaps approximate the share thai
would 90 to the wholesale house III
case we traded with the local dealer
The part of the dollar lett in our own
pocket in the latter case would APP
proximate the local dealers profit IN
the first case. There are instances oil
dealers who get goods from these
large catalogue houses because they
can get them cheaper than from theil
regular wholesale house. This sim
mers the case to this--practically thu
, same amount OF cash is left in tn,
llcality in either case. In one cas-,
it is in our merchants pocket; in thu
other case it is in our own. Which
is preferable ? If we are as broad ant
liberal citizens as our merchants, j
will do the community as much goot
and our town grand list will be jus
: as large if we own the dollar. ant
| certainly think we will be just a
happy and contented back in the hill
and wales of glorious old Vermont
9 Catalogue house trading does t driv
r enterprise. and people from Vernon
nor any of it's localities. Fiiteel
years ago this little village had one
: half its houses empty. We. trad
" where we can get best returns; neve
e more so than today. We can poin
n to but one empty house today. True
our young people turn to the city,
few of them, but the most deplorabl
q thing to our state is that its people ar
p not raising one child where the
O should have four. but | never mi.
trusted catalogue houses were I
> blame for that.
u To snbstantiate what have said i
comparison OF prices between loo;
and catalogue dealing, | will stat
3 that when piping my house for col
n water | asked two local dealers /
r quote on the list of supplies that fu
:. nished them, after which purchase
- OF catalogue house AM saved $751;
on the identical supplies. In m
u business ! have purchased hundred
" of dollars worth Of tools, the be-
le makes in the world, Starrett's, Di
'e toms, SANKEY'S, ETC., for myself an
le those laboring for me, at prices th
n could not be touched by local dealer
le Have | a statesman SO benighted
le to advise my paying a local deal
K, from $1.75 to 1925 tor Diston saw