The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1908-04-30

they go to some Wholesale grocer and
buy the goods. Not alone this, but
after they purchase what they need
they adulterate the same. They buy
dried fruits In bulk, the cheapest kind,
and repack them In boxes supposed to
weigh 25 pounds each, but in reality.
only weighing from 20 to % pounds,
cases included. The spices that are
bought are adulterated with ground
nut shells, starch. and other material
that makes up weight. The coffees
are of the very cheapest and the teas
the same. 1t is seldom that the articles
sent to the purchaser are the same as
the samples shown. 1t must be re-
membered that the agent is under
heavy expense, four to six dollars a
day for team and hotel bills, and then
he receives 25 per cent. commission
on what he sells. To this must be
added the profits for the house, which
is about another rs per cent. All this
must be made and the buyer of the
goods is the one who must make good.
Lately in the western states the box.
car men have adopted dubious meth.
DDS of getting trade. Knowing how
anxious the farmers are to secure the
highest prices for products, they have
been travelling around through the
country pretending to be buyers OF
produce. They contract with the
farmer for butter, eggs, poultry, etc,
promising about 25 to 80 per cent.
above the market price. They claim
they are shipping to Arizona, New
Mexico, or somewhere else, where
higher prices are received. Incident
ally they say that their house runs a
number of large stores, and also sells
to the farmers, saving them the aver
age profits of the dealer. This is suf-
ficient The farmer falls into the trap,
gives good large order for supplies,
and few weeks later he finds a,
cheap lot of goods awaiting him G. o.
ID. at the local depot. He waits In vain for
the crates, the egg cases. etc., prom.
ised to be sent so he can pack his
eggs. II he fails to take the goods
the legal end of the company comes
into play, and rather than have trou-
BILE, the gullible farmer pays dearly
for his supplies.
He remembers the deal. He Is de.
termined to not be again caught in
similar trap. A few months later an
other agent appears. He promises
to sell farm wagon, something
else, perhaps, that the farmer needs,
at price so low that the farmer feels
friendly. He relates how he was done
up by the former agent. Then the
traveller turns loose his walls of wrath.
He accuses the concern represented
by the first agent as a robbing outfit,
and one that should be put out Of
business. He gets an order, but the
farmer does not understand that the
goods come from the same concern that
the other agent represented. That
only different name was used, and
the farmer is on their regular list OF
suckers" The only safe way foI
the consumer to do is to patronize
home concerns. His home merchants
are interested in being fair and square.
They know that they must deal hon.
estly or they will lose customers.
Their percentage of profit is far less
than that made by the box-car con-
cern. Then, again. the principle Of
sending money from the neighborhood
where 1t is earned is all wrong. It Is
against the interests of the consumers
of every class and kind. A lively
home town always affords the best
market. There is saving in freight
rates and commissions to middlemen
d. M. CARR
Business Methods Changing.