The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1908-04-30
BY DUBIOUS MEANS
BUYERS OF GOODS FORCED TO
PAY ExoRBiTANTs PRICES.
SOME COMMON GRfFTS
Alleged Wholesale Houses Growing
Rich Through Trade Secured by
Agents Who Work in the
Rural Districts.

1t is the desire to get bargains, TO
buy something at prices so low as will
save dealers profits" that costs many
residents of rural communities vast
amounts of money. 1t is the seduc-
tive argument held out by certain
classes of houses that seek to do busi-
ness through the mails, that the local
dealers are charging too much for
their goods, and that it is fair for the
consumers to save their dealers
profits themselves that causes many
to gain experience that is costly.
For many years past travelling
agents have been numerous in agrl-
cultural sections soliciting orders for
goods among the farmers. This class
of agents is known as box-car men.
They enter neighborhood, and aim
to sell sufficient goods so that car
load can be shipped to the nearest sta
tion and distributed. The ways of
these agents are much like the heath
en- Chinee"-"ways that are dark and
tricks that are vain" But neverthe-
less, they reap rich rewards, or they
would quit the business.
1t should be known to every intelli-
have real value. These values are
based upon conditions. The law of
supply and demand has not all to do
with fixing prices. To concisely sum
up the factors of cost of manufac
tured article there are three principal
elements, viz: The cost of the raw
material, the expense of manufacture
and the expense of distribution. From
the producer of the raw material to
the consumer, all interested in the
transactions are entitled to equitable
compensation. The farmer, the grow
er of oats sells his oats to the mill op-
orator. The oats is manufactured
into cat meal, or breakfast food. The
wholesale and retail dealers are en-
ployed to distribute 1t. The wholesale
dealer is nothing more than ware
houseman, and his compensation is for
storage, and for costs of handling, and
the guaranteeing to the manufacturer
the cost of the goods sold. He receives
only small margin of profit. 1t may
be said that the retailer fills a place
: as to the consumer as does the whole
saler to the retailer. Now 1t is i'm
practical for the manufacturer to
maintain. stores of his own in hun
dreds and thousands of towns. If he
could find more economical way
of distribution than the wholesaler
and the retailer he would do so. But
II they are cut out more costly
system Of distribution must be in.
augurated.
Now as to the travelling sell.direct-
to-the-consumer agent. He does his
business chiefly with the people who
give little study to commercial mat
ters. He represents himself as agent
for large wholesale house. He
talks continually of how the consumer
by buying from him can save the
profits that the retailer would make.
But the fact Is that the expense Is
not eliminated. The average traveller
who sells goods to the farmers re-
ceives a commission of from rs to 40
per cent, or about Is to 20 per cent.
more than the retailers average on
such goods as he sells
But this is not all. These men are
downright dishonest as a general rule.
They are development of the
proverbial lightning rod agent. They
practice the same principles, only
shift the kind of goods sold. In fact
the majority of them represent alleged
houses that exist only in name. In
one western city are located a number
of men who are doing business under
a half dozen different names. They
even haven't warehouse. When or.
Gers are sent to them by their agents,