St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-05-02
SOME COMMON CRAFTS
Alleged Wholesale Houses Growing
Rich Through Trade Secured by
Agents Who Work In the
Rural Districts.

profits themselves, that causes many
to gain experience that is costly.
For many years past travelling
agents have been numerous in agrt-
cultural sections soliciting orders for
goods among the farmers. This class
of agents is known as box-car men.
They enter a neighborhood, and aim
to sell sufficient goods so that a car
load can be shipped to the nearest sta
ton and distributed. The ways OF
these agents are much like the meath
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-
gent person that all classes of goods
have a 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 OPP
orator. The oats is manufactured
into cat meal, or breakfast food. The
wholesale and retail dealers are en-
ployed to distribute it. 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 place
as to the consumer as does the whole
saler to the retailer. Now it is i'm
practical for the manufacturer to
maintain stores of his own in hun
dreds and thousands of towns. II he
could find more economical way
of distribution than the wholesaler
and the retailer he would do SO. But
If 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
tors. He represents himself as agent
for a 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 Is 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 a 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
4 even haven'ta warehouse. When or
| ders are sent to them by their agents
| 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 tc
weigh Is pounds each, but in reality
only weighing from 20 to % pounds
cases included. The spices that are
bought are adulterated with grount
nut shells. starch, and other materia
that makes up weight. The coffees
are of the very cheapest and the teas
the same. It is seldom that the articles
sent to the purchaser are the same d!
the samples shown. 1t must be re
membered that the agent is undel
heavy expense, four to six dollars /:
day for team and hotel bills, and ther
he receives 25 per cent commission
on what he sells. To this must 81
|
is about another rs per cent. All thiI
must be made and the buyer of thu
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 hov
anxious the farmers are to secure tn
highest prices for products, they haV
been travelling around through tn
country pretending to be buyers o
produce. They contract with tn
farmer for butter, eggs, poultry, etc
promising about rs to 80 per cent
above the market price. They clair
they are shipping to Arizona, Ne7
Mexico, or somewhere else, wher
higher prices are received. Incident
ally they say that their house runs
number of largo stores, and also sell
to the farmers, saving them the ave.
age profits of the dealer. This is su
ficient. The farmer falls into the traI
gives a good large order for supple!
and a few weeks later he finds
cheap lot of goods awaiting him c.
d. at the local depot He waits in vain fc
the crates, the egg cases, ETC., prom
Used to be sent so he can pack hi
eggs. If he fails to take the good
the legal end of the company come
into play, and rather than have trol
bic, the gullible farmer pays dearI
for his supplies.
He remembers the deal. He is d
termined to not be again caught in