Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-14
AFRAID TO LET
BUYERS KNOW
FACT HIDDEN THAT BETTER
GOODS ARE MADE HERE
Not Being Mind Readers, General Pub
lie Not Aware of Opportunities
to Patronize Home
Industries
BY GEORGE HARRIS DoNoHUE

knowledge, IS not mdnuldctulou III e'aAy
other locality within two tnousanu
miles of this city.
After looking the plant over carefully
suggested to this wideawake business
man that 1t might be good idea 20
let some few of the three hundred
thousand or more residents OF this city
know that he was actually in business
here and that he had an article all
ready for the jobbing trade, which at
the present time is being brought into
this city by both boats and railroads.
This manufacturer looked at me as
though he had not quite heard me
Alright, and then after he had actually
caught my meaning he declared rather
snappily: "Well, il the people of this
city don't know enough to patronize
home industries that's their fault.
I'm here making the goods, and II they
want to pay more for the imported ar
ticle, which is not one-half as good as
we make right here, let them go ahead
and spend their money"
This chap entirely overlooked the
fact that about SO per cent of the av-
erage population of this city are not
mind readers, and not being such they
could not very well discover that his
establishment was even so much as IN
existence--unless he might waken up
to the fact~that possibly 1t might pc a
first rate idea to scratch around n Dit
and through the medium of daily pub
licity just give the public an mixing
of what he has to Offer
The manufacturers of Los Angeles
seem to think their products are a SUI
ficient advertisement in themselves,
and then they wonder why 1t is that
eastern jobbing houses can afford to
send commercial travellers to this city
and supply the retail houses with the
very same goods they are making ana
slowing away in their warehouses.
Over on Broadway yesterday after-
noon a well known business man or this
city--a member of the chamber of
commerce at that-stopped me as was
trailing along and seriously tried to
convince me that the business men OF
Los Angeles, and particularly the man
tufacturers. were about the most pro-
gressive representatives a city ever
had to boost the local business.
Didn't we send car down to At
lantic city," he, queried. Didn't we
have numerous excursions to Phoenix,
Ariz. and didn't we>send special trains
up to the northern part of the state?
Saw! If you think we are overlooking
any opportunities to further our busi-
ness prospects here you are mistaken"
GREAT!
AS near as I can discover, about 30
per cent of the population of this city
emanated from points east OF salt
Lake City, and the fact that the booster
car went as far as Phoenix Is not to
me particularly indicative of any mar
velous result, either as an Increase
ment of population or the advance
ment of the actual possibilities of Los
Angeles and the entire section of South
ern California among the great masses
of people who are the actual home
seekers in this city.
As matter of general information to
the public / might advance the fact
that in the future, should you desire to
equip yourself with any of the neces-
stiles which you have heretofore been
In the habit of sending east or north
for, lust take trip to the chamber of
commerce and ask Mr.. Virgins
whether or not you can find a manu-
facturer of the same article in this
city.
It's about thousand to one chance
that you will be able to ind just what
you are looking for, and made right
here, too, at that, but II you leave it
to these same manufacturers to notify
YOU through any of the established
channels of publicity that they are
really in existence you will be disap-
pointed, as it appears to me many
Of them are fearful lest the purchas-
ing public become aware they are real
ly in business to sell the products of
their manufacture.
Right now the Hobbies of the prin-
cipal hotels are filled with promoters
for all sorts of Mexican land, ore and
timber schemes. Some look very good
and others look very bad, but the pub
lie seems to be thoroughly up to snuff
on these matters. as / notice with con-
siderable glee that several of the pro-
moters are declaring that the capital
istic element of this city are all tight
wads."
The fact of the matter is, the capital
lists of Los Angeles, and their number
is legion in this town, are all shrewd
lot of hard-headed business men who
have been through the ropes of specu-
lative finance, and they are not to be
easily gulled out of their holdings by
the sharks who have beautiful pros
poets neatly mapped out on the always
productive blueprint.
With the drawing near to the close of
the racing season 1t is to be noticed
with eclat and enthusiasm that many
of the real horsey horsemen are wir-
ing home for funds with which to
square up their accumulated hotel
bills.
One man asked me yesterday to
please mention the fact that he had
"made winner of twelve hundred dol
lars'' on Monday, so that he could show
it to his friends when he returned
home. Later I happened to be in the
Postal Telegraph office, where ] found
him wiring home for money so that he
could pay his car fare to the next meet
at Salt Lake City.
At the present time both Broadway
and South Spring street present an an
mated picture. All the stores have
more than ordinarily attractive win
dow displays which are not outclassed
by either New York or any other east
ern4 city. The window dressers of this
city are certainly artists at their vor
cation and the stroller along the main
business thoroughfares of Los An
geles can find at all times the very
latest and most thoroughly up-to-dtae
designs of fashion, art and home neces-
stiles.
The new ceiling decorations in the
rotunda of Hotel Angelus are more
than attractive; in fact, they match
very we'll with Nat Mullan's fluffy pink
whiskers.
/ discovered yesterday morning that
in order to get a copy of The Herald
l must get up earlier in the day. The
newsie at the corner of Fourth and
Spring told me yesterday that his Her
aids were the quickest sellers of all
his morning papers, and this after he
had increased his order six different
times. He increased his order again
yesterday. so perhaps after all / will
be able to find a few Heralds on sale