Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-21

wrapped them for $50, making them a leader" for advertising
purposes. This made life a burden for the retailer and took away
Legitimate profits simply TO give some more or less enterprising mer-
chant an opportunity to advertise his business to the detriment of
every other jeweler in the trade. Long descriptions Of inferior
goods which make people believe they are securing a Yukon gold
mine for $1.9s no longer sell jewelry. The associations have caught
many houses which advertised standard goods and substituted in
ferior ones. They paid the penalty when the organizations got
after them and a s a result the jewelry trade is said to be more free
from deception than ever before.
Malicious competition among country dealers is disappearing
and the secretary of the association frequently prevents a costly
price wal which formerly made enemies of all jewellers in a town.
What the busy business men of Nebraska do when they visit
Omaha is a secret. but because Of this more and more wives are
coming to the conventions with their husbands. Few conventions
meet in Omaha that do not have from fifty to one hundred women
visitors.
Men and women are both entertained by local members of the
different crafts II by the wholesalers of Omaha, while almost every
one can find something to do for sef-entertainment. Automobile
rides are taken whenever the weather will permit. which is about
S25 days in the year. The sun does not shine all the time in Omaha,
lint that Is unnecessary with more than 100 miles of having ove
which the automobiles may take visitors most any day. Visits to
the parks in the summer time. the theaters in winter, open house
at the clubs of the city and dinner perties and banQuets at the hotels
are the usual form Of entertainment.
The wholesale district of Omaha is an endless attraction TO the
visitors. who may go through the big warehouses not only Of the
firms of which they buy goods. but See the houses handling other
lines Many of the largest houses of Omaha are in new buildings
which afford the very latest conveniences in business house furnish
ings, and to see the armies Of men and women at work furnishes
many suggestions for betterment Of system and store management
at home.
Few trade organizations meet In Omaha. but what the country
merchants IT frank to admit that perhaps some of the fault is
with them when they fail to meet competition. They admit their
windows + not trimmed and their clerks are behind the time when
1t comes to craftsmanship; that they extend credit for long terms and
frequently get oversocked with certain lines which they do not
know how to dispose of to advantage.
A school of craftsmanship, window trimming and business W
tenn is going on all around the visitors to Omaha. They walk
through one of the big retail establishments and see how goods are
displayed. pass many hundred feet of plate glass where windows are
merchant; they see the bargain counters" where the metropolitan
merchants can dispose of anything from a paper of pins to a Wilton
rug, and very few merchants visit Omaha T any other modern city
but go back to their own stores and make some changes.
In the opinion of the men who head the organizations. the best
them think more of their business and desire to expand It, is to meet
with their trade organization in Omaha