Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-21

or better, from lightning rods to furnaces" The exposition serves
a good many purposes, according to the hardware dealers. The ar
rangement of exhibits gives an idea of window trimming and store
decoration, while the experienced demonstrators who travel with the
exhibits are able to point out the difference between real hardware
and some of the cheap stuff made to sell at racket stores and by
mail order houses.
Coming to Omaha and looking over the hardware exposition ts
equal to a trip through twenty factories" said a hardware dealer
after visiting the Auditorium. ITO see what we found exhibited
there would require a trip from Buffalo to St. Louis. back to Chi
cago aid Minneapolis, with a stopover in Des Moines and Omaha;
then a trip out to Denver. AS it is all the manufacturers start out
each year with a big exhibit and go to all the state dealers associa-
lions. They put on exhibits which equal those in the salesrooms OF
their factories or warehouses"
This week the jewellers are coming to town and there will be
on exhibit gold, gold. bright and yellow, hard and cold"
The Nebraska Retail jewelers. association is a "3-year-old year
ling but a strong and healthy organization, having more than 100
members and ambition to have 500 by the end of the present year.
AS the national association meets in Omaha during August, and
all Nebraska will assist Omaha entertain the jewellers from all parts
of the United States. the incentive for becoming a member of the
association never a stronger than this year. Those who were e.
sponsible for the organization feel the time has come when the asso-
citation must grow. Wen decide the goodness and cussedness of it
this time" says the announcement of the Omaha meeting. THE
association has no money to spend sending You extra notices, SO
keep this one close to your heart of purse and plans and come on
the earliest train"
While the association undoubtedly trains its members to guide
one. three of a kind or q pair of diamonds to their ultimate destina-
ton' the real object of the organization is more serious. Its object
is to support the work of the National Retail Jewellers association
In the lettering Of trade conditions. regulation and maintenance of
prices and per cent of retail profit and the settlement of grievances.
The jewelers. claim the organization has already demonstrated that
there is no trade abuse which cannot be rtghted IL half the retail
jewelers. are enrolled in the association work. Already a better feel
Ing exists among the retailers and they don't even treat each other
IN euN u cooperate u put down the seller of cookbook
ing watches and trash which is handled by iTlegftimate dealers and
mail order houses The national association. with the assistance of
such organizations as that of Nebraska, has stopped the selling for
solid gold anything not ten karat IT better. Until the jewellers asso-
Citations took the matter up some dealers sold for solid gold rings
and watch cases about sx karat II the gold in them could be ex-
pressed in karats at ALL Under pressure from the associations. manu-
facturers have been forced to establish a minimum selling price and
eliminate restrictive prices. Wholesalers who formerly sold at re-
tail have been forced in one way or another to stop the practice and
give the retailers the field.
Almost all jewelers. have been led to handle only price protected
goods ana Jobbers sell only to those who keep faith in these matters
In years gone by some jewellers and mail order houses bought rings,
as an instance for So and engraved them. put them in a box and