Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-08-12
Local iltln>.
FOR A BUYERS EXCHANGE.
Mr. H. !. Patterson Recommends Plan
Ia VAGUE In Chicago.

Iii Vague III
Mr. h. j. Patterson, director VI 'h'
Mar, land Agrl uitural Experiment Sta
ton. who i ia close l,erAonai touch wan
the farmers OF Mary land, believe" mat
Baltimore merchants should establish Il
BUYERS Exchange in o!del to retain l"r
thai city the trade now going To The large
mail order houses of Chicago. In an M
tervleW Mr.. Patterson said:
"The farmers OF Maryland, Virginia
and States south and not only the ia'lh-
ers, but hundreds OF suburp.,ntts Wa"
are npIoyed in the city Guy Lhe sit"'
bulk OF their goods from chicago, not
because they get it. cheaper, bat because
they get what they wan. al III one shii-
menr The farmers-cVery one OF them
receive IRON he Dig Chicago llflna mug
catalogues from which Ln,y can pick any
article they need from monkey "rehch
to a threshlng mochne; from Il ten penny
nail to a new buggy; Ilon bal vi t"lnv
to "A set OF china. When the TIME comes
for him To do his buy nS Me 1atmer goes
over this catalogue, selects me. Articles
he wants at the listed prices and send,
the order for The Whole list of goods 10
the Chicago firm. Within week his
entire order, maybe d dozen different
things, is delivered 10 hlm III one Snip
menI.
"Now he could have gone to Baltimore
and bought most OF the thlngs he wanted
for less money than he pays the Chicago
firm. One reason why he does not do
tins is because ne does not know II, ana
the other reason, the chief one, Is because
in order 10 get the dozen articles needed
and which come TO him from Chicago IN
one shipment IN response to one letter
ne would have to visit dozen different
stores i'll Baltimore, ana MS list OF goods
would come TO him III dozen inherent
packages or shipments at dozen uIllcr-
ent times, nectssiLating a dozen trips 70
the station ana much trouble ana loss OF
time Therefore, he deals WIN chicago,
the one shipment town, and gets every
trip 70 the station.
LAS a remedy Tor this situation that
will enable BalLimOre to regain me trace
of It's own farmers as wen as OF those IN
the States south of Us, | would suggest
to the merchants of Baltimore, or as ma
ny of the progressive ones aS can be IN
duced To realize the situation, to organize
into forming a sort OF buyers exchange,
upon the same principle as the clearing
house of the banks. Let this buyers
exchange get up and send out the cata-
logues with the names OF the Baltimore
firms, the goods they sell and the prices
at which sold. Let the farmer serd his
order for everything he wants on the
farm to the buyers exchange, making
I'D his list from the catalogue. Then let
the buyers exchange see that the farm
er gets all of his order quickly IN one
shipment. In this way and in this way
only, | believe, can Baltimore capture
from Chicago the Maryland trade which
that city now has.
There is no question that majority
of the farmers uI Maryland buy the bulk
of their goods from Chicago for The one
shipment reason above gwen, and That
they are growing more and mole each
wear in the habit of ignoring the local
markets. The Maryland farmer would
be glad to drop Chicago and deal with
Baltimore if he could get his order all in
one shipment. Baltimore Sun.