The Oskaloosa herald., 1910-02-10
LOCAL MERCHANTS
meet At BANQUET.
.0skaloosa Business Men Enjoy An
Evening together.
ADDRESS BY W. ]. PILklNGToN
Messrs. Smith, Pike, oppenheimer,
McGregor and Connect Are Elect
ed Directors-Secretary Col
burns Annual Report.

The first semi-annual banquet of
Jhe Retail Merchants Association for
the year of 1910 was held last even
ing in the auditorium of the Y. M. C.
A. building. A record breaker crowd
was present and the program given
was good. Almost every business firm
Df the city was represented at the
meeting and the four large tables set
for the banquet were filled to capac-
ty. After the invocation by Rev. w.
P. Williams, all were seated and serv-
ed an elegant three course dinner by
the ladies' auxiliary of the Y. M. C. A.
After the dinner the business OF the
meeting was taken up. The first work
was the election of two new directors
TO fill the vacancies caused by the
withdrawal from the association of
Henry Frankel and r.. e. Redman.
The matter was put before an audit
ing committee comprising Thos. Col
den, John Anderson and Carroll Saw
yer, and after due consideration they
nominated L. e. Smith and C. C.
Pike as directors for the short term.
The nominations were voted upon and
the two gentlemen were unanimously
elected.
For the long term beginning in May,
Messrs. A. Oppenheimer, j. r. Nc
Gregor and J. M. Connect were chos-
en-, also by unanimous vote.
Secretary colburn's Report.
/ Tho f,anDssf Of ~ rollht,r RI, thu
association secretary, was next read
| by that gentleman. Mr.. Colburn
pointed out some advantages of the
association and some OF the benefits
the merchants have derived from Vt.
Something like a hundred annoying
propositions had been sifted out by
special committees during the year,
and great majority OF Them turned
down, thus protecting the members
against many Takers, and the annoy
ance of being bored by local people
who had tickets or bric1a-brac for
sale The rating lists issued by the
association have been of great value
to the members, and the collection
and information branches OF the work
have brought their full share OF bene-
fits. Mr.. Colburns report was clear
and comprehensive and showed that
he was thoroughly alive to the re-
sponsibilities resting upon him.
| The next number on the program
was short talk by the president,
Warren Kalbach. Mr.. Kalbach EN-
phasized the fact that the merchants
should use the rating book to more
advantage than they do. He also
Ipointed out some OF the benefits that
would result from the compliance of
this use.
Art Oppenheimer, whose name APP
peared on the program as toastmaster,
made apologies for the absence OF
George Harris and George True. Mr..
! Harris was to have spoken on the
topic, What the Association Has
Done For Me-" and Mr.. True on
What Is An Association but as both
were Wnavoidably absent the members
OF Inc association were robbed of
these Greats. Mr. Oppenheimer intro
ducsd the speaker OF uhe evening and
his topic in q short speech besides
stating few OF his personal views
concerning the science OF retailing.
The Address of the Evening.
The address of the evening was
given by w. j. Pilkington OF Des
Moines, editor OF the Retailing Mer-
chaL1s' Trade Journal OF Des Moines.
NJ. PilKinston is well known all over
the United States as man who
strongly advocates the organization
and maintenance OF Retail Merchants
Associations. The first thought taken
Iup in Mr.. PilkinStons talk was the
adherence noted IN the various towns
over the country which have AMI have
not Retail Merchants Associations.
He pointed out the advantages and
Itae disadvantages OF having and not
having an association in every town
of the country The main toplc OF the
gentleman's address and the one he
ltried to impress most firmlyV on the
minds OF all the merchants was the
NECESSITY of recognizing retail bust
ness as a science ana treating ~ as
such. Mr.. Pilkington stated that d
great majority OF the failures OF the
merchants is caused by over-buying
and that furthermore that IL mer
chant once overstocks his store the
efect can never be erased and will
act as dreaded disease does on the
human body. always leaving Its marh
aud effect behind. The speaker mad,
many suggestions to the merchants
and clerks concerning sales and some
of the ideas he set forth were yer,
good and If needed would no doub
bring much success. An important
fact brought out by the speaker wa'
how OF handle human nature. Mr.
Pilxingtcn claims that the best meth
tconrlnned on Page %