The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-08-07
CONSUMER HAS HAD
NOTHING TO SAY
Wholesaler and Retailer Dis
agree as to Proposed Change
in Credit System.
MILL WORK HARDSHIP
so SAYS SMALL DEALER WITH
MONTHLY CUSToME RS.

The proposition To reVOlutiOnize the
credit system with reference TO Ger
tain products essential to the table. as
between the wholesaler. the retailer
and the consumer in Salt Lake, bids
fair TO take a wide scope So far the
controversy over the proposed change
has been confined 10 the wholesale
dealers, who have issued a manifesto
10 the effect that a weeks credit VIII
after August Is. be the limit. ana the
retailers who seemed 10 be diviced as
TO the prOprlety of such move Ire
consumer has had nothing 70 say
Somebody makes the prices for him,
somebody tells him how ne should
curtail bis living expenses; somebody
tells hiTl the basis OF credit that IS 10
be extended TO him. but nobody ex-
plainy why il is that the cost OF ne
cess,ties N life have scared until the
coz az living is almost out of sight.
Good Monthly Payers.
The corner grocer who pays his
wholesaler regularly every thirty days
and who has number OF customers
on thirty day book account with him,
DECLARES that he has neither the heart
nor tile disposition TO tell that Gus
rOmer that he must either pay cash or
settle his account every week. The
small dealer says ne has a number of
good customers who are paid their
salary by the month. and il will be i'm
possible for them 10 trade on the
terms that the wholesaler says he must
in the future observe.
Many of the smaller dealers further
declare that the move on the part oil
the wholesale and commission men to
force him to pay his account every
week instead OF by the month. is a
move 10 squeeze the little dealer out
or business, and concentrate the retail
grocery business in the hands OF the
larger and more powerful financial
Concerns Of salt Lake
Then there is another feature to the
argument. Some OF the retail grOcers
assert that II all their customers were
10 pay up promptly on a certain day
each month. and 10 pay up in full. the
thirty-day credit system would be all
right, but the hardship on the retailer
Is that some of his customers pay part
OF their monthly account and leave the
balance always hanging over. 1t is
these balances which the retailer
claiTls forces him 10 borrow money
frOTn the banks TO hold up credit with
the wholesaler and commission men.
Circulars Cause FURRY.
me NAltuldlS sent out Dl SIX lOCdl !
wholesale houses declaring that after
August Is all bills contracted by re-
tailers with their houses must be set /
tied weekly, has caused furry among
many of the retail dealers, especially
those who are doing limited amount
of business on small capital.
Some OF the grocers and butchers
who are members Of the Retail Mer- |
chants association. are in favor Of the /
weekly payment system, provided that
they can educate their customers
either 10 pay cash or 10 settle their sc- I
counts weekly. 4 majority OF the 1
members have declared against the l
weekly system TO be imposed by the /
wholesale houses. and the association /
has gone on record against such an (
action.
The wholesale and commission men 4
sent out similar letters about a year /
Reo, but they were not taken seriously /
by the retail dealers who paid their /
accounts promptly every thirty DAYS. /
The Retail Merchants association. /
al a recent meeting, declared that the 4
member OF the association who did not
pay his bills promptly every month 1
need not look TO the organization for
any support. but the sentiment against /
exacting weekly payments Of accounts
was pretty general.
As the demand made by the whole
sale houses does not go into effect I'M 1
III August Is, il is likely that the
proposition in all its phases will come 4
up Tor lively consideration at the .
weekly meeting of the Retail Merch- /
ants association next Wednesday /
night.