The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1910-02-03
AID FOR HOME TRADE.
Strong Fight Should Be Waged
Against Mail Order Menace.
VALUE OF SYSTEM BUYING.

It Meetssthe Catalogue Houses on Their
Own Ground and Enables the Local
Merchants to Cut Retail Prices-Co-
operation Is Beneficial
One method of fighting the mail or
der houses adopted by some country
merchants is that Of system buying.
While it is well to warn merchants
against irresponsible representatives Of
so called system concerns, the plan
itself is one of merit and properly or
ganized and honestly carried out can
be made Of very great benefit. What
is known as system buying is merely
an application Of the cooperative
principle. 1t meets the catalogue
houses on their own ground and by
procuring the lowest possible prices
from the manufacturer enables the To-
cal merchant to cut retail prices.
System buying takes advantage Of
the method Of buying adopted by
the mail order concerns themselves.
Through considerable experimenting
and study it has been brought to a
higher state of efficiency than it could
boast in the beginning. AS matter
Of fact. some of the early efforts in
this line were rank failures. These
very failures taught their lessons, how
ever. and pointed out the danger spots.
A kindred effort to help the local
merchant is the sales promoting COM
pany. The design Of these concerns
advantage Of the latest and most ,ap-
proved methods of advertising. collec-
tons, soliciting trade and carrying on
a successful campaign against the cat
alogue houses.
Both the system buying and the
sales promotion are in way an ap-
plication of the principle of co-opera-
ton among local merchants. The idea
has perhaps been carried to it's far
thest point Of development in the COM
bination of manufacturers and mer-
chants into house similar to the mail
order concern, with the exception that
all sales are made through the local
tradesmen. One of the pioneer houses
Of this kind has it's headquarters in
Sioux City. | am far from advocating
any specific company or indeed from
advocating any sort Of combination,
system buying or sales promoting that
does not appeal to the individual mer-
chant himself. My own idea has al
ways been that in the last analysis
this fight depends on the local trades
man. He is the trade winner. He is
the one most interested, and he is the
one who must decide. 1t is only with
the idea of making some suggestions
which may possibly help him in his
fight that this article is written.
While it is true. however, that the
individual merchant is the cornerstone,
he is not the entire superstructure
His relation to his fellow merchants
| who have like interests with himself
goes to make up the completed edif1ce.
The cooperative principle is sound
and is the most important factor in
| modern commercial and industrial de-
velopment. For the local merchants Of
! America to make a successful fight
against the catalogue houses some
form of cooperation is absolutely nee
essary. This will in no way or at
least should in no way hamper the
liberty and initiative of the individual
| merchant. It's only legitimate function
is to help him, to make him more eff
cient, to give him lower prices in buy
ing, better ideas in advertising and
soliciting, more businesslike handling
of credits and collections and up to
date methods i'll selling. In the main
the interests of all local merchants are
the same. Their experience should help
each other. By uniting each Of them
strengthens his hands. But this union
must be their own, must belong to the
individual merchants themselves. It
must not be made by some outside
concern for the purpose of its own ad-
vancement and enrichment. That is
| not cooperation, but exploitation The
| union must be for the purpose Of ad-
vancing and enriching the local mer-
chants. They should keep the control
in their own hands. This is sound
business. And some such cooperation
is forced by the very logic of the situ-
alton.
/ There is no reason why a large num-
Der Of local merchants should not band
| themselves together and adopt meth
cd of system buying that would be Of
benefit to all. 1t would even be pos
sible to have certain manufacturing
concerns go in with them. Such an
association could devise its own meth
| DDS of trade promotion and Of fighting
the catalogue houses. The individual
merchant would be left absolutely free
in his own sphere. He would only
have added the support Of his fellows
and gained the advantage Of their ex-
perience He would likewise have the