The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-05-14


ing: "One of onr several automatic |
book-covering machines binds togeth.
er the various sections Of our cata
logue and automatically CLUES on the
covers Of $4,000 of our big 5000 page
catalogues every day" Twenty-four
thousand catalogues which cos, 81
each would mean $4,000 per day
spent In publishing catalogues alone.
This house claims that this is only
one of their machines we don't know
how many more they have, but taking
the output of one machine that manu-.
factures $4,000 catalogues per day.
figuring that on a basis OF one year
OF 800 working days, would give us
over $7.000,000 por year for the pub
fishing of catalogues. to say nothing
of the cost of mailing and distrib
uting.
Describing another illustration in
their catalogue they say Here we
see Just one corner Of room In
which about two hundred young wom-
en- are engaged in writing letters die
tated by correspondents throughout
our institution. More than 10000 let
ters are written every day" The av
erage cost of each letter dictated to
stenographer and transcribed on
typewriter, including stationery and
cost of postage (assuming the rostage
to be 2 cents per letter. is about s
cents per letter. Then with three
hundred working days in the year the
cost of their correspondence would
be $150000.
If you will examine carefully the
advertising columns OF the farm jour
nails, story papers, periodicals, etc,
you will find that very large per-
centage Of the advertising space Is
used by mail order houses, and when
we stop and figure that there are mil
lions and millions of dollars spent
every year for advertising in this way
and when we see how much greater
is the percentage of mail order adver-
tising as compared with the indepen-
dent manufacturer or local merchants,
In proportion to the amount of mer-
chandise sold, We can readily see that
the mail order houses are spending a
greater percentage on every dollar of
their income than are the home mer-
chants or the manufacturers who sup.
ply the home merchants with goods.
Another phase of mail order adver-
tising: II Is a fact that the average
commodity that is sold by mail is sold
by Misrepresentation or by false ad.
vertising. Read the catalogues Of the
numarouo rnaiI ordar bnVcag .,,hathor
they be general merchandise houses,
doing a general business from their
catalogue, or whether they be manu-.
facturers selling direct to the con.
sumer, and you will find the descrip-
tions Of their goods couched in super
lative terms.
For example, certain large house
selling soaps, flavoring extracts
spices, teas, coffee, etc, by mail, on
the club plan, Offering premiums as
an inducement to buy, claim that they
are giving $40 worth of merchandise
plus $40 premium all for SO. The
person who is at all acquainted with
business knows at once that this Is a
misrepresentation; no concern can
sell you ten dollars worth of mer-
chandise, actually giving you value re.
ceived-giving you the worth OF your
money in merchandise and at the
same time give you full value OF your
money In premium; therefore, we
claim that this advertising Is false
and any business that uses false ad.
vertising and misrepresentation to
enable them to make sales Is a Nigh.
ty good business to let alone.
The writer of this article believes
in advertising, believes that the prog
ress and prosperity of the country to-
great extent depends on advertising.
We believe that every merchant
should advertise, that every manufaG
turer should advertise, that every
town, rural communicates, that
even the churches should advertise,
but while they are advertising we be.
lieve that they should be truthful
and honest about It. Truthful, hon.
est advertising will produce lasting
results, but Misrepresentation and
false advertising only proves that the
person resorting TO such Is doing
dishonest business and is not giving
value received for the money you pay
him.
With very few exceptions we find
that the mail order people resort TO
dishonest and false advertising, and
isn't that enough in itself to make the
people Of the country suspicious OF
them?
Merchandise that is really depend.
able. really first class. does not need
Misrepresentation; then doesn't II
prove that the house resorting to mis-
representation to sell It's product
must have q very Inferior product In.
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