The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-08-14
COAL DEALERS
CONFERENCE
North Dakota Branch of North
west Association Meeting
This Is the First State Meeting
Held in North Daketa

The North Dakota branch of the
Northwestern Retail Coal Dealers as-
sociation is holding it's first annual
convention in this city at the COM
mercial club rooms and there are over
$50 men in attendance.
The Northwestern association is
made up Of the following states: .
North and South Dakota, Minnesota,
Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas,
and each state has a director, the Of
fetal for this state being Maynard
Crane, who resides at Cooperstowu,
and who is present and will preside
at the meeting which will be called
this afternoon at o'clock.
First State Meeting.
Heretofore 1t has been the custom
of the association to call one great
big mass meeting of all the states, but
the present year 1t was decided to
hold branch meeting In each one Of
the states, and already several Of the
states have had their meetings. The
session today was called by II. l..
Laird of Minneapolis, who is the Sec
retary of the Northwestern and he
came into the city at an early hour
hour this morning to be in attendance
and will have a paper to read this
afternoon. He has attended meetings
in Iowa and at Kansas City and still
another at Sioux Falls, S. D., and
there is one yet to be held in the twin
cities.
Object of Meetings.
These meetings are not for the pur-
pose OF regulating the prices Of coal.
as some have suggested, but are for
the purpose Of talking of matters that
will benefit the trade In general as
well as to assist If possible In seeing
that there is plenty of coal in the
northwest before there is any llkeli-
hood of the cold weather setting in,
and TO urge the consumers to buy
their fuel early in the fall, so that
IL can be ordered and delivered with
out causing a blockade during the cold
weather.
During yesterday evening and all
morning coal dealers from all over
North Dakota have been arriving and
the hotels have quite an increase in
their guests. The meeting was called
for 2 o'clock this afternoon and Mayor
Sweet has been asked to make a short
address of welcome.
Just a Conference.
@The meeting of today" said Sec
retary Laird of the Northwestern as
sociation, 'is simply conference with
the coal dealers of North Dakota.
There will be no papers read, but ]
shall make my annual report, show
ing what the ASSOCIATION has done dur.
ing the past year and what we pro-
pose to do the coming year, giving
in detail matters that should be use
full to the local dealer. I will take up
the various phases of the work, so that
all of the members will have knowl-
edge as to what Is being done in their
behalf. The meeting itself should not
last over two hours and as we have
nothing to conceal the general public
is invited to attend. We want to have
the members all have clear under
standing Of the workings OF the ASSOC
citation and all about 1t.
Against Mail Order Houses.
'T shall show the dealers the evils
that are certain to come to them by
reason Of the mail order houses and
shall urge all to deal at home with
the home dealer each and every time.
shall try to get the dealers to start
campaign Of publicity showing what
may be expected II the people Of North
Dakota get into the habit OF buying
carloads Of coal direct how in after
years, when the wholesale dealers
have driven the retail coal dealers out
OF business the wholesalers will have
everything their own way and the
consumer at their mercy, This meet
ing is not at all for the purpose or
regulating prices In any shape or man
purpose Of furnishing the dealer all
information as to conditions Of busi-
ness. etc"