Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-08-21

Parcels Post and Mail Order Prob.
lem Discussed at State Retailers
Meeting.


We print below paper read be-
! fore the Utah Retail Lumber Dealers
Association by J. II. Baker, of the
| Baker Lumber Co., who will be re-
membered as Henry Baker, who grew
up to manhood in this city. The Bak-
er Lumber Co. is a very prosperous
institution in Utah. Their business
has nearly doubled the past year, the
yard managed by Arthur Bailey sell
ling $4,000 worth of stock from
Jan. 1st to July 1st. Just another
instance Of how DEBORAH boys make
good, wherever they go:
When the speaker was asked. TO
present paper on the parcel post
and mail order problem he accepted
reluctantly. knowing his inability to
handle subject of such vital impor-
lance, but hopes that some points at
least will be of benefit to you.
do not think it necessary to ex-
plain what the essential features of
parcel post bill S6609, introduced by
Senator Bourne of Oregon, are, as no
doubt you are familiar with them.
Without argument you will agree
with me that the establishment of the
zone system is simply a stepping
stone for firmer hold on the rural
merchant by the catalog houses. To
give you an idea of the strength and
enormous business transactions of
the catalog house allow me to quote
a few figures which can easily be sub
Stimulated from statistics on file with
the Committee on Post Offices & Post
Roads at Washington, ID. c. Sears
Roebnck have capital stock of $40
100000 and do an annual business
of $50, 100000 and better. The stock
is held by few Wall Street finan-
ciers whose aim, from their own adj
missions, is to control the entire re-
tail business of the United States in
time, thereby centralizing both capt.
tai and population in few larger cit
les. On first thought it looks hardly
probable or possible does it? How
can they do it? Listen to this: Not
long ago expert testimony was intro
duced before the aforesaid commit
| tee on Post Offices and Post Roads
at Washington. ID. c., by the manager
of a catalog house as follows: that
the business Of the Chicago mail or
| der houses alone amounted to $780,
! 100000 per year and that the gross
/ business of all the large catalog hous-
| es amounted to 100000, 200, the
most of which is contributed by rural
communities and small centers. On
! that $200,000,000 of business there
! has been profit. How do we know?
| Today they are opening up in the lar
ger cities branch houses so as to take
advantage of the zone division bill
when passed. Did it ever occur to
| you gentlemen here that every big
/ financial coupe must be fortified by
| the best of business discretion, adj
vice and possibly legislation for pro-
lection.
Why mince matters? / am not
politician nor have any AK to grind
but that selfish one, as you may term
it if you wish, of self-preservation
and business success. | care not what
your creed or politics may be, so let
nothing | may say be taken as per-
sonal affront.
Not long ago when Secretary Nagel
was being considered for an appoint
ment to the United States Supreme
bench it was commonly report
ed throughout the country that our
President Taft had in mind the APP
pointment of julius Rosenwald to
succeed Mr.. Nagel as member OF his
cabinet. 1t is commonly known that
| Mr.. Rosenwald is personal friend
and adviser and a frequent guest OF
the Presidents and one of the prin-
cipal contributors TO the Taft cam
paign fund. Well, what DO we care?
! We don't know julius. Let's talk
about the parcel post and its partner,
! the catalog house. All right.
For your consideration ] offer ex-
amples compiled on facts and not
hearsay, all of which can be substan-
tiated if you desire. There is little
| town, or rather was, in the Northwest
OF Is people whose postofiice records
for the year 1910 show 100000
alone for Montgomery Ward, and |
noticed the other day in one of our
leading papers a similar case in the
State of Washington. The town of
Govan, which a few years ago was a
hustling little town with its mer-
chants and business, today could pose
as the original of Goldsmith's DE
SSTleu village, SlOISo SiOoCu dho va
Gated, residents moving away-the
twentieth century monument to chi
cago and its catalog house.
These are but examples of innum-
cradle like cases scattered through
cut the country, and they should be
an incentive to us, representatives OF
business in the State of Utah, to wage
the fight against this form of mer-
chandizing which today is eating the
life out of the smaller cities and vii
lagos.
| could stand here and elaborate
on how to meet mail order competi-
ton, which when finished might
prove an aid, and might not Each
one of us has ideas of his own which
if carried out might fit the circum-
stances better than another's so am
going to dwell on the one great sub
ject under discussion at present,
which in reality seems to be the REM
edy, community upbuilding.
Every dollar that leaves your town
to a catalog house decreases the val
uation of the property in your conn
munity, lessons your business oppor-