The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-11-06
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Two months from tomorrow Uncle
Sans new parcels post law goes into
effect. On that day the mail order
houses Of the North and West will be-
gin TO reap the harvest, the seed for
which they have. been sowing for a
long while. This seed is advertising,
and sunless the merchants OF the town
and country wake up to the situation
many OF the them wall find their bus
Inesses at a low ebb.
Express rates. are high, but even
so the mail order houses have solo
millions Of dollars worth OF goods to
the people OF the South and with the
newf low postage rate in effect they
Will increase their sales many times:
After January 1st, 1913, "a package OF
merchandise weighing II pounds can
be sent through the mails for rs cents,
making livery convenient for people
living on r. f. d. and Star mail
routes to order goods from Chicago
or New York and have them delivered
at their doors at a very little extra
expense. .a~ 20.
The writer has long been. opposed
to the practice Of sending money
away from home. when the article
needed could be had from the near
est. merchant. But it is not entirely
the purchasers fault. Much of the
blame rests with the merchant. He
falls to advertise his wares, while, on
the other hand, the mail order houses
flood the mails with catalogues and
letters and buy space in. the newspa-
persi that reach the people Of the
towns and country. WHAT'S more. nat
uralt for a housekeeper, when she
seesla needed article in one of these
catalogues, than to order 1t sent by
mail or express or freight2 True, this
method Is very unsatisfactory = in
many instances and sometimes the
article costs more than If it had been
bought from the home merchant, but
perhaps the buyer did not know he
carried it in stock because Of his
failure to advertise 1t in the home pa
per.
Not long ago a young married wo-
mani living in this county ordered a
pair Of shoes from a New York. con-
Germ. When they came they, did not
fit. She finally traded them with a
home merchant, selling them fer 80
per cent less than they cost her, not
including transportation charges, and
bought the same shoe, in a size that
fit, for 9 per cent less than the mail
order article cost, transportation
charges not included.
IT,, The mail order houses for handl-
ing general merchandise will multiply
Southwark a 8 rapidly as those that
line the river front in Jacksonville,
Fla, for the distribution of liquors.
Weeks ago an employee Of a transpor-
tationrcompany said in the presence
and hearing of the writer that there
were 40 such establishments in the
Florida metropolis that sent out
every day q solid express train Of
liquors to Savannah, where the cars
were distributed to Georgia and South
Carolina territory. The mail order
houses will abound In every city in
the South. Their ground floors will
cover acres and they will reach sky
scraping height.
The country press is the only pro-
tector and preserver- of the business
methods that have obtained in the
South to the advantage. of buyer and
seller for 10 these many years. To
protect the purchasing public as in
dividuals and a generality against
the beguiling advances Of the far
away, adept business seekers the
country press should have the aid
Of the other occupations Of it's sur
rounding territory in keeping as
much money in home circulation as
possible, for little of that which goes
abroad comes back.
Don't take our word for the above
statements. Ask your postmaster and
he will give you supporting, eye
opening facts and figures.
Let your light so shine, o. Mr. Mer-