The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-13
Many Large Purchases
Reported to Trade Ex-
tension Bureau.
OPEN HOUSE KEPT
BY LOCAL DEALERS
Eleven States Are Represented
Among Better Acquaintance
Week s-Theatre
Party at Academy To-
Night and Excursion
Tomorrow.

merchants from many Southern
states filled tho show rooms and Of
hces OF Richmond manufacturing and
wholesale houses yesterday, selecting
STOCK talking prices ana arranging
for futuie shipments The ram stood
In the way not ono whit. but rather
helped matters. The arrangements
committee had scheduled no special
event for the day, leaving tho -t,ro
Tree Tor business matters merely dis
tTibuting To the visitors tickets an
titiing them 10 admission at the vari-
Gus moving picture houses
30 iar from marriug the occasion
thc reports that the rains OF Yesterday
We're general through the South helped
inc buying considerable Retail u.r
chants are dependant on the prosperity
or their sections for trade Bumper
crops have been made all along the At
lantic seaboard. but IN. lack Of rain
was beginning 10 cause some appr.
hension toward the South in regard to
corn and cotton with the drough,
broken. the certainty Of these crops
seemed assured, and merchants went
ahead with lighte! hearts. laying In
large stocks for a prosperous fall sea
son.
Wholesalers Keep Open House.
Many OF the wholesale houses kept
open house throughout tn. day G.
w Antrim & Sons entertained at lunch
about 100 retail merchants who buv
from that house. the lunch hcing n
unique adaptation OF tho sample room
luea, Tor everything served came out
OF the stock OF the big Wholesale gro
ceEy house. The Southern Bargain
House entertained many Of it's Gus
toners. The show rooms Of the Ste
phcn Putney Shoe Company were made
downtown headquarters by many OF
the visitors. y great host Of Richmond
travelling men--thc men who carry
samples or Richmond goods through a
dozen Statcs-have been gathered here
TO show the visitors a good time and
20 see that they hnd the goods they
want. In hotel lobbics last night one
could hear on every side cngagefnents
being made between merchants and
statesmen To look over this or that limo
OF goods to-day. Some men carried
their hospitality furtncr. and urged the
merchants TO come 0own and get nc
Tuain'ed and look things over Il bit.
promising not To say a word about
buying anything.
Has Mnde Many Sales.
r Palmatary. president Of the
Cottrell Saddlery Company. said early
yesterday that his sales had largely
exceeded expectations. IF the whole
thing were TO be called OF right now"
he said. I'VE would bc very we'll re-
compensed for the trouble and expense
we have taken. not only because OF
large orders that have been placed with
us. but also because of the new ac-
quantanccs we have made. which will
mean custom in the future"
The Marks Clothing Company report
ed some big sales to headquarters un-
der the plan which provides for re-
funding the cost OF tickets TO South
crn merchants buying certain amount
OF goods in this market. Treasurer
Dunlop. of the Chamber of Commerce,
is making record of such sales, and
will have charge of refunding the
tickets and prorating the cost among
the merchants taking part in Better
Acquaintance Week"
Springs II New One.
Mr. Joyner. of Spring Hope, ~ c..
pulled one on the committee yesterday
afternoon when he inquired al head
quarters for a Wholesale grocery firm
no one there had ever heard of The
telephone company knew all about il.
although 1t has only recently opened
up. out on North Seventeenth Street in
a big warehouse with a railway siding.
Chief Booster Horace +. Smith was not
to be caught. however, and explained
to Mr.. Joyner that he had not been
down town for several hours. and that
new business houses We're springing up
almost every minute why, Bill Dab
ney says he is afraid to go out OF
town" said Mr.. Smith. When he gets
back there is a crop OF new sky
scrapers. and he has to ask policeman
how to find his way about" Under
convoy of n committeeman. Mr.. Joyner
went off to find the new wholesale
house. and the Chamber Of Commerce
people made n mental note to tip the
manager off that it would be wise for
him to let people know he is on the
map.
Come In On Every Train.
Merchants came in on every train
from the South yesterday. AS far as
possible they We're piloted to head
quarters in the Mutual Building and
given badges and tickets to the vari-
Gus entertainment features Mr Smith
said last night that he was certain
quite a large number had not regis
tcrod--in fact, he had met a number
at tho hotels and other places who
had no badges. c. r. Angel, J. 4.
Don Levy and |. G.. Tillery were kept
busy registering the Better Acquaint-
ance visitors who called at headquar-
ters, n good many more being regis
tered yesterday than on Monday.
Special rates from South Carolina
points take effect to day, and 1t Is
expected that a large number OF mer-
chants from that State will arrive
States are represented In the regis
tration at present. A. II. Felthaus,
chairman OF the registration commit
tee, and representatives of the Stephen
Putney Shoe Company said that the
significant thing about the registra-
tion was that Richmond was drawing
merchants from a. wider area and from
points farther South than ever before
people who have never bought on this
market before-but who have been ac-
customed to mass through Richmond