The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-04-10
MERCHANTS ASS0CIA-
TION REORGANIZED

The local Merchants Association.
which has been inactive for over a
year, was organized again last night.
Action was begun alst Thursday look
ing toward the organization when +.
B. Moore, of Corvallis, state organizer
Of the retail Merchants Association,
came here and met with the local busi-
ness men at the rooms of the CONNER
cial club. Mr.. Moore told the local
merchants of the benefits to be derived
from well managed organization.
By thus coming together the mer-
chants can protect themselves against
men who practice purchasing goods
without any intention of paying for
them, according to the ideas of the
state organizer. "You may form a
kind of clearing house, 4" says Mr..
Moore, "by your organization, and
your secretary will have the rating of
all the customers of the local mer-
chants. Your dues need not be heavy.
The sum of 80 cents per month is
enough to conduct the organization.
A number of those present had been
members of the old Hood River Mer-
chants Association. ID. Mcdonald,
who was always an active member,
said: "Our former association was
beneficial TO all of us. Even though
we may never have done anything else,
the fact that we got together occa-
sionally and talked over matters of
mutual interest, was great help to
those who attended the meetings.
However, think the secretary should
collect the dues each month and pay a
call to each member. The interest is
thus kept alive.
MIR. Moore suggested that the secre-
tary should, instead Of being one Of the
local merchants, be young attorney
of the city, who should be paid small
salary and a commission on the coiec-
tion of bad debts.
The expression of all at Thursday
nights meeting were favorable to the
reorganization of the association. A.
g. Staten, of the Heights, addressed
his fellow merchants, stating that the
Heights business men had already
formed such a league. "The benefits
of the old club were good, said MIR.
Staten, "and feel sure that those OF
the one we will form, because of the
good points that are going to be incor-
porated, will be better than ever.
ID. Mcdonald was appointed chair,
man of committee to urge the mer,
chants to attend last nights meeting.
He appointed to assist him in his
work. e. A. Franz, c. O. Huelat, A.
c. Staten and c. S. True.
Mr.. Moore, who has visited many of
the cities of the state, told of expert
ences that have been met with by the
retail merchants in various sections
An organization, properly maintained
he is of the firm opinion, will remedy
many of the evils that they have tC
confront. He relates a story of the
experience of the merchants of The
Dalles, who were recently the victims
of clever scheme worked by supposed
collectors. They approached the mer.
chants of that city with an offer tC
collect old bills. In the contract, that
they signed and left with the mer,
chants, they were to be paid nothing
until the money was collected. How.
ever, in order to have the merchant
show good faith, they asked each t.
give promissory note, the sum OF
each proportionate to the sum of the
bills that the signing merchant wished
collected. The notes were taken tt
the banks of The Dalles and discounted.
1t is a law of negotiable instruments
that when a promissory note gets into
the hands of an innocent purchaser for
value, the maker of the note cannot
produce written or oral evidence to
disprove it, and the merchants were
"stung."
In another city the merchants had
ditliculty'in collecting from many of
their customers. They organized and
arranged a system, whereby six boys
about twelve years old were dressed in
Mephistoles costumes. The boys wore
horns and tails and a plaeard on each
announced: 81 amsthe Devil. These
devils" visited the delinquent Gus
toners. If the bill was not paid the
first time, they made other visits.
This plan did not take well with the
local merchants, who deemed it rather
undlgnifed.
The local merchants desire to build
up their trade to their own best adj
vantage and to the best advantage Of
their bona fide customers. They want
to get closer together, themselves, and
to come in closer touch with their
patrons. 1t is thought by the promot-