The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-10-31

the Home Buying mass meeting last
night was contributed by S. S. Paxson.
1t is worth careful reading and is here
given in full. Mr., Paxson said
Style Catalogue.
The subject of Home Buying or
purchasing from local merchants is a
matter which should be of vital inter.
est to every one in this Territory, cs'
pccially to those who have some "Alo-
ha' for our country and desire to see
it prosper.
1t is most natural for people to say
when Home Buying is mentioned: "Oh,
that is a subject for the merchants.
If there are any here who cling to this
idea, please allow us to ask them to
shoulder their share of the responsible
ity in making our city what it should
be-. Many cities point with pride to
| their beautiful retail stores and Homo.
lulu should be able to do the same, but
it is impossible to do so without the
cooperation of each and every resident
of this city.
The Honolulu of today is quite diff.
ferent from what it was even five
years ago. Old methods have been,
and should be, abolished, as we must
keep abreast of the times, if we would
succeed in making our city what it
should be. For many years u business
jealousy existed among the merchants
of Honolulu, but this condition is rap
idly disappearing.
General Merchandise.
In considering this subject, our
4 mil, IL. A.,
eral merchandise line. This being the
ease, we will take up this phase of the
question first:
] would first divide mainland cata-
logue houses into two classes, viz:
houses and those issued by houses
which | do not consider such. No doubt
the latter part of that statement ap-
pears to be strong language; however,
] want to say that | do not consider
such houses as Sears, Roebuck & Co.,
Montgomery, Ward & Company, the
Cash Buyer Union and many others
of the same class throughout the main
land, legitimate business houses and
my reason is simply this-a customer
can not possibly see what he is buying
until he purchases the article and pays
for the same.
The above mentioned houses are 10.
Gated in Chicago and they absolutely
refuse to sell any goods in their stores
and will not allow the public admit.
tancc. They sell by mail order only.
Then we have the other class of bust.
ness houses such as the Emporium, The
White House, Shreve & Co., of San
| Francisco; Meier & Frank, of Portland,
| (lrnunn. lnhn Wup ,al 90 .In. al
phia; Tiffany & Co., of New York and
hundreds more in different parts of the
mainland who issue catalogs and dis.
tribute them in various ways.
Doing Local Business.
These catalogs do get a lot of busi.
ness from our Territory, especially in
the dry goods and jewelry lines.
Those of us who have been in bust.
ness in the Western and Northwestern
parts of the mainland have come in
contact more with catalogs than those
OF you who have been here and in the
large cities.
The catalogs, aud those more espec.
ially which are issued by the houses
which ! put in class two, are ntepded
To reach country people. dare say
that there is not any business which
has come more in contact with enta.
log houses than that in which tho
speaker was formerly engaged. In
fact, they go 20 far Rs, TO advertise
our own goods at about two thirds our
rstaii price, | have seen my own
goods advertised in catalog houses for
less money than paid for them. In
four Instances ! had people order them
hnd ~ each ease the reply came back
We are very sorry We are out, but
hsFe q maehine.Nhieh We wOuli like 10
send Won 0n approval that We have
manufaeiufed pndrr our own name. II
10 reall bitter and cosis you lrss
munpr,
Fort street Merchant
tusi lou Nill pardon penousl
I frleTrurf iui I Waui 90 trll Y0u nf au
] "a ----- -------- 49, ------.-