The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1913-06-19
Every Buyer a Censor


else we ID become so good we be tresome, and there
would be no room left for improvement. But the
ideals of honesty and scrupuous truth telling which
the advertising of the country set up IN their
Baltimore convention are not mere blinds. Inere is
real progress that way.
We dare say you, Mr.. and Mrs. Reader have often
turned away from some advertisement which dealt
with superlatives and seemed good bit the circus
poster order, and said, scornfully: "Oh these adj
vertisements are nothing but lies.
Of course there lies in advertisements as we'll
as elsewhere But the tendency toward truth-tellng
has been mighty rapid of late Whereas, a genera
ton ago, a modest, candid advertisement seemed a
rarity so great the vogue OF blatancy and exag
geraton the rule is far the other way and it is
the deliberately misleading announcement which is
the exception.
The rush of the ad men to the "honest Injun'
band wagon is due in part to quickened conscience,
for we re all getting souls eyes opened these
days. and in part to the discovery of the shrewd men
who supply the money for advertising that II you
want to stay in business without having to fit by
night confidence and good will mighty fine as
sets to build up.
But don't you run away with the impression that
YOU haven't finger in this pie.
In buying what is your point of view? Do you
realize that good article is worth fair price
and that you have no right to expect more than
you pay for?
In business special conditions sometimes force the
sale of goods at prices below cost; and competition
frequently narrows the margin of profit so that you
But, drawing average over period OF time, do
you expect to get what you need for less than it is
really worth, and in that expectation, put pressure
on trade until you force percentage of misrepre-
sentation?
little reflection ought to make it clear to you that
the manufacturer and the retailer not in business
basis of philanthropy, but for profit; and that
without profit they cannot stay in business or you
be served.
1t follows then that if you press them necessarily
for abnormaly cheap service they will of necessity
meet that condition in ways which will leave their
profit undisturbed.
THE BEST "BUY' rs WHEN YOU PAY A
JUST PRICE AND GET FULL VALUE When
you get high value at low price you are lucky and
in the nature of things what you gain in this way
has somehow to be offset
In the long run, therefore, you get what you
pay for. BY accustoming yourself to paying
quality prices you increase the probability Of
quality service just as, by reversing this rule,
you increase the liability to film flam
Which In no degree justifies cheating, of course;
but which maybe helps to explain YOUR part in
the encouragement of that very wrong practice
MAYBE THERE rs SUCH A THING AS IN
MORAL BUYING AS WELL AS DISHONEST
SELLING. AND MAYBE THE TWO ARE
MORE CLOSELY RELATED THAN WE HAVE
USUALLY SUPPOSED.
The Yakima minister who quit when his congrega-
ton began to make charges against him and went to
farming, evidently believes the world needs less
preaching and more blowing.
You can't go fishing now without first consulting
the county auditor about it and handing 81, which
certainly is carrying the license proposition to fine
point.
Seems to be an awful task for governor to get a
private secretary.