The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1914-09-25
Ten Thousand Dollars Spent
to Prove Disputed Fact
Strange Scenes Enacted at Big CeIe-
bratiOn
Nv David Powell.
BY DaVIu FOWtII.
copyrighted 1914; all rights reserved;


paign they organized themselves into
Trade at-Home league, the purpose of
which was to establish bureau Of com
parative investigation for the use and
benefit of the consumers living within
the city's trade zone. The active work
was done by committee Of ten rep
resentative business men who took sew
eral months to get things in readiness
for the curtain to raise on this pioneer
drama OF Commercial art, but when
that time came, they had demonstrated
beyond doubt the fundamental sound
ness of the theory upon which their
labors were based.
A catalogue from each of the three
mail-order houses doing the bulk Of
the business in that territory had been
taken and carefully gone thru, page by
page, and from every line of merchan-
disc was chosen from one to a dozen
articles that, as near as could be de-
termined by the illustrations and de-
scriptions, seemed to be of about the
same quality as similar articles carried
by the local merchants. When the
list was completed they began buying
these articles from the catalogue
houses through the medium of their
friends, their wives and their clerks.
AS the goods came in they were taken
to the display rooms and there carefully
analyzed both as to quality and work
manship. Shoes we're sawed in half,
furniture taken apart. mattresses ripped
open and in fact every article was
thoroughly dissected. To each article
was then attached card showing the
result OF the investigation, dwelling in
detail on every essential feature OF con-
struction and material. The card also
had the catalogue illustration and de-
scription attached showing the net cost
of the article delivered there. Ex-
hibited by the side of this article was
one of as near the same quality and
style as could be found in local store,
which was treated in exactly the same
manner as the mail-order article, the
attached card giving the same informa-
ton for comparison as shown on the
other.
The committee in charge Of the
work was absolutely impartial in pre-
pairing the exhibit, as it was early de-
cided that for the work to accomplish
nermanent results it would be folly to
do otherwise, so such mail-order arti-
Giles as had the best of the argument
(and there were many of them) were
lust as prominently exploited as those
which favored the home merchant.
A pamphlet was prepared for gen
eral circulation throughout the country
in which was given al unbiased sum
mary of the results obtained and the
facts established by the investigation.
Space forbids quoting it in full but
some Of the highly interesting facts
that were shown are too pertinent to
be omitted. The two most significant
being: (1) Every article secured from
the home merchant was far superior in
both quality and workmanship to the
similar article purchased from the mail
order house, and (2) the total cost of
all the goods exhibited by the local
dealers, figured at the regular retail
selling price, was eleven and one-tenth
per cent less than the total cost OF all
the goods purchased from the catalogue
houses. To these two primary facts
was probably due the wonderful sue
cess Of their campaign.
Figures were also given to show that
although twenty-five and three-tenths
per cent Of the number of articles pur-
chased from the mail order houses
were cheaper than the same articles
could be purchased at home, only
twelve and one-half percent OF such
articles "a trihe over three per cent OF
the entire number purchased) showed
a saving OF more than ten percent, and
only eight percent, a saving OF more
than twenty per cent. 1t was also
nroven that in the mail-order lines show
ing this apparent advantage, the quality
and workmanship were greatly INFERIOR