St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-09-01

rev yearS.-Burl1ngton news.
A Wide Abuse Which Boosts Many
Prices.
We cannot escape the consequences
of the European war, and one of
the most serious of these conse-
quences is the increase in the cost
of living.
Many and varied are the causes
of the rise in prices through the par
alyzing of European industry and
the turning of much American cap
ital and labor from peaceful pursuits
to the manufacture of war materials.
The causes, while vital and inter
esting, have not the practical value
of a cure, a means to reduce, in part,
some of the high prices We cannot
stop the war, as much as we would
like to do so, but we can stop certain
practices which we have fallen into
and which do much to lift prices.
In times of stress and hardship it
is wise to reduce Injuries. One of
the greatest luxuries of the American
public to day is the ease with which
it can trade. A woman, with the aid
of telephone, can sit in her home
and order everything that she needs.
By means of a huge and expensive
QCA4fOAJ Q1OSS SOOQO, OuO6S1
hats, furniture and groceries are left
at her door.
If she wishes to see a wide variety
of stock before making a purchase
she can leisurely travel to big
store, look over an almost limitless
number of articles, which are all
brought before her as if she were a
Duchess trading In a Bond st. MILL
ner's.
The men and women of the store
are anxious to please her. Most of
them receive commissions for all
sales. The woman makes her selec-
ton and is free to return to her home
unencum'bered by parcels of any
kind. The goods are brought to her
home speedily by the expensive deliv-
cry system.
All such transactions are the re-
suit of the great development of mod
ern trade and industry So far there
is no real cause of complaint The
woman customer has a right to ex-
pect that such a great system should
have been built up for her conven-
fence and comfort.
1t is when the system is abused
that we are luxuriously wasteful.
That is when goods are ordered to be
sent home and when they are sent
back. The woman customer has
changed her mind.
This means that the goods which
were taken from the shelves, shown
to her, wrapped up, sent to the ship
ping department, checked off, put
into a wagon, taken off the wagon
and carried into her house must be
called for again, returned to the ship
ping department, checked again, re-
turned to the shelves in less good
condition that when they left. All
this costs time and money.
Such rejected goods consume, in
all, about rs percent of the stock of
a large store. This means that the
store has to carry and insure and
handle rs percent more goods than
really necessary. All this costs time
and money. The stores do not do
business for charity. They simply
charge more for the goods which
they do sell. Thus the cost of many
of the necessities of life are raised.
Some women order goods to be
sent home for ostentation. Several
hats and suits are ordered-and
sometimes worn-when the woman
only intends to buy one.
Ample opportunity is provided the
purchaser to examine the goods in
the stores, but she will often have
them sent home, as she says, 'to look
them over" Sometimes she returns
all the goods without making a single
purchase. The store loses the sale,
but the cost of the expensive deliv-
cry system goes right on. The ex-
pense of the bookkeeping depart
ment, the crediting the purchaser, if
she keeps an account, and subtract
ing the cost of the goods from the
amount of the bill, all these add to
the cost of running the store.
The store must charge more to
meet this drain. The customers must
meet part of the added expense.
One of the developments of mod
ern life has been the growth of this
great luxurious method of shopping.
Every convenience has it's cost. When
conveniences are abused the costs
are doubly boosted.
The cost of handling returned
goods, the loss through the wear and
tear of handling these goods, which
often must later be sold at less than
cost, are all modern evils which only
the people themselves can stop.
The reforms must come from the
buyers themselves.
If purchasers will make up their
minds to buy only what they want,
and to make their decisions in the
stores and not at home, a trade rev.
olution would be started which would
result in a very important cut in
household expenses.
The stores would find the cost of
making sales would be less, and COM
petition would bring down the prices.
Uncle Dudley.-The Boston Globe.
Courteous Conductors Would Help.
The answer of the Interstate Com
merce Commission to the prayer Of
the railroads for more revenue is a
cut of $8,000,0O0 in coal rates. Great
system of political economy this,
with emphasis on the word 'politi-
cal. ''-Rutland Herald.
A few days ago the writer was a
passenger on the Boston and Maine
railroad the morning following the
washouts between Hoosac tunnel
and Greenfield. The passengers knew
that owing to the storm the night
before passengers between North
A ID ho hoay, conf