The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-10-22
BY David Powell

The true value of the trade mark is
often little understood by the aver
age buyer.
1t is a copyrighted mark or label
used by manufacturer to distin-
guish his goods from those of other
makers, and it signifies that he has
used every effort to make his product
superior to similar products on the
market. That he believes he has done
so, is evidenced by the guarantee he
gives that all articles so labeled are
warranted to give satisfaction. All
manufacturers of trade mark goods
authorize the dealers selling them to
invariably refund the full purchase
price of any article that proves UNI
satisfactory to the buyer. This fea-
ture is of real dollars and cents value
to the consumer, because this refund
can always be easily and quickly Sc
cured by the dissatisfied buyer while
he is in the frame of mind to demand
it, at no expense whatev and very
little trouble.
Not Sold by Mail Order Houses
Only very few trade mark goods
are sold by catalogue houses, and the
reason for it is very apparent. A
glance through their catalogues will
show that such as they do have listed
are priced just as high, Transporter
ton charges are being taken into con-
sideration, as in the average up-to-
date small town department. store. AS
price is invariably their strong selling
argument, they have quoted in their
catalogue, substitutes of their own,
which, on account of inferior quality
and workmanship, they are able to
sell considerably cheaper than either
they, or the local dealer, could sell
the article of standard make. The
success of the mail order houses of
the country has been built upon the
fundamental principle of selling
cheap goods at cheap prices.
A striking example of the methods
they employ in this connection came
under my observation while in the
city of Waterloo, Iowa, manufactur-
ing town of some 10000 people stu
ated in the northeastern part of the
state.
Sends Expert to Cheaper Production
A firm of that town manufactured
a popular line of cream separators
which had quite sale throughout
Iowa and adjoining states. A Chica-
go mail order house conceived the
idea of handling cream separators in
their business, and accordingly offer
ed to take this firms entire output
for year. The terms were liberal
and the offer was accepted.
The ink on the contract was hard
ly dry before the mail order house
sent an expert to Waterloo to cheaper
the cost of production. He demand
ed less expensive material here and
less care in workmanship there, until
the manufacturers declared in high
wrath that the house might put out
such cheap and shoddy separators If
1t liked, but their name and brand
should never go on them.
This is fair sample of the factory
methods employed by catalogue
houses. They talk much about cheap
ening production. Well, they do
cheaper it-by using shoddy mater
ials and doing slovenly work. The
result is an inferior class of goods,
which, even though looking as well
as similar lines of standard make
which your home merchant sells, will
not wear nor hold its pleasing appear
ance half so long.
Buys Standard Machines for Own Use
know of nothing that more clear
ly demonstrates the superior quality
and dollar value of standard lines of
trade marked goods than the fact
that when the mail order house re-
quires service for their own use they
buy one of the standard makes in
stead of taking one of their own
from stock.
After had spent some five months
travelling over the central states gath
ering the data for this series of art
icles, had occasion to stop over in
Chicago for several days and to help
pass the time concluded to inspect
80 far as would be permitted, one
of the big mail order houses whose
main store is located there. was
very courteously received and / put
in a most pleasant day going over
their immense plant from cellar to