The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-09-13

49, smaller cities and towns OF this
country a. 10 h desirabIbiy Of levy
ing a tax on the mail order houses
TOR business carried on IN each state
Representatives or the National Asso-
clntlon 81 business Men. who recently
toured New Mexico In the ntercst OF
the Hinehaush bin. which proposes a
one per cent tax on business volume
IN each state, are now visiting Arizona
towns inc finding sentiment therein
as strongly in favor Of taxing the mail
order houses a. they found Il In New
Mexico.
The Phoenix Republican states the
case 81 the local merchant very clear
~ IN h fonowlng:
we cannot conceive what excuse
congress could have 10 offer for fall
IRE 70 pass the Hinebaueh bill. taxing
the mah order houses on tho amount
Of bnsihess they transact in the ait
ieren, states. The proposed tax Of
per cent il certainly low enough.
almost rid~icuIously low in comparison
with the tax. direct and Indirect. laid
npon the local merchants.
The latter pay municipal and
sometimes state and county license
taxes IN addition TO their property
tax. Heavier than all. they voluntar-
IL. th,..nh ..,.~.u.. ..~a.. .....
pressure. pay a tax In the shape Of
subscriptions Of one kind or another.
We suppose Il is much everywhere as
i r. IN Phoenix. Here the merchant
Is the first approached By subscribe
tion circulators. lie ls expected 60
make contributions 90 cvcty enter
prise. worthy and unworthy. He SUBJ
scrlbcs 10 the rund o. a. least one
churoAA and sometimes more han one.
lie sabseriben to ihe Y. AZ. &. A. lie
pays into a fund tor the s,atc lair.
He must bay tickets TO ti,s cores az
bails and suppers given by the local
lodges and o~reanizauons Public or
popular movements onotimes requlr-
inr large expenditures Of money make
demands upon the merchant His.
subscriptions to them range from 81
T. si09. The money spent by the
local merchant IN this way probably
exceeds his tate. county. municipal
and license taxes. amounting to FAR
more than one per cent annually on
his gross sales.
This outlay proves a serious hand
leap IN bis competition with The mail
order hohses. which appeal to their
patrons ignorance of qpaiity, and
cheapness Of price ohacuFes the
question Of quality altogether.
Moreover h mail order houses
dip only into the cream Of the trade,
the cash trade. There is icu sof the
heavily taxed local merchant the
credit trade. the expense Of booklseep.
mF. and, finally. mans uncollectihle
To- DE charged Oft arer lutile
attempts have been made 90 collect
them. This Item alone amounts 10
much more than the proposed one per
cent lax on the business Of the mail
order houses.r
True as all this Is, no one should
fall into IA error 81 expecting the
tnx proposed in the Hlnebaush bill or
any other reasonable tax 10 eliminate
or even seriously check mail order
competition. An the tax can do is 10
make the burden Of doing business a
little more equitable toward the local
merchant The big mail order houses
which now ship catalogs into this
state by the freight carload. and which
one estimate asserts do 80 per cent
Of the cash retail merchandising OF
the state. viii slmply pay The tax re-
quired and reduce their muryelously
efficient business getting methods 20
a little more economical and more cf-
fielsnt basis. The competition will go
right along.
BELIEVING that a tax upon the mail
order aouse h. just. thai IL should be
assessed and ,hst eventually IL viii
b.. We see no cure IN Il for the CONE
petition which r. so disastrous 60
many local merchandising enterprises
There II but n way 10 meet the mail
order composition. That is by ap-
preaching Il as nearly as possible IN
efficiency OF selling methods. beating
Il In grade OF goods sold. as il nearly
always the ease; n last. and mos,
important Of All, by outadyertislng IL.
The business OF the mail order
house IL based entirely on publicity,
ana not the best kind Of publicity at
ihat; for tho average mail order cat
aloe misleads the unwary az 10 char
aeter OF the goods. But Il always
states a price IA plain figures. and
there Is but one price. Aud that