The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-03-03
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUY
AT HOME" FIGURES AND
FACTS.
Some Concrete Local illustrate lions.
Read These Interesting Figures
and Save Your Money.

The Farmers Tobacco Warehouse
Company, of Sumter having decided to
purchase set OF high class. auto
matte weighing scales selected scale
from firm in Toledo. Ohio, the low
est factory price possibly obtainable
from the factory, F. O. b., Toledo
being $365.00.
The committee decided to see IL a
local hardware firm could order these
scales for the same figures and prob
ably obtain a commission thereby
leaving some of the money IN sum-
ter.
A Sumter hardware firm purchased
the identical scales from the Toledo,
Ohio, factory, through a Florence, S.
c.. hardware firm which had the ex.
elusive State agency for the Toledo.
Ohio. factory sales. The Sumter firm
sold the Farmers Tobacco Ware
house company the scales F. O. b.
Toledo, Ohio. for $4,000 or s43 less
than the warehouse company could
have purchased the scale direct from
the factory. All Of which. goes to
show that 1t pays every Sumter man
and woman TO give the local mer-
chant an opportunity to show what
Sumter merchants can do before or
dering anything outside of Sumter. In
this connection it might not be amiss
to say that the S43 returned to Farm
ers' Tobacco warehouse was conn.,. -
sion the local hardware concern was
entitled to and was made a present
to the tobacco warehouse company.
But even had the Sumter hardware
firm saw fit to retain the s43 it was
entitled to, the $4S would have re-
mained in Sumter just the same.
There are very few. If any CONNER
cial commodities that can not be or.
dered through some Sumter business
establishment at the sama or less cost
to the purchaser than buying direct
from the factory OF mail order houses.
Mail order houses. and factories make
allowances for inside" men commits
sions which are added to the price
charged the purchaser 1t you can't
ind what you want in Sumter the To-
cal business men can order it for you
for probably less money than you, as a
consumer. can order 1t. ...
The local merchant belongs to r'the
trade" as we call It. Mail order houses
and factories. az well as wholesale
houses catering to the trade Of the
consumer will In nine out of ten cases
give the trade" a better price and
allow what is known as. "a commits
sion." That commission received by a
Sumter merchant represents Sumter
money kept In Sumter.
1 Prof. Barton. Of Clemson College,
stated In his talk at the court house
last Saturday that the late Or. Seaman
A. Knapp, the Grand Old Man" of
the modern agricultural methods. had
with number Of export statisticians
OF the agricultural department found
by rigid investigation that out Of every
dollars worth Of produce grown or
raised by the farmers, that s5 Der
cent. of the dollar goes to middle
men, and for transportation. Only
40 per cent goes in the pockets Of
the farmer.
When consumer buys vegetables,
meats Chickens, and other food di-
rect from the farmer either on the
curb market or at your door the SIS
per cent. or any how forty per cent.
Is divided between the farmers and
the purchaser. The farmer gets
from 20 to SO per cent. more for his
produce sold direct from farm to con-
sumer, and the consumer, like the
farmer saves the cost Of handling
the stuff by the middle men,"
| That per cent. of money saved is
Sumter money kept IN Sumter. 1t is
true that few middle mon are
hurt. but isn't 1t better to hurt a few
than to hurt thousands? But the bulk
OF the middle men" in other lines Of
business reap the benefit because the
40 to 90 per cent. saved by consumer
and farmer is redistributed among the
Sumter merchants.
| In the case OF the retail grocer who
sells vegetables, he loses the sale OF
certain amount OF produce on which
he makes small margin Of profit, but
the retail grocer makes more in the
tong run from his pro rata share of
the 40 to so per cent. kept in Sumter
because the farmers and the consum-