The Dickinson press., 1916-01-08
PAID BY MA|L40RDER HOUSE
ENORMOUS PROFITS MADE BY BIG CHICAGO CONCERN ENABLE
THEM TO DECLARE ANNUAL DIVIDENDS OF FIFTY PER
CENT. HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITIES DRAINED TO
FOOT THE BILL.
By David Powell.

msFsn s4ssn v IS to very tss es sPssafy ssm eaytns 2e tSt t 9t i Siaszs1 s6n s,asssi ha Sf
{@s t 5sas selling i s41 n; SS%sd2' as%pi io d BY S" ssssio Ct % soSss5 HH be In eo snas ss1
with thu {9i srs fn iR1s Of e expense ths rf fe 11cs sf1 Merchant has t. consider in fixing
NESS sa4 In fr RisS ' eh ass:s1t the s1i iessi d ss The has ns almost is h an e svsn Of brs ssns @ Sud,
With he Other merchants me- gets part o. Of i zfGm dTi in carly az lots WI %he y gi S1e'G hing
fna5 Against i%,t this n most % Of the 4s:t msil-2 Psass merchandise is: must stand the initial
s a%d a zs se%Ss tr 1aSp t1s aac eSSsyge se efrem thu sse ai isaibaa ~ e Saass to a'? ts
GO :on a41s This This second sec mal+ charge rS Syfr age very high las as a large part Of it
Van Saeef here en e eis quite u p% apparent: '"A' lie catalogue ~ las " 0 great d
COMPARATIVE COST OF DOING BUSINESS.
ness V 3epen q % hs n3mat s1l zd:se t2 p pr Es5Grs seg F. the his ies sezs of doing d O z5 Snsj
It is determined by stotalng all items Of expense Connected with Il" the rum; run:
I'll! $ Ill., a : + = 5s $ ;ri;:" ;$.; f : t : sS r ;$s* p Ss;$ s: Say !; :a% : zss sf;t "a: sS. t: K fnsS R s::: +:
f. 5'% 5;t ts Rs;i rs ;sfis s5 P PsGes: a BY %s 5sssS n sas Is sns s sS;t sf AZ sss ssSsis
:; ss sf $; % : . M Z S.$ III In Ss's & !: Il E :: rs: s s %s;;s: :. + ;sx ,s$ $ ;%;: : : sss sSi
make t 3 !: SisInj {s e7 5;gs R Rsss It &c f fs3 P;s6t si { t. Stores and catalogue
is ani %a" {ssi9 e6 !%? sf $s!ss t{ Sas 5hs% $ i ssH s sSs 'f tss { tssa % sss iaa3' ' f?ss
e es9y d fod Scsg t BUSINESS n;s sssa and ts'i tn very y' ,2srs s!Ssr satss %sre9 20 per- 9ss esnt. thsi II
xss$ s !%R!:5y IT, $:s ::%s ' f, f ' :; $sSs !: . 4 t:s 4 q sss +: 1 ssS ;'3 %s$! n n :s5:s
to tk @aas e " Of d0a f5e 1aSge M ms G1 SS r heusesy si to ssd% I'M Chicago s;s: For example,
Fat Salaries Paid By Mailorder House.
tam sse a largo { ssns s&e e. an a. 5% %eH as q eeees Of f* RResess s9sassd sd?s %aie-
the t T5atsrs of t the go @S 81 soid %S BY v te sousi in s Fr 1 ts %osh v f%y pi seizures
$ ssed ssst pen %eg ges shey 6 6a e ge sy RaS Sesgr them he yo sal7 ~5st f r. se9tE from put si ~ yot s4
s1si; you on: r. q id sssss ssf tsss they i! ss ssssto sst5's g?31S a1 u $Ss s5nt sds5s;
i5 r s.5 gestsgs TSsES d.t that It. represents spSasc54s r ?stl sS,,9! = ii tn cir If Part IT Of sens
!: nd S$ $:! + { $s ss $s$ s,{ i ill., e ;$s; | { Sst S e: e.: 81 5 f r ~ $$S;a : !: + e p : s$ f. !; ;..;s
book 4 ssS5 year. sa{ t ssts i 5ns% t5 fsr mrs eSs s sSss ty Yen : s. e fSs two ,,, wt
e ma?:srf $ss 5sS:s; 1s f The sss sGS saE 3s a. San ssnp ! ;,.; and t sst5 SANE s : sssE Ess f
just 5eRte for TN ei SS%s 9S%Ss mailing sdHs t the 'S ses ss ~eai { ssasss1 s sla@s esnt se0x Hds sn e.
!aat; 2s and sT iiu ss sas'a sS$ t lsH total +: ss &aald f? very f p9ob sh%5 e4 sssa : # ae ais.
% sst X! s: y$s!: '; y::!: !: $ s { !: cry % ,SSsss.s n! hay ssy r. ss ses:sn %ssss e5 ss5s's sst
recently by a former r. employe of the house in mind, was very near the
truth when he said the expense OF Publishing their catalogue for 1913
amounted to eight and two oaS Per cent Of their total sales for the
advertising, etc, it is reasonable to suppose that their cost of doing
more ###%## #####
Merchants Make Ten Per Cent-Mail-Order House Fifty
their + td it. f0s sslet thf to ed de Sssne and a na l fbsy e sn buy 2 : tb bsHss GOODS a9sr nc esssp Ct
than n local mefcnan al mere is only n way. ieICa IN WMch tney
can undersel him, and that is by being satisfied with a smaller rate of
income N the capital invested in thebusnegs How HNH many Of your %er.
very many: Yet the mailorder house referred to above declared a div;
stock of forty millions. Their total business for the year was about
ninety million dollars. Figure out for yourself who pays the bill.
Commenting n the death of the late Montgomery Ward, the well
known president of the big mai-order house that recently opened a Pa
cic coast branch in Portland, the American Fair Trade Magazine says.
"Mr. Ward leaves a fortune of twenty million dollars in his own
name, and a business of seventy-fves millions a year, built up at the
expense of the small towns and villages Of this great country and not a
cent of it ever gets back to help build up the community ron which it
came, 4
but to read a list IT the country merchants who every, year close their
stores and abandon their business o. account II the seductive nnuence Tn
silent salesman, has gained in their communities, would pc sufficient TO
a direct and deadly blow at the prosperity Of his own community, For
practically every such commercial failure, !. good home ls disrupted and
Va sturdy, progressive family is scattered snd lost to the community #
&##&@##@I#@#&@ III (COpyrighE 1850 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES