davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

make a successful merchant. 1t -
the correct handling Of thousands OF
and other stores. His cost Of doing
business is considerably less, ami, if
he is a discounting merchant. tnere
is not difference Of per cent be-
tween the price the local mercHan:
pays for his merchandise and the
price at which il is owned by the cat
alog house. OF course. there are some
exceptions to this general Statement.
but, on the whole il costs the cata-
log house 80 per cent TO do business.
and the average small retailer con-
ducts his business on from - TO IS
per cent. The department. store
averages all the way from 20 to 80
trihution can sell the same merChan
disc at a lower price than the catalog
house.
Day OF Storekeeper Past.
/ is high time for the retailer to
stop 'cusSing' the catalog house. and
emulate more and more the progress
sive method and systems they use.
The local merchant has character. has
personality and service. and he mas
every advantage known in the can,pe-
tition line over the selling by catalog.
It is time for us all to recognize that
the day of the storekeeper is past. but
that The field for the merchant who
knows. and knows he knows costs ard
service affords wider and broader OBJ
portunities for both profit and service,
Every retailer should have n store
organization, and their clerks should
know what they are selling. Every
store should be well kept, and in every
town there should be cooperative
retail merchants association. Organ
cations are not conducted to raise
prices. but to prevent the leaks and
unnecessary drain upon business which
ignorance and prejudice bring about.
Incompetence, which is Ignorance,
causes more failures than the lack OF
capital. | would rather put my money
in the hands of a man OF knowledge
and character than to risk a bill %
merchandise to the biggest 'empo
RUM in the South that has only cap
ital as an asset.
- Merchandise is really scarce. All
knit goods are hard to obtain. Prices
are higher than this country has eve'
known. and deliveries are abominable.
For the fall season prices will be from
20 per cent to 40 per cent higher than
they are today. This is not exactly
prophesy: it is based on the price OF
cotton. cost OF labor. and tho prod lc-
ton of the mills. 1t should be bJrne
in mind that. in normal times. our
mills can hardly produce enough for
domestic consumption. and now that
the demand is world wide, the simple
principle of supply and demand fore es
higher prices. War, or no war. MGR
chandise will not reach the low levels
of 1914 within the next two years.
THE old principle that everything
that goes up must come down is sound
enough. but how high it is going and
when 1t is going to start its descent
IL very uncertain. IT is certainly not
going to decline any time in the near
Constitution.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
STOPS RUNAWAY HORSE
SPRAINS HIS ANKLE

Mr.. a + Parrish, % the T.. r. Tay-
lcr company. In 1t Tuesday experienced
quite painful accident when no
stopped runaway horse on Fast Main
street
MI Parrish was standing IN front
- Of his place of business. when he saw
a horse dashing madIy down the
: street. Realizing ihe danger and
: damage that might occur should the
: horse continue MS Wild dash Mr.
I Parrish attempted 20 stop him by
; waving his hat. bat soon saw that this
would not stop the animal go me grab
: he'd the bride as the horse came up
: 10 him. He secured a strong hold on
> the horses head and after heinc car
ried quite a distance by the force and
! speed OF the horse. he managed TO
1 stop him A crowd Immediately gath
. cred around MIR. Parrish. thinking
= that he might he hurt. but he as
; sired them ne was all right and did
not for some little time realize that
. In some manner ne had wrenched his
ankle. The spratn proved 10 be- quite
. painful but not serious, and MIR. Par
: rish was able To be out In a day or
I Two. although the ankle is still caus-
I ing him to limp a little.
Parties seeing the coura geons way
7 in which Mr. Parrish stopped what
!. might have been a disastrous run
away, say they feared for his safety.
Tor had his hold ON the horses bril-
die given away. nothing could have
: prevented serious consequences to
. him. /
In discussing the affair. il was
learned that this is the third or fourth
runaway horse Mr. Parrish has stop
ped H, modestly saying, that when
he saw that horse come rushing mad
Z IL down the st~aet he could not resist
/ The temptation to stop him.
tfis hosts of friends wilt be glad 10
learn that Mr.. Parrish Is rapidly re-
covering and 1t the accident did not
result in any more serious injury.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
\ Present Day Classic.

Let the children study the utter
ances OF President Wilson in their
En- giislf courses instead or .he speeches
of Edmund Burke, IS the suggestion
of an Instructor in English in the In
terlaken school, writing in the New
York Mail. Writing of his own class
room experience, he says: In Fen
ruary three weeks were spent by my
upper class in laboring through the
mazes of Burke's speech on concilia-
ton with America On April each
lclass devoted one class period to a
reading and discussion OF President
Wilson's war address to congress OF
April ?. In fifty minutes the upper
class learned more good English,
more practical politics (national and
internationally, more history and more
deaifsm through contact with the
words OF Woodrow Wilson than they
could have done through Edmund
Burke in three months
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
CAROLINA PEOPLE
LIKE HONEY FRUIT

Mr. j. S. (Jake) Einstein, who rep-
resents the Franklin Caro- company in
Eastern Carolina. selling the famous
Honey Fruit chewing gum. came m
Friday from a very successful trip.
Jake says that there Is more Money
Fruit gum used in North Carolina
than any other brand. The way he
works his jaws has made Jake one Of
the leading gum sellers of the SOUTH
Now, coupled with his salesmanship,
such q delicious chewing gum -
Honey Fruit, it's no ,=onder he's 60
those Carolinians chewing such laruol
QuantitiAn g this brand.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

There is no one big thing that will
small details and these details are the
leaks, or the profits, of the whole.
Business failures are on the decline,
the percentage is growing smaller.
The incompetent merchant is gradu-
ally being forced out of business
Years ago. merchant catered 20
community. and he was in compete
ton with the whole world. The eata-
log houses, the nail-order houses the
speciality stores and department stores
are eager for business. and their mil
ern methods get per cent of the
trade OF every community. There "A
no question about the local merchant
sallinr <AAeARsn AAan tbs catalo2 houSAs
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
Busy Man Is Johnson, Secretary of
Ninety-Million-Dollar ORGANIZATION

Al the annual convention Of the
Southern Wholesale Dry Goods asso-
citation in Atlanta Norman H John
son was just about the busiest man
that ever attended to the duties of
secretary for a ninety million dollar
organization. Mr. Johnson, besides
being secretary of this association, Is
editor and manager of the Merchants
Journal. published at Richmond. Va.
and has been admitted TO the par
as an attorney He doesn't practice
law. however he has enough 10 do IN
his other two Jobs. Incidentally he IL
one of the best informed men in The
South in the matter of dry goods. AS
before stated. he was very busy. nut
the Firing Liner induced him to Talk.
and this is what he said:
The Southern Wholesale Dry Goods
association represents purchasing
power in excess of eighty million dol
lars. All this immense distribution is
sold to the retail trade. The jobber
is directly dependent on the retailer:
therefore a broadness in the vision of
the jobber is now more fully recog-
nized than ever before.
About ten wears ago, theorists and
impractical writer's filed the press
with articles concerning the elimina-
ton of the middleman. Since
theorists. colleges. universities and
scientific organizations have carefully
collected statistics, II has been proven
by all financial and commercial All
thorities that the jobber is, in act,
the most economic form of distribu-
ton. Consider. for instance. today's
market The local merchant can to-
day buy through his jobber rnerchau-
disc at prices at Is per cent to 10 per
per cent lower than the primary mar
ket offers. This has always proven to
be the fact on an advancing market:
and, on a declining market, the job
Der is forced to make dirferential
in price below the average of the New
York market
Cash Discounts.
For long time. the jobber pur-
sued the line of least resistance. He
made himself a com ination banker
and jobber. In plain English. he was
more of a money ~loaner than mer-
chant. After while the banker be-
came more efficient. as his deposits
grew larger. and it was soon demon
strated that he could loan money
cheaper than the iobber. Thereafter
the banker became competitor in
the financial part OF the jobbing trade.
Good merchants found out that, by
taking cash discounts. they conrd
make on these alone from Is per cent
to SO per cent per annum. amounting
in the case of staples. to a 'arger earn
Ing than the profit on the merchandise
itself.
Business today 10 scientific. ana by
49, - not 1nAaA EhA& - - Actr.catc.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
BOTHER IN FIXING VALUES.
One Obstacle to Getting European
Goods Here Now


Some of the difficulties incident at
this time to the importation from
Europe of finished products, were il
Illustrated In a valuation case up for
decision the last week before Judge
Fischer of the board of general APP
praisers. The entries in question re-
lated to engines and their parts
by j. d c. g. Bolinders. of Stock
holm.
In the first place. great delay was
experienced in getting the engines
here and this. owing to the constantly
Increasing higher costs OF materials
and labor in sweden. precipitated a
c-nflict between the American import
ers and the government regarding the
values to attach to the apparatus for
dutiable purposes. Here again, a long
delay was met with in getting data
from the manufacturers in Sweden
as to prices at the date of ANAL ex-
portation, the machinery having lay
a long time on the steamship docks
after leaving the manufacturing plant.
before an available steamer was
found.
After the expenditure of much time
and money. data were obtained so that
decision could be made. The i'm
porters themselves appeared to be I'M
certain as to the values that properly
accrued on the engines which were of
the marine type, as in one instance
Judge Fischer reappraised this par
ticuIar type lower than the entered
value. One type of 500 horsepower
engine entered at 10000 Swedish
crowns was advanced by the general
appraiser to l22,S50. while silencers
and muffiers for Bolinder crude oil
engines entered by the importers as
having a foreign market value Of
1850 crowns were advanced to 1859.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
Niping Out OF the Free List.

NiptIi@ tsut III inc T'F 1si>t-
When 1t comes to the horizontal al E
vance of 10 per cent in duties, the
serious feature is not so much ITS
possible effect on imports or the pr:ces
of the same as IL is the certain result
OF the application Of the 10 PEE cent
to things now ON the free list. That
list was arranged for the purpose OF
giving the American manufactures
cheap raw materials and incidentally
also for the sentimental reason or pro
vid}ng an untaxed "breakfas. table. -
The taxing Of tea and coffee v'ill
merely result in making the indiV!d loI
consumer pay at retail probably twice
as much extra as The duty amounts
to. but Il Is not likely to be much of
a burden. But the duty on what have
been free raw materials will be very
seriously felt. and will add ma rally
to the cost Of living. In the nine
months ended with March the totai
imports into this country lH1plIs, Aa
in value 10 Si.SIS. 053.iI6. or THE
the manufactures ready for consun o.
ton were only s2Is, 211.6ss The
great bulk was OF material to be made
NJ here. and the major portion o. this
was OF articles now OF the free list.
All of the textiies>-wool. silk. flax,
Iute etc. are on that list as are rub
her. hides ANA leather. turs. many
drugs. cocoa. hhres, iron ore. paper
and paper making material. tanning
materials. and vast variety OF other
articles needed which are not pro-
duced here. To put tariff duty on all
j these things wiN net hnly cesui. IN
. raising The prices ~ the finished pro-
duets for which they IRE the raw ma
terial. 10 consumers here. but will
also tend 10 restrict exports because
of their extra COST. How far reae n
ing. indeed che effect Will be II IL
impossihle 10 predict
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
VA. RETAIL MERCHANTS
NOT TO MEET THIS YEAR

The Virginia Retail Merchants as
sociation, which holds its annual meet
ing each summer. has postponed in
definitely the meeting for this year.
The reason for this action on the
part of the officers OF the association
was deemed advisable on account of
the unsettled business conditions.
Due announcement will be made to
members of the date OF the next meet
ing
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
S1RAUS CIGAR co.
SELLS one STORE
seventh and Main Street Store Sold
Holt IN Wholesale
End

The Straus Cigar Co. last week sold
Its Seventh and Main street store to
A. Farnocchio, who will continue the
business at the same location.
Mr.. ]. NJ. Holt, who has for the pas.
TWO years been associated with the
straus Cigar Co. as part owner and
manager Of this store. will go into the
Wholesale department of this com
pany Is city salesman.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
VALUABLE FEATURES
FOR MERCHANTS week
Series of Lectures and Educational
Features of Vital Interest
Are Planned

When Virginia merchants gather In
Richmond on August IA, Is and 1S
10 attend the Better Acquaintance
Week they will be given a slightly
different form of entertainment than
heretofore.
Under the very able direction OF
Mr. z. r. Sydnor, Of the Richmond
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

Fredericksburg. Va. May ia.-Colo-
mel Richard L. Beale. of Bowling
Green. who represented Caroline coun-
" in the last house of delegates. has
announced that he Will not lie can
didate for reelection.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
Fitting In And
Out of Richmond

Before our good friends start to read
this column. it seems incumbent upon
the editor that he should tender some
apologies for the small number of
items appearing under this head to-
day.
Well, here's how it happens: In the
first place, our mutual friend, John
Goode, has been furnishing us the
dope" to use herein. Now. with tho
parade yesterday and various other
matters that divtrted his attention
from the line of duty" Johnny forgot
all about the Firing Lin" until about
Gao. aud by that time. Of course. it
was impossible to get together very
much news.
In the second place, due to our OK
treme confidence in the dependability
OF Johnny, we failed to prepare for his
delinquency, and after oar strenuous
efforts to locate him. we were too
fatigued to get out and rustic up the
usual dope"
Well. we probah bly, should make
some allowances for John-he lost his
hat yesterday. afternoon and says he
spent several hours in a futile search
for the lost headpiece.
Making due allowances ftr-- fore
seen circumstances. John and prom
Use ito do better hereafter"
John Wesley Williams saws that
d Firing Line shot az him last
week. Who did it? Anyway he
proved that he did not have turkey
blood in him bv not running.
Ben Nelson has gone back TO ma
ture and the farm: yes, he is some
farmer down on the James river. We
understand that h. was down 80 see
Stanley Milford last week with the
view Of buying an enormous "sepa-
rator." This Is very essential, we
should think, knowing Ben a. We do
Walter Y. Lefew. of the I.efew Bros.
has received an appointment as sec
ond lieutenant in the officers reserve
and is now at Fort Mver- Best wishes
and lots of good luck.
How strange: f. s. tCounU Gran
ger. OF Straus Bros is suffering from
the army "scaretu*." whatever that is
We are told the only cure Is to join
the army.
Don't forget the Zig L c. T. meet
ing saturday. Maq Is. al T. VI, Muir
phys hotel annex. A large class.
Attention. Grand Counsellor George
leslie Reid IF you cant tight
farm"
George Tebbs Nelson has some farm
down on the James river. George gets
IN every morning at : o'clock. and
after milking sevepty-eight cows and
getting the 36S farm hands at work
and then driving the water down to
the ducks and giving the pigs their
mornisg bath. he gets in his new REQ
and IS at his office bv O'Clock. This
George Is some hustler on the farm.
What's bee ONE Of Ormonde Smith :?
" .'ig< 4St34 p'ss+'ss fssean him sigofp 5i9ee
a month. hut its been ever since The
bic L. c. r banquet. now, that Or
monde has failed Is show his smiling
face.
MORE SENSE THAN POETRY.
NJ friend. have YOU heard of the town
OF Yawn.
on the banks of the river Slow,
(C'ortinued or Fourth Page)
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

W neat t-fttt- anu
II is more than possible that much
OF the advance in the price of wheat.
which has led 70 the rise in the cost
Of bread 10 consumers. is due 10 spec
uTatIon NO one contends thar there
wtu not he enough wheat until the
new crop starts coming in. a period
only about eight or ten weeks distant
While the government report during
the last week was rather pessimistic
as io winter wheat. the fact was
brought out that it WAS in better shape
than II had been, and there is every
indication that much of the deficiency
may be made mp by the crop OF spring
wheat. Another encouraging sign ia
that exports OF the article are dwin-
ding. In the nine months ended with
March the exports were about IS
coo. 900 bushels less than in the CORE
spending period the year before. and
about los, 900. 600 bushels less than in
the similar period the year before
that II is noteworthy that about 50
per cent of the decrease for the nine
months ended with March was in the
exports of February and March or
this year Exports of wheat -four in
The nine months period were about
100000 barrels less than in the SIM
liar period the year before. the great
percentage of decrease being also In
February and March. 1917. The logic
of the situation is likely to bring SOME
of the wheat manipulators 10 grief
should the proposition be put in opera
ton TO check all dealings in futures.
while the passage of the food control
,ill would probably result in an i'm
trediate and decided drop in prices of
both wheat and hour. 4 realization
OF these things has probably had much
TO do with the action OF the board OF
trade directors in Chicago in stopping
trading on May wheat.
Secrecy AS to Contracts.
While discussions on censorship
during war time are in order, would
il not be well to ascertain who Is
responsible for clamping the lid on
reports of government purchases? 1t
is known that the army and navy de-
partments are both active in the tex
tile and other markets in buying
goods Of most diverse kinds for The
use of .egl.lsrs and recruits. In cot
tons, for example. all varieties OF IA
brics are called for from mosquito
netting 10 the heaviest duck. In
woolens many uniform cloths are be-
ing bought. SO in leather. chcm,- ais
surgical supplies. and other things
Uncle Sam is just now big customer,
1t is of interest TO the large number
Of manufacturers whose business 1t IS
to look after the civilian needs IF the
country that they should know tins
quantity and scope OF :he govern
nrent's pur chases and also where these
ara placed Having this knowlcrse
will enabls them to make provision
:c.' their own requirements and to
haze sopin idea OF when and where
those shall. he me-. As /: is. II IS
suspected that q number of mills are
taking advantage Of the Ignorance
existing 70 canca. CT cut down orders
which taev took ard Whic., they wish
a pretext for discarding because they
are not as profitable as they might lie.
1CnuttnvAd IN Tourfh
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

The Vermont legisi ature has passed
a bill making the sale Of liquor In
bottles illegal SO long as the coun-
try ia a. war.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

John Wesley Williams saws that
d Firing Line shot al him last
week Who did it? Anyway. he
proved that he did not have turkey
blood in him BY not running.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

How strange. z. S tCount) Gran
ger. of Straus Bros. is suffering from
the army "scarctus, whatever that is.
We are told the only cure Is to join
the army.
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

Walter Y. Lefew. of the I.efew Bros.
has received an appointment as sec
ond lieutenant in the officers reserve
and is now at Fort Nver- Best wishes
and lots Of good luck
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

Ben Nelson has gone back TO ma
ture and the farm; yes, he is some
farmer down on the James river. We
understand that h. was down 80 see
Stanley Milford last week with the
view Of buying an enormous "sepa-
rator." This is very essential, we
should think, knowing Ben a. We do
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

sC0ntinued on Fourth PagaA
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

Don't forget the Zig L. c. T. meet
ing saturday, Mad IS al +. ", Muir
phys hotel annex A large class:
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

attention Grand Counsellor George
leslie Reid IF You cant tight,
farm
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20

What's become Of Ormonde Smith
" 'il - t| 'a'4s+,s fts3an him sfgoft eisee
month. but it's been ever since the
bic L. c. r banquet. now that or
monde has failed TO show his smiling
face.
The Jasper news., 1917-11-29
LOCAL NEWS.

Money to loan on farms. First
National Bank.
Money to loan on farms.-First
National Bank.
See the beautiful line of kid
gloves at Ladies Toggery Shop.
For TIE highest market price on
poultry and eggs phone No. 9.
Let me serve lunch at your sale.
j. K. Egner, Quality Bakery.
Crow Mercantile Co. will give
you fair accurate test on all your
cream
Bring your cream to Crow Mer-
camille Co, for the highest market
price
Take your poultry and eggs tc
Hammond's, the east end house
for the highest price. II
Eyes tested without drugs, sat
isfaction guaranteed, prices right
w. B. Pingree, doctor of optome
try, Carthage, Mo-, Office with H
P. Hall, jeweler. Tot
We don't take off our hat to an!
one when it comes to testing
cream, and our price is right. Asl
Mr.. carp about it. D. Harbur
The Jasper news., 1917-11-29
Only q Volunteer.


Clarence Donncll, who is in the
Mounted Engineers in camp near
FL Paso, sends the following verses 10
The News:
Why didn't wait to be drafted
And be led to the train by band,
And put in claim for exemption
Oh, why did hold up my head?
Why didn't l wait for the banquet?
Why didn't wait 10 be cheered,
For the drafted men get all the credit
While merely volunteered:
And nobody gave ME banquet,
And nobody said a'Rind work
But the grind of the wheels Of the engine
Was all the goodbye heard.
Then off to the camp was hustled
10 be trained for the next half year,
And then in the shuttle forgotten
Il was only volunteer.
And maybe some day in the future,
When my little boy sits on my knee,
And asks what did in the conflict,
And his little eyes look into my face,
will have to look back ut him blushing
To the eyes that so trustingly peer,
And tell him missed being drafted
| was only volunteer.
The Jasper news., 1917-11-29
NORTHBOUND

NUN IL DoONb
No. 2OS Passenger, daily 1888 q. m.
No. 29l Freight, except Sun. 1886 p. m
No. 210. Passenger, daily 500 p. m.
SOUTHBOUND.
No. POI Passenger, daily GIT a. m.
No. 293 Freight, except Sun. HOO a. m.
No. POT Passenger, daily 1886 p. m.
The Jasper news., 1917-11-29

Those corsets you get at Mrs.
Smiths give ease and comfort in
wearing. Try one and you will
wear no other.