The diamond drill., 1917-11-10

and, as a travelling salesman told the
writer one day during the week, the
wholesalers will soon begin to Gull
out that kind OF men and refuse To
sell goods to him under pressure from
the government.
Therefore, IL is plain that new
condition Is coming and merchants
must sense the wind in time to shift
sail TO catch II or be distanced In the
race.
Prices Fixed Not Fair.
Another source OF discomfort right
now Is the published list OF prices that
appear every day in the newspapers.
Anyone at all conyersant with the
costs OF doing business ought to
know that those prices are not fair
applied to this section. The Houghton
Mining Gazette hits this point very
squarely on the head in an article
during the week a portion OF which
says:
Under the law which congress
passed 10 conserve food, the commits
sion OF which Herbert Hoover is the
head, has the right TO license whole
salers,. jobbers and big retailers. OPP
Grating under that law Mr.. Hoover
has stated in the public press that the
prices for food necessities can be
kept at decent figure; that profiteer-
ing can be avoided. He has the large
retailers and the wholesalers and job
bers where he can put his finger on
them. He says that the only way he
can fix the retailers so they will be
good Is TO ask the customers TO re-
port to the state food commissioner
any outrage in the way OF excessive
profit.
"The Gazette talked to a retailer
about II yesterday. First OF all the
retailers position is just this: Let
MIR. Hoover or some other govern
ment authority tell the retailer how
much decent profit ought to be and
he and all the other respectable re-
tailers will then and there publicly
give out the prices for which they
have to pay the wholesalers and the
prices they charge their customers
and let the customer figure the per-
centage OF profit. They wish only 20
know just what the government hg-
ures is a fair and square profit, in
Guiding investment, delivery. over
head, cost OF maintenance, loss on
credits and other items that retailer
has to count. Likewise he would be
pleased to have the government
make certain percentage figure
stand for cash accounts and an
other for credit accounts, one
percentage OF profits on delivery
goods and another on packages
taken home by the purchasers.
THE retailers feel too that the
food commission is unfair, or the met
ropolitan newspapers are unfair in
presuming that the retailers would
profiteer even If they had a chance.
"The retailer points out that during
the years of the European war before
our nation entered the conflict, tho
wholesalers and jobbers certainly lost
no money on food supplies. but on
the other hand made millions and the
retailers, particularly in the small
towns and small cities. did not take
advantage of the chances to mark up
every Wholesale grocery house or
| jobbing house in the country made a
mint OF money during the first three
years Of the European war. And then
he asks us to point out the retailers
who made success OF the grocery
business. suggests that a review Of
the general business reports indicates
that about one in Is OF those who
enter the retail grocery business ever
make a success OF t. He insists that
retailers who had big stocks OF -four
at before the war prices sold these
stocks out to their customers with
out marking them up"
Cash and Garry systems Growing.
II will be noted that the copper
country merchant seeks information
on three items OF retailing that are
vital; Delivery. cash payments and
credits That strikes at the heart Of
the retail business
Retilers have nothing but service 4
sell, but sery isn't making one mar
pay for the d fault OF another; ser
vice isn't making the man who paw
| canh no., for fha dfucouug fnaf ON "a,