New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-29

supposed TO undersell, were founo 10
be from 25 to 40 per cent above the
facts. When the managers attention
was called to this he revised his arith-
metic and changed the signs. But, er-
roneously assuming that the vigilance
Bureau would accept his promise OF
reform at face value, he presently
returned to his old methods and
offered a Stewart-Warner auto hand
signal under the placard Regular
Price, $500; Sale Price, $685." As
the regular price, so stamped on the
box, is $3.50, he was called to account;
but continued his misstatements until
prosecution was brought against the
concern. A conviction was secured
and a fine of s25 inflicted. This case
is considered important as being one
of the few in which a dealer has been
convicted for misuse of a claim Of
value" or regular price" AS the
Imperial Automobile Supply Company
has branches in New York, Chicago,
Springfield, Mass, and Kansas, City.
information was sent to the National
Vigilance Committee for dissemination.
Another concern to be watched for
elsewhere is the Maury Shoe Company,
Of New York. Their shoes were offered
in Minneapolis (until the Vigilance
Bureau compelled their withdrawaD
as ~. S. Army Shoe. Passed by In
spector Hathaway" Inspector Hath
away belongs to the Iceland fox fam
ily. He is a myth. The Maury army"
shoes are not U. s. army shoes. This
firm also has been reported to the Ma
tonal Vigilance Committee.
A simple soul is President Jensen
Of the Jensen Printing Company, but
not so simple as he was before the
Vigilance Bureau had conference
with him over his advertisement Of
the Guaranteed per cent Preferred
Stock" Of his printing concern. In
its time The Tribune's Advisor depart
ment has received some weird and aw-
full definitions Of the meaning Of guar
antee," but nothing more surprising
than Mr.. Jensen's Interpretation. His
notion was that his preferred stock
was guaranteed because It took precs-
dence over the common, and was cumu-
lative! In that faith he proposed to
live and die, but was eventually con-
WINGED that a continuance of the adver-
Using would be inadvisable.
Long distance effect of The Tribune's
campaign in the field of automobile
finance was responsible for a tilt be-
tween Thos. Conroy & Co., who had
been selling Harroun Motor stock to
Minneapolitans. and the Vigilance
watchers. In the face of The Tribune's
article on Harroun, something had to
be done to bolster up the stock, so
Conroy & Co. advertised that though
they were ready to buy Harroun Motor
Corporation stock at 81 cash per share
for all that could be delivered, not u
share was offered at that price. In
response to this, 100 shares of Harroun
Motor Corporation certificates were Of
fered to Conroy e. Co., who refused TO
purchase them, on the ground that they
were interim certificates and not stock
certificates. But these certificates were
exchangeable for stock. They were the
only Harroun stock on the market, and
Conroy e. Co. admitted to represent
otires of the ADVERTISING Forum
that then had been selling them as
stock.
Not always does the Bureau find
crookedness when it starts on the
trail. Sometimes it is nothing worse
than error. An indignant complainant
brought word to Vigilance headquar-
ters that the Powers Mercantile Co.,
a department store, had been put
ting out a "baited" ad. of Uneeda
Biscuit and had refused to make good
on the bargain offered. An invcsti-
gator was sent to the store and found
that the grocery department, having
made a bad break in its advertising,
had done its best to make good. In
tending to offer the Scent packages
of Uneeda Biscuit for 5 cents, it had
actually advertised 6 packages for 8
cents. OF course, there was big de-
mand. The store stood manfully 10
its erroneous offer, and sold out its
entire stock of 100 dozen packages at
the offered price of less than a cent
package. When the complainant who
brought word to the Bureau arrived
the lot was exhausted. To have ad-
vised the firm 10 be more careful about
it's ad. thereafter would have been
superfluous. The Vigilance Bureau
had nothing to prefer but its sympa-
thy
From the foregoing instances It is
evident that the Vigilance Bureaus
activities are directed chiefly against
the smaller stores. This is not be-
cause Of any fear or hesitancy In
tackling bigger game; it is because the
large shops and department stores
have, in the main, advanced step for
step with the Forum. On the whole,