The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-10-13

give up their freakish habits of ask.
ing for special deliveries and goods
on approval.
The quick understanding with
which the merchants of the country |
met the request to re-organize their !
deliveries, to give up their elaborate |
competitive weapon that so many
had come to think indispensable, is |
one of the proofs of the amazing vol
untary cooperation in meeting war
needs that the country is giving.
1t is only few weeks since the |
possibility OF freeing men and equip
ment through reform of deliveries !
was laid before the merchants and |
their customers. Today the CONNER
cial Economy Board has definite infor-
nation that in the following cities the
deliveries have been reduced to two,
or in some cases one: Akron, o.; |
Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Dayton, o.; Portland, Ore; East st.
Louies, ILL.,; Fort Smith, Ark; Mimi
eapolis, Mimi; Harrisburg. Pa; In
dianapolis, Louisville, KY; Pittsburg,
Providence, r. L.: Reading, Pa; Rich
mond, Va; Rochester, N Y; SAM
Francisco, Toledo, o.; Topeka, Kan;
Columbus, o.; Oakland, CAL; Sagi-
nav, Mich; New Haven, Conn;
Roanoke, Va; and st. Paul.
1t is impossible at this point in the
readjustment to tell just what this
means in men and horses and trucks
in these particular cities, but If we &C.
cept the experience of those sensible
towns which did not wait for war to
cut out the waste, it is fair to reckon
1t as close to fifty per cent. For in
stance, in Escanaba, Michigan, a CO.
operative delivery was organized
seven years ago. There being no war
pressure the number of deliveries
was set at five day. Simply by COM
bining and regularizing the service,
the men and horses were at once re-
duced by one-half.
Out in New Mexico there is a town,
Roswell, where a former postmaster
has built up system according to dis
tricts; the route of the wagons or
| trucks being those of the former mail
carriers. This service is done at a
saving of twenty-five per cent to the
merchants. A service which formerly
required seventeen wagons is now per-
formed by three cars and four wagons
The gentleman who has worked this
change has some wise reflections on
| the subject: THE waste in delivery
service in these United States is sim
ply staggering" he said, land the
merchants are to blame. A few peo-
pie want the service and the mer-
chants give 1t to them and of course
make them pay for it. Whereas if
the truth were known | venture the
statement that seventy-fiye per cent
of the people the country over would
much rather have less delivery service
and reduced prices on goods. All in
telligent merchants know their deliv-
cry expense is excessive, but what can
they do-the other fellow does. it. and
they must also. 4 The fact remains,
however. that great majority Of the
people are forced to carry their ex
pensive systems by merchants cater
ing TO the whims of a thoughtless,
wellto-do minority"
Here is the kernel of the practice:
A few demand elaborate and therefore
expensive waiting on. The merchant
thinks his only chance to get their
trade is by humorfng their irregular
habits, telling them they can have
anything at any hoiir and so again and
again he sends home an article on
which there is a two cent profit, at a
cost OF six cents.
The needs of war have opened up
the, unsoundness OF this particular
business practice as they will many
others. Common sense as we'll as
loyalty demand that it be corrected
and at once. The call is urgent
Before these lines reach the press
the first contingent of our National
Army will be on its way to camp
100000 men for the firing line. But
to keep that many men on the firing
line means certainly million, posi-
bly, a million and half. behind the
line, supplying and transporting,
keeping up roads and military work,
doing the thousand and one things
that must be done for those at the
front.
II will be some trouble. 1t will re-
quire forethought, but what a little
sacrifice for so great q reason. 1t is
little sacrifice which in the aggre
gate means freeing tens of thousands
of men for our army Surely in the
great and terrible demand that civil
ization is making upon those OF us.l
who believe in Her, so small read
justment should have universal
voluntary acceptance. There should
be no town in the country of which
its merchants should be able to say,t
eve tried to put our deliveries on a J
war basis-our women would not CO.
operate" They refused to think |
ahead, refused to carry their little |
packages, refused to give up their |
special deliveries, and their goods on
APPROVAL 1t should be done and done
now, for now is the need The men
are being called by the hundreds of |
thousands. We believe in their 60
ing, We have accepted the awful
sacrifice. The very least we can do is
cheerfully to accept the readjust-
ments suggested by those who are
making careful and scientific study |
-. - -. T.. NJ. l.. 1