The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-14

1lv - Assus - ~ II ~
, n1nAe q lssesss fson Sub
b - 1Aea0As ws1 - attempt q
sol1ssss - Ssaissss -. II dus
- - ~ vi1Aae At our S1bssssb-
Soo1ng alegs than anxtous = Do
- - III eneesspsd. this papee sat
49, invss1lgstes saoag she nsr.
4 - 1his oily viii sbs Iesu,.s ~
nh = view 70 enlightsning the
eefal public - to the position
~ 1eechant 10 taking ct this time
i ~ matter OF transacting busi-
- the writer spent the entire
~ Friday Interviewing the lead
~ merchants and business men in
G1oDf To ASCERTAIN hrst hand what
N4nsnfs Of profit was being exact
~ ~ them from the buying pub
III have In no case confined my
~ 70 their bald statements. nor
- ! In any case using any facts
~ coming from the merchant him
gell regarding his bcsiness affairs.
~ present cost OF bis commodities.
nor what measure Of profit he
hopes to accrue from the prices he
gains through his statesmen.
T. went deeper. secured from
many Of the merchants letters sent
tbem by j0bbers for their personal
perusal only. BY this means l
hoped to secure evidence behind
which the buying public cannot 60.
They must rest their case against
the merchant with the evidence
which these letters adduce. They
are the last word both to the mer-
chant and the ultimate consumer.
''s Cannot Cancel Orders.
in many cases merchants had
made their contracts for some Of
next years output In various goods
and subsequently sought vainly to
cancel them when they found that
during the past two months the
market had dropped so appreciably
~ to alarm them at the prospect
Of heavy losses. In one case, that
Of the Ullcmeyer store, the propri-
et0r sought to cancel large order
for straw hats for next season S
stock. after Ullemeyer had read an
article in a trade journal in which
the writer had for told big drop
In the straw hat market for the
coming year and setting forth his
reasons for the slump. Following
ID the letter received by Mr.. Tile
meyer:
baltimore, Nd. Nov. 29.-J. J..
Ullemeyer, Rock Island. lll.-Dear
Sir: Your letter of Nov. 20 re-
ceiycd. and in reply would say that
your order has been placed in the
course Of manufacture. and it
would be impossible for us to
make any change in the order at
this time.
We have read the editorial from
the National Retail Cl0thier, re-
gsfding their advice to the straw
hat manufacturer. and in regard to
this editorial would say that We
have come to the conclusion that
the writer OF 1t knows absolutely
nothing about the straw hat situa-
ti0n. 1t is very easy to sit at a
desk and talk in the tone that this
editor has, but it is different
proposition to 60 out and buy raw
materials and hire labor with
which to make lower priced mer-
chandise.
We are actually delivering our
hats at cost today, even at their
present high prices. and do not
even have the normal profit which
We can sacrifice to the benefit of
our customers. II we could make
any large reduction on our straw
hats, say OF $l2 per dozen. and CAL
culated this reduction on $4,000
dozen straw hats, we would have a
loss OF 5000 600, and we believe that
~ q business man you can under
stand that no factory, unless it was
SsASA AAcucsy WEALTHY, COulu clduu ~
under o loss Of this kind.
We are thoroughly in sympathy
with any opportunity to reduce
prices. and would do so without
hesitation II we could find any way
by which to make lower priced
merchandise. but We cannot offer
any encouragement for lower prices
during this season. although If low
er prices do occur you will receive
the benefit Of any revision that we
make up in our line up TO May l.,
1921.
We further call your attention
to the underproductiOn which has
been doing on in all the straw hat
factories for the last several years,
and the curtailed production which
exists today, and we do not see
wherein there can be any large
quantity Of stocks to be thrown on
the market at o later date at sacri-
nee prices.
We regret very much that We
cannot make any changes in your
order at this time. and remain,
Yours very truly,
THE TOWNSEND GRACE CO.
Thomas J. Watts, Secretary.
"The public is quite unaware