The Washington herald., 1920-07-20

Al Hcdiiy every line OF business
in Philadelphia the jobber plays a
not inconspicuous part and gets a
not inconsiderable toll. In the gro
Gerry trade he is going to have a
hight for his life. Proctor G. Gam
Bile, who make soap. have deter
mined to sell direct to the retailer
II they eliminate the jobber, and
proft by the operation. big manu-
facturers Of other grocery lines are
sure to follow suit
Unfortunately for the public,
there is no promise of a reduction
in prices because of this war 1t is
possible when the action becomes
spirited there will be some slash
ing, but-at present the declaration
Is that prices will be maintained.
This fight of Proctor & Gamble is
not new, but rather the broadening
of an old one. For years they have
said the jobber was overpaid for
the service he performed and that
he did not push the goods OF the
manufacturer as he should. Espe-
cially in regard to branded goods,
they complained. he functioned
simply as a distributor. They start
ed some time ago to sell direct to
the retailers as a distributor. They
started some time ago to sell direct
to the retailers in New England.
Now they have broken from the
jobbers the nation over and il is to
be a fight to a finish.
The jobbing associations through
out the country are doing their ut
most TO swing the retailers into
their ranks. The jobbers have a
great fighting organization through
the 10000 or 10000 statesmen they
have ION the road" coming in con-
tact with $4,000 or 100000 retail
ers. But in the cities the jobbers
will not be so strong as outside, for
the city retailer has reason to feel
bitter at the jobbers, or thinks he
has, because the jobber has sold to
the chain-store people at prices
that have made it impossible for
the retailer to meet the competition.
Those who know the trade think
city grocers as a rule will be with
Proctor & Gamble, while outside the
jobber will have the bulge on the
soap makers.
That the jobbers will fight furi-
ously there is no doubt. They are
appealing to their grocer friends in
every part of the country to stand
by them. They're getting a good
response. Meanwhile. Proctor &
Gamble are going ahead with THEN
plans TO put the wholesale grocer
out of business, so far as their
products are concerned.
MiddIemen Must Go.
Costs of distribution are too high
in America. Whatever the merits of
the question between the soap maxi
ers and the grocery jobbers may be,
it assuredly is a fact that the mid
dlemen today are too heavy a load
for the country to bear. Some OF
them have to go. The costs from
the factory to the consumer not In
frequently far exceed all the costs
that went before.
Marketing should and must cost
less. II the middlemen will not in
troduce reforms and economies the
correction will come through elimi-
nation of some OF the agencies in
marketing.
1t promises to be a warm summer
for the grocery jobber.
Trolley Car Doomed.
Eventually, says A. z. Blynn. vice
president of the Northern Ohio Trac-
ton and Light Co. the trolley car
must be done away with in big
cities. Transit problems in places
Of the size of New York. PhiladeI-
phia and Chicago. he says, are diff
cult of solution. as yearly the costs
of operation and maintenance go up,
leaving virtually no opportunity for
the operating companies to lay aside
reserves for the construction of ele-
waited and underground lines.
Whether Mr.. Blynn means FIVE
years of nifty by eventually" is not
quite clear. Probably the former.
In large cities the trolley car makes
little speed in the trafic congested
parts of cities now. This condition
threatens to become progressively
worse.
One serious trouble that attends
the traction question is that the
trolley people have so much money
bound up in their properties that
they are loath to make radical
changes or consider them. And
they'll make none until they have
to do 80.
Royalty Buying OIL.
Shakespeare didn't know anything
about oil stocks when he said that
divinity doth hedge a king"