New Britain herald., 1922-11-07
mined by the total payroll of the
 "BOOst the Retailer

"BOost the Retailer"
 Tn connection with MT. Babson's address he made special appeal foi retailers. He believes that although the retailer was largely responsible for the period of over-eypansion yet upon the retailer we must depend to bring back real prosperity. Said Mir. Babson:
 "Offhand critics are fond of knock ing the retailer as man of limited foresight and ability. I do not agree with this view. But even if it were true, it would be far better to help him than to knock him. Moreover, if he really is a Lightweight, then so much the worse for the manufacturer whose success or failure lies in the hands of the retailers who sell his goods.
 We all have learned many things in this recent period of depression. One is that no one of us can have
 lasting prosperity except as those whom we serve prosper likewise. The retailer has been as guilty as any one in failing to recognize this, but there is nothing to be gained now by calling names. The crying need of the hour is that we all get behind the re- taller and help him. If his methods are wrong it is our misfortune and it is up to the rest of us to show hihn a better way. We have failed to real ize that this inefficient retailer still sells at feast S5 per cent of all the goods bought in the United States; that he has more than million stores in the country representing an invest ment of billions of dollars; in short that the individual retailer today is our main and vital artery of distribu- tion.
 Cost of Distribution Rises g While we have been devoting our efforts to building better factories to manufacture goods, we have done very little toward the equally impor tant problem of getting those goods to the ultimate consumer. The gov ernment is spending over s100,000,- 900 year in research to help manu- lecturers and farmers, but it has never even taken a census of the re- tailers. We have applied all that science and human ingenuity have contributed to production, but we have let distribution look out for it. self. The result is that our manufac- turing cost has been cat to fraction of what it was fifty years ago, but the percentage cost of distributing is more than it was fifty years ago.
 We should begin at once to give more support to the retailer. Sup piled with the same statistical infor- nation and backed up with the same assistance from government and priv ate research. the individual retailer will make as much progress in his field as the producer has in his own. The idea that he must fight the chain store and cooperative buying is en- urely wrong. He must be willing to adopt the improvements of those sys- tems, in order that the retail field may not be dominated either by the chain store or any other single or ganization.
 Now we are on the very eve of a general business improvement. but the retailer must get in better mental attitude to capitalize this opportunity. He should be going into it like a fighting cock, but instead his attitude is fearful and defensive. Our problem is to show him the facts and show him that we are on the upward side of the business cycle. A period of is ahead in which he is certain to share if he will only seize the opportunity, adopt modern methods, render real service, CO.,