Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-05-15

the money and sent me TO the market
to get it. Tho butcher gave me the cut
my father desired, wrapped it in brown
paper and took it home, paying cash
for the same. The price OF good beef
in those days was twenty to thirty cents
pound. There, however, we're no de,
liverics and the butcher didn't spend
anything on ice in the winter time Tor
remember the frost there used to be on
those butcher store windows although
butcher was healthy and happy man
To-day the same store is used Tor
butcher shop but il is steam heated, and
the proprietor buys nearly as much ice
in the winter as he does in the summer.
Moreover, the proprietor does not cut
any meat himself. Mornings he usually
| is found in the store, but afternoons
he is usually out automobling. lie mas
bookkcepcr who keeps the accounts, a
big cash register two clerks, and a man
who runs the delivery nutomopi'e'
Owing to possible breakdowns he has
two automobiles. Not only is everything
run on much more expensive basis
but the clerks don't do more than hall
q days work. They see the proprietor
loafing and they loaf themselves. None
of them have any interest in the business
and each one is trying TO get by with IA
little work as possible.
"Thc fundamental question is whether
or not this store is selling any more
pounds Of beef and provisions than IT
did 90 years ago. ! know the rent ms
doubled and other expenses have tripled
and quadrupled. but seriously doubt II
this store is selling any more goods.
Gloucester hasn't as much population
rs il had 20 years ago, and there are more
butcher shops. 1t is probably true that
people are eating more meat per capita
now than in those days, but ! nm very
sure that the output of this shop IS no
greater than il was 20 years ago. Today
however, when one Of tho neighbors
wants steak she no longer sends her
boy TO get it (he is probably busy play.
, ing football or practicing for higl
school Minstrel Show or perhaps he IS al
the movies) Today the mother tele
phones to the butcher shop, the book
keeper enters the order on an elaborate
filing system, this in turn is given to one
of the clerks who cuts the meat. The
meat is then wrapped in two OF thre'
. pieces Of paper, put in a special baske
and delivered by an auto truck, costint
two to three thousand dollars. More
over, the meat is charged TO be billed a
the end of the month and paid for whei
and if money is available.
CAS- result people today, under thes'
: conditions must pay double or tripl'
6 for their meat compared with what the,
!. paid 20 wears ago. The truth is tina
!, today everyone from the boy OF tn
= home to the proprietor himself, is lazy
. No one wants to do anything himsel
i which he can possibly avoid. Everyon
= is trying TO spend as much OF this tim
= as he can on amusements, automobilinl
|, and movies. Telephones, high schools
and credit systems are wonderful inven
= tions; but they all tend to increase th
cost of distribution. The retailer is VI
!. against fashions and customs which hav
6 bound him with ropes that are almos
!. too strong to break What the futur
, will bring forth / do not know. II
:, however, is evident that the retaile
! is not to blame for present condition.
= You and /, as fathers and mother
= are to blame. Our high schools are I
blame. Retail prices can be reduce
= only as the spirit of work, thrift an
usefulness again prcvades the CON
y munity.
J. ITO meet this abnormal conditio
a and the resulting high cost of living
ye concluded Mr.. Babson, "the chai
W store and the mail order house with the
N centralized buying and cash and carl
,e system is rapidly invading every shol
" ping center in the country, togeth,
h with some department stores who a
" now following a scientific merchandizir
policy. The soundness of this princip
l and the need for such service is r
fected in the fact that Woolwort
Kresge, Kress, United Retail Store
| Butler Brothers, and Sears Roebuck a
among the strong issues in the sto'
market.
Personally / am sorry to see I'll
change brought about. Our commuI
ties will ultimately be better off wi
individual stores owned by local peoI
than by chain stores and mail ord
houses controlled by outside corporatio
but l predict that for the present, loc