San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-03
LIVE. CHAMBER
/. Of COMMERCE
4 REAL ASST: I
M ann ellis Merchants
Strong Organization One
of Greatest Business Needs.
OUR OWN TOO SMALL
More Departments Needed
and Other Features Far
From Perfect Ye.
| OUR OWN TOO SMALL

One Of the best organizations a city
or town can have is a good chamber
of commerce, said Fred Z. Mann when
speaking ut the Alamo Country Clul
Thursday night before crowd oi
about 30 people. His subject was
The Advantages of Chamber OF
Commerce or Commercial Club in Youl
City" Mr.. Mann sad he believed
that one of the greatest needs in the
business world today was Organiza-
tons of this kind where merchants
and other business men could get to-
gcthcr and know each other.
Mr.. Mann is director of the Ma
tiOnal Chamber of Commerce. He said
that this organization was the link
between the government and the Bust
ness man. 1t is important. he said,
that every business men in the Unit
this organization. Organizations of
every city, town and hamlet in the
United States should be in the Ma
tional Chamber of Commerce.
\ good chamber of commerce is the
greatest asset city can have, he
said. The San Antonio Chamber of
Commerce is well organized; that is,
what there is of it, he said, but it is
easy to see that it needs more depart
mentS. 1t is not perfected get. he
said. to where it should be. There
are hundreds of chambers of commerce
throughout the United States that are
not perfected, he said, which is n
great hindrance to any city's growth.
Small Towns Also.
In the small towns, as well as the
cities. the business men of the COM
munity should get together and know
each other. Cooperation and harmony
will result. At present, he said, there
is too much suspicion in the bust
ness world. Everyone is entirely too
ready to point at the other fellow
and say: He is Il crook Mr.. Mann
said
Il have noticed this kind of atmos-
pheie right here in San Antonio" said
Mr.. Mann. and many of you peo-
pie are too ready TO criticise the 9TH
er fellow when you have no grounG
for your statements other than those
remarks that sou possibly have heard.
The organization of commercial
club or some kind Of club where
the business men of the community
get together regularly will curtail all
this false suspicion. which certainly
is detrimental to business as well as
the welfare of the city.
And above all. please let's don't
say, Let George do it, When YOU are
asked to serve on n committee never
put it off on sOTe other fellow with
the excuse that you are too busy.
There are entirely too many of you
merchants here tonight that want
everything .Ou can get out of the COM
munity but You will not give a min
ute of your time and not one cent OF
your money for its promotion. You
will remember that your business will
not grow any faster than the com.
munity around you. When customers
prosper the merchants reap the bene-
fits
Answers Many Questions.
Following Mr.. Mann's talk ques-
ton box was held in which wer,
asked and answered about twelve ques.
tons.
Among the most important questions
asked Mr.. Mann was:
What is your attitude as 10 the sale
of nationally advertised goods? Do Won
believe the necessities and practices
of the national advertiser reduces the
nrofit of the jObbcr and the retailer :
do Tou believe that the margins above
production cost asked either of neces-
sity or by virtue of the created de-
mand reduces the buying power of the
consumer?
Mr.. Mann dwelt longer on the an.
swer to this question than any of the
others asked.
He replied that he certainly was
in favor of goods being nationally adj.
vertised. Because Z national distribu
tor Of merchandise spends thousands
OF dollars on one ad in one pubIica-
ton of magazine. he said. many
people believe that the price of the
article is raised enough when il reach
cS the consumer to paw for that ad.
It is Il false notion, he said. The
fact that thousands of dollars are
spent on just that one nd brings enough
returns TO reduce the price Of the goods
to the consumer.
Another interesting question asked
ur. Mann was, what do you allow
for stealage?"
Sometimes They Steal.
He replied that this was hard 10
determine exactly. But he said. YOU
Will find il YOU investigate that most
OF TOUR loss through stealagp may
be traced into the store. Here he re-
lated the story Of the first time he
had his store in DEVILS Lake checked
by detectives. To his great SUNRISE
he said. be found that some of his
oldest clerks. ones that hp had trusted
implicitly. had been stealing from him
for the last two or three years. VERY
little loss is exacted from the out
side. he said.
Claude V. Birkheaf. president ol
the Chamber Of Commerce. was toast
! master ut the banquet Thursday night
! Madame Simone sang.
Trade w"ok arrivals are:
~ Hotel Lanier.