New Britain herald., 1924-02-07
GETTING THE GOODS
 ON CROOKED SALES
Interruptions Advertisers and Fake Stock Salesmen Checked

How the national vigilance com
 mittee of the Associated Advertising
 clubs of the world functions to save
 the unsuspecting public from the
 wiles of crooked sharpers, stock
 salesmen and interruptions advertis-
 CTS. was told by Kenneth Barnard. di-
 rector of the committee, at the week
 ly meeting of the Rotary club today.
 Prior to Br. Barnard's address, F.
 NJ. Holmes, president of North & Judd
 Manufacturing Co.,, and president of the Boy Scout council. spoke on the
 need of men to enter . the training
 school for scoutmasters. A year ago
 he said New Britain had only 250 Boy Scouts. By next July it is planned to have at least 500
 Advertising, according to Mir. Bar nard. has for its fundamental purpose that of building up the unseen asset" or1conhdence. He said when a busi- ness man goes to a bank to borrow money he lists his tangible assets, but the one big asset he does not list is that Of confidence. In building up this confidence, he said advertising has become an international science.
 Advertising creates bushes, be- gets demand and should if properly used induce and inspire confidence on the pA of the customers" he said. Without sthat confidence business could not last"
 Mir. Barnard said that 10 years ago advertising was not bringing in re- suits commensurate with the money expended and an investigation re- ycaled the fact that the buying pub lie did not have any too much conf1- donce in advertising. Because of this tho national vigilance committee was formed for the purpose of ferreting cut anything in advertising copy which will bring out or foster de- struction of confidence. Cooperating with this committee are 40 Better Business bureaus throughout the country.
 He illustrated how unreliable ad- vertising by one man injures the busi- ness of a perfectly honest merchant by telling the story of man who reads an advertisement offering silk shirts for 9s cents. He buys the shirt and takes it home. His wife tells him it is not silk but fibre. Instead Of saying it was the firm of X. and E, that cheated him, hc says "AlI adver- tising Is bunk" "Advertising. he said, "is the common salesman Of you all and if anything is done to bring it in- to disrepute then you have common foe 10 fight"
 Although crooked advertisers are 4.,l.n, na,tant nr m. inai intent can he proved, many cases of misrepresentation are settled by the committee without being brought into court.
 One of the menaces of honest busi- ness, which takes half the time and | more than half of the money Of tho vigilance committee. running into over three-quarters of a million dol lars. yearly is that of the crooked stock salesman. He mentioned two eases where prosecutions have been brought, one firm which used the "one cali system," which he said was one of the most ingenious and in- sidnous means of getting rid of worthless stock he knew of He told the methods of the salesman who rubneS HIS NlCllIn lHiO siEhihS oH thN dotted line before he gets a chance to see his banker. He advised men not to buy stock from anyone with put talking 1t over with their bankers, who "always have their finger tips on the pulse of business and can tell you . scheme is crooked or not"
 He spoke of an automobile service in Buffalo a few years ago, which offered to sell standard quality goods below cost to members who paid a s1o yearly fee, and he ex- plained how they tricked the mem bers' by substitution.
 Tn discussing these things with a Herald representative after the meet Ing, Mr. Barnard said in his exper- Ience there have been 1i glass cas- ket companies organized in America It a total capitalization of s16,o0e,- boo, and yet there never has been a glass casixet of adult size manufac-