The Washington times., 1928-01-10


is q frantic search for buyers.
American business faces the perils
of plenty. rather than linlita-
tons set by the alleged mig
rardliness OF nature. Mass pro-
duetion. which is now the pol
lev Of the best .maflaRed domestic
enterprises. can succeed only u
it goes hand in hand with mass
consumption. which necessarily
must be based on prosperity Tor
the multitudes. The MorRans.
George +. Bakers. Rockefellers
and Astors are so restricted II
their consumptive powers that
they are of negligible sianifi.
canoe in the battle among mer-
cEiandisers,s who look 70 the
.toneses. the smith. the Murpfys
and the Cohens for outlets for
their products which leap from
factories in endless array.
In the Saddle
with the country 0verequipped
in some industries, the ultimate
consumer ia m the saddle. In many
Instances. when individuals and
CORPORATIONS look over their in-
come accounts for the last calen-s
dar wear. they will find that they
worked for nothing. The period
Of heightened competition has been
charact srized as .'profitless pros.
perity." Stuart Chase and r. ].
sch1fnk, In their book, Your
Moneys Worth recently told the
story of the plight of the con.
sumner: iris situation is gradually
changing, as current market face
tors favor the individual with
money to spend.
John Sferwir. chairman OF the
Union Trust Company. Cleveland.
warns enterprises against indus.
trial expansion merely because
money Is cheap and abundant.
Increased output which fails to
bring larger profits he describes -
red ink expansion.
atn the new era of mass produc.
tion." says Mr.. SherWif1, IN the
Nations Business, the consumer
Is lord. Industry Is geared up IN
the race for his dollar, for his
time, and for his attention.
Mass production, BY raising
his wages and increasing hts In
come many fold and at the same
time supplying goods in profiision,
has put within his reach comforts
and conyeniences undreAmed OF In
years gone BY.
THE best policy is to build d
product that fits into sales re.
Quiremeflts ard permits profit.
able marketing. with the aid of
advertising, directed through log.
icai channels, the product should
be 0f the kind that develops
market without Improbable dealer
and consumer resistance. In all
circumstances, when attempting
to increase volume and lower
costs, the dealer should make
trade studies of distribution prob
lems and costs and be sure that
he has h product for which there
is real potential demand. IL
he does this, there should be less
dwindling Of profits and fewer
stories Of red ink expansion back
OF the numerical reports Of bust.
ness failures"
Leading and Following
Two sophisticated boosters of
advertising have written an II.
Illuminating book designed. to de.
flate advertising OF exaggerated
claims. Kenneth M. Goode and
Hartford Powell, jr., in their vol
ume, also seek to answer the i'm.
plication of Messrs. Chase and
Schlink that advertising is a
force which makes consumers
bend their knees before its com
mands.
Nobody can repeat too often
that in advertising. as in poll.
tics" the authors Of the new
volume say. the only way to
lead is to follow!
Eat times, no doubt, advertising
has had much influence. Never
theless. while 1t claims to change
human habits, advertising. above
all other industries, is the most
completely and pathetically de-
pendent on human tides. The
variations in advertising returns
don't happen by chance. The law
OF Avera ges, working deep below
the surface, makes them Tnatfe-
NAUTICAL ceftainties. Once your
advertising man realizes he deals
with a force complicated as the
Formulation of planets--yet GER
tain as the law Of graVitatiot1--
his whole work takes on new
dignity.
present prosperity clearly de-
ponds on still more people having
still more things. That means
lower, lower, lower, and still lower
prices. To place itself forever be-
yond criticism advertising mas
only, to demonstrate what has
always been claimed for liability
to bring about these lower prices"
If consumers are to benefit
froh prosperity they must cult
vate the art of buying as assidu.
ously as sellers have learned the