Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23

The latest export from America is
the house-to-house canvassing system
and whether or not the American Ma
ton depends on the varying tennpera-
nnents of the individuals visited. The
scheme has been put In use especially
in Germany. As In the United States 1t
Is being practiced to Q large extent by
students seeking means OF working their
way through school.
There Is more unemployment IN Ger.
many, In relation to the total population.
than In the United States. This means
more individuals are looking about for
any sort Of part-tine work which they
can pick up. This situation seemed an
invitation to manufacturers to give men
an opportunity to help themselves and
increase sales.
1t Is an INTERESTING phenomenon OF
unemployment that It increases school
attendance, particularly In the institi1-
tons Of higher learning. Adults. unable
to find regular work requiring their at
tention during most of the day, return
to school to I'LL in gaps In their educa-
tionaI equipment. The extra time they
have on their hands Is one Of the
school enrolment. Also, many q man,
out Of q job, thinks that, perhaps, II he
had been better equipped, he might still
be employed so he takes advantage Of
the free time TO augment his attainrnents
as q sort Of Insurance against q similar
experience in the future.
This, 1t viii be seen, operates to pro-
duce an unusually large number OF per-
sons eager to do part-tirne selling work
as means Of paying the expenses Of
education.
House-to-house canyassing 8 new In
Europe 80 far as the American system
Is concerned There have always been
pedolers and still are; that Is, men who
carry their packs on their backs and
travel about making actual sales and
transferring merchandise on the spot.
Due TO the pressure exerted by the es-
tablished merchants who maintain fixed
stores, these peddlers are limited by
license. No man can peddle without q
Incense Tor which he must pay q tax.
The American system of house-to-
house canvassing is different and does
not come within the same category as
peddling in that the man carries no
goods save o few samples and does not
deliver purchases. He merely takes or
ders, which are forwarded to Q dealer
or TO the factory. The orders are nlled
direct by mail or otherwise. It IL q diff
ferent merchandising system.
The Delivery Innovation.
Such q system would not have been
possible In Europe before the war and
before AmericanisEns became popular
and were widely copied. In former years
| no European would trust a seller to I'LL
an order out Of sight. There was little
confidence mutually exchanged between
buyer and seller. Each one felt that he
had to keep his eye on the other con-
stantly.
When A. r. Stewart, the great New
York merchant, first inaugurated his
free delivery system he started q revo-
luton in merchandising. It was very
slow in starting. It seemed incredible
to the average purchaser that any one
would be fool enough 10 pay for ar
article Of merchandise and 60 OF with.
out 1t, leaving It to the honesty Of thu
merchant 10 bring it around 70 q giver
| address later. The general presump-
ton was that II once merchant goi
hold Of ones money that was all he wa