Page 30 - Past Chair Book-Pre 2020

•M The Xaliottal Supply and Machinery Dealers’ Association

While the committee regrets it cannot report more progress
in its work, still it feels that something has been accomplished
by showing the manufacturers that our organization is thoroughly
alive and that we are prepared to work with them and for them
for our mutual interest and protection.

M r. B row n : I want to say, in supplementing this, that I
was favored with a copy of the proceedings of the recent meet­
ing of the National Machine Tool Builders’ Association, and I
know there are some members of this Association who are very
anxious to uphold us in the re-sale price and a better discount.
If we can show to the manufacturers that we are in earnest,
that we are going to work shoulder to shoulder, and that we will
have every machine tool dealer, we can obtain from the manu­
facturer a better price. Some of them have an idea that we will
cut our profit, or commission, or discount, and present it to our
customers. I believe that day has gone by. What has been ac­
complished in other lines of trade, where there has been the
greatest animosity between the parties, proves conclusively that
if we stand on the re-sale price that will give us a legitimate
profit, we can obtain it just as easily as the other lines of trade.
I refer to the chuck business. Mr. Drury has told me of
the difficulty with which the chuck industry is confronted, and
it was only after repeated efforts that he got the chuck manu­
facturers to discuss the re-sale price. As you heard Mr. Bailey
state this morning, that has resulted beneficially to his company,
and I believe to other companies.
The machinery business is on a different basis from what
it was ever before. A few years ago we were agents, whereas
we are now merchants. The accounts were not handled by us,
and we were simply drawing a commission. Today we are mer­
chants in every sense of the word. We are obliged to send our
men out after the orders, take all the risk of the accounts, which
the manufacturer does not assume in any way at all, and we feel
that two and a half or five per cent would make the difference
between a respectable profit and no profit at all. (Applause).
M r. O ’H ara: I should like to ask a few questions as to
whether or not the Committee of Machinery Tool Dealers have