Page 51 - Past Chair Book-Pre 2020

First .inniial Coirt'cutuUi

M r. D r u r y : I have a letter sent out by our friend Mr.
Fern ley. who. as I said before, has sent us a great many good

things. This is a letter which I desire to read to you.
Philadelphia. Dec. '2T. 130$.
Dear Sirs:—
W’e have heard front quite a number of our members con­
cerning an article headed. “The Treatment of the Catalogue
House Problem." by Mr. W in. M. Pratt, of Goodell-Pratt Com­
pany. as published in the Iron Age of November 16th, pages
1346-47-48.
W’e recommend that the members of our Association care­
fully read the article in question. W’e quote from it as follows:
“The manufacturers of today and particularly those engaged
in making hardware and its kindred products, are not in an
enviable position: they are standing between two fires as it were
—they find organized labor on one hand dictating to them how
they shall run their plants, and an organized selling power on
the other, making similar pretenses as regards their methods of
distribution.
The company which I represent has taken no uncertain
stand upon this question : we do not believe it is wise or for our
best interests to decline to sell the catalogue house trade, and we
propose to coirir.uo t o s o i l them.
W’e do i: , ’ r i! .■ •ii'-.istent that we should insist upon

the catalogue house maintaining fixed prices when we know that
oftentimes retail merchants themselves are selling our goods for
less m< >nev.
W e are willing to take all the blame upon our own shoul­
ders : the goods will go in a straight line from our factory to
the warehouse of our catalogue house customer. It will not
be necessary for any jobber, be he a member of the National
Association or not to incur the enmity of his fellow jobbers by
becoming an underground passage through which the catalogue
house can be supplied with goods.
W’e believe tiiat the consuming public has some rights in
this matter; that to them the catalogue house is sometimes a
convenience, sometimes an economy, and sometimes both. They
have purchased our goods from catalogue houses for many years.