Page 53 - Past Chair Book-Pre 2020

l irst Annual Convent#,?#
National Hardware Association as distributors of his goods. I
find that it is a line handled very largely by the supply dealers
and the catalogue houses, and very little by the jobbers. He says
in that letter, if you will read between the lines, as the man who
was selling hardware to a grocery house, when appealed to stop
selling to such a house, said : “ f will sell to whom I -----------please,
and be said ‘A ery well, we will buy from whom w e please.’
That is the position they have taken. Mr. Pratt says in that letter
he will sell whom he ---------- pleases, and be pleases to sell the
catalogue houses. It seems to me that it is up to the party who
sells the goods.
He was not invited by the Hardware Association to make
an address on the subject, but he prepared the paper and offered
it for the Manufacturers’ Association, and he says he prefers to
sell the catalogue bouses.
If that is his position it would seem to me the privilege of the
supply dealers of the country to buy from Mr. Pratt, or not, just
as they please. He is not protecting anv one, as shown by his
sale to the electrician. Mr. Goodell’s goods are being thrown out
in a number of states where I have visited, and I have two or three
more states to visit in a few days. I have a letter from a Western
retailer asking me to send him a catalogue of the concern of
Goodell, Pratt & Co., that he was going through his stock to see
if lie had any of their goods, and if he did he would put them
out. I think this should have some recognition, whether by vote
of your Association—probably it is better not to do it that way.
but we should give Mr. Pratt to understand that if he is going to
permit the catalogue houses to sell his goods at ten or twelve and
a half per cent above the extreme cost to the largest trade, then
it is proper you should seek some other source of trade.
I want to compliment the Secretary on another line. I notice
one line of manufacturers have been brought into line through
your Association, upon whom we worked for a number ot years.
I refer to the sandpaper manufacturers. We tried to get them. *
We tried to get them to restrict their prices so we could have a
proper differential for the distribution, and I notice that you have
succeeded in getting them into line, and I am very proud that
von have done what we failed to do.