Page 123 - Past Presidents' Club Book 1

124 The National Supply and Machinery Dealers’ Association

P r e sid e n t S t r o n g: Mr. Osgood, of the J. M. Carpenter
Company.
M r. O sgood: The Carpenter Company, which I have the
pleasure to represent, did not send a representative here to talk,
but to listen and to learn. Yet I feel it my individual duty to
put the Carpenter Company on record.
W e look with interest to the success of this Association
believing that the natural outlook for the manufacturer is through
the dealer. We have always protected him, and it has been our
policy to do so often to a more liberal margin than the dealer has
been holding himself.
Tt has been annoying to the manufacturer to see the dealer
split that commission to an illegitimate profit. The question has
often arisen among ourselves “What can we do to help him,” and
up to the present time we have never been able to solve that
question.
We are pleased to see that you are doing much to improve
the conditions by organization among yourselves.
The price of laps, for instance, some time ago was driven
low. The manufacturer begun to ask himself where it would end.
They got together and they found that the other fellow was not
so bad as they thought he was. W e got each other’s confidence
and we have met periodically for seven years. W e now begin
to feel that the other manufacturer was not so bad a fellow as
we suspected he was, but was a good fellow and that we could
repose confidence in him.
Now, gentlemen, it is up to you to solve the question about
th is; and we assure you that when you do solve that problem we
will be glad to help you, and I think I can assure you that every
tap manufacturer making standard goods will be glad to aid you.
P r e s i d e n t S t r o n g : The gentlemen who have favored us so
far have been mostly, if not all, from the supply line. I see Mr.
Thwing, a manufacturer, present. (Applause).

M r. T h w i n g : I thank you for calling on me. I am in
sympathy heartily with this organization, and I believe that it
will ultimately result in a great deal of good to you.
There is no use in my talking to you on the methods of the