Page 27 - Past Presidents' Club Book 1
P. 27
30 The X alional Supply and Machinery Dealers’ Association
morning' or afternoon to get around to see some of the interest
ing points?
P re s id e n t S t r o n g : That might be put in the form of a
motion after we get through with miscellaneous business. My
impression is, however, we will get our business transacted and
finished Thursday of this week, which will give us all day Fri
day to do as we please. The report of the Machinery Committee
is now in order.
M r. F. H. F ro w n : The Machinery Committee respectfully
submit the following report:—
Realizing that the dealer is confronted with a condition in
his business where the profits are growing less and less each year,
due to the increased cost of doing business, by advance in sales
men’s salaries, traveling expenses, taxes, insurance, rents, haul
ing. etc., it was thought best to make a request to the manufac
turers for a larger percentage of profits. With this end in view
the committee met in Xew York, October 17th and 18th, 1905,
to be present at the annual meeting of the National Machine Tool
Builders' Association, held at the Hoffman House. There were
present at that time F. FI. Brown* of Brown &Zortman Machinery
Company, Henry Prentiss, of the Prentiss Tool & Supply Com
pany', representing the committee, and E. E. Strong, President,
and J. H. Drury, Secretary of the committee. On the invitation
of the Secretary, P. E. Montanus, of the National Machine Tool
Builders’ Association, our committee were accorded the privi
leges of the floor, and the following was offered for the consid
eration of the National Machine Tool Builders’ Association:
“Conditions surrounding the handling and sale of machine
tools have undergone a serious and radical change in the past
five years. This change has come about so gradually that it has
only of late made its impression on the various machine tool
dealers throughout the country. A meeting of machinery and
supply dealers was called at Cleveland last February, to effect
an organization having as an object the bringing of dealers closer
together and to establish a warmer tie with manufacturers than
has previously’ existed.
“After the association was duly formed, a machinery com
mittee was appointed, consisting of Mr. F. H. Brown, of Pitts
