Page 70 - Past Presidents' Club Book 1

First Annual Cant'cntioH 73

M r. B r a d l e y: I am not criticising. I want to inquire if the
application of this resolution as applying to the National Hard­
ware Association does not overlook the fact that in selling supplies
a great many manufacturers are going direct to the consumers
and giving better prices to them than to the dealers. It has
occurred to me it would be well to incorporate in it another
resolution to the effect that the manufacturers be curbed in that
direction.
Take certain lines of tools that the supply dealers are hand­
ling and distributing very largely, I know it is our experience that
on certain lines of big trade we go after, we find the manu­
facturers are taking it, and taking it at better prices than we can
buy it.

M r. M cI ntosh : That would be controlled by your
Secretary, as Mr. Fernley said. When they entered into an
arrangement of this kind they next asked for the jobbers’ list, and
then we got the extreme price—got the rebate. We have the
same trouble that you have. Anybody they call a jobber, they will
put on the jobber’s list. The work of your Secretary will be to go
through and find out to whom the rebate is to be given. It will not
be given to any consumer. I think that covers your point. Mr.
Bradley.

M r. Bradley : Would it be well to incorporate that in your
resolution? Take the wood screw; I think that applies to the
hardware dealer and the jobber. The word “jobber," or supposed
dealers who are supposed to get prices on wood screws, include
a number of consumers, and I have wondered to what extent an
association such as ours and the Hardware Jobbers' Association
could control and dictate as to what concerns are qualified for the
jobbers' list or not.

P resident S tro n g: Mr. McIntosh, I understand that the
preferred list of screws has been done away with.
Mr. M cI ntosh : My experience is that we have not been
able to do anything with the wood screw manufacturers.
P resident S tro n g: I do not think the item of wood screws
will ever be a very profitable one to the supply house. I do not
imagine the supply houses buy heavily enough of that item to get