TOO MANY STORES
CONDITIONS SOMETIMES FOUND
IN NEWER SECTIONS.
IS A POOR BUSINESS POLICY
Good Judgment in Amount of Trade
Storekeeper Can Control Is
Great Essential to
Success.
There is such a thing as overdoing
business. There are numerous illus
trations of this condition in the newer
sections of the west. Towns are built
up before the country is fairly settled,
and there is little besides the town
trade to support the business concerns.
There w ill be several general stores to
supply what one good store should
look a.fter.
This is poor policy. There are cer
tain conditions that Indicate whether
there is room in a town or a commu
nity for a business concern. It is a
well-known fact that the people re
quire just so much food, so much
■clothing, so much this and that essen
tial to living, and while one family or
person may consume more than an
other certain person, when the average
is made it will be found that each
spends so much during the year. This
being the case, it is an easy matter
for the man contemplating establish
ing a store to estimate about the
amount of trade that he can safely
hope to control. If he oversteps the
limit, ho is sure to meet with disaster.
Where there are more stores than is
justified some dealer must conduct an
unprofitable business. It is generally
the one who has poor business ability.
The experienced and the capable al
ways win. but it is seldom that the
astute and careful merchant seeks a
location in an overworked field.
Where there are too many business
men in a town, there is always heard
complaints of dull business. The field
Is generally made an overdone one by
the classes which may be rightly
called "pikers" or small-caliber mer
chants, who see one storekeeper in a
place doing fairly well, and conclude
that there is a chance for themselves
to make a little easy money. The re
sult is poor business for all, and
eventually failure. It is poor judg
ment in matters of this kind that runs
up the list of general store failures
above the average in other lines.
It is important that the one looking
for a good location for a store of any
"kind, pick out a field where there is
need of the class of business estab
lishment that iie contemplates start
ing, and where there shall be patron
age enough to make the undertaking
a success. Unless this matter be care
fully investigated, one runs a risk.
In a new country the towns are gen
erally built up first, and the agricultur
al section settled up in a gradual way.
Settlers are not always a wealthy
class, and are not the most liberal
buyers. Still they must have neces
sities supplied, and here is where the
new town storekeeper gets his princi
pal business. A store is always suc
cessful in a thickly populated com
munity, if the management is such as
to draw trade. In the large city all
that is essential for success is capital
and brains to rightly conduct the busi
ness undertaken, for there is always a
large mass of people to do the buying,
and they will turn their trade to the
merchant that throws out the proper
inducements to them, and satisfies
them the best. In the country, or
small town, things are different and
"business must be conducted on a dif
ferent basis. Where there is not popu
lation enough to consume any great
amount of goods, it would be fool
hardy to try to build up a great busi
ness, for trade is regulated entirely
■by the wants of the people, and their
"wants are according to their customs,
Sheir success and tastes.
Pointer for the Merchant.
A thing that is more or less a con
stant source of annoyance to the gen
oral storekeeper, as well as his patrons,
is the matter of arranging goods so
that there is the right kind of dis
play, protection for the goods from
dust and dirt, and all arranged with a
view of ready access. It is necessary
that there be places for hundreds of
•different articles. Go into some stores,
;ask for a certain thing, a clerk may
lake several minutes m looking it up.
Not long ago a man called at a general
store and asked the proprietor for
tome small wax candles to be used
for ornamentation purposes. The
storekeeper said that he had them.
Then commenced a search of the
•premises. Corners wore looked into,
boxes examined, and no candles found.
The storekeeper was positive that he
bad them in stock, and finally after an
hour's search found the candles stored
away in a small box under the counter.
It required an hour of valuable (?)
time to find ten cents' worth of can
dles.
The up-to-date merchant will have
a place for everything and everything
in its place, well displayed and easy
of access. In the grocery store there
ehould be bins and drawers, shelves
and cases for all the stock. Store fur
niture manufacturers are continually
devising improved means of caring for
stocks and displaying the same. Rut
It matters not how perfect the store
arrangement in the way of furniture
and fixtures, there must bo system
employed. Sales are lost every day
by not having goods arranged rightly.
The buyer of groceries dislikes togo
Into a store where there Is a barrel of
sugar uncovered affording a feast for
the files and a stopping place for the
<Jii3t; neither doea the man have his
appetite for cheese or other like things
•whetted by seeing the arrangement
ssuggestlve of filth.
GENERALLY OF POOR GRADE.
Sales of Cheap Jewelry by Mall
Amount to Millions Annually.
Thf> report of the sales of one large
mail order house showed nearly a half
millions of dollars' worth of jewelry
and silverware sold annually. Take
the toial of all the jewelry sold by
the mail order system of business and
it is likely to amount to fully $25,000,-
000 to $;>0,000,000 annually.
If the people could be made to un
derstands what kind of stuff in the
watch and jewelry lines Is generally
sent out by the mail order houses they
would be more careful in buying. The
guarantee of these houses amounts to
little, regardless of the millions of dol
lars of capital they may have em
ployed in the business. All the guar
antee binds them to do is to supply
a new case if the one does not wear
for"the 20-year period." Not one
case in one thousand, even though they
do not last five years, are returned
to the concern for exchange. The
cases are generally lowest grade,
and made to order for the concerns.
Not long since the manager of one of
the catalogue houses called upon a
large watch manufacturing concern.
Ry the way this company would not
sell the company Its own trade-marked
watches unless there was an agree
ment not to cut prices. However, be
fore the manager left he had agreed
for several thousand watches to be
supplied them. Those watches were
of a certain grade, were sold at prices
lower than good watches could be as
sembled and tested. These watches
have the special marks of the con
cern, but not the name.
In rings, emblems, all classes of
jewelry, the mail order kind is the
cheapest. Should something of a su
perior character be listed, it will be
noted that prices are as high as the
local dealer asks. In silverware is
where the catalogue house gets in its
fine work on patrons. Plated ware
is generally sold according to the
amount, of silver, the weight to the
piece or the dozen pieces, used in the
plating and the amount of carved
work, etc. Like other goods, the mail
order house handles a class of ware
that is lightly plated and inferior to
that which is handled in the regular
stores.
THE LAWS OF COMMERCE.
Consumption of Products in Accord
ance with Fixed Principles.
It is useless to fight for innovations
and reforms that are not based upon
logic and sustained by sound princi
ples. There is too much of the super
ficial in evidence in the work of many
who undertake to better commercial
conditions. The scientist knows bet
ter than to ignore the laws of gravity
in his calculations. The reformer is
foolish to set about his work with an
idea of disobeying any known natural
law. He is sure to meet with failure.
There are conditions in the commer
cial world that must be observed. Trade
is in accordance with requirements
of the people, and these requirements
are according to other relative cir
cumstances. As our civilization ad
vances new demands manifest them
selves. While a hundred years ago
the people were satisfied with certain
commodities, it v;as because other
things known to us did not exist. The
expenses of living keep relatively the
same. We have statistics that show
the average requirements of a certain
class of people. We know to a cer
tainty how the average runs. We can
not tell how much a single man will
spend for living during a year, but we
do know the average that each in a
thousand or two thousand men will
spend, classifying them as to occu
pation and earning capacity. There
fore it stands to reason that in every
community the amount of trade is in
accordance with the population and
the classes of people composing the
community. It is useless to argue that
trade can be increased by certain
methods. A certain merchant by ad
vanced methods may increase his
trade, but as he does so some one else
loses proportionately. Reformers and
business builders should bear these
facts in mind, and not get their "wires
crossed."
Right Kind of Advertising.
Not long since in a western town
of some 7,000 population the mer
chants had an illustration of what can
be done by judicious advertising. The
proprietor of a clothing and dry goods
store decided that, he would add a
grocery department. This was met
with the disapproval of other mer
chants in the town, particularly the
grocers. They combined and com
menced an advertising campaign di
rected chiefly against him. Small
space was used. They were greatly
surprised one morning to find that the
object of their attention had in the
daily paper a four-page advertisement.
They were further suprised when the
weeklies of the surrounding towns
came 'out with one and two-page ad
vertisements, offering wonderful bar
gains and to pay the railroad fare of
those who would purchase a certain
amount of goods. For miles around
the town large posters announced the
great sale. Other merchants of the
town looked upon the venture as fool
ish, and predicted that there was
something wrong, a failure or a fire in
sight. Neither happened, but in two
weeks' time the enterprising store
keeper, who advertised to sell 25
pounds of granulated sugar for a dol
lar, when the jobbing price was more
than five dollars a hundred, provided
the purchaser ordered other goods, did
% business amounting to mora tfcaa
SIO,OOO, or as much business as Jiie
average small storekeeper doer in a
year. Not alone that, but he Is still
doing the biggest business in the town.
He advertised rightly.
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1908.
NEARLY 170 DEAD
HAVEBEEH FOUND
IN THE RUINS OF THE BOYER
TOWN OPERA HOUSE.
FEW CAN BE IDENTIFIED.
Tank Containing Coal Oil Was Upset,
the Oil Caught Fire and in the
Rush to Escape Scores of
Lives Were Lost.
Boyertown, Pa. When nightfall
on Tuesday put a stop to the
work of recovering the dead from the
ruins of the Khoades opera house,
where Monday nigtat's holocaust oc
curred, the official roll of victims num
bered 167. Whether any more bodies
are buried beneath the ruins cannot
be positively stated, but it is the be
lief of those who had charge of the
work that all of the dead have been
removed and that the total list of vic
tims will not go above 170. The ratio
of women aud girls to men and boys
Is about nine to one.
The bodies were so badly burned
that there was little to describe them
by and not half the victims will ever
be identified.
The opera house was located on the
second floor of a three-story brick
building.
There were about 250 persons
packed in the room, most of whom
were adults. The number of children
present was small. Later about 65
persons, all local talent, were on the
stage giving a performance of the
Scotch reformation. The entertain
ment was nearly over when some
thing went wrong with the calcium
light apparatus that was perched on a
small platform near the front en
trance of the building and at the back
of the audience. The light was in
charge of H. W. Fischer, of Carlisle,
Pa., and he says a rubber tubing
slipped from one of the tanks. At any
rate there was a hissing sound which
caused many in the audience to turn
their heads to see what it was.
Hearing the hissing sound and the
slight commotion in the audience, one
of the performers raised the curtain
from the floor. In front of the cur
tain and serving as footlights was a
tin tank perhaps eight feet long, three
inches wide and three inches high.
It contained Coal oil and a4>out 10
lights. In raising the curtain the per
former accidentally turned this tank
over and it fell to the floor within a
few inches of those in the front row.
Rev. Adam Weber, pastor of St.
John's Lutheran church, for the ben
efit of whose Sunday school the en
tertainment was being given, tried to
pick up the tank with the assistance
of others, but before they could do so
the oil flowed out and caught fire.
Then came the cry of "Fire!" and
what followed would be impossible to
accurately tell. Every eyewitness says
that the audience rose en masse and
the one impulse was to reach the
front door. All attempted it, but few
got out. The seats in the center of
the hall were of the folding variety,
screwed to the floor, while those
along the sides of the hall were loose
chairs. In the scramble to get out
many persons fell over the chairs and
were never able to regain their feet.
Those who did reach the front en
trance found it jammed with people.
One of the double doors had been
bolted shut so as to better enable the
ticket taker to take up tickets. Not
nore than two persons could pass this
door at one time and after the first
half dozen got through the narrow
passage it became clogged witli the
struggling mass of humanity. Men,
women, boys, girls and chairs were
tangled up in a solid mass that no
one from the outside was able to dis
entangle.
In the meantime someone discov
ered that there were fire escapes on
each side of the building and dozens
made their exit by those avenues of
escape and gave the alarm. The fire
bell was rung and the whole town
went to the rescue. All this time the
flames from the oil tank were creep
ing toward the mass of people who
were fighting to get out. The noise
was terrific and few heard the cries
of those who found the fire escapes.
Some of the bravest who had gained
the fire escapes pulled dozens from
the struggling mass and directed
them to the sides of the building.
While the people were fighting to
get down the front steps the calcium
light tank exploded and fire was
spread over the entire mass of peo
ple. This added horror was more
than the rescuers could stand and in
order to save their own lives they
were forced to flee down the fire es
capes. On the front steps outside the
door men pulled to open a way for
the wedged-in people, but not more
than half a dozen were rescued in this
manner. The explosion of the calci
um tank and the flames from the front
of the stage, which had by this time
reached the struggling people, made
further rescue impossible. The en
tire interior of the building was one
seething furnace.
Congress.
Washington.—An effort was made
in the house on the 14th to increase
the penalty to be imposed 011 officers
of corporations who violate the law
prohibiting money contributions for
political purposes, but it failed. The
senate discussed the recent bond is
sues by the treasury department, but
took no action.
A Precautionary Measure.
Baltimore, Sid. —Powder which
requires a dynamite cap to ignite and
gives no flame will hereafter be used
in the Monongah mines of the Fair
mont Coal Co., where over 300 men
lost their lives in December, and in
all the mines of the company.
Fixes a Date for Installation.
Washington, I). C. President
Roosevelt has ordered that the in
stallation of the president and con
gress of Cuba, to be elected next De
sember, and the turning over of the
Island to them be not later than Feb
ruary 1, l'JOtl.
THAW'S WIFE AND MOTHER
j 3IVE TESTIMONY TO SHOW THAT
HE WAS INSANE.
Defense Made Good Progress During
Friday's Session of Court—Je
rome Springs a Surprise.
New York City. A series of
surprises brought the Thaw trial near
a crisis Friday. Both Evelyn Thaw,
the wife, ami Mrs. William Thaw, the
mother of the defendant, were 011 the
witness stand and just as the former
was about to relate anew the story of
her life as she told it to Thaw in
Paris in 1903, District Attorney Je
rome suggested that in the interest of
public morals all persons save those
immediately interested in the case
should be excluded from the court
room during the recital of what he
termed "a horrible tale."
The motion included the represent
atives of newspapers as well as the
public generally. Attorney Martin
VV. Littleton, of the defense, joined
in it to shield the young woman from
hundreds of curious eyes and said
that so far as the constitutional right
to an open hearing was concerned, he
was ready to waive that point in any
manner the court might suggest. Pro
ceedings were suspended until next
Monday, when Justice Dowling will
announce his decision.
Mr. Jerome attacked the witness in
a new way and by standing immedi
ately in front of her and objecting
to practically every question which
Mr. Littleton asked in his preliminary
examination as to her early history,
cut the young woman's recital from
the effective narrative form it as
sumed last year into a hundred frag
ments. Many of the objections were
sustained by the court. When these
failed, the prosecutor was ever ready
with others until the testimony fairly
was torn into shreds and had lost
entirely the many little touches of hu
man interest which were a part of
the narrative last year, when no ob
jections were offered.
TENANTS FOUGHT EVICTION.
Police Reserves Took a Hand in the
Low Rent Crusade.
New York City. Forcible re
sistance by tenants whom an upper
East Side landlord was trying to evict
resulted Friday in the gathering of a
crowd of 2,000 or more sympathizers
in the neighborhood who made so
much trouble for the police that the
precinct reserves were called out.
During the rioting four women and
a number of men were taken into cus
tody.
The riotous demonstration began
when a city marshal and about 25
assistants visited the block on the
south side of East One Hundred and
Fourth street, between First and Sec
ond avenues, with 80 dispossess war
rants for families who had unitedly
demanded reductions In tent of a dol
lar a month and had refused to pay
the landlord's collector more than the
new rate they had ilxed. The taking
out of the furniture from the rooms
of the first family visited was the sig
nal for an attack on the marshal and
his men by scores of tenants.
The immediate purpose of the dem
onstration, however, was effected, the
marshal deciding not to attempt the
serving of more dispossess warrants
at the time.
THE NATIONAL LAWMAKERS.
Proceedings of the Senate and House
of Representatives.
Washington.—An effort was made
in the house on the 14th to increase
the penalty to be imposed on officers
of corporations who violate the law
prohibiting money contributions for
political purposes, but it failed.
Washington.—ln the house on the
15th a number of amendments to the
bill codifying the penal laws of the
United States were agreed to. The
senate passed a joint resolution re
ducing from $24,000,000 to ? 11,000,000
the war indemnity to be paid by
China to the United States.
Washington.—On the 10th the sen
ate calendar was cleared of nearly
every bill on it and the bill to revise
the criminal laws of the United States
was discussed until adjournment,
which was until the 20th.
Washington. —On the 17th the
house passed a large number of pen
sion bills and adjourned until the
20th. The senate was not in session.
FINANCE AND TRADE.
Confidence in the Future Grows More
Rapidly than Current
Business.
New York City. —R. G. Dun &
Co.'s Weekly Review of Trade says:
Progress is slow, but each week
brings a little improvement and con
fidence in the future grows more rap
idly than current transactions. The
best feature is the broader market
for commercial paper. Loans in mer
cantile channels are now negotiated
freely at little more than the normal
rate, facilitating postponed undertak
ings and making collections more
prompt.
Manufacturers increase production
gradually, conservatism being gener
al, and many industries are not op
crating more than 50 per cent of their
full capacity. Readjustment of wages
is still contemplated by many produc
ers before machinery will bo started.
Several more steel plants have re
sumed and others will start up next
week.
Three Girls Killed.
Scranton, Pa. Three girls were
killed, ten seriously injured and
a score or more slightly hurt in a
fire in the Imperial Knitting Co.'s mill
here Friday. Those killed met their
fate by jumping from windows to the
pavement.
Troops Can Stay a Little Longer.
Washington, D. C. President
Roosevelt has informed Gov. Sparks,
of Nevada, that he will permit the
troops to remain in Nevada for such
length of time as will give the legis
lature opportunity to organize a force
to perform police functions.
I Balcom A Lloyd. I
fij WE have the best stocked
I general store In the county I
Sand if you are looking for re
ff liable goods at reasonable g
H prices, we are ready to serve i
E you with the best to be found,
fjj Our reputation for trust- >4
worthy goods and fair dealing
» is too well known to sell any
P but high grade goods. |
1 Our stock of Queensware and
| Ghinaware is selected with 0}
|i great care and we have some U
? of the most handsome dishes B
j| ever shown in this section,
i both in imported and domestio
p makes. We invite you to visit
g us and look our goods over. |
! Balcom & Lloyd, j
|! LOOK ELSEWHERE BUT DON'T FORGET
|4 THESE PRICES AND FACTS AT |j
I | LaBAR S | I
»« H ii
»« , "H3HZZZIZI H
mi We carry m Stock ■ |h||
£4 the largest line of Car- ' ||
Hg pets, Linoleums and r * IwS&l uSfuiTOTm - S3
E2 Mattings of all kinds w_l(f
E2 ever brought to this
P§ town. Also a big line 1 ' M
II of samples. ! QBM| M
A very large line of -FORTHE I M
22 Lace Curtains that can- pi
11 7L\'^;Lr-COMfORTABLE LOW »j
Art Squares and of fine books in a choice library
Rugs of all sizes and select the Ideal pattern of CJlobe*
14 kind, from the cheap* Wernicke "Elastic" Bookcase.
M est to the best Furnished with bevel French £3
|| plate or leaded glass doors.
M Dining Chairs, I »°" •»« ■* I N
I j Rockers and GEO. J. L^BAR,
fcg High Chairs. Sole Agent for Cameron County. |J
12 A large and elegant I— g.J
K line of Tufted and
£;g Drop-head Couches. Beauties and at bargain prices. kg
M II
|3O Bedroom Suite, OC |4O Sideboard, quar- fc2
Pi solid oak at 4)ZO tered oak 4>v?iJ S *
H f2B Bedroom Suita, COI $32 Sideboard, quar- **
solid oak at 4)«! tered oak-. sfr£U r §
Jf* |26 Bed room Suits, CIO |22 Sideboard, quar- #| C
solid oak at. tered oak, 4MO |sj|
M A large line of Dressers ftota I Cb ffoniers of all kinds aud ft*
M 9S up. I a 1 prices. fc#
II
If The finest.line of Sewing Machines on the .majfiket, ft'i
|| the "DOMEStirC" and "ELLRIB'CJE.' All dft>f- Zj
heads and warranted. Ra
A fine-line of Dishes, common grade and China, in ?•?
sets and "by the piece. IW
As I keep a full line of everything that gees to M
M make up a good Furniture store, it is useless to euum-
H erate them all.
N Please call and see for yourself that lam testing jjf^g
hf you the truth, and if you doh'J: buy, there is no liirin tg
done, as it is no trouble to show godds.
•i GEO. J .LaBAR. !|
3