BUILDING UP TRADE ■SOME THINGS THE MERCHANTS SHOULD NOT OVERLOOK. POPULARITY WINS SUCCESS Methods of Advertising to Bring Do cirable and Lasting Results- Comparison of City and Country Stores. "TTow can I make my store a popular trading place?" is the question asked toy hundreds of retailers. The answer is simple—just make it popular. "Rut how? asks the merchant. There are • various ways, but like the eleven hun dred sects comprising Christianity, ■with the reaching of Heaven the aim •of all, each way is to attain the same ■end, and that is publicity. In these days of live competition it is the live, tip-to-date merchant that gets there «very time. This class of retailers will have his store a model one, the arrangement of his well-selected as sortment of goods so as to give the greatest display and attractive to the eves of his customers; will keep fully informed as to latest trade methods, have clerks who aro salesmen, and must be a judicious and excellent ad vertiser. There is little use in filling the col umns of the papers with attention-at tracters and not be able to make good when the expected customer calls at the store. In the small town the merchant who tries to follow some of the methods of the city stores will fail. Above all other things he must he honest in his advertising. lie must value the truth when telling in the columns of the local paper what bar- Rains he has. His customers are gen erally steady ones; week in and week out they visit his place. Much trade In the cities is of a migratory class. The keepers of shops are out for the money, and they little care how they get it. If they can sell the visitor to the store a suit of shoddy clothes for what, pure wool is worth, all right. He may be from some country town, and not know the difference. Sell the same class of clothes In your homo town to the same buyer, you might lone not alone his trade but the trade ■of his neighbors. It pays to be hon •est in your advertising. The merchant who ha? gained the reputation for square dealing has a capital that is sometimes better than money. He is sure to gain and re tain customers, and his reputation goes a big distance with the jobbing houses. In fact, he will get the best of the deal all around. Unless advertising brings returns it 1s money thrown away. Rut whether advertising makes good or not de pends upon how it is done. Ethics of the medical profession prohibits doc tors doing other advertising than the simple publication of a card giving the title and address. The quack, who realizes that there is virtue in prin ter's ink, publishes column after col umn or full pages when he advertises. He makes it win. He tells the people 1n an interesting way that he has the goods to deliver, whether he has or not, and he makes them believe him. Just the simple statement that" George Hrown & Co., Grocers," are located in a certain town, hasn't much pulling power. It is money given to the prin ter "just to help him." The printer dees not need such help. He wants his paper to be a trade puller, to bene fit Us advertisers. The wise editor will see that his merchant advertisers use advertising space properly. It is to his advantage as well as the mer chant's advantage that this is done. When you advertise, consider the (amount it costs the same as you do the money that you pay for goods. The only difference is that you can pay money for goods, keep them on your shelves for years if the people don't know that you have them; the money you pay the printer is for letting the people know that you keep goods for sale and to make the selling part easy. Judicious spending of money for the Tight kind of advertising cannot fail to win in the end and pay a better per centage of profit than is afforded in ~he same amount being spent in goods. I). M. CARR. Investment of Surplus Cash, It appears that any legitimate mon •-making proposition need not seek tc sell its stock among the people all over the land. There is always ample capital securable for sound enterpr'n •«s that will pay even five or six per cent, on the investment. It is well to bc-ware of Hie companies that adver tise their stocks for sale with the promise of a rapid advance in values, and large dividends. If there were a certainty of these accomplishments •it would not be necessary for the pro moters togo beyond the first good "banking institution in their way to secure all the funds necessary to -carry on tj'.e business. For Extending Canada's Trade. A special commissioner sent over by the British board of trade to find means of extending Canada's trade •with Kngland reports, says Consul -1 "General Bradley, of Montreal, that 122 of the leading manufacturing firms in the United States have operating branches in Canada, and that from $25.00().,100 ta $75,000,000 of American capital is invested in Montreal alone. Power of the Home Press. One of the most powerful influence? of the country is the home press, the local papers. The editor can do much for his town if he only will, and if he receives the support that lie merits from the business interests of the place where he may reside. His in jtercets are the people's interests; th« success liis success. WHAT FOLK CONSUME. Business Always Regulated by th« Wants of the People. It Is an established principle that the consuming capacity of the people averages just so much year after year, and fluctuates according to business and financial conditions. As new things are brought into use, perhaps tho per capita expense of living in creases and becomes adjusted to changed conditions. Then it is rea sonable to believe that so far as the consuming capacity of the United States is concerned it will grow according to the increase in popula tion, and the educated tastes of the people. Whether conditions that have been found practical and afford an equitable compensation to all engaged in trade are to be continued, or whether the tradesman known as the retailer is to be cut out of the game and the people supplied directly through the manufacturer and his direct represen tative is an important question. Oiy» of the systems that is far reaching in its baneful effects la the mail-order system. About 50 per cent, of tho people of the United States live in agricultural sections. It is from theso agricultural districts that the mail order bouses draw the trade, not from the cities. The question is whether it is best for the masses that these mammoth houses in the large cities drive the small merchants out of busi ness or not? Is it to the advantage of the manufacturers and the jobbers that tho large houses continue to grow? The existence of these houses has nothing to do with the consuming power of the people. Their existence does not increase trade an iota. Why, then, should the people patronize them, and why should manufacturers and jobbers give them support by supplying them with goods? It may be that a charge of discrimination would 'oe made against concerns that re fused to sell. The catalogue house should not have any advantage over the dealer in the small town, and soon the masses would discover that there was nothing to be gained by patroniz ing the distant houses. VALUE OF GOODS. Snap-Hunting Often Means Loss of Money and Time. Snap hunting rarely pays. People should fix in their heads the fact that gold dollars can never be purchased for 90 cents, unless there is 10 cents' worth of gold worn off. The same with goods. Values must be lowered either by over production, out of date styles, or some other circumstances. Now and then a concern is forced to sell in order to meet obligations. Then things go under the hammer, and there may be a chance to get goods much below real values. But the mat ter of buying standard goods at sacri ficial prices through regular trade channels should be carefully consid ered. When a lot of goods are offered at a cut rate, at so low a price that it is apparent someone must lose by the transaction, look out for a "nigger in the fence." The goods may be of inferior quality, and not the kind a respectable merchant would care to offer to his patrons. Sound Foundation Required. There is little use in trying to build up a great town in a locality where there is not the material to sustain it, and where there are only resources for the support of a hamlet. Towns of Importance exist only where there are certain natural advantages, re sources that can be utilized in manu facturing, territory sufficiently large to command extensive trade, or some other favorable condition. In certain districts manufacturing must by the economy of things bo confined to such lines as can be advantageously produced. In manufacturing there are many factors. There must be con sidered the cost of fuel, the raw ma terial, the labor and most important are the transportation facilities. Blessing of Good Roads. The town that has good roads lead ing to it. is blessed. Surely there is no more disagreeable thing, nor any thing more adverse to the business interests of a place than impassable, boggy roads. There is little < xcuso for poo." roads in the well settled com munity. it may in the beginning be somewhat expensive to put the roads in order, but in the end it will prove that the saving in wear and tear on wagons and horses will well repay all the additional expense. And to tho town good roads a; - e almost vital. The average farmer would rather drive three or four iniH-s farther to a town over good roads '-.ban do his trading when it is necessary togo hub deep ing the distant houses. Good Rosds Movement. The good roads movement hns taken a firm bold in the agricultural sections of the middle west. Good roads mean savings aggregating mil lions of dollars yearly to the farmers, and to the merchants of the towns as well. The prize-offering for sections of road leading into towns is a stimu lant, and once interest is thoroughly aroused th* work demonstrates the benefits to be had, and there is little trouble in having the highways kept up to a high standard. Title pt. »«. tee ua« Itmt, II 3