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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1909)
10 THE MOKMXG OKEGOXIAN, THCTKSUa.Y, JU5E 3, 1909. GROCERS SEEK TO PROTECT BUSINESS Hostility to Jobbers and Manu facturers Who Sell to Pub lic Is Expressed. ASK WHOLESALERS TO ACT Resolution Sent to Convention In Detroit on Opening Day of Na tional Gathering Held In Portland. Sudden and unexpected action on the Iart of the National Association of Retail Grocers late last night, which opened in convention in Portland yesterday, heralds a contest between the wholesale grocer nd his retail brother that. It is believed, ' can end only with the one the manufac turer decides to favor. The convention, which was held In the Masonic Temple, had received a motion to adjourn, and while It waited for a second J. 1. Schultz sprang- to the floor with a resolution to be telegraphed to the wholesale grocers, now in convention at Detroit. Before the resolution could be considered, storm broke out on the floor. Every one wished to speak at once, for the point raised is the distinguisning line between the wholesale man and the retail grocer and practically calls upon 'the wholesale trade to admit the differ ence. Jobbers Cut Into Business. 1 At present, say the retail grocers, the wholesale men cut Info the retail business by selling to consumers anxious to pur chase In large quantities. Now the re tail grocers has called upon the whole salers' convention to recognize the dis tinction that the wholesaler may sell to the retailer, leaving the retailer to sell to the actual consumer. The original resolution by Mr. Schulta failed to pass the meeting, not being brought to a vote, but one along the same lines was proposed by J. R. Newbury and passed by acclamation. To pass the resolution It was necessary "to suspend the rules, which was done. Message Sent to Wholesalers. The following is the text of the reso lution as it was telegraphed to the convention of the wholesale grocers last night at Detroit. Unsolved, That the producers and manu facturers should recognize both great factors In the distribution of food products, to-wlt: the wholesaler and the retailer, and for mutual protection of both factors, as well as iy a wpn-oennea line Detween a wholesaler and a retailer, we suirest tht whole saler be the factor distributing at wholesale rates only to the retailing- trade, the re tailer being- the factor that Anally distributes to the consumer. That the wholennlei. la .ntm.., ,.nnt... from the manufacturer and producer a less jjritc man is maae to tne retail distributor. Consumer Are ClasslAed. That the consumer shall be denominated one who consumes his purchases upon his own premises, therefore it outs into ih consumers' class hotels, restaurants, camps of all kinds, railroads, steamships, boats and 'he Government. And when a wholesaler (listrlhutes to the consuming trade he shall bo denominated retailer by the producer and manufacturer and his goods sold accord ingly. Foregoing resolution was passed by accla mation at the convention of the National Association of Retail lirocers tonight. The convention was In a receptive feeling for such action, audden and un expected though It was. All the day the feelings of the delegates had been played upon by first one delegate and then another, and there was consider able feeling shown against the whole saler who was not of the bona fide class. During the afternoon session one speaker advised that only manufactur ers supporting the retail trade should he supported by the merchants. But it was the speech of Vice-President Sulli van, of Chicago, that first stirred up the delegates. It la a foregone conclusion that the wholesale men will treat tho resolution with scorn. Their ' business in many respcts depends on not recognizing the distinction. But the retail men are eroused. They propose to call upon the manufacturer to recognize the differ ence and not to supply the wholesaler w-ho sells to the consumer at rates cutting those at which the retail mer chant can dispose of his goods Judging by the spirit of the' conven tion, it is not unlikely that definite action will be taken against certain manufacturers. That this may even extend to a boycott is not unlikely The foelinir is that joint and con certed action among the delegates to the convention may bo sufficient to make the manufacturers decline to sup tf- ft t i US -S t t - . ;f v - i , - ' - - - 3 . ' - 1 ply wholesale grocers also selling as retailers at wholesale prices. As prospective- president, Mr. sum- vans words called forth special comment when he said that the grocers of the country resented inter yesterday afternoon. As prospective president, Mr. Sullivan's words called forth special comment when he said that the grocers of the country resented inter ference with their business by the manu facturer and jobber. The feeling that he had aroused was reflected later when a telegram of good wishes was read from the National Association of Wholesale Grocers in conference at Detroit, which was received in dead silence. Mr. Sullivan hinted at a great deal more than he said on the floor, but he declared with considerable force that the whole saler had no right to sell tb the public "We are equipped to do that," he said. "We keep in touch with the public and know its wants. I would rather see 1000 stores In one city with one owner each and no employes, than one store with 1000 employes. The grocers are the first people to feel business depression. They suffer most from change in conditions. The manu facturer, jobber and grocer each has a place for himself and one should not in terfere with the other. Each has a place or himself. We deprecate parcels post legislation as tending totally to destroy the country store. "After traveling over the whole country we are here to work for a common end the benefit of mankind." Postal Savings Bank Attacked. President C. J. Kramer, Little RocK, Ark., made a violent attack on the postal savings bank, saying It would entirely remove money from circulation and place It where it was useless. Parcels cost- mail-order houses, wholesalers selling to the public, the bankruptcy act and other acts of the Legislature all came in for condemnation. "Through the efforts of the association, we have been able to Keep this iniquitous piece of legislation off the statute books." said he, referring to the parcels post act. The postal savings bank he called a place "where the bankrupt could deposit his stealings." "We must do," he continued, "what will be for the greatest good of the country at large. We must remember that there are represented here 27 states and tne District of Columbia and we must not pass resolutions that will be harmful to anyone. "If the manufacturer stands by us, we will stand by the manufacturer. Many manufacturers think the retailer has no rights. He has, but he has to fight for them. "The question we have to decide is as to what constitutes a wholesaler and a retailer. When we have decided that, we can then begin to discuss co-operation and not competition. "Let none of us follow the example of the man who gives an order to get rid of the salesman and then wires to the manufacturer, canceling the order. Re member the salesman is In business like the rest of us. "Be as just and fair to your fellow mer chant as you expect him to be to you. "Regarding the tariff, I am opposed to anything that will place a tax on the breakfast table. Let's agitate for a. free breakfast table. Duties should be placed on luxuries and not on necessities. Most 01 us are living beyond our means, com pared with what we were doing a year ago, and this Is owing to the action of the manufacturer In raising the price wher ever he Is ables" Discussing recent lawsuits, Mr. Kramer said there was nothing unlawful in ..miiuiauuier placing a nxed price on certain articles. "It will keep many a small merchant from going to the dogs," he said. After reiterating the necessity for the grocer to maintain quality, Mr. Kramer said: "In my period of office I have, done what I beleve was best for the greatest number." J. C. Mann, president of the Portland Retail Grocers' Association, opened the convention by calling on Rev. Clarence True Wilson for an invocation. Mr. Mann then gave his address of welcome, saying he bid the delegates welcome in the name of both Portland and Oregon. H. W. Schwab, National treasurer, re sponded, saying that when Portland did a thing it was done well. The afternoon session was devoted to hearing the reports of state pres idents. There was a very meager at tendance, as many of the delegates were enjoying the "seeing Portland-' ride. This led to many gaps in the state reports. Among the subjects touched on were the necessity of using pressure with legislatures in the matter of laws ben efiting the trade. Many recommenda tions were made that there should be state food laws as well as National food laws and the representatives from Washington state drew special ap plause by saying that Washington had such a law. The California representative was the shining light, as showing that his association had secured the passing of a garnishment law, laws not so easy for the bankrupt, a law making the passing of a forged check a felony and many others. ' From the opinions expressed it ap peared that the different associations were working along lines tending to wards unification of many state laws. A short measure and weight act was declared to be a National necessity. DELEGATES TO NATIONAL CONVENTION OF RETAIL GROCERS, NORTHERN 00 MAY BUILD DEPOT Dispute Over Local Terminal Situation Still Unsettled, Says James J. Hill. "EMPIRE BUILDER" IS HERE Declares Belief In Portland's Great ness and Says 500,000 Popula tion Would Require Greater Facilities for Traffic. Whether the terminal situation in Portland will be settled by the Great Northern in Its forthcoming entry to Portland, and the North Bank road using the Union Depot, or by the Hill roads building a new depot, is a matter still for further consideration. This was the substance of the reply of James J. Hill, chairman of the Great Northern board, in Portland last night, to a question as to whether the Hill Harriman agreement for the joint use of the Northern Pacific tracks between Portland and South Tacoma had settled the problem. "The matter will probably be settled soon," said Mr. Hill. "But if Portland is to become a city of 500,000 or 1,000, 000 people, business may demand the erection of our own depot. Take 600, 000 population, for example. I see no reason why Portland should not attain that growth. The city has the country and the resources back of it to make it such. When it is that large the Union Depot would not likely have the yard room necessary to care for the business of all the roads. It has the river on one side, and the yards cannot expand in that direction. We have plenty of room, and It may be deemed alvisable to erect our own station." Great Northern Trains Soon. "When will the Great Northern trains be running Into Portland?", was asked or Mr. mil. "Well, I should say It will not be very long," was the reply. "Those things come about in time, and time passes quicKiy, you know." . "Can you not fix the time more defi nitely?" "No, I could not," said Mr. Hill. "When will the work of double-track ing the Northern Pacific line between Portland and Tacoma be commenced?' "I do not know." While not inclined to give definite an swers to the foregoing direct Questions. Mr. Hill was not at all reticent about other matters. Seated in the lobby of the Cornelius Hotel, he gave an extended exposition of his views on wheat supply and demand, showing a mind well stored with statistics as to production and ton nage and data. Mr. Hill branched Into this subject when asked for his views on Portland's future as the export wheat outlet for Eastern Oregon and Washington. There has been a great deal in the newspapers recently about Mr. Patten, he said. "His operations have been ex ploited as a corner on wheat. Tet Pat ten's wheat has been sold and the 'cor ner Is out of existence, but the price of wheat remains high. In reality there was no Patten wheat corner. Patten's buying of wheat in this territory did not affect the price of wheat in Oregon a bit. We need our wheat at home, and the fact of the matter Is that more wheat was exported last year than the country could spare. Limit of Wheat Production Near. "In the last 25 years six new wheat states have been opened, and there are no more new states. We are now draw ing near the time when there will be no more new sod to turn for grain grow ing. In those 25 years the wheat pro duction of the country has increased 25 per cent and the population has in creased 65 per cent. "A few years ago the farmers of Ne braska were feeding corn to their hogs and cattle and selling their grain on the hoof. They could afford to do this with corn at IS to 20 cents a bushel, but with corn at 65 cents per bushel, what is the result? The price of beef and pork has gone up until the millions of ' working men of the country do not use so much meat as formerly. They are buying bread instead returning to staples. I believe the census records will bear me out in the statement that the wheat consump tion per capita in America has increased 5 per cent within the last five years. "You can see that the United States is going to need all Its wheat and the time Is not far away when all the 'wheat raised west of the mountains will be shipped east of the mountains. Tou need not worry about wheat for export. Railroad yards are the real harbors of the country. Look at St. Louis. That city during one period of the year has a depth in the river harbor of 20 feet. while in the dry season the denth is six to seven feet. Out; of the 48,000.000 ton nage in St. Louis In 1907 one-fourth of 1 per cent moved by water. The other 99 per cent moved by rail. Duluth and West Superior have a greater water tonnage than any other city in the world that Is freight shipped by water. Liverpool's water tonnaee Is 31,000,000; the tonnage at the two cities I named is 34,000,000. Every ton of this freight is hauled to Duluth and West Superior by four railroads. Railroad yards are tne harbors of the world." Can you tell of anv improvements planned for Portland by your railroads?" Improvements Wait on Agreement. Improvements here will denend on the final outcome of the agreements now pending." "What about the report that John W. Stevens, vice-president of the New York, New Haven & Hartford, has resigned to take a high position with the Northern Pacific?" "There is nothing to it." was Mr. Hill's repiy. "Mr. Stevens will not be con nected with either the Northern Pacific or Great Northern." The "empire-builder" arrived in Port land yesterday afternoon at 2:20 by spe cial train from Seattle, where he had de livered tne principal address at the open ing of the A-Y-P Exposition. His train was left in the yards of the North Bank road and Mr. HU1 and those with him registered at the up-town hotels. A part of the afternoon was spent by Mr. Hill in consultation with President Clark of the North Bank. Afterward he was taken for an automobile ride over the city and was entertained at dinner at the Arling ton Club. He will leave for St. Paul this morning. Hearing at Llnnton Today. The Oregon Railway Commission will hold a hearing at Linnton today to in vestigate complaints by the residents of that place of discrimination by the United Railways system. Cars now stop at the sawmill near Linnton, but the company refuses to'Btop the cars at the town proper. Tho residents are considerably worked up over the mat ter and the .result may be that the commission will. order the company to grant the relief asked. MOTHER BARTERS CHILD Woman Disposes of Little Daughter to Be With Affinity. - In order that she may devote herself to a traveling man she calls her affinity, Mrs. Emma Manche, of Tacoma, gave up her only child, a 6-year-old daughter, yes terday. She not only forfeited all claim to the child but gave up her right to visit it. She must forget she ever had a daughter. Her husband, E. J. Manche, is the one who effected this most unusual barter w ii.il me woman, tie rouowed her from TflPnmil BCVAral - . i v. . . j " " . wucu one it i l her home with S. B. Phillips, the man in mo x no woman nrougnt tne child wiiii iier ana, upon arriving m Portland placed her with a public institution. She registered at a local hotel, as did Phil lips, remaining until the irate husband arrived in the city and had them ar rested. After spending a night In the County a...v. t-uimuiiieu wiin tne prop R hi 11 tV (if n Inner 1 i.n a j n .v. ... at, jail mi n oejjara- tton from Phillips, Mrs. Manche accepted the offer of immunity In exchange for l. V. . 1 .1 rr v. i . . . ic "iiu. Aue unnatural motner errect erl the PTcliaiicn wilhniit ifania,, . t ing. Her husband promised to drop the pruceeainB against, ner and get a di- VnrCO fan eric mlcrVif. TTJ V. i T 1 1 it- ' . i j x iiuuiia. 1 1 will return to Tacoma with his mother- icbb aaiigDicr au once. EIGHT MEDICS GRADUATE Willamette Sends Out 4ed Class of Young Doctors. SALEM, Or., June 2. (Special.) The Grand Opera-House was crowded to the doors tonight to witness the 42d annual commencement exercises of the medical department of Willamette University. The programme Included an address by Judge Webster, of Portland, conferring of degrees by Dr. Homan, president of the university, and the charge to the class by Dr. J. N. Smith. The class roll includes Grover Cleveland Bellinger, Mearle Clenendon Fox, Floyd D. Lewis, John Irving Russell, Esther Mir iam Silversmith, Walter dark Smith, James. Edwin Stuart and Frederick Hill Thompson. There are four in the nurse class, as follows: Iris Olympia Looney, Gertrude Ann Harrison, Cornelia Reiser and Grace Zelber Kelzer. Melbourne. Premier Fisher, having re signed office because of his defeat In Parlia ment, Alfred Doakln has formed & new Cab inet. NOW IN SESSION IN PORTLAND Completely Furnished for Business WILL BE SOLD FOR GASH OR TERMS Key may be secured from the druggist at corner of Front and Gibbs streets. Take the "S" or "IT" cars, which pass the door. This shop has every convenience necessary to the trade and is very cozily appointed. Nothing old or worn about the furnishings. Will Be Rented or Sold on these easy terms: If rented, the monthly rental will be $30, water rate not included. If purchased, $10 monthly may be paid on the purchase price of .the furnishings, which will be listed at the actual cost price, J190. , There is business at this point to warrant two chairs, and a good barber can easily do a very profitable business. The owner of the building, Mr. I. Gevurtz, wishes to secure a good tenant, and therefore makes this liberal offer. There are two living-rooms in the rear and a full basement. Man and wife could be very comfortably situated. Location southeast corner Front and Gibbs streets. EXCISE BILL SCORED Dickinson Replies to McKenna on Proposed Law. WOULD INVITE LITIGATION Proposed Law to Regulate Liquor Traffic Would Prove Severe Det riment to Business, Says Crit ic Defects Pointed Out. The Oregon State Hotel Men's Asso ciation Is still convinced that the excise board amendment to be voted on at the coming: election Is & menace to their own and the business interests of Port land generally. The reply of the Municipal Associa tion, given by F. I. McKenna yesterday, stirred the Hotel Association to reiter ate Its charges, which Mr. McKenna declared were misrepresentations. Through the president of the Hotel As sociation, M. C. Dickinson, a reply to Mr. McKenna was issued yesterday af ter having" been submitted to the Port land members and receiving their ap proval, in which it is declared that the members of the Municipal Association are unwittingly standing in with un scrupulous bottlers of inferior liquors. In his reply President Dickinson says: Air. Dickinson's Reply. I desire to say first that, according; to the amendment Mr. McKenna has drawn, that it Is a fact that a hotel barroom could not possibly be connected with the lobby of the hotel. Section 15 of the proposed excise law states "The purpose of this sec tion being; that - the saloon business shall be conducted in one room with but one en trance for patrons." Section 17 states, "It shall be unlawful to have therein or In any room connected therewith, any chair, seat, bench or place for patrons to sit, lounge or recline." I, therefore, maintain that the barroom of a hotel could have but one, entrance for patrons and that entrance on the street. The language above quoted from the pro posed amendment is plain English that any ordinary person can understand. If there can be no room connected with our barrooms in which patrons can "sit.- lounge PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN FRONT HOP FOR KENT or' recline." our hotel lobbies cannot be I connected with ou- barrooms. What is a patron? A person who patron izes or purchases. The guests of our hotels are patrons. They rent our rooms, they patronize our dining-rooms, our cigar stands and our barrooms. The hotel Is the tem porary home of a guest and, therefore, the guest who is the patron of the bar or The man about town wbo la the patron of the bar cannot sit In our lobbies or walk from our lobbies to our barrooms, except by go ing out on the street and through tho street entrance Into the barroom. If Mr. McKenna, in drawing this proposed amendment, did not mean the language used in the amendment, he should have so stated or, like the little third readers we used to have In school, should have put an asterisk on the. right-hand side of the paragraph and a foot note at the bottom of the column, explaining that the provisions quoted from sections 15 and IT do not mean what they Ray, and I have a strong suspicion that should this matter ever come up for in terpretation by the courts that Mr McKenna will not be the man to interpret it. We are, however, very glad to have him on record and know exactly what he means. Reported Aimed at Hotels. Further, this proposed amendment Is aimed particularly at hotels and clubs and It has been stated by a prominent member of the Municipal Association that this meas ure proposes to curtail and interfere with the business of the Portland Hotel and the Oregon Hotel in particular. The measure would not interfere with a saloon to the ex tent of & hotel, for the following reasons: If a saloon has hut one entrance and that entrance on the street, there will be prac tically no hardship In that, as many of out best and most respectable saloons In this city are so constructed, but take away from the hotel Its entrance from its lobby and you have dealt it a death blow. Second- While this proposed amendment reads in paragraph 15, "The purpose of this section being that the saloon business shall be conducted in one room with but one entrance for patrons," there Is, to say the least, an open question whether this would be construed to permit of any other en trance even to admit stocks of goods or removal of debris. If it were the Inten tion of the frame rs of this proposed meas ure to allow for such entrance, why did they not state so? They have been very ex plicit In paragraph IS to make it prac tically Impossible to exercise ordinary cleanly methods in saloons, except on Sat urday nights, when they are kind enough to allow one hour for cleaning out and putting the place In order. The other five nights In the week no provisions are made for cleaning the place. This reminds me of the story of the man who went to the hotel, was shown to a nice room with a bath. He looked at the white enamel tub and said, "Gee! That looks awfully nice. I wish It was Saturday night so I could take a bath." Third Mr. McKenna says. "We look upon the declaartlon by Mr. Dickinson that the hotel business would be ruined by the adoption of the Excise Board amendment as a third misrepresentation." I don't be lieve Mr. McKenna knows much about the hotel business and the conditions surround ing It In the City of Portland. This is the first time in the history of the State of Oregon that the first-class hotels In the City of Portland have united to prevent the passage of a measure which they consider ruinous to their business. Our hotels rep resent a combined capital of a great many millions of dollars and did we not all be lieve this measure would ruin our business and greatly damage our city it Is safe to OF THE PORTLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY. Contents of the Shop Two new Koch sliding-seat hydraulic chairs, porcelain shampoo basin and stool, three mirrors, 18x40 inches, one gas water heater, one stand, three oak chairs, one mirror and hat rack, two cos tumers, one eight-day clock, one shelf with drawers and drapery, two waste baskets, two large pictures, all plumb ing connections and 33 yards new linoleum covers the floor. ay we would not be spending our time trying to defeat It. Not Fair Comparison. As regards the regulations In force in Boston, Los Angeles and Omaha dear old Boston, the home of the Puritan, one of the original authors of the blue laws more than 200 years ago permits Its hotels to serve not only liquors from bottles, but mixed drinks from glasses as its guests may de sire, on Sundays. holidays and election days. I state this on the authority of a. citizen of Boston with whom I have talked today. In Omaha the regulations mentioned by Mr. McKenna have but recently gone into effect and they are as yet but an experi ment and unsatisfactory to citizens and taxpayers. I make this statement as com ing from a gentleman from Omaha with whom I have talked today. In Los Angeles the measures enforced are practically the same as are enforced in Portland today, except they are a little more lenient. . I have this on the authority of a man who has been in the hotel business in Los Angeles for 12 years. Mr. McKenna says that according to the provisions of the proposed amendment hotels can have wine lists on their tables. "The guests could be served at meals with quan tities as small as half a gill if so desired. The waiter could go as he does now to the par, return with the bottle and pour th-e liquor In tho glass for the guest. The only difference would be that the guest would be deprived of certain mixed drinks and the hotels would not be permitted to serve liquor in rooms." I agree with Mr. McKenna that a guest occupying any room in our hotels would not be permitted to have liquor sent to his room, except by a messenger boy from some licensed saloon outside. I agree with Mr. McKenna that the waiter could go to the bar and g-et goods in bottles only, but X maintain that the barroom could have but one entrance, and that on the street, and that the waiter would have to run around the outside of the building In the rain or otherwise to get into the bar, and it can be done in no other way. Business Dull In Grills. Further, Mr. McKenna says since the sa loons of Portland have been compelled to cease serving liquors to women, the grills have been reaping a golden harvest. I deny this absolutely and brand It as a false statement. There never has been a time since I have been conducting a hotel In Portland that business in our grill has been so dull as In the past year, and the same is true of all other nrst-clasa hotels, as can be proven by their books. Further. & wo man who would patronize a saloon Is a per son we do not desire In our grill-room, and naturally women of that character are not frequenting the dining-rooms of first-class hotels. Mr. McKenna Invites the Hotel As sociation to submit any information they have as to frauds that were perpetrated In the signing of the petition asking for this proposed amendment. Kosmos Liner Chartered, VANCOUVER. B. C., June 3. (Special.) The Kosmos liner Sais is chartered to bring sugar to the British Columbia Re finery from Central America. A second liner, the name of which Is not yet an nounced, t is said to have been chartered to bring steel rails to Evans & Coleman from New York. 1