The billboard (July-Dec 1898)

THE BILLBOARD. .« • 1 II IQ>D HfoArTfre- n/sTMBt/roffs I. A. of D. A Great Meeting at Chibago. Largest Attendance in the History- of the Association—Ov*r Thirty New Appli- cants Taken In at the Meeting—Much Business of Importance Tracsicted and Great Enthusiasm. Manifested. ill. ■When President Reid called the fourth an- nual convention ot International Association of Distributors together he looked out upon a concourse that taxed the club-rooms of the Iceland Hotel to their utmost capacity. Every seat in the apartments was taken and do'.ens of members were standing. Even the hall- way leading to the club-rooms was crowded. The buzz of. conversation ceased the mo- ment the President's round, fuli voice rang out, and every eye was turned upon his com- manding figure. In a few well-chosen words he expressed his gratification at the big attendance and the interest manifested. He then reviewed the work of the year and continuing hi3 ad- dress, outlined the programme ol proceed- ings, suggesting vaiious measures which he deemed necessary and advising sundry changes in the constitution and by-laws. After finishing his address, he appointed a Committee on Credentials, and then directed Secretary Steinbrenner to call the roll. The following responded: W. C. Tirrill. Lima, O. C. P. Bryan, Cleveland. O. P. Fairchild, Covington, Ky. L. H. Ramsey. Lexington- Falls City Bill Posting Co.. LcuU\i!l?. John F. Otting, Newport. Cbas. R- Duckett. Ottawa, Chas. Krutz, Goshen. Ind. H. W. Grebe, Omaha, Neb. Boru Marvin, Aurora, III. S. V. De Long, Joliet, 111. Jos. Reid, Kansas City. J. N. Swartz, Joliet, 111. H. T. Hayes, Philadelphia. Dr. Burkhart, Cincinnati. W. C. Tiede, Racine, "Wis. W. H. Case. Fort Wayne. led. W. H. Steinbrenner, CincinnaX J. A. Clough, Chicago, 111. Tom Murphy. Brooklyn. N. Y. J. L. Hill. Nashville, Tenn. Jas. A. Curran. Denver. Wesley F. Tennent. Manizlee, Mich. A. A. Bland, Keokuk, la. W. J. Horn, Springfield, III. Harter Bros.. Wabash, Ind. Richard Wahler, Freeport, 111. G. Runey, Waukegan, 111. Bryan & Co., Toledo, O. Jas. A. Curran, Colorado Springs. Col- American Adv. Co., Evar-ston. III. Geo. M. Leonard, Grand Rapids. Mijh. '■. : J. H. Crownover, St. Paul, Minn. Chas. F. Berry, Elmira, N. Y. J. H. Crownover, Minneapolis. . O. J. Johnson, Galesburg. 111. C. P. Rodgers, Sidney, O. R. S. Douglas, Memphis, Tenn. Walter D. Dixon, Milwaukee, Wis. H. F. Sanger, Clinton, la. H. F. Sanger, Lyons, la. O. H. F. Dillon. Normal, TJ1- E-J. Kempf, Sheboygan, Wis. Bryan & Co., Akron, O. Jas. A. Curran, Pueblo, CoL - V M. E. Henderson, Kokpmo, Ind. During the afternoon many new arrivals came in and the following morning ^some? dozen or more new faces were seen- Just what the exact attendance was will not be known, until the stenographic report of the meeting is prepared, and that will not be un- til August 10. After the roll had been called, the Presi- dent appointed a committee on laws and re- vision of laws and a recess for luncheon was taken until 2 p. m. Committee on Laws and Revision of Laws consisted ot W. H. Steinbrenner, Cincinnati; W. H. Case. Fort Wayne; Chas. F. Bryan, Cleveland; Jas. A. Curran, penver; Geo. M. Leonard, Grand Rapids. AFTERNOON SESSION. First Day. The afternoon session opened with the reading of Secretary Steinbrenner's report for the year. It was a voluminous and ex- haustive recital, covering forty-two pages of closely type-written matter. In it, Mr. Stein- brenner detailed the receipts and disburse- ments of bis office, itemizing all accounts and producing vouchers and receipted bills for all expenditures. He closed with various recom- mendations, among others, that the office of Secretary-Treasurer be divided, and that a Treasurer, as well as a Secretary, be elected. His report was accepted and ordered spread upon the minutes. Secretary Case next read his report, in which, he detailed his experiences and the work accomplished by bim. Upon motion of .L. H. Ramsey, seconded by Chas. Krutz. the report was adopted and ordered spread upon the niinuteus. The Executive Committee next presented its report, through R. S. Douglas, of Mem- phis. It was adopted. The Finance Committee reported the fol- lowing members in arrears for dues, viz.: W. A. Waters, Philadelphia, Pa.; Maurice Wein- traub. Boston: P. M. Cooley, Bingbamton; W. W. Wakefield, Danvers. Mass.; Jesse Mitchell, Pueblo. Col.: J. M. Belt's. Scranton. Pa.; M. Weintraub, Providence. Upon motion of Jas. A. Curran, seconded by W. C. Ter- rill. they were dropped off from the roll and their franchises declared vacant. The question of the adoption of a scale of prices was next taken up and thoroughly and exhaustively examined; or. as one member put it—cussed and discussed. were received from the following firms, viz.: Reese & Long. Scranton. Pa. Geo. Castncr, Binghamton. N. Y. Jas. A. Curran. Pueblo. Col. American B. P. Co.. Philadelphia, Pa. C. O. Miller. Miamisburg, O. American 11. P. Co.. Atlantic City. A. A. Bland. Keokuk. Iowa. American Kill Patting Co.;'Camden, N. J. Whitniirr & FilbHrk. Buffalo. American Hill Posting Co., I rcoklyn. N. Y. American Bill Posting Co., E>aii£ton, III. Whitniior & KUbrick. Tonawanda. N. Y. Van Wert 1 ill resting Co.. Van Wirt. O. And numerous others. Upon motion, they were elected. Tlios. J. Murphy, of Brooklyn, representing the American Bill Posting Co.. of that city, and Col. Burr Robbins and Mr. It. C. Camp- bell, representing the Ameiiean Bill Posting Co.. of Evanston. were introduced to the meeting at this point, and Mr. Campbell made a rattling good speech. The advertisers present were then called upon for their views. Speeches were made by Dr. Burkhart. of Cincinnati; Mr. Hayes, of Philadelphia: Mr. Beardsley. of the Dr. Miles Co.: Mr. Wiles, of the Chattanooga Medicine Co.: Mr. Tolbert. of the California Fig Syrup Co.: Mr. Hibbard. of the Boston Medical Institute, and Mr. Evans, represent- ing Orator S. Olmstedt, of Le Roy. N. Y. Responses by W. C. Tirrill. Lima, O.; R. S. Douglas. President Reid. R. C. Campbell, and numerous others. Convention then took a recess. SECOND DAY. Afternoon Session. ^)<xm/fr.cMok& Geo.M. Leonard, Jas. A. Curran, and J. H. Crownover led the faction favoring it, while R. S. Douglas, O. P. Fairchild and W. H. Steinbrenner led the opposition. Here it was that President Reid was seen at his best. He drew an expression of opinion from everyone present. Even the advertisers vS-'ere called upon. Dr. Burkhardt, of Cincinnati, favored - it- He argued that it would save him and his employes much time to be able to know what a price was in a certain city, without having to write for it. Mr. Hayes, of the Dr. Chase Co., Philadelphia, did not see how it could be formulated, but agreed that if a just and equitable scale could be framed it would be a great boon. The preponderance of opinion was in favor of it, and fearing it would be adopted, Doug- . las rang in a slick little trick and succeeded in having it tabled until next year's meeting. A communication from a local photogra- pher was read, inviting the delegates to be photographed the following morning. The in- vitation was accepted, and the meeting ad- journed until the following morning. The delegates, with their ladies, assembled at 9 a. m., July 20, on the steps of the Art Building, on the lake front, to be photo- graphed en masse. We reproduce the photo- graph on another page. The hour was a littln early for some of the boys, and they did not get In. Many are missing, notably Geo. M. Leonard, T. J. Murphy. R. C. Campbell, John F. Otting, and W. C. Tiede. SECOND DAY. Morning Session. President Reid called the meeting to order at 10 a. m. Applications for membership supervision only, and not the entire county, as heretofore. No. -. That tho office of Secretary and Treasurer be abolished, and that two offices be created in its stead, namely, that of Re- cording Secretary and the other that of Treasurer. After considerable discussion, tho report of the committee was adopted and the amend- ment made. It being past six o'clock by this time. Mr. Bryan moved an adjournment to the follow- ing morning, which paBscd. THIRD DAY. Last Session. The last session was called to order at 9 a. m. on the morning of the 21st. Mr. Hen- derson offered the following resolution, viz.: "Resolved, That it is the sense of this meeting that a commission of 10 per cent, is a just and proper compensation tor middle men." A long, acrimonious debate followed the reading of the resolution. The subject of commissions was given about as thorough a beating up as it has ever re- ceived. The motion was amended, and the amendment was defeated. A motion to table it shared a similar fate. In the end the mo- tion was defeated. Under suspension of the rules, the election of a person toflll the office of Treasurer was taken up. Mr. Oliver P. Fairchild proved to be the unanimous choice of the members present, and he was elected, though protest- ing and vainly striving to place John F. Ot- ting in nomination. A vote of thanks was then given the Leland Hotel, the press. "The Billboard." the retir- ing officers and the stenographer, after which, upon motion of Mr. C. F. Bryan, the meet- ing adjourned sine die and the most memora- ble convention in the annals of the I. A. of D. passed into history. The meeting was called to order at 2 p. m. and the proceedings opened with the reading of a preamble and resolutions, protesting against the imposition of a tax of one-eighth of a cent on samples of medicines intended for house-to-house distribution. The resolu- tions were suggested by Dr. Burkhart and amended at the suggestion of Mr. Beardsley, and then passed unanimously. They were then forwarded to the Commissioner of In- ternal Revenue at Washington. Routine business then consumed about an hour's time, when the rules were suspended, and the election of officers for the ensuing year was taken up. Mr. Reid was placed in nomination, and elected unanimously, ami i tumultuous applause. No other person was even mentioned. Everyone present vied with his neighbor in cheering. The scene simply defied all description. Mr. Reid responded in an able manner, and then resumed the Chair, and the election proceeded. All the remaining officers were elected by acclamation, viz.: R. S. Douglas. First Vice President. W. C. Tirrill, Second Vice President. Jas. A. Curran, Third Vice President. W. H. Case, Corresponding Secretary. W.H. Steinbrenner, Recording Secretary. "Mr I,. H Ramsey was elected a member of the Executive Committee, vice W. E. Patton, retired by three years* limitation. The report of the Committee on Laws and Revision of Laws was then read by Secretary Case. Briefly put, the committee recom- mend sundry changes In the constitution, as follows, viz.: No. 1. That members be given control or the city over which they exercise lmmedlato CONVENTION BRIEFS. Crownover has ideas, and the nerve to ex- press them. The advertisers present were all Impressed with the zeal and earnestness ot the dele- gates. Col. Burr Robbins attended two sessions and took great interest in the discussion of agents* commissions. Col. Robbins thinks it ought to be 12V4 per cent. The proprietors of the Leland Hotel were very courteous and accommodating. One of the most graceful things that hap- pened during the meeting was the manner in which Clough gave way and consented to the admittance of ' -. American Advertising & Bill Posting Co.. of Evanston. Munson, though holding the Greater New York franchise, consented to the American coming in from the Borough of Brooklyn. Will A. Molton did not attend the conven- tion. Geo. W. Vansyele was compelled to forego the convention, his physician ordering a trip on the lakes. Vansycle'shcalth has been any- thing but good lately. Harry Munson is the I. A. of D. member in Greater New York, and the following testi- monial shows how he does his work: Cincinnati. O., June Zi, 1S93. Mr. Harry Munson. New York City: My Dear Sir.—Your recent distribution of half a million samples of. Dr. BurkhTfs Vegetable Compound in Greater New YorK has never been equalled in the history of that city. To put out so large a quantity of samples in fourteen days, and do it fo well is certain- ly deserving of praise, and speaks volumes for the thorough, systematic manner wi b which you have handled the work. I have found the top floors of the large tenements rampled as carefully as the lower ones, and that great care was exercised to keep the samples away from children, and place them in the hands of adult membe-s of the family, for whom they were Intended. I also found that none of the samples have been wasted; each family having received \ but one. Such work as this comes as near guaran- teeing returns to advertisers as it is possible to do, and if you continue to keep your work up to its present high standard, sampltns will become one of the surest methods of bringing results and Greater New York one of the most productive fields InAmerica. We shall come to you again in September feel- ing sure that the work will receive the same careful attention that you have given to that just finished. Yours truly. DR. W. A. LEACH. Inspector for Dr. W. S. Burkhart. Cheerful Moments published the following in its last Issue: CIRCULAR DISTRIBUTING. With this issue we shall discontinue tho column of Items for Circular Distributors. This decision has been reached by reason of the lack of interest evidenced in it. It is a vocation by itself and properly comes within the sphere of those publications devoted en- tirely to the distributing business, such as "The Billboard." of Cincinnati, O.. and oth- ers ot a similar character. To give all tho newB ot Interest that Is of value to the dis- tributor requires more space, much more, than we can devote to it, and to subscribers who have shown an Interest In our efforts to keep them informed as to what was tran- spiring In the distributing world wo deslro to express our thanks for their friendship and good will. Will A. Molton claims that our reflections upon his Toledo service were unjust. Wo still claim that It can not be as good as If It was dono under bin immediate supervision. A. E. Dreicr & Co., of Burlington. Iowa, send us a clipping from a newspaper predict- ing the early demise of distributing. That newspaper will die long before house-to- house work does. THE BILLBOARD SMoue-rao av How Signboard Advertising Can Be Done Effectively. Luster laughed a good deal when I told him tlmt I had an Idea of trying the old country- road advertising signs again: but he is good- natured and lets me do about as I like about such harmless things, and I have been at work on them for quite a while now. Laster has been selling his old shoe pack- ing eases to a candy wholesale firm for five and ten cents apiece and I stopped that, and the little Junior clerk and I have been knock- ing them to pieces as fast as they were emp- tied. I used to go to all sorts of pains with my country signs, having the boards exactly square, building thera up to a special Blze, and bracing the backs with infinite pains. 1 don't do so now. Just as we happen to get the boards out of the box is the way now. and I adapt the sign to it. End boards of boot boxes, side boards of sixty-pair cases, top boards—they all look alike to the little junior clerk and me. and we knock out ten or twenty a day and not half try. All that we make any pretense.of doing with the boards is to give them smooth edges. Confidentially. I presume it would be just about as cheap to buy lumber and saw the boards as we wanted them: but it would lack that element of getting something for nothing which is so dear to the true econom- ical advertiser for the country trade. The first requisite in country signs is to have good paint. I have gotten all over using those ready-mixed sorts. Good lead and oil are the only things to use, and good, thick coats at that. I prefer to put two coats oi white on first—one very thin to fill the board and then another, thicker, to give the color. We paint our boards white, black and blue, but letter only in white and black. After the boards are given a goodfounda- tlon color, putting on the lettering is the ar- tistic part. I can letter pretty fairly, but the kid. who is only fourteen years old now. and has only been to school six years in all his life, (don't tell the truant officer), can letter as artistically as one of Hote's big railroad sign painters. Funny, isn't it, how it seems to come naturally for some men to letter with a brush. Men who can't write a line so that it can be read, hardly, will take a brush and paint a sign for a strawberry fes- tival that will look as though It bad been en- graved. . Anybody can learn to do a pretty fair job. though, and don't you believe that you can't. Practice, after someone has given you a copy of how to make the different styles of letters, will fix you out all right. I bought a book of designs, the '"Sign Painter's Friend." or something like that, and it had twenty full alphabets in. We have great fun getting up the wording. Of course, it Isn't every firm where you can say anything like "Laster's Shoes Are Last- er*s Until You Buy Them, and TAen They Are Still Lasters." "3 Miles to Laster*s Shoe Store, Laster- ville.".is a good Idea, and we have got one every mile and half-mile on every road lead- ing out of the town. "Do Those Bicycle Shoes Hurt You? Try the Kind Laster Sells." ••You Remember. Your Wife Told You to Get Some Shoes for the Baby. Go to Laster's.'" "Can't you remember the size of the shoes for the baby? Go to Laster's; he has a table that tells." "I'll meet you at Laster's. 1 buy my shoes there." "That's a nice pair of shoes you have on. You must have got them at Master's." "Have you seen that $2 shoe for lsdies at Laster's?" "Have you corns? Then you don't wear Laster's comfort shoes." There's no use in giving samples. Those are just a few that we have put out. 01 course we have a lot of stock wordings. Ad- vertising experts will say that they don't pay; but advertisement experts are not good authority outside of newspaper advertising. The country trade that reads by the wayside needs a jot of dinging at or they will forget the firm name iu spite of yoi We get them up in all sot'b of ways. Some- times we load up a one-horse wagon and go out with a ladder for a day of it; but since we have been making them of such light weight we find that the bicycle is the handy thing. A man can go out for his morning's spin with half a dozen signs slung on bis back and put them up before breakfast. 1 can stand on the seat of my bike now and reach up high enough on a tree to give a sign a good showing. It doesn't take long to get a big lot of signs but in the country and it doesn't cost a great deal. The little clerk is dandy at painting fences. He takes a couple of bottles of paint, white and black, with two or three brushes, and away he goes on his bike. Before he gets back he will have gone fifty miles and will have left a trail of painted signs or fences, rocks, trees and barns that are great things to keep the firm uame before the people. Last year I worked quite a big scheme. I .went out and bought the privilege, for a pair of shoes each, of painting tigns on entire barns after the manner of Hood's Sarsapa- rilla, and I think that it paid first rate, be- cause it looked so big. I got regular house and sign painters to do the work, and we painted twenty-two on the roads leading into the village and by the side of the railroad in the suburbs of the village. It cost quite a good bit to do it. but it paid because it was an unusual thing for a village dealer to do. People had seen such things from big city dealers and from the patent medicine houses, but it made things look big for us to do it. We had.no trouble to get the barn3. A good many of the owners were glad to let us paint them just for the sake of having them paint- ed, and a pair of shoes fixed things right ev- ery time. Another dealer from over the way has got a lead on us in working the country trade. As soon as it gets nice and warm and the farmers wouldn't come into the village be- cause they were so busy, this sharp dealer put a horse and wagon on the road with an assortment of sizes of the sort of goods farm- ers wear—plow shoes, rubber boots, a few solid shoes for children, some of the medium and cheaper grades of women's shoes ana slippers. It was wonderful what a nice little stock he was able to get in a one-horse wagon. It helped out the sales, too, I under- stand, although it cost something to run the thing and he could only put it out two days in a week. I think I am going to get a lead on him. though. I've made a deal with the grocery house that sends out a wagon into the coun- try all of the summer, to carry a line of out goods on commission and I think that the scheme is going to be a winner.—I Fitem, in "Boots and Shoes Weekly." NOTES. Handsome signs for use in frames are be- ing made by sign manufacturers on ebonized wood. The wood is first ebonized, then the designs are printed on in the usual way. Painters may make a good imitation, as fol- lows: First, ebonize the wood. There are several different ways. Probably the sim- plest is—boil logwood chips until you have a strong solution, give the wood several appli- cations of this, then Wash freely with strong vinegar in which some rusty pieces of iron have been allowed to remain for some time. After this is dry, it may be smoothed, and is ready for the lettering, when all should be varnished. An exchange says: When oil paint "crawls," for instance on a sign board to be written on. a simple remedy consists in painting the surface with diluted white of an egg. After the gilding and before the sign is varnished, the white of egg is washed oft again; otherwise the varnish will crack. Ox- gall renders the same service. A still simpler way is to rub the respective spots lightly with a half of a raw potato or onion. Some sign painters, and not a few, are realizing considerable income from the paint- ing of cards for advertising purposes. Every painter has his notion about this kind of work, but the majority of them use water colors, particularly for shading. For inside advertising those that are able to do so paint a water color scene on the card, and put the lettering in small letters. Again, several dry colors are blended on the surface of the card by means of a cotton pad. and the let- ters painted through this, which makes a very neat and attractive sign. If signs were made for decorative purposes, we should advise scrolling, etc., but, as they are made to read, would it not be a good idea to make them so they can be read? The ginger-bread effect of some sign work is ludi- crous in the extreme. Then, what is the use of it? In many instances it only obscures the meaning of the sign by making it bard to read. There are many persons for whom it is difficult to read plain lettering, let alone the fantastic creations of some sign writers. For fixing metal letters on smooth surfaces a putty prepared according to the following recipe is said to be useful: Mix 30 paits of copal varnish. 10 parts linseed oil varnish, 6 parts raw oil of turpentine, with 10 parts glue dissolved in warm water, and 20 parts lime slaked to a powder. Boycott the Paris Exposition in 1900. Let France obtain her support from her friends, the Spaniards. The painter is frequently required to write the name of a firm on fine wire netting, so- called wire gauze, with oil paint. Such let- tering never looks well if the holes of the gauze are not well filled out, says the "Paint- ers' Magazine." To accomplish this, the let- tering is generally painted repeatedly with thick paint, whereby, however, the back ot the wire is soiled in most eases. In order to avoid this and to write the lettering but once, the wire is coated with a decoction of Iceland moss until a rough surface results. On the gauze thus prepared the writing Is done, and after the oil paint has completely dried, the moss slime is removed with warm water. . Gold lettering looks very nice on such wire gauze. . Decorators say, blue, as it advances toward yellow on one side or red on the other, loses Its cold property in proportion as it loses its own color*. Hence, if you have warm colors both for the face of the letters and for the background, it would be an error to introduce a red or another warm color for the shading or shadow. The effect would in all probability be muddy and devoid of both contrast and harmony. Always use a. cool color as a shade. It will then act as a neu- tralizer. Of the three primary colors, blue, yellow, and red. blue is the cool color and yellow and red warm colors. If all the colors on a sign are alike, darm or strong, the ef- fect is likely to be harsh; while, if the colors are weak, a washy appearance generally re- sults. Never put two colors of the same depth of tone side by side. REB JACKET VERMILION Outwears all other Vermilion. Jost What You Want Send for Sample. BILLINGS, TAYLOR SCO. Cleveland, Ohio. An advertising sign to be valuable should be in strong colors for the main parts and very legible. There is no question but that art tones are beautiful, <mit they do not at- tract the eye as quickly as strong masses of color. If any ornamenting is done, it should be done to increase the-legibillty of the sign rather than to beautify it. This calls for but few colors—yellow, blue, red and black and white. Lower-case letters are more legible than caps, because they are seen oftener. although they are not used in sign painting nearly so much. . Attention! Sign Painters. At the request of numerous readers, we have agreed to bring about a preliminary meeting for the purpose of forming a Na- tional Sign Painters' Alliance. Our plan is a simple one. We merely re- quest all of our readers to fill out and mail us the following coupon: : I would suggest that the meeting look- : : ing to the formation of the National Sign : : Painters' Alliance be held at : on : Signed ...... : Town State We will publish the result in the September issue of "The Billboard." We suggest that no date earlier than Oct. 1st be entertained. Allen E. Harbaugh will favor us wi.h an occasional contribution in the future. The case of H. G. Wilshire vs. C. A. Neil was tried July 22 in Judge Van Dyke's court, and resulted in Wilshire's securing a verdict against the defendant for $30, the jury hav- ing the case under consideration only twenty- five minutes. Several of the Wilshire Posting Company's men erected a large sign on Neil's premises at the corner of Downey Avenue and John- stone Street by mistake in February last, the company intending that it be placed on Wil- shire's lot diagonally across the street. Nell found the sign on his lot. cut it down, and Is alleged to have burned it. Wilshire sued for $30, the value of the sign, and $20 damages, while Neil tiled a cross- suit for $150 damages for the holes dug in his lot. The jury felt that the whole matter would be most equitably settled by Neil'! paying Wilshire for the sign. A few of the delegates and ladies who attended the Convention of the International A*j:3ciatio*i of Distributors at Chicago, July J9-22.