The billboard (Jan 1900)

THE BILLBOARD Who *Tis hems. Tin' Kali of some people is large enough to wreck a freight train. The Secretary of ill,. I A. of I), related several instances to in,' which I will endeavor to give In his own 1'iiiKuagc. Several days ago I receive* a letter fiom a party ask'ing me to write him eutiy for a soliciting circular. The letter clo/id hy saying. "Business is good with us ami we are doing well. We may surprise you Mime day by applying for membership in the 1 A of IV If this is not nerve, then I d<m't know what you would cull it. The Secretary also states that he receives letters daily ask- ing fur information on different subjects, and niue-tenths of the writers fail to enclose a Mnmp. In the future all such letters will be thrown in the waste basket without notice. If the information is not worth a stamp, it is i.ot woith anything. Others fail to give state, i-iry or any address whatever, and it is need- less to say they never receive a reply. Others ask for special favors. For instance: "Order me 500 letter-heads and envelopes." "Go and see such and such a party and tell them this and that," when they might just as well have written the party themselves. The Secretary is ■perfectly willing to assist all the mem- bers where possible, but when it is lust as easy for them to address a party direct, he will not attend to the matter. Some even send him money to pay certain bills for them. In the future all sueh money will be returned. He also wants it understood that h« has no connection with "The Billboard"' Publishing Company, or any other Arm in Cincinnati. When parties wish to remit to them, they are requested to do so direct. He also states that he has another class of correspondents, who. after someone else in their city has joined the I. A. of D„ write and say: "We are entitled to that franchise. We are the only reliable people here. By giving this other party the franchise, you are putting competition in the field against us. and by so doing are taking the bread and butter from our families." These same parties have been asked to join the association dozens of times, but have la- bored under the impression that they had their town "cinched"' and discovered their error too late. If there are any distributors where the franchise is not taken, they had . belter make application at once, and thereby avoid any such experience. Distributors all over the country have done an exceedingly good business during the year just passed. Indications are that 1900 will be even more prosperous. As January is the season- for forming new resolutions. I would- suggest that every distributor resolve to im- prove his service wherever possible during the coming year. Also, make up your mind to solicit more than ever. Times are good and advertisers are more liberal. You can get the business, if you will only be persistent and give a first-class service. You should con- sider a good reputation the most valuable stock in trade possessed. No matter if you have a large bank account, if your reputa- tion is bad. the advertisers will not patronize you. On the other hand, if you are poor, but have a good reputation, you will get the busi- ness. Advertisers are not figuring on how much you are worth in dollars and cents. Your value to them is based on the results you obtain for them through your work. Reports show that everybody has been busy for the last two months. All had one com- plaint to make, regarding help. Why it Is difficult to obtain reliable assistance in the distributing business is something that puz- zles most distributors. It seems almost im- possible to get men who can be trusted at all times. They require constant watching. Most of t-lie distributing agencies are paying more to their help than the average price of com- mon labor, still they go wrong, and will lag. The man who can establish a system whereby lie car. keep his employes in the straight path and will give others the benefit of his knowl- edge, is entitled to the lasting gratitude of all those interested in house-to-house dis- tributing. A distributor may do all right for six months or a year, then he seems to tire of his job and begins to do crooked work. In most cases be is caught in the first of- fense, but occasionally he will succeed in de- ceiving his employer for a time. The only remedy that can be susgested is to watch your men closely. Lead them to believe that SUPPLY WAGON AND INFANTRY - C. 0. Schetick, Commander. you are trusting them. Drop in on them un- awares, or give them any test you can think of, and if found dishonest, dispense with their services. The writer several years ago was working eight men, and finding one of them dishonest, he discharged the whole crew. This, in his opinion, was the only way to eradicate the evil. If you find any of your men going wrong, try it. Then you are sure that the others will not practice the trick learned of the other fellow. , Advertisers please take notice: A Mr. Os-' terloh, in business at Cairo. 111., claims to be a member of the International Association of Distributors and makes that statement on his printed matter. For the benefit of all con- cerned, we wish to state that Mr. Osterloh is not, and never has been a member of the I. A. of D. A man who will deliberately try to deceive possible patrons by misrepresenting himself is not to be relied upon. The repre- sentative of the I. A. of D. for Cairo is Mr. H. F. Malinski. A certain party not over a hundred miles from Detroit, holding the I. A. of D. fran- chise for his city, is offering same for sale. We wish distributors to understand that no individual can sell or transfer his or her I. A. of D. franchise to any one without the con- sent of the Executive Committee. Let this be a warning to any one thinking of purchasing something from some one else who does not own it. All franchises of the I. A. of D. be- long to the association and not to the indi- vidual members. In other words, they are not transferable. We have received circulars from the follow- ing distributors: W. M. Munson, Mitchell, lnd.: J. E. McCarthy. Kalamazoo. Mic-h.: J. M. Dishon, Torre Haute, lnd., ail of which are good and should command the attention of the advertiser. Mr. Dishon also encloses a card, giving list of drug dealers, both wholesale and retail, which is quite a con- venience to advertisers who wish to call the attention of druggists to their especial line. We believe this idea is original with Mr. Dishon. cry one of them agreed that the ordinance was a wise piece of legislation and should have been made a law a long while ago. One of them said: "The measure is one of the best sanitary measures that the Councils of the city have passed in years, and will undoubt- edly result in better health conditions here." —The Patriot. Harrisburg, Pa. A Knocker Knocked. Patent Medicines may no longer be thrown about Streets. The "patent medicine" ordinance, which has been lingering in councils since read iu place in the select branch last June by Mr. Clemson. has at last become a law. It was sent to the Mayor after having received a pasting vote in the common branch over two weeks ago and was yesterciay sent back to the City Clerk, having become a law by the statute of limitations. The Mayor did not place his signature to the measure, but as it was in his hands over the required ten days. It will be enforced as a law as soon as the legal forms have been gone through with by the city. The measure will be published for the first time to-day. The ordinance does not allow any distribution whatever of samples of pat- en* ttu-dich**. Heretofore it has been the custom for advertising agents and druggists to Hood the town at their pleasure or when- ever a drug manufacturer wished to exten- sively advertise some new nostrum, with samples of medicines, in the form of pills, powders and small bottles of liquid. The or- dinance will put a stop to this entirely. Un- der I ho new order of things the poisons can not bo thrown on the streets and in doorways where they fall into the hands of little chil- dren and of persons ignorant of the effect of strong driiKS on the system. They-limy of course be sent by mail, but if any person sees fit to make a personal dis- tribution ho will make himself liable to a fine of ten dollars at the least or not more than fiftv dollars or imprisonment for from ten to thirty days in jail, or both, at the discretion of the Alderman before whom the hearing Copies of two letters given below are pub- lished to show the advertiser that if com- plaint is made against any of the I. A. of D. members, the matter is promptly investigated and sifted down to facts. We believe that our readers will agree that the above heading is properly applied. Arbor, Mich.. Dec. 5, 1899. Peruna Drug Co., Columbus, O.: Gentlemen.—On Nov. 17 last I wrote you as follows: "Gentlemen—We note to-day distrib- utors of your advertising from the Interna- tional Distributing Agency. We beg to call your attention to the superficial manner in which the work was performed. The distrib- utor did not leave the sidewalk, but in pass- ing along, threw the pamphlet at the house. Possibly this is the way you want the matter put out, but if not, the next time you want matter put out iu this town or county, please let us bid on the work. We stand ready to back any statement we make, and call atten- tion again to the fact, "we put your adver- tising where you want it.' " Yours, etc., ANN ARBOR DISTRIBUTING AGENCY. In writing the foregoing letter, I had no personal knowledge of the facts stated in the letter, but wrote upon what I supposed to be good authority. I have since learned, how- ever, that the information I received was in- correct, and that the charge made .against the International Distributing Agency and Mr. Strong, its agent here, was incorrect.. 1 therefore desire to retract it and to say to you that I have no reason to suppsoe or be- lieve that Mr. Strong is not doing bis work properly and correctly. Hoping this may correct any error or mis- take that has been made, and save any fur- ther trouble in the matter, I remain, very respectfully yours, - C. B. HARE, Mgr., Ann Arbor Distributing Agency. Bert McCartney, McDonald, Pa. We present to our readers the portrait of Mr. Beit McCartney, bill poster and distrib- utor at McDonald. Pa. Mr. McCartney has been in the business only a couple of years, but he now has a large list of customers. He controls a circuit of towns which are situ- ated in the heart of the coal mining and oil regions. This should be a fertile field for the advertisers, and judging by the orders Mr. Cattney has received, they are well aware of the fact. Mr. McCartney oversees all of his work, and in this way can guarantee his patrons the best of service. C. 0. Scbenck, Dayton, Ohio. In the above we present to our readers a picture of Mr. C. O. Sc-henck, the advertis- ing agent of the Park Theater. Dayton, O. Mr. Scher.ck has a wide reputation as a dis- tributor, and there are very few hall shows that do not know C. O. Schenck. He has been one of the leading distributors of Dayton, as he has handled all of the advertising matter for the Old Music Hall and the Grand Opera House, now known as the Victoria Theater. Tth*»rn la no* SL nprslrm who natronlse** tho Distribution of Medicines Prohibited. Careless Work Causes Trouble at Lima, Ohio, Through an accident resulting from the neg- ligence of a traveling distributor, sampling of medicines has been stopped in Lima. O; That he might have the work done cheaply^ he engaged two boys, who did not know th< nature of the samples they were placing, not the importance of giving them to adults only.' He left the boys, and they found it easier to throw the samples in the yards and on th»: porches than place them in accordance with 5 his instructions. ' A child in South Lima was made so sick, from eating these samples, which were pills, that the family physician had to be called I 1 k The father of the child immediately entereci £ a protest against the sampling of patent med \ nines, and demanded that the practice be J jfj stopped. A petition was circulated among 1 and signed by ail of the local physicians and t\ ciuggists. It was biought before the city ' council and resulted in the passing of tht following ordinance: ••Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Lima, asjoilows: "Sec. 1. That it shall be unlawful for anji V person or persons to distribute, as samples,-'!]' cnfuiniliTic ilv nil In tl n tknir i4vhit n» m.n.rl I n I .1* V' specimens, or otherwise, any drug or mediclnei?-),' • at any residence, or on any public highway.***, within the eoroorate limits r»f anirt m(v it % lotatHK VMS of al{! ereofjft within the corporate limits of said city. ») ""Sec. 2. That any person or persons violat- ing any of the provisions of Section this- ordinance shall be deemed guilty misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereofjitill shall be fined in any sum not less than ten' dollars (ilO.OO) nor more than twenty-five dol-t lars (J25.00). or be imprisoned In the city prison not less than two (2) days, nor moret!'. f than ten (10) days. tu t "Sec. 3. That this ordinance shall take ef-ff I feet and be in force from and after its pass-As ' age and due publication. * "Passed December 4, 1899. "J. W. ROWLANDS. 'la "President of the Council. if& "C. E. Lynch, City Clerk." t It is believed- that tJie ordinance can not) hold if the samples are handed to any grown' member of the household and they are told what the sample Is, and they accept the same. Of course this plan of advertising wilf cost the advertiser more money, but it will- be worth- the extra charge every time. This- kind of work will cost at least f6 per thou- sand, owing to the amount of time lost in< explaining what you have. This matter of careless distributing should' be watched closely by distributors in their re- spective territories. It would not do to get the above ordinance in force generally, for it would not be long until scmewb?re thvy w oulj: try to stop the distributing of samples and! pamphlets of all kinds, as it would be a great 1 help to the doctor trade. The passing of this; 5 ordinance may be taken as a lesson and as a" warning. i Each one should see that bis work is*! placed in the home or in the door jamb so* that it will not get in the yard and vex the"-, residents. The habits of crossing the lawns,* leaving gates open, and ringing door bells' should be more closely watched, as all ofj these tend to disgust the public in general.* and if the public were to become prejudiced"' against it, the whole system of distributing! would have to go. I It Is Steam Power. It is the momentum of advertising that car- ries a business along. It is like the steam power which carries along the railroad train. Cut off the steam and the train will move on for some distance without any perceptible diminution of speed. But gradually it comes to a full stop. It is the same way with adver- tising. The only way to keep the business- en- gine going, whether the engineer be an indi- vidual or a combination, is to keep up steam —Schenectady (N. Y.) "Union'.