The billboard (Jan-June 1900)

£ ir Rill Posters' J ||ll Department, g THE BILLBOARD a Levyne's Letter. lit: the Editor of "The Billboard:" ... ft Dear Sit—I see Mr. Chas. Iiernard, of Sa- rj nnah, Ga., bas taken exceptions to my [ ■ ter which was published in your paper May l-i especially these words: "Of all the bnl 'pi fiters I know, I have looked time and again -sfe-ihnd one poster salesman among tnem, ami Jive succeeded In ta'dlhg—ffot~<nj'fe?r'-'' " " •fil should have said' a successful salesman. 'Sam sure there Is not one bill poster in all 1 is great country who has not at one time _'j another taken orders for posters from his i:-;j:al trade. ■■""i-Yes, Mr. Bernard; we all bow to you in re- i 0. )Td to the gocd work you have done in your <i=-y. and you should receive all credit for the. *i\ me. You are one In thousands, and I think ■4:' 'fire arc many bill posters who will vo:ce ■4j;v sentiments. •W: I am glad Mr. Bernard mentioned three- : righ posters, and I must call upon my bill % 'sting friends throughout the country to -.^|me to my rescue on this charge. Ninety- 'J?*e per cent of the posters I sell are fo'ur- & S n > Bnd I have not sold one thousand one- :/j eets In a year. fil am not acquainted with the salesmen who ^- sit the Southern cities, as I work altogether £g the North. But I am coming down to Sa- rS .nnah, not to show my superiority In sales- *'. airship, or to get m week's board for noth- ; g. but to shake hands with the only bill t4 sting salesman in the United States: Even V ilwaukee is not in it. Yours truly, t" . M. L. LEVYNE. The Nashville Situation. i'jJI i l : : ! i iii iP) the Editor of ''The Billboard:" 3p Dear Sir—I see from this month's issue of -J 1 e so-called official organ that under the j 'aad of "Southeastern States Convention," m e W. A. Sheets Bill Posting Company takes '.casion to call the following advertisers to iUek before the meeting for having given our 5 m their posting: Woolson Spice Company, J 'yon Medicine Company, Evans Chemical : _jmpany, Muscatine Oat Meal Company, : jTorld's Dispensary Medical Association, i'j iaphattan Typewriter Company.. fiJnftu justice to the Woolson Spice Company, |'^0\e Lyon Medicine Company, the' Evans [5 hemical Company, and the World's Dis- Jn^nsary Medical Association, we will say, Jjl^ich cf these firms had a man here who 1I joked over the ground thoroughly before LFn-ving us their work, and in each case the representative of these firms stated they con- ri aered our service superior to the other, and ILjie cf them even went further and stated S^iat he considered that we deserved a great 1 1 nount cf credit for having brought the bill fisting business in Nashville up to what we PSw have it. | J ■ We secured the work of the Muscatine Oat \T\ i eal Company through correspondence, but ,hen their representative checked up the | i or« we heard no complaint. As to the Man- ] gittan Typewriter Company, we will say I - teir representative called to see us and took ft list ot our locations and prices, and soon I-Softer we received their paper, and on the , I rapper was the shipping directions of a very \l rominent member of the Associated Bill I; osters. We did not ask why this was. The f B'ict that we received the paper, posted it m cod shape and received our money when ne was sufficient for us. , ■ There are several other firms which have I jjitven us work whom the Sheets Bill Posting ompany forgot to mention. Among these is is Walter Baker Company, of chocolate |Bl>me. The Sheetz BUI Posting Company se- ared some of their paper not long since, and ■hen the agent of the firm came here to I'Blheck up the work he brought along soim, ther paper to be pested, and after checking :P the paper already posted for him on the | Btcards cf our opposition he. came to us and irranged to have the paper posted which he ad brought. Now, why, if he was'-satisfied nth the service he had already received,..d.a. Jcie come to us with his.last lot of paper? Ask 1 um. We are willing to abide by his.reply 1 ./ i The above statements are all facts, which' Ipjui be substantiated with' prcof we hold, and jre have plenty more of the same kind, if Jiese are not enough. And yet the- gang per- ijsts in gulling advertisers into sending their pjjjaper to "our member in Nashville," and it > all the same to the advertiser, so long as ;e is none the wiser. Yours truly, _ S JAMES L. HILL. |CI Nashville, Tenn.. June IT. 1900. High Boards will Stay. 1 San-Francisco, CaI.."June 20.—(Special.)— JThe ordinance limiting the height of adver- tising fences to ten feet, which was declared _yy the city attorney to be sound -Rtw, came fip for final passage to-day. Supervisor iSrandensteln safd that he had - nd'r wish to ause needless hardship to the advertising rms making use of the fences, and as he understood that they had some contracts that : vould not expire for s year, he desired to 3>ave the bill amended to take effect July 1, (501- He made a proviso, however, that any 'listing fences more than twenty feet high Should at once be reduced to that height, supervisor Reed said that Mr. Owens inform- ed him that a time were allowed his firm to complete existing contracts he would obey the ordinance. The. supervisor believed it proper to grant a year's time before enforc- ing the ordinance. Supervisor Booth remark- ed that if time were granted the order would never be enferced. He moved an amendment that the ordinance go into effect at the expi- ration of the longest existing contract held ty Owens; Varney & Green. The amendment "failed to-receive a second. Mr. Owens in- formed the board that he would test the or- dinance in the courts in any event. If it was sound law he would obey it, but until a decision was reached he would ignore the ordinance. Supervisor Brandenstein's amend- ment, which provides that the ordinance shall not go into effect until July 1, 1901, was carried, and the- amended ordinance was then passed to print. Guthrie, Okla., Growls. " To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir—In reply to Mr. C. E. Smith's objection, which was printed in "The Bill- board of June 16—First, Mr. Smith's name was not used at all in my article of June 2. I simply said that Mrs. L. E." Pmkham's booklets were being wasted and worse in Ok- lahoma, and I still say that they were. When I was last over the country in May, I saw fccoklets all along the read, and from five to ten in wagons. I will say that the article must have fitted Smith, from the way he has made a kick, and I suppose that it does, for if it was not h.m, what did he kick for, when his name was not used? I notice in the article that Smith says: "This same Fos- ter is about seventeen or eighteen years of age." Mr. Smith tells absolute falsehoods throughout his article. I had a little trouble with the Thatcher Med. Co. which I will ex- plain as soon as I give you the history of this man. Smith. I will say that Smith only hair performed a job for Washington Med. Insti- tute, of Lnicago, cf 20,000, and I am sure that he sent in his bill fcr *50 before he ever, did one bit of work. He did the Providence dis- tribution the same way, but I did not feel it my business at the time to give him away. » ,-. Miles shipped 3,000 books here to this same Smith, and he sent in the bill the day he received the goods, because I was present at the time, but Smith thought that he was fooling me. The next day he got four ragged boys to distribute the goods. These boys folded them up and threw them in the yards, from five to twelve in each yard, and they went over one-third of this city, and not any further, either. He has worked Dr. Miles this same way for quite a while. I once worked fcr Smith, and have not received any pay yet, hut have been living off cf prom- ises. The Thatcher Med. Co., of Chattanooga, Tenn., shipped me 23,000 almanacs. I d.s- Irbt.ted.by weight 26,000 of them, and still I had seme left. I made a report about it, and they said that I was mistaken, when 1 knew that I was not, under any Circum- stances. They then said that I-sent in a bill in tull, which I did, and had a r.ght to do. They could not prove that I did not do proper wcrk. and can't do it yet; but anyway they asked me to turn the books that I had left over to this Smith. Without delay, I turned over to C. E. Smith 4,539 almanacs, and he sa.d that he would place it at 7,000 bocks, which he tays that he got paid for; but whether he d.d or not, I do not know. I am under the impression that he did not. Well, he d.d not get the second job at all, and if he says that he did, he is mistaken. He also sa.d I let a box of gcods lay in the denot here in my name. He is also mistaken'in tb's matter, and in general, and I have prcof frcm the Chattanooga Med. Co. G. W. FOSTER. Waterbury, Conn., Waifs. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir:—I am working on 10.000 of Dr. Miles Co., Elkhart, Ind., second del.very and window displays. I have on the bill board3 Virginia Cheroots and Baker's Coco Cola. Bee Soap wagon is In town. I offer my distribut- ing business for sale, which includes also the r.ghts to.make Prof. Davis's Toothache Cure most all the States in the Union. Will sell State rights for twenty-five years and the whole business for ?200. A chance to make thousands for a good man. Allen's Foot Ease, children's service. Dr. N. C. Davis, Indianapolis, Ind., Headache Powder, same service. J. A. NEEF, Box 10.8. Danville, Ind., Doings. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir:—Posting continues fairly good, but have some open epace. Have now on the boards McLaughlin's XXXX Coffee, OH Vir- ginia Cheroots, Friend's Oats, Duke's Mix- ture and Bull Durham. There is a lull in the distributing" business, my last job being 4 000 booklets tor the Lydta Pinkbam Co., cover- ing fourteen towns in Ihc county, outside of Danville. The O-Jib-Wa Indian Meltc'nc Company has just closed a two weeks' stay here, and gone to Bloomlngton. They did a wonderful business. Dr. McKonkey's Cali- fornia Herb Remedy Company was hers the week before the O-Jib-Wa people, but did not do so well. Our annual horse show and race meet will be held here August 7, 8 and 9, and it is already an assured success. Sec- retary C. F. Bowen informs me that he has assurance ot over 300 trotters, pacers and runners being entered, while privilcga men are writing from all over the country. Ir some one of the numerous old fashioned one- ring circuses would hit this town, the money they would carry away would pay salaries for several weeks. There hasn't been a circus here for ten years, and the people are simply "circus crazy." The town has a pop- ulation of nearly 3,000, wilh nearby territory to draw from of over 20,000. And tbe-e Is money here. COOK. Gunning's Business Building. The advanced intelligence displayed by the Gunning System In the upbuilding of a patron's commercial interests is a strongly log.cai reason for the position which they oc- cupy—that of the "hub" of outdoor display advertising; Their department of business building has long been a subject of curiosity to the public. A year's campaign for one of the great advertisers of the country has just drawn to a close and for the purpose of fur- nishing exact data to show the direct influ- ence of their ettorts on. the grocers them- selves, a careful canvass has been made cf the entire wholesale and retail grocery trade. The statements of their commercial reporters has just oeen turned in, and. a hurried scru- t ny shows that, in the grocer line at least, the dealers "swear by" a product which is being "pushed" in the forceful Gunning way, the consensus .cf .opinion .bein£,to'the effect- that fcr an article of household consump- tion no local advertising pressure was quite so strong as painted displays. Many valuable trade pointers, for the advertiser, can be gained in such an investigation—the reporters are all men of tact and have been eminently successful in bringing out different points cf importance as to the most judicious mar- keting cf the article—points which the manu- facturer, unaided, could not hope to discover. All these reports were to be put in compre- hensive shape and submitted to the adver- tiser, with a general resume and such sug- gestions as to future action, as the situation required. This is but one of many trade- investigations made by the Gunning System, to assist their clients—and to show just bow strong an influence was exerted by their methed of publicity. Inspectors' reports on a display in Omaha for a patent medicine; on Iowa for a smoking tebacco; on Chicago for a condensed soup, were shown, and the same condition found to exist. The trade in gen- eral knew the force behind a Gunning dis- play, and were in line to handle and "push" the article so advertised. There was no going back of such a mass of convincing testimony: it was no wender then that they had attained so prominent a. place in the advertising world. There seems to be but one way in which they strive to profit a patron. From the time the contract is signed until the ex- piration cf its term, an intelligent, systematic and beneficial sales-force is exerted upon both dealer and consumer, in every way which their experience shows will aid the ad- vertising campaign. Aa extensive and well- handled organization cf course is required, and this "peep behind the scenes" was con- vincing evidence that The Gunning System has it. THE BILLBOARD Mansfield, 0., Matchings. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir:—We have had a steady run cf work for the past three months, and have on our boards now 100 Zip, 1-sbeets from the Baker-Levy. Chemical Co., Chicago; a num- ber of local jobs from our merchants; 340 sheets Hires' Root Beer and 440 sheets Na- tional Biscuit paper from N. W. Ayer & Son, Philadelphia; 430 sheets cigar paper from Brown Bros. Co., Detroit; 420 sheets Durham Tobacco paper from A. J. Fitzsimmons, Co- lumbus, O.; 280 sheets Beeman Chewing Gum paper from Gude, New York, and 109 sheets from the D. & C. Boat Line Co., Detroit. Respectfully, E. R. ENDLEY. A Smooth Clairvoyant. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir—A nice, slick gentleman in the shape of the world's greatest clairvoyant, is Professor Le Roy, who does business only with bill posters, and then does a good, long parachute jump out of town, leaving the only man he did business with, with only the ex- ercise and mere experience. Bill posters! look out for him! B. W. SUYDAM. New Brunswick, N. J., June -20. Wellington, Kas., Weavings. To the Editcr of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir:—Talk about a rush of work: I have posted more paper this spring than ever before. This is what we have been doing: Posted 100 Geo. Childs Cigar, 250 sheets Fon- teila Cigar, 170 sheets Capadura Cigar, 150 Bob Evans Cigar, 100 Golden Russet Cigar, 100 Henry Gccrge, 50 sheets Bull Durham To- bacco, 100 sheets Export Cigar, 60 sheets Fr.end's Oat Meal and 200 sheets Pillsbury Oats and Vitos. The- weekly "Billboard" is all right. Very truly yours. HARVEY HILL. Oklahoma City, Outings. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Hear Sir—I have been rambling through Oklahoma'for. the past month, and my busi- ness bringing me into contact with the "knights of the brush," I thought perhaps a few lines on bill posting in the territory might be of interest to your readers. Okla- homa is just now busily engaged in harvest- ing the largest wheat crop ever made In the land of big crops, and the people, are .corre- spondingly happy and prosperous—likewise, the bill poster. The advertiser scms to bj alive to the money there is here, and in every town I have been in I had trouble in getting space to bill my show, the boards being crowded with commercial paper. Nortbrup & Co.. of Kingfisher, has all his hoardings cov- ered, and Is putting up new boards. At Hen- nessey, a town of 3,000, there is an opening for a young hustler. Enid is well boarded by two firms: both have all their space covered. Blackwell Is open for a good man. Perry bas two firms, neither of whom know any- thing about the buaintss, aad the service li very poor. Guthrie has Ed Bentey, who bas a good plant, and Is a hustler. He has mora local showing on his boards than any other town in the territory. Oklahoma City ia taken care of by that prince of good fellows, Oscar Nix, who also manages the opera house, and bis boards are crowded, and be is constantly building. Just now it seems everybody is trying to get a showing for the Rough Riders' Reunion, which takes place here July 1 to 4, and promises to be the biggest thing that ever happened in this country. Besides the re- union of the Roosevelt Rough Riders, the merchants will give a free street fair and car- nival. Yours truly, LEN G. SHELBY. Here and There. The Donaldson Litho. Company is still working overtime. J. Wier, of Nebraska City, Neb., writes that he is doing work for Coco Cola, Henry George and Tom Moore Cigars. M. D. Heild, city bill poster at Vallejo, Cal., is at present in England on business. Upon his return be intends to settle in the East. H. L. Anderson, of Wymore, Neb., has given up his bill posting business. Mr. Chas. Freeman will heieatter have charge of the boards at Wymore. Clyde Van Meter, of Caldwell, Kan., writes that he has on bis boards Henry George Ci- gars and Frickley Ash Bitters. He posts regularly every three months for the latter. J. A. Muldoon, the well-known Eastport (Me.) bill poster, is erecting a new 100-foot board at East port Junction. The board has a tine position, and will, no doubt, carry all the paper it can bold. A. E. Drier, of Burlington, la., says that the coming Saengerfest at Burlington, will br,ng to that city the largest gathering that has ever assembled there. A word to the wiEe advertiser is sufficient. John Kuhn & Son, the bill posters of Ham- ilton, O., were given entire charge of the bill- ing of the Elks' Street Fair at that point They selected the posters, ordered them, and will post all the surrounding towns and country. W. T. Woodward, of Northwood. Ia., has failed in health, and much to his regret and the regret of those who know his gocd work, has been forced to abandoned the bill post- ing, business. His many friends wish him an early recovery. In Cincinnati and vicinity. June 24 bas been set aside as the birthday of Guttenberg. The event was fittingly observed, especially by the German printers, who celebrated In grand style. It would be well if the day were ob- served annually all over the world. The Poster Printers' Association is still making headway. New York is proving a tough proposition, but will fall In line in ths couiEe of time. The headquarters of the as- sociation have been located in New York. Mr. W. B. Brewster is in charge of the of- fices. Je4f. the Nicholasville (Ky.) bill poster, is domg eome fine work fcr The American To- bacco Ccmpany alcng the lines cf the L. & A. and Q. & C. H. C. Chambers, better known as "Heck" Chambers, has charge ot this work, and a nicer gentleman never trav- eled the- road in the interest of any firm. Richard Chadwick. William Muskerry Til- sen and Alfred Beyfus have brought suit at Santa Ana, Cal., against H. G. Wilshire. the bill poster of Los Angeles, to recover 119,000, together with Interest, counsel fees, etc., on account cf foreclosing a mortgage on property located in the northern portion of the county. W. E. Kemery, manager of the Parkers- burg (W. Va.) Bill Posting Company, was a "Billboard" caller June 15. He had been visiting the New England Carnival Company for some two weeks, having accompanied them from Parkersburg to Huntington and thence to Marion, Ind. Mr. Kemery reports business at Parkersburg as excellent. A brand-new advertising dodge appeared on the streets of Chicago last week and attracted the. usual amount of attention bestowed on "just-out" schemes. On a two-horse wagon were three octagonal transparencies abont about four feet In length and two feet in diameter. The transparencies stood on end, p"d as the wagon moved all of them revolv- ed, being operated by a mechanical device connected with the wheels of the wagon. On the white sides of the transparencies appear- ed a few early bird legends of various things about town which wished to be in on the ground floor In the new thing in advertising. As the wagon drove along the streets the oc- tagons twined round and round, and the peo- ple on the sidewalks looked on in amusement and curiosity. It is the dream ot a theatrical treasurer's l!fo to bo adjust his ticket rack' and other apparatus that a hungry horde of would-be ticket buyers may be accommodated swiftly, surely and with satisfaction to all, says the Los Angeles "Herald." Nobody was ever able to devise a scheme whereby this happy deslratum might be achieved, but Treasurer Waldeck, of the Orpheum, believes that he has discovered the secret. Mr. Waldeck has patented a device whereby the ■ customary ticket rack will be supplanted by a rotary re- volving affair that will respond to the touch cf a practiced hand much as docs the ap- paratus rf an engine to the skillful manipula- t'on of the engineer. Tickets are. to spring from this newly patented rack of Mr. Wal- deck's with perfect accuracy, and the speed with which a waiting crowd of seat buyers ran be disposed of is to be quadrupled. Mr. Waldeck is not a veteran in the theater busl- noES. but if be succeeds In providing a boon for theater box offices, and incidentally makes a fortune thereby, he will not be the first novice to give the old-timers valuable pointers. Distributors' ^Doings. One of Redington's Distributors. I have just read, with a great deal of In- terest, tho article under above heading, ap- pearing in "The Billboard" of June 9, from the* pen of Mr. Vanayckle, of Indianapolis. I dislike to indulge in personalities in a discussion calculated for tho greatest bene- fit to the greatest number. Those who have read my previous articles are lelt to base their opinions of the same upon their. own. Judgement.- It is none ot my concern how well a man lives, how well he lias his office equipped, or how much he makes oft the hard labor of his employes, so long as he gives Dr. Kilmer & Company the service in distributing that they consider they have a right to demand. 1 agiec with the writer of that article that it is worth, for such service as we demand, $2.ti0 per 1,000, and 1 am also of the opinion that the men who do the work arc entitled to the money, without being obliged to contrib- ute half to an eniploycr: yet 1 realize the fact that an. established business, a finely- equipped office, extensive advertising, fine turnuuts and expensive habits are entitled to some remuneration. As 1 write, the following is just received frjm our traveling distributor, now in Du- buque, Iowa: "I reached here at 11:15 a. m. to-day, and found Mr. Leonard at the depot to meet me, as per previous written arrangement. He was in uniform, and carried a distributor's bag. The moment 1 saw his cap I had no trouble to recognize him. He has three young men and two younger boys, and works himself. I never saw such careful work. I consider myself a good distributor, but his men go to the back doors, where I do not al- ways consider it necessary. \ 1 understand he levies a fine on his help for poor work, and enforces it, too. 1 have just read Mr. Leonard's "Bill- board" and the Indianapolis gentleman's ar- ticle. One thing in the article strikes mc as odd: It is the- difference in- the expenses of the two offices. Mr. Leonard has his office in his house, small expenses, does a portion ot his own work, pays his help well, and is en- abled to give the advertiser A 1 service at J2.00 per 1,000. Now the question is, which system would the advertiser prefer, that of Indianapolis or of Dubuque?- Will an employe who is forced to distrib- ute a given number of pieces per day, for a specified sum, or lose his position, render as satisfactory service to the advertisers as the employe who gets 95 per cent, of the amount paid by the advertiser, with no other condi- tion than that he ; forfeits a certain amount- for poor service? It the Indianapolis'gentle- man felt that he could not do such work as our representative demanded at the price, he had a perfect right to decline the conlract, and lie certainly showed a commendable spirit when lie called the attention of our traveler to the fact that his men were doing poor work when out of his sight. Whatever fairy talcs might have been ex- changed between the Texas man and the In- dianapolis gentleman in establishing their respective sides to the argument would not be of sufficient weight to sink a ship. If the Texas man's statements were be- lieved to bo correct as to salary, sales, etc., then the Indianapolis gentleman shmild have been stimulated to try and obtain a like posi- tion. While the Indianapolis gentltman would seem disposed to ridicule the less expensive habits of the "man from Texas," yet tho rlinrec is not of sufficient seriousness to cost the Texas man his situation, but will, on the contrary, bring him Into favor with employ- ers, all of whom, without exception, admire a representative of frugal habits. However, be that as it may, the results from the distribution in Indianapolis have been most gratifying. IT there is any fooling on my part toward the distributor who docs not patronize me in a personal way. I do not know why I have always provided eneh of our travelers with a monthly revised list of International mem- bers, and' I ran not understand why the "man from Texas" should have first offered ihc work to the Indianapolis man. Why did he employ the Mtineie man? Why has he employed others? Why do other of our rep- resentatives employ help that never patronize mo or who have never even heard of me? It's becaitne thoy arc follnwlim these in- tnirtions: "Get the best service you can pos- sibly obtain in every town." 1 can not see where the Mtineie man or our - representative was resnpnslhlp for loss to the mnin oftlce because "it rained and help was scarce." In ISO" I d'd write the Indianapolis man a recommen<intlon of his service, based uncn i-CRults. Whether he did that work, a part of it. at least, in person or not; I nm unnbln to ""j', lt wns my Impression that he did. and I also think the price per 1.000 wns much lower tlinn that nfir-rod by the "m'nn from Texas." being pamphlets instead of part pamphlets. How the Indianapolis gentleman can have Drrn nit nIT frem nil our work, bcrnuyn r f the """J" 1 " named, I ran not understand, when "So 1 ciio«r I will novor reeelve nnv more work from Dr. Kilmer & Company, which I will miBs very much, as they cover this city every three or Jive years." He did the last work we did there, was of- fered the next, which he did not see nt to accept. I do not know why, if an agreement can De made as to terms, etc., the Indianap-., ohs gentleman would not be g.vcn an oppor- tunity to bid on our next woik. All that our representatives ask at the bands ot any distr.ouior or b.Il poster -is the ruithiul fuinllment of contract at the speci- fied price, which will always be found as lib- eral as any other advertiser pays. With best wishes to the fraternity at large, and trusting to, by better service, encourage advertisers to pay better pnces, 1 beg to re- main yours truly, W. D. REDINGTON. Behan's Reply to Vansyckle. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Wear Sir—Replying to Mr. Vansyckle's ar- ticle in "The uuiboard" or June a, will say that it seems strange that be is the only one or the I. A. of D. members to find fault with/ mc,my pnces or the reputation of myself pi- manager since I have been in this State/I have the monthly revised list of international members with me, and employ them ii/pref- erence to all others, and only wish that the organization in other States was as'good as in this State, for cerlamlv I have round very reliable men here the" past' winter. I wish to correct the gentleman from Indianap- olis when he says that I paid onlv $2 per thousand for my work with bis agent at Mun- e.e, Ind. I hold a receipt for $2.25 per thou- sand, the same price I paid other interna- tional men for towns of that size in the gas belt,,and.if Mr. Vansyckle lost money, it only goes to prove that his system is wrong. Others were satisfied with this price. Then, too, his agent at Muncic. could only get $1.50 per thousand for local work, but Mr. Van Syekle gets no portion of that. We had giod weather while there, but it was very muddy. As to my seeking cheap, Jl-a-day houses while in his city, he forgets that he took me to his hotel and that I didn't stay, it being too cheap ($4.00 a week), and that I went back to the "Sherman," a $1.50 house, and paid $1.25 per day by the week. This part of his letter reminds me of the baker's sign of the fat man and the lean man, and allow me to place Mr. Vansyckle and myself in this position, myself tipping the scales at 210 pounds, and the other side a poor, raw-boned fellow, weighing about 130 pounds, and ask you if we would not fill the requirments of a sign that reads: "I eat three meals a day," and on the other side, "I wish I could." When I went to Indianapolis I fully in- ""'■' | l to give our work to the association member, and after several meetings found that $2.25 per thousand, not even $2.50. per thousand, would secure the use of his adver- tising wagon. I couldn't understand his posi- tion, as he was doing work for others at $1.75 per thousand. As my work was half sam- ples I expected to pay more, but I was in- formed that I could not have the use of his wagen at any price or be allowed to place my advertising on the sides cf the wagon. This set me to thinking whv. and as h ! s wagon carried "The When Clothing Cc." card all the time, regardless as to what his men were distributing, you may, perhaps an- swer this question yourself. The first few days we found some fine col- lect'ons cf advertising matter, showing as high as four different kinds put out at once, two cf which were representative proprietary medicine firms, and two weeks after I had finished the city, 1 found, while checking up seme tacking, another combination,which I mailed, as fast as I found them, to my man- ager. Mr. Vansyckle had a perfect right to refuse my work. I showed him the respect due the associnticn member, and after I had a perfect right to contract with whom I could and fol- low the instructions cf my house, bl-t he as a gentleman or a member of the I. A. of D. had no right to misrepresent things as he d'd in tho article cf June 9. It is shortsighted- ness on his part. In the meantime I will continue on my journey (outside cf Texasi, using association members where there are any and as 1 have done in the past, I shall tell distributers who are net members that there is an association of distributors banded together to help cne another, and' I shall' givo geed, honest distributers Bro. Stein- brenner's address, and tell them to write and find out all about the orcanz'ation. Yours truly. H. E. BE11AN. Tcrrc Haute. Ind.. June 30. Davenport, la., Doings. To tho Editcr of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir—A hovel sight passed through here last week: it was a train-lead of twen- ty-live cars drawn by two engines, all con- taining newly-painted red threshing machines from Hopkins, Minn. They were headed to- ward Peoria. 111. The Xcrris Dog and Ponv Show closed Sunday night to a good week's business. "Tho Billboard" announced the F"rrpaucl)-Sells Shows in Rock Island, June 27. Yours respectfully, WM. BAUMANX. L. C. Kepler, agent of the Dr. Miles Med- ical Company, writes from Sheldon, la., as follows: "I have to-day made our yearlv contract with our distributer, Mr. John Walton, for ten towns, including Sheldon. Mr. Walton has been an advertising agent here for the past nine years, and after thoroughly inves- tigating his work, I cheerfully recommend him as a very reliable and industrious man. Anybody wishing to pet direct results from their ndvertlslnr should not fail to give Mr. Walton a trial." Hill's Views on Opposition. Should we repcrt bad work done by our opposition? The writer is of the opinion that when ad- vertisers receive bad service at the hands of our opposition, we should report same. It is true that this couree may'create a bad taste in the mouths of some advert.sers, and is al- most sure to bring down on our heads the wrath and denunciation of the dishonest dis- tributer, but if some method is not adopted to prevent these fly-by-night distributors from securing work the condition of affairs that I have indicated will continue, and if the advertiser does not. inspect his work—and many do not, depending on results for evi- dence of how their worK is done—these dis- honest fellows will continue to receive work and waste it. till the advertiser, seeing that • s getting no returns, cuts off the ton i. and tells otners tnat distributing in B does not pay, when as a matter of fact it is his ignorance of the way his advertising mat- ter has been used that leads him to condemn the town, when he should condemn the dis- tributor. Another gocd reason for reporting bad work is the bad effect it has on traveling inspect- ors when they .happen to see it and do not know who did it. Say a traveling man drops into my town a couple of days after the small boy has sown the front lawns with the ad- vert.sing matter of some other firm. Mr Traveling Man sees the matter on the lawns and walks. What opinion does ho form of (i.tiriouting in that town? My experience is that a pleased customer is one of our best advertisements, and on this principle we insist that, when it is possible, every firm for whom we work shall inspect our work. The dishonest distributor should be watch- ed, and watching helps the honest one. I do not mean that we should what is popularly known as "kneck" our opposition because he is opposition, if he does honest work, he de- serves credit for it, and he should have it It is the fraud I am after, and I believe in exposing him whenever and wherever found Fort.fy yourself with reliable evidence as to h,s work, and then report him. My experience is that very few advertisers will net thank-you if you are prepared to sustain your charges. JAS. L. HILL Nashville, Tenn. Yazoo City, Miss., Yieldings. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir:—I am a subscriber to your valu- able paper, and I would like to send a few words from the southern portion of Missis- sippi This is the first year I have been in this business here, and I am building it up and giving straight, honest and fair work to my customers. I have just finished last month a new matched board sixty feet by ten feet in height, and am going to build this month ono hundred, feet of matched boards. I will send you this week a. photo of one of my new boards filled with paper from Prick- ley Ash Bitters Co. Our city is going to have a street fair scon. The date has not yet been set. lt is going to be one of the biggest things we ever had in this town or the State cf Mississippi. Wishing you long life and gocd success, I remain yours as ever. H. C. HENICK. Mrs. Behan's Ideas. Last year I employed but few professional distributors, and I think in 'only one instance with samples that was not satisfactory work In lawa my towns are small and but few are licensed. Of-these, I have employed but two 1. A. of I». men so far. One of "these is, with one exception, the best professional dis- V i l ?T J ever em B'°y e d. I employed an I. A of D. man in Kansas who is fully as good. When the time comes that the professional distributor has elevated his business to the standard possible to the traveling representa- tive and his helpers, then, and not until then, will large firms be able to employ him to the exclusion of representatives direct from the house. While he hires small boys', half cl-id, and with a cigarette between their lips, the t'me has not come. I. too. am a uniformed representative, aad of one of the largest pat- ent medicine firms in the United States, r am proud of my firm and proud of my work, r _„ ry _ „ n1c nn<l I(mk aftpr my wotk care _ fully. That I am known all over the State is eioveu ir.mi the fact that often representa- tives from drug houses eome to me in rail- road stations and on the cars and introduce themselves and say that they sell our goods and are pleased to meet me. My idea or perfect distribution, where no license bars you out, is to employ men, not under twenty years of age. out of the first families in town. When they go to the doors with a neat sam- ple like ours, and the lady meets them, she will say: "Why. Arthur, or John, what hav^ you for me?" Depend upon It, she will look at it, and it wilf carry twice the influence it ■ vould have done if handled by the averag- bov employed by local distributors. It was my good fortune last summer to go over, for a short time, territory which, lesi than a year before, was covered, and I heard there that they tried the sample because it was oresented in such a "gentlemanly way." v Inch further proves mv po'nt. I am able to h'r? such young men for 15 cents an hour, and the;- are swift workers. I leave Mr Kedingion to judge, from the letters he re- ceives from my helpers, if I am.looked upon by them as an "old fossil." or any one "whop* a d ! str'hutor wnuld find it hard to rliase." Because my oo'n'on upon this sub- ject differs <r"ip Mr. Behnn's. do not form the impression that "our house is divided 't.'i- i. n against itself,". Ter .such Is not the caie. We believe in exchanging opinions- and learning; from each other, and have always followed tftut plan. I am anxious to learn, and woula be giad.if this subject might continue-with less abuse and more helpfulness. The Inters contain good thoughts and some wit".aad humor. Let us snake hands and be good „SSl?,'.i a 5 d sce wUo can furnish the most helpful ideas in our work. MRS. Hi E.'BEHAN. Redman's Letter. To the Editor of "The Billboard-" _ Dear^Slr:—Since my last report we have &,*>£: f # 1< T ns work: D'stnuut'd fifooo books for Washington Med. Institute Chi- cago: 3.000 booklets for St. JaTOb"l ns 'titute Chicago, and 6.000 books for Drs. Kennedy f.^ ere S P ' P« roit . Mi=n.. all. three at fe, me « B, S S - Clr «:us. which exhibited here May 19. Have also distributed 4,000 book-. iaa S w° r . Dr ; Cbase, Co... Philadelphia, and 300 books for The Mellier Drug-Co St. Louis,_Mo. 1 am working, on a 4.500 lot from Dr Chase Co., Philadelphia, and have 88 samples of.Hagee's.Cod Liver Oil, to be delivered to the physicians in Milan. Dun- dee, Britton.-Tccumseh, Clinton. Manches- ter. Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Wayne, Ply-* mouth, Northville, Belleville, for The Kath- armon Chemical Co., St Louis, Mo. Busi- ness has been very good this season, and I trust that It will keep the same in the fu- ture. Everything points that way. ". Wishing ."The .Billboard" success, and-.so- liciting a trial from the national advertisers" for my list of "towns, I am. respectfully. r ' ' W. B. REDMAN. .f ' •■ -V".- *i» }>, t. i-.--7»i'-.J$d Saginaw, Mich., Sayings. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir:—During months of May and June I have done work for Dr. Miles, two special jobs, 10.000, besides one Dr. Miles, regular "cf" 9,000: Dr. Shoop. two jobs, of 10.0U0 eaeh- city firm cf 14,000, and also another city firm of 5,000. I am now doing some wcrk. for. Telephone Company,- distributing directories. Expect work from Mennen Chemical Co."and Wnsley Soap Co., of Chicago. I have "been too busy to write before this. -We have a celebration here the Fourth of July. Yours - tru '3 r > ' E. D. MOORE., . r."—Iff •.:.' ''i*,!L ! - .--im J ', i.'l • : ,r.' li.- Weekly List of Distributors. ARKANSAS. Conway—J. F. Clark, Boa 92. Ft. Smith—J. F.- Clark. -". . GEORGIA. ['!-. Atlanta and Suburbs—Edw. B. Bridger's Ad- vertising-Agency. 604 Temple Court Bids; Columbus, Ga.. Girard & Phoenix City, Alfc—, Kdw. B. Bridger's Advertising Agency. Address Atlanta. . ■- * ILLINOIS. Chicago—John A.'Clough, 42 River st- Gainesville—H. Hulen B. P.-& DIst. Co. Pekin—Standard Bill Posting Co. -- INDIANA. Marion—John L. Wood. 920 S. Branson st Rockport—Tookie Lyceum, S. Cook, mgr." - IOWA. Burlington—A. E. Dreier, 1211 Summer street." Sioux City—A. B. Bcall. KANSAS. ...'.' Atchison-City Bill Posting Co. i MASSACHDSETTS. . Brockton—John V. Carter, 288 Belmont st- " MISSOURI. "■-'.-- -■'-'■ East St. Louis—H. H. Deemar. NSBR^SKA. Fremont—M. M.'Irwin." -• -'-..- NEW YORK.. Canandaigua—Wm. F." Mosber. 98 Chapln stl Mechanic Falls—Jordan Adv. Co., Box 4L Ogdensburg—K. M. Bracy. . OHIO. ' •'■".' ■ i -- Fostoria—W. Ci Tirrill & Co., 216 W. Market Plymouth—Opera House B. P. & Dist. Co.* llhrichsville—Twin City Bill Posting Co., ofi -sqaijqrj ssajppy -uo3|aaa pun ait'Asqouqn' '. ville, O. . -.-'■-.«. PENNSYLVANIA. '.: " " "'.""; Carlisle—Wm. M. Meloy, Box 49:- ' * ' A. F. Morris, manager. Hastings st, Van- couver, B. C. . CANADA A. F. Morris, manager, 10 Lefeuvre Block. Vancouver. B. C. Montreal—C. J. T. Thomas. Box 1129. : i "■:<■-) ■•■ •-••"-If. :.'i a',.'., ■U-:^ if,' 1 j '..r- •$, j*. VV *"»#J !£ ii;..- «iij •'I' ' ■■ <£•' -r If !l : 'J. ?f ' ; : r'Nl :< I. - oV i 3 «T»j ! ' "?!«. « " : 1 ■■■ ■- m " ■»■* ,li.,r-;'l :.-S¥i *" ■.--■: m --•jfv- jjMi 1S ; •'f : if'.'; fl© *■' Weekly List of Bill- Posters. " '• ' - -y*il ARKANSAS. " Conway and Ft Smith—J. F. Clark, Box ! ILLINOIS. Rockport—Tookie Lyceum, S. Cook, mgr. Pekin—Standard Bill resting Co. KANSAS. Atchison—City Bill I'osting Co. Parsons—George Churchill. NKBKASKA, Frcmojit—M. M. Irwin, ... - I