384 



11(1 i;t I {' r I. 'IT i{ K 



Mjir.li L'l' I'M.'. 



When Buying LILY BULBS Buy the Best 



ASK YOUR DEALER FOR 



YOKOHAMA NURSERY CO. STOCK 



li iIkv dill I ! ivc tliLii. wiitL us. We are the largest growers and exporters 

 of LILY BULBS in Japan, (.imtrnllin): (.nc-third nt" tlu- (.'ntin- i>riKhuli()n 



YOKOHAMA NURSERY CO., Ltd. 



Woolworth Building. NEW YORK YOKOHAMA, JAPAN LONDON, ENGLAND 



THE GLASS SITUATION FROM THE 

 MANUFACTURER'S STANDPOINT. 



A.l.ln-s ..f .1 l: .l..l.l.^t..^. l'ri>si.Iellt 



.i..i>i.stni, itr..k.ntK.. ...... l;">^|;"■■'■'''f,''^■'v''•' 



Ihi- Kiial.Tii division ..f III!' <!l:i^'< Dlhtrlb- 

 iiliTs' .\s..«.cliitl"n ill N<-« Viirk Clly. 



It Is apparent there is some business 

 still existinK in this country as is evi- 

 denced by the placing of orders for 

 more tlian a million boxes of glass 

 within the last ten days. When it is 

 taken into consideration that all lines 

 of business are stagnant it is remark- 

 able tliat the buying movement of this 

 magnitude could be awakened in such 

 a short time. It only shows what we 

 can expect in the way of real pros- 

 perity when the movement is fully un- 

 der way. It is rather surprising that 

 the jobbers complain about lack of 

 profit on the business they are doing, re- 

 gardless of the volume. It would seem 

 that if business was quiet and the 

 volume diminished that they should be 

 the more alert to show a profit on such 

 transactions as exist, but if their state- 

 ments are to be taken as accurate, the 

 various lines of glass that the dis- 

 tributors are handling show little or 

 no profit. I have been a member of 

 various organizations for the last 25 

 years. They were all worth forming 

 and supporting and each in turn served 

 some good purpose. The window glass 

 people have been fairly well organized 

 for the past three years and this is 

 the first time that I can recall when 

 the jobbers have not co-operated when 

 the manufacturers were doing some 

 consistent team work. I believe this is 

 the first time that the jobbers have 

 failed to iinite their interests and work 

 in harmony with the manufacturer and 

 at the same time there have been more 

 organizations and more time spent in 

 holding meetings than any time I can 

 recall. With National. Sectional and 

 Local organizations it is most surpris- 

 ing that the jobbers do not obtain bet- 

 ter results. 1 am not attempting to 

 point out the reasons as they will know 

 what their own troubles are. but I do 

 know that one or more jobbers in 

 every principal city are spending time 

 and money carrying out plans that are 

 offensive and harmful to the people 

 that I represent and which in turn will 

 be harmful to themselves. I don't be- 

 lieve it is too late to remedy this con- 

 dition and 1 think the same force put 

 into a co-operative movement would 

 change the whole situation inside of 

 thirty days and would make 1915 a 

 most excellent year even if the volume 

 should be below normal. In some sec- 



lions it is the apparent purpose of the 

 jobber to sell glass cheaper than the 

 manufacturer, and where he has 

 through one method or another made 

 contracts below the prevailing prices, 

 he has invariably given it away and 

 worked this supposed advantage to his 

 own financial loss and detriment. It 

 certainly should be far more helpful 

 to the distributor to get his normal 

 profits of 20 per cent, on his smaller 

 business than to jeopardize his entire 

 sales by trying to scalp out an extra 

 2 ',2 per cent, that his competitor does 

 not enjoy. 



Relative to the output of factories 

 the trade seems to be somewhat inter- 

 ested in the quantity of small glass 

 produced, and just having completed a 

 canvass of the factories I can say the 

 production of first three brackets 

 single in the hand plants from the 

 commencement of the blast does not 

 exceed 35 per cent, and I am confident 

 that during the remainder of the fire 

 the percentage will be reduced still 

 further. For years past it has been 

 stated that 50 per cent, small single 

 was the least that a well managed 

 plant could handle, but several fac- 

 tories have been getting only 25 per 

 cent, first three brackets single and 

 one plant reduced the quantity during 

 a four weeks' settlement to 18 per 

 cent. With this curtailment of small 

 glass with the hand factories and re- 

 ported improvements in the character 

 of the production in the machine fac- 

 tories, the question of small glass 

 should not be the menace that it has 

 heretofore. 



On the question of exports, there 

 has been some lull. No large amount 

 of business has been niaced from 

 abroad during the past six w-eeks but 

 during January inquiries have in- 

 creased greatly and within the next 

 sixty days I exnect there will be some 

 very substantial orders placed. One 

 feature that has retarded buying of 

 glass by foreign firms has been their 

 inability to arrange for space on ocean 

 steamers, and with an uncertaintv as 

 to the deliveries, they are not inclined 

 to buy freely. The inquiries that are 

 coming in are accomi anied by speci- 

 fications for hundreds of thousands of 

 boxes and undoubtedly a great deal of 

 this is going to be actual shipping 

 business in a very short time. 



To look ahead, I would venture the 

 suggestion that with proper handling 

 there should be excellent business in 

 window glass both at home and abroad 

 for the next two years at least. The 



nianufai turers are most desirouH of 

 contributing their full part toward 

 handling these two years with profit 

 to all concerned and they are most 

 anxious to have the support and c-o- 

 operation of the jobber. Many of them 

 feel that they have had antagonism 

 from quite a percentage and believe 

 that the policy of trying to shade the 

 market or find weak simts Is not the 

 broad way in which money can be 

 made. The factories have been will- 

 ing to regulate their output in accord- 

 ance with the demand and are willing 

 to adoi)t any other rational suggestion 

 of the jobbers as to re-establishing and 

 maintenance of a differential to the 

 qualified buyers and feel that if there 

 has been any shortcomings in the past 

 it has been largely the fault of the 

 distributor and they should welcome 

 a change that would mean satisfactory 

 balance sheets to their jobbing friends 

 rather than to hear continued com- 

 plaints of a year's hard work without 

 advancement. 



EDWIN LONSDALE IMPROVED. 



We are much pleased, and know that 

 many of our readers will also be 

 pleased to learn that Edwin Lonsdale 

 is improving in health and gaining 



iS^:^ 



lid.MI. Ill Hl)«l.\ L<l.\.'-I).M.I- . 



strength. He is able to sit up for a 

 few hours, each day. at his home in 

 Lompoc, Cal. 



Cocoanut Fibre Soil 



Does not stop the use of Humus. 

 All seedsmen keep It Id stork. It Is tb» 

 Isst word In Fertilizing Humus. 

 Send for Prices. 



20th CENTURY PIANT FOOD CO. 



27 t 71 Vt\M ST., lEVUlT. MUX. 



