CENTERS OF THE INDUSTRY 23 



expensive, and the direct returns nearly always fall short 

 of the amount expended for space. The indirect returns, 

 however, are very far reaching and may often be accounted 

 for many months after the advertisement has appeared. 



" In this age of automobiles, much advertising is ob- 

 tained through them. When attractively painted, their 

 passage through prominent thoroughfares brings a firm 

 into prominent notice. Theater programs, moving pic- 

 ture screens, street-car advertising and many hundreds 

 of other forms may be secondary influences in obtaining 

 the attention of the public." 



20. Retail delivery. " Delivery is another prominent 

 feature of retail work. Efficient and inexpensive de- 

 livery is one of the great problems of the dealer in flowers. 

 Unlike most other kinds of business, the florist is expected 

 to cover the town in a stated time period. He deals with 

 weddings, funerals and other important events in life 

 which demand prompt attention. This can be main- 

 tained only at great expense. Roomy, luxurious auto- 

 mobiles are a great convenience and are much noticed by 

 the public, but they are an expensive prosposition, and 

 without doubt these will later be replaced by a smaller 

 and more practical type of vehicle. It is considered that 

 an automobile operated at an expense of one cent a mile 

 is vastly different from one operated at an expense of 

 from eight to ten cents a mile. 



" In an average town of from two to five hundred thou- 

 sand population, there should be a minimum price on which 

 articles should be delivered. Very little profit is made on 

 an article sent that was purchased for less than one 

 dollar. 



" On large delivery routes, horses are now considered 

 out of the question in the delivery field, and it behooves 



