1338 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 6, 1915. 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
Old readers will remember the criticisms 
in these columns two years ago of the 
Strout Farm Agency, and the suits for 
alleged libel that followed for something 
near a million dollars. Readers will re¬ 
member our successful defense of a suit 
against a poor man for a listing fee, and 
the scathing decree of Judge Hand in the 
Federal Court, when the agency tried to 
get an injunction to close our mouths. 
Last week Mr. Strout called on me per¬ 
sonally and said in substance: “I come 
to you like a big school boy who had 
been spanked by the teacher and returned 
to acknowledge his fault and to thank the 
teacher who chastised him. If I had 
eliminated the ‘listing fee’ five years ago, 
when you refused my advertising because 
of it, I would have made less money for 
a while, but I would have been better off 
in the end. But it took the spanking to 
convince me. I have changed it now 
and come back to show you that I have 
adopted a straight commission and am 
doing a legitimate business.” Mr. Strout's 
visit and acknowledgment was very sat¬ 
isfying. It is the strongest possible proof 
that the criticism was justified. He 
acknowledges that the listing fee and li¬ 
cense to agents to make all the profit they 
could get above the owner’s price, was 
wrong. Mr. Strout abandons with con¬ 
tempt the publishers who published his 
advertising and defended him. In 
acknowledging the dishonesty of the 
former plan he virtually leaves them ac¬ 
cused of complicity for the sake of the 
advertising patronage, and those with the 
greatest pretense of decency sunk the 
deepest in the mire. Mr. Strout has con¬ 
fessed. The publishers w r ho defended him 
have the floor. 
I shipped to P. Nealey of Gloucester, 
N. J., one hide, and have written him 
several times without response. See 
what you can do with him for me. 
New Jersey. T. B. 
Some eight or nine months after ship¬ 
ment Mr. Nealey returned 25 cents for 
this hide, which the subscriber claimed 
was worth $3. The record is not en¬ 
viable. 
B. Marmor & Son, of 648 Jackson Ave., 
New York, have failed, owing something 
over $24,000. At a meeting of the cred¬ 
itors an offer was made to settle for 15 
per cent, and 10 per cent, additional in 
notes. This has not been accepted as yet. 
A year ago statement was made to the 
commercial agencies showing $22,000 as¬ 
sets. A committee is trying to find out 
what became of the assets. A number of 
our people are losers because of shipments 
to Marmor. The concern was considered 
a prosperous one, and it is not under¬ 
stood how affairs are so tangled. 
I sent D. I*. Fries, 143 Callowhill 
Street, Philadelphia, Pa., 15 hampers of 
lettuce: have written him twice but get 
no reply. Is he all right? F. Q. 
Delaware. 
We took the claim up and insisted upon 
adjustment being made without delay. 
Remittance and account sales were re¬ 
ceived by the shipper some three months 
after sending the goods with the advice 
that 02 cents was the net amount real¬ 
ized. The lettuce, it is alleged, was fine 
quality, and a good price was expected 
for it. To make a prompt report in case 
of damage is the least a commission house 
can do in the interests of their shippers, 
but to make absolutely no report and 
then claim the goods were worth prac¬ 
tically nothing, shows little regard for 
the rights of the shippers, and this rec¬ 
ord will be no inducement for our people 
to consider this house when sending goods 
to the Philadelphia market. 
I enclose some American University, 
Chicago. Ill., literature. What do you 
think of it? They offer special terms to 
take their coui’se in chiropractic. They 
first offer it at $100 and later reduce the 
price to $68.75, with a diploma free upon 
graduation. B. H. 
Oregon. 
A diploma from these correspondence 
courses has little or no weight with busi¬ 
ness houses, and eei’tainly not in medical 
4 'ircles. When a concern is willing to 
reduce their tuition fee for the sake of 
enrolling a scholar, they defeat their own 
object—it is evidence that the course is 
only worth less than half what they ask, 
and is only a scheme to get your money. 
As we have said before, correspondence 
courses at best can only give you some 
little information, and good text books 
on the subject will give the same in¬ 
formation at less cost, with this advan¬ 
tage. If you find you are unable to go 
on with the subject, you will simply be 
out the sum paid for the text book, and 
not a large amount for a course which 
proves of no value to you. It is often 
impossible to determine one’s capability 
for a certain line until it is tried out. 
Enclosed find 10 cents, for which send 
me a supply of Anti-Fake stamps, similar 
to one found on back of envelope con¬ 
taining this letter. s. c. M. 
West Virginia. 
This comes from an active member of 
the Anti-Fake Club. The stamps are 
getting in their work in advertising the 
Club, and we want them well circulated. 
Are you using them? 
I shipped F. Valentine of 67 Roanoke 
Ave., Norfolk, Va., 15 barrels of No. 1 
Bartlett pears, and have not received 
reply or payment from him. I have 
shipped pears to him for several years, 
and usually waited about six months for 
payment, but returns were always good. 
Will you see what you can do with him? 
He conducts a commission business, and 
has bought goods in this State, and makes 
a specialty of buying celery in Michigan. 
New York. j. a. d. 
Mr. Valentine evidently has no regard 
for his credit standing, for he makes no 
attempt to adjust this account. There 
are said to be judgments against him 
which have not been satisfied, and it is 
doubtful if any collection could be made 
if suit were brought. The matter is being 
referred to Norfolk authorities, but we 
have no hope of getting payment for this 
consignment. Some action may result 
that will prevent a repetition. 
I am enclosing letter from C. C. Lake 
Co., Niagara Falls, N. l r ., which I re¬ 
ceived in answer to a “blind” classified 
advertisement in a local paper. As I 
look at it, it seems to me that these peo¬ 
ple are entitled to a high place among 
your list of fake advertisers, but of course 
I may be wrong. I wish you would in¬ 
form me as to the standing and reliability 
of this concern. I am a reader of your 
paper and have noticed that you have 
exposed many fraudulent advertising 
schemes. m. s. w. 
Massachusetts. 
For $4 the company will place you as 
their district manager, and supply a 
sample case and outfit. While learning 
the ropes you agree to arrange with 10 
stores to sell the Egyptian varnish, they 
to pay you $2.75 for such arrangements 
with each store. Later they will equip 
an office and pay you $22 a week salary 
and commission of five per cent, on all 
sales. After receiving the sample case 
and arranging for the 10 stores you are 
to order the supplies and commence 
work. In the meantime the chief ob¬ 
ject is to send $4 for the sample case. 
You may be able to sell the goods and 
you may not, but the general practice 
is to pay a commission on the orders 
turned in, and the appointment as dis¬ 
trict manager and office would not mate¬ 
rialize. An unknown varnish will not 
bring sufficient profits to establish offices 
all over the country. 
I want to enter a complaint against 
Chas. Shupeck, Hazleton, Pa. He was 
through our neighborhood last year buy¬ 
ing peaches. For some he made part 
payment, and for some he has not paid 
at all. Large quantities were loaded in 
a car, and he then shipped the car away 
at night without giving people an op¬ 
portunity to load the peaches for which 
he had contracted. I sent him 50 bas¬ 
kets by express, and received a check for 
$20, but the bank says it is no good. I 
haven’t received my money at any rate. 
One man has a detective on the case, but 
I cannot afford to spend more time on 
him. Can you help me? G. c. L. 
Pennsylvania. 
Mr. Shupeck evidently got all the 
peaches he wanted from this neighbor¬ 
hood and then disappeared. We are un¬ 
able to locate him. A report has been 
made that Mr. Shupeck got married on 
this peach money and made a honeymoon 
trip through Jersey, and is now back in 
Hazleton, but he cannot be located. It 
is also reported that he has had an in¬ 
terest in some horse transactions, but 
whatever his scheme keep his name on 
the list of undesirables. j. j. d. 
“Work as we will, we can’t excel na¬ 
ture.” “Oh. I don’t know. A monoplane 
can fly upside down. Ever see a bird do 
that?”—Louisville Courier-Journal. 
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