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Show THE PROBLEMS OF MARKETING Peddling, Which Has Proved Successful in the Past Has Outlived Its Usefulness No. 11. (Contributed) Dixie perhaps has the distinction distinc-tion of being afflicted with a unique disease in a more acute form than any other section on the globe. And that is the peddling fever. Our county has gone peddler-mad. We have been in the throes of a peddling panic for years, and we are paying for it in costly ways. Thare is no quarrel on the services ser-vices peddling has performed in the past. The practice arose to meet a need which perhaps could not have been met in any other way. Often the ready cash the peddlers have brought back to our towns has proved a saving fluid for our stagnant stag-nant financial waters. Many fami-ilies fami-ilies would have been left in very stringent and trying circumstances without the aid of the peddler.. But the man who argues that we still need peddling because it has functioned successfully in the past is not necessarily correct. Peddling is an antiquated, primitive, costly, individual effort which cannot justify jus-tify itself in these days of organization organ-ization and cooperation. It is a dead issue in the eyes of progressive business busi-ness mjen; let us bury it and make room for modern methods. There is an implied corollary in the old biblical admonition to "hold fast to that which Is good," and that means to discard that which has fulfilled its purpose. Peddling has assumed its most aggravated form in the towns of Santa Clara and Ivins. Their citizens citi-zens have become leading fruit jobbers job-bers of the county. They and peddlers ped-dlers from other towns deserve a tribute for the help they have been. (Continued on page 6) THE PROBLEMS OF MARKETING (Continued from page 1) to the county. But the time has come for a reconstruction of the whole system, and it is the peddlers of the county, whoever they are, to whom this article is primarily addressed. Any virtue carried to an extreme ex-treme is a vice. Peddling, which was once a virtue, is now a vice, because be-cause it has over-reached itself. The two towns already mentioned may be used as an example. They( are composed of approximately sixty families. These sixty families operate op-erate seventy-five automobiles, sixty-five sixty-five of the seventy-five cars are used for peddling. Only three families fami-lies do not have cars; some have as high as three cars, all used for peddling. The peddling loads vary in size from 500 pounds hauled in Ford touring cars from fifty to 100 miles or more, to two or three tons hauled in trucks as far as 300 or 400 miles. What a stupendous waste of time, money and energy. Every mile of the thousands those cars travel takes its inevitable toll in time, man power, initial cost, upkeep, depreciation de-preciation and operating expense. The fiddler mlust be paid. Perhaps the cost is not so evident during the peddling season, and the victim will begin to hope he is escaping the inescapable. But over a sufficient period, if he will be honest with himself, he must admit that the business is not as profitable as it may have seemed. The total of produce hauled by the sixty-five peddlers each making mak-ing one trip could be loaded in less than six railroad cars. The selling functions of the sixty-five salesmen could be performed more efficiently and more economically through one organization. The time and the energy en-ergy consumed in hauling the produce pro-duce to market, if turned to raising rais-ing crops at home, would increase production enormously; the feverish haste, the long hours, the all-night driving, the worry and responsibility resting on each of the sixty-five pairs of shoulders takes more toll in vitality than the participants realize; the mjoney which is now wasted in such a costly procedure could be saved, the energy which goes into scheming, cut-throat competition, com-petition, if united in one channel, could accomplish undreamed-of results; re-sults; the havoc wrought by one man underselling another would be replaced by a normal, dependable market, stable prices and greater net returns to each individual concerned. concern-ed. When one seriously reflects on what is going on lie is impressed most graphically with the ghastly error of the whole proceeding. The most, convincing evidence is that the peddlers themselves admit that the whole system is wrong. Why does it go on? Why isn't something done about it? Partly because be-cause it is a habit with some, who accept peddling in the summer time as inevitable like flies in the hot weather; something which has always al-ways come along with summer, and which one might as well resign himself him-self to and go through somehow; partly because it is a speculative venture, ven-ture, and if everything goes well there is an opportunity to make a little money; partly because it gives one something to do; partly because it has partaken of the nature of a panic; one fellow does it because everybody ev-erybody else is doing it; it is the fashion; it is what is being done this season. "Surely," thinks Mr. Individual, "if everybody else can get away with it, I can. They must be making money or they wouldn't be in the game; if they can, I can"; partly because after a men is seized with the fever and obligates himself for a car, peddling offers about the only avenue of escaping the creditor, however how-ever discouraging it may be; partly because the system was once profitable, prof-itable, and some think that therefore there-fore it must continue to be; but mostly because up until now there has been no other method of disposing dis-posing of Dixie fruit, and the money it brings in must be garnered at all costs. Your county cooperative association associa-tion was organized to do more efficiently effi-ciently what the peddlers have tried to do; it can do so if you will let it. It should be understood that the association is not fighting the peddler, ped-dler, nor does it want to. It wants to work with him, not against him. It wants to see his problems and help him solve them. He is a man who is interested in marketing Dixie produce in the most profitable way; that is the prime object for the existence of your association. The two must work together. The officers of your marketing organization believe be-lieve that the old peddling methods meth-ods must give way to better methods; meth-ods; but they realize that such a change has its problems. The cars which they have bought to peddle in cannot remain idle; many of the smaller markets can be served in no other way as well; people have little dabs of this and that which do not justify the services of a marketing organization. But we believe we have new light; we believe your marketing market-ing association offers a way out, and certain definite advice is offered to meet the peddling problem. First, think no longer in terms of each family trying to perform the functions of production, transportation trans-portation and marketing. This is a day of specialization. Let one man become an expert grower, another an expert marketing agent. Don't think of the association as something some-thing you must compete with, but as something you must cooperate with. You stay home and raise the produce; let the association sell it for you. Second, if you have invested money mon-ey in cars for peddling, don't think that the officers of the association do not appreciate your problem. They don't want you to take a loss on your car or truck. If you feel like you can't afford to quit peddling or turn the use of the car into other channels, go on peddling un-tily un-tily you feel justified in quitting. But it would be folly for you to go on making plans for new cars to peddle with, to continue in the old ways in the light of our experience and in view of the effort made to create an association which could displace the old, unsatisfactory ways. Don't quit all at once if it means too big a sacrifice, but make up your mind definitely to make the transition as soon as you can. Third, if any of you have an in- herent love for peddling and can't give it up without tearing your heart-strings, a place can be found for some of you to serve local markets. But if you do peddle, it is suggested that it will be far more satisfactory to all concerned for you to work through the association, and not against it. By next season it is hoped that a definite system, will be worked out whereby peddlers will get their produce through the association, asso-ciation, that the goods will be standard stan-dard in every way, that definite routes and schedules can be established, estab-lished, and that the association can protect the markets of peddlers with whom, it deals. Fourth, adopt a new policy in regard re-gard to what you grow. The association asso-ciation will try to handle everything you have to sell; if not directly through its selling organization, then through the peddlers for the smaller, local markets. But the problems prob-lems of an association are infinitely infi-nitely increased by having a great variety of, products to handle, with none in sufficient quantity to justify a selling campaign. With a marketing market-ing association it be more profitable profit-able for you to grow fewer varieties vari-eties in greater quantity. Start to think and plan in those terms, for the tendency will undoubtedly be in that direction. Lastly, realize that your marketing market-ing association is an actuality, organized or-ganized because there was a need for it, and needing your cooperation in order to exist. Get in the proper frame of mind toward it, and give it a fair opportunity to lead you to better things. There are several serious difficulties difficul-ties in the peddling problem, which will have to be solved. You who know most about it should put on your thinking caps and determine what kind of a system you would like to have, and what regulations you would recommend. Assume a helpful, scrutinizing attitude, and give the officers of the association , the benefit of your experience. It is "our association, for us." The peddlers' ped-dlers' problem, like the other, can be solved, if we all tackle it together. |