ve
trade marks, and since the goods that they handle are known by these
trade marks, the identity of the mill which made them originally is often
entirely unknown to the ultimate consumer. The converter can give his
business to whatever mill, at the time, will give him the best value for
his money.

Jobbers Must Know
Status of Mills

These operations are facilitated by the services of another class of
intermediaries, the cloth brokers. If a buyer, whether he be retailer,
jobber, converter, or what not, wishes to secure goods of a certain kind,
he would have a very difficult task if he had to canvass the entire
market, and ascertain what was being offered. Hence he is likely to go to
the cloth brokers. They are in touch with all the principal manufacturing
sources of supply, and will have daily quotations of the offerings of the
different mills; he will know which mills are "sold up," and which are
open for business, and what class of goods they desire to sell.
Consequently the cloth brokers are in a position to offer to would-be
purchasers a wide variety of the different cloths which are available on
the market, and it is their business to buy from the mills as cheaply as
they can, and so get the best possible price for their customers. The
transactions are handled on a small commission, and the average buyer, in
many kinds of goods, is able to do much better by working through a
broker than by opening negotiations directly with the mill.

Most Mills Have
Offices in Chief Markets

Mills selling their products through brokers in this manner may, or may
not, have a representative stationed in the goods market, according to
circumstances. Mills, manufacturing a limited number of plain fabrics,
and which do not sell through brokers, may also be without
representatives in the primary goods market, and will dispose of their
product directly from the mills, partly by correspondence, and partly
through the efforts of their travelers. The great mass of the mills,
however, are regularly and efficiently represented in the great central
goods markets, principally New York, though also in Boston, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and elsewhere, and their selling agencies are very highly
organized institutions.

These establishments which have sufficient capital to enable them to
finance themselves--with or without the assistance of regular bankers'
loans--may maintain their own selling offices, and market their product
in their o