The Harvester World: Volume 4, number 5, May 1913

              The Harvester World

11

DETROIT ANNUAL BANQUET By G. J. Main

The members of the block and office forces of the Detroit general agency held their annual banquet in the rooms of the Fellowcraft Club on the evening of March 24th, Occasions of this kind have been held annually for several years, but few, if any, have ever combined in such perfect harmony the gastronomic and educational features.
Necessity is doubtlessly the mother of invention, but it is no less of a truth that improvement is the child of concentrated thought and earnest desire for better ways of doing things. It was from a preception of this fact that Mr. Ritter produced for his guests at this banquet an innovation so unique in its character, and which will be so far-reaching in results, that the Detroit agency desires to chronicle its record in the pages of The Harvester World for those of our brothers in the work who may see in it the possibilities that we have seen and float with us on the high tide of the enthu¬ siasm which it has produced among us.
Some few days prior to that set for the occasion, a request was sent out to each one of those who were to be present that he prepare a paper of approximately six hundred words in which he was to express his ideas for the improvement of that branch of the work of which his subject treated. The subjects were assigned by Mr. Ritter, and the manner in which they were covered was a fulsome compliment to his choice and his knowledge of men.
After an introductory address by Mr. Ritter, in which he commented on the advisability of combining the banquet of the office and block forces, Mr. Harbert, assistant to general agent, delivered his essay on "The value of loyalty in an organization." The context flf Mr. Harbert's paper would well bear special remark, as in it he cast new light that could well be cherished in the hearts of all of us who wish to succeed.
The subjects assigned to the other members of the field organization were delivered in sequence:
"The best course to pursue as a safeguard on credits at this time from a field - man's view." —W. O. Greer.
"The best course for our field-men to pursue to get the best results in the drill business for 1913." — Edgar Hubbard.
"The best course for our organization to secure the engine business with a profit attached." — H. A. Hall.
"The cream separator trade." — James Lamb.
"The minimizing of expert help." — W. J. Roberts.
"Value of frequent visits to the dealer." — Mark Axford.
"The assistance to our business rendered by influen¬ tial men not directly associated with us." — James Dickson.
" How to make our efforts most helpful to our deal¬ ers."—C. B. Smith.
"The things to promote business outside of the regu¬ lar course." — Henry Doerr.
" How often should each dealer be visited?" — W. H. Estes.
"The best manner of securing our share of the trade in localities where we have not done so in the past." — Chas. McCallum.
The reading of these papers was followed by a dis¬ course by O. C. Gould on special salesmanship. This in itself was one of the features of the evening's enter¬ tainment. The important point of his address was the necessity of specialization on at least one of our pro¬ ducts. ,        .
The subjects assigned to the office force were then covered as follows:
"Service from the field force which will best facilitate the work in the office."—E. N. Steger.
"Advertising and its value to secure results."—J. M. Greene.
"Credits from an office standpoint."—G. J. Main.
"Impressions of a new employe of the I H C."—A. M. Doty.
"Ways and means of the shipping department."—A. A. McCutcheon.
"Opportunities of I H C employes."—G. H. Dollar.
"Relation of the repair department to the success of the trade."—L. L. Hazen.
"Courtesy, and what it means to our business."—L. Wiseman.
Mr. Ritter then closed the program with his essay, "Living up to opportunities," which came as a fitting climax to what had been discussed in the other papers. He dwelt upon his own experience and upon the desira¬ bility of fitting ourselves for proper recognition and acceptance of opportunity when it presents itself.
Every essay read showed careful thought and con¬ centration.    Ideas were given expression that, up to the
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time of this meeting, had lacked an outlet; the plans for betterment were invaluable; the sentiments touched a responsive chord in the hearts of all. It gave to eacn man the opportunity to bring his grist of ideas to the mill; it gave to all, collectively, the beneficient results of each individual's efforts, and, further to preserve the good effect of this interchange of ideas, each of those present has been presented with a pamphlet containing a reprint of all the essays to serve as a memento of the occasion and a reminder of what each considered the better way of doing things.
BUSINESS HEAD
"Open the window, waiter; I am roasting," a cus¬ tomer exclaimed who had just dined at a Paris res¬ taurant.
"Shut it up, waiter; I am frozen," protested a man who had just sat down.
The waiter hesitated. The proprietor settled the dispute at once.
"Obey the customer who has not yet dined," he said London Daily Mail.
SECOND NATURE "He married a widow with three children." "That's just  like Einstein; even his children are in his wife's name."