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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1939-09-15, Page 6;tn hied from Page 2) eilereided and plenty of Mere - et is dtsta+ibuted in the shape of ?U`?�ese• newspapers, published in JRttall, and: anti -Chiang Kai-shek car- ilfrten&. If these colored cartoons were 3niet.to be humorous, I failed to see mutiny similes on thefaces of the readers, most of wham were of veep 'eerie/us mien. Perhaps they were too verrrieid about the fug cToncwere erned about sevidentfier highly `what conditions *ere awaiting 'them at their restin,ations. . I asked one: ',Haw long is it since you have been in Canton?" "I shut up my small sundry goods shop in Taiping Road last October and went to Hong Kong," he replied. "I ami wondering whether my shop is still there or whether it has been looted, as I hear there has been a great deal of looting." Among the others were coolies, market gardeners, blacksmiths, gold- smiths, eraftsmen and small business men. Japanese Ships The journey up -river was un- eventful. We • passed • a number of Japanese destroyers and several ships flying the Japanese flag, but not a single foreign ship was noticed. The /met of Whampoa seemed busy enough. There were about thirty ships anchored at the wharves and do midstream. Several of them ap- peared to be Japanese transports. Canton was reached at 3.30 pm. - a voyage of seven and a half hours. Japanese river 'boats do not use the aid 't s Thee bane erected a tetepoiery *beef f grinning some 50 yards Into the river at the bridge near the Kowloon -Carton ;railway station, some half mile below the two-millaonidollar Hanan bridge. The only formality one must go through on landing is to submit to tumigation! After your luggage has been carefully searched and examin ed by military officials, you axe per- mitted to leave. Among my papers were a number of war photographs, one of wthich (Chinese soldiers in taction) attracted the attention of the searchers. They examined it, passed it round to each other, laughed up- roariously and decided to keep it! I offered no obeections. I poin•,ted out that auoh pictures are on male in Shanghai at tete cents each; but that did not seem to impress them, so I left without the"picture! ;r Before I reached the end of the pi passed me carrying my 'picture, and when I re a sentry confiscated the main entrance he was in earnest con- versation with an officer who was carefully ' scrutinizing the snapshot. The officer evidently decided that little importance could be attached to so harmless a thing, foreno fur- ther questions were asked and I was allowed to proceed. Many Japanese Sentries Our first good view of canton was obtained on the ricksha drive to Shameen, and my im'pressjon was that the accounts I had read of the last great fires in the city before the Japanese arrived had been, .1f any- thing, gross understatements. Few of the bigger and better class build- ings had escaped the flames. There were rickshas in abundance on the Bead, but the streets were fairly deserted. The motor traffic was con- fined to huge Japanese army lorries WESTERN CANADA SPECIAL BARGAIN EXCURSIONS From all Stations in Eastern Canada GOING DAILY -SEPT. 15 - 29. 1939, INCLUSIVE Return Limit -45 days TICKETS GOOD IN COACHES at fares approximately l%c per mile TOURIST SLEEPING CARS at fares approximately l%c per mile STANDARD SLEEPING CARS at fares approximately 1%c per mile COST QF ACCOMMODATION IN SLEEPING CARS ADDITIONAL BAGGAGE checked. Stopovers qt Port Arthur, Armstrong, Chicago and West. SIMILAR EXCURSIONS FROM WESTERN TO EASTERN CANADA DURING SAME PERIOD Tickets, Sleeping Car Reservations, andall information from any Agent, ASK FOR HANDBILL T267 CANADIAN NATIONAL and truoli, painted dark brown, Of which there seemed to be hundreds. Every Important street intersection contained a group of smart -looking Japanese soldiery while ;sentries were placed at points every thundred yards. In Shameen business is at a com- plete standstill. Business 'housed bave reduced their staffs to the bare mini- mum. One firm, w�• had a staff of thirty, including six*peens, is now operating with two Chinese clerks. At the .Victoria Hotel my companion and I were the only guests. The foreign community in Shameen had been reduced from sev- eral hundred to about fifty. The ericee there we found, were very much on a par with Hong Kong. Food is taken from Hong Kong, mostly on British gunboats, and there is no shortage, but perishables, such as fruit and vegetables, are expensive. hi the Chinese city, . foreign goods cannot be had at any price, but food- stuffs of local or Japanese origin are plentiful and cheap. For instance, we had a meal of chicken, vegetables and a 'arge kettle of "Asahi" beer for $1.20 (H.K.) At another restaer- ant, three cakes and two pots of tea cost 50 cents: The busiest part of the city is the Wing Hon Maloo. Here the Japanese have opened numerous shops, restaur- ants and business houses. The streets are fairly crowded and 'the locality has assumed a more or less normal aspect. Absence of civilian motor traffic is the most noticeable feature. Current Confusion ON = ?N WEET pORA CIGeeaTT55 Good Phone Manpers Pay Dividends Its perm fore Is Wad abase cea ¢. seoI.d" (By Albert Famlcher in The Lion) The restaurant seemed mostly to he doing good 'business,, Those under Japanese management had Chinese waitresses in clean and tidy uniforms of black skirt and white blouse. At two places during 'a 'half-hour stay, the clientele seemed mostly to be• confined to Japanese army men. The currency position is confusing. Officially, only the Japanese army currency is recognized, but the Can- ton,,dollar is very, much in evidence. The Chinese accept the Canton dol- lar, but it is always rejected by Ja- panese shop and restaurant keepers, who will accept the Hong Kong do] - lar quite cheerfully. While the army money sells at 1.40 to the Hong Kong dollar, the Canton dollar is exchang- ed at 2.40. A drive through the city in the only 'taxi which Canton now boasts provides a vivid picture of the awful 'havoc caused by the three weeks' continuous bombardment last Sep- tember. Now that the city is de- serted, the thousands of ruined haus- !'s Tags Sale Bills Envelopes Statements Letterheads Order Forms Invoice Forms Gummed Tape Counter Check Books Duplicate Ledger Sheets • The Huron Expositor, since 1860, has been saving the people of Sea." forth .and district money on their printing requirements. Let us sub- mit samples; ask us for prices, and we will show you how you, too, may, save money and still not sacrifice quality. THE HURON EXPOSITOR McLean Bros., Publishers SEAFOR H - - ONTARIO es stand out more clearly, telling their own grim•"story of suffering and death, In the whole of the Wongs'ha district, over an area of some two square miles, there is not one build- ing standing. This part of the city will have to be. completely rebuilt. The spectacle is almost as bad in the entire section bounded by Wongsha, the Shakes Bund and Taiping Road -an area o•f several square miles. In the whole of this area we did not see a single human being - in fact, no life of any description. This part of the city undoubtedly suffered most during the air 'raids. Irl Honean the sight was' not much better. In other parts of the city, whole streets are still shuttered and empty. The Japanese military have taken control of all buildings. House and shop owners must supply proof of ownership before being allowed to take possession of their property. The present population of Canton is difficult to estimate. Opinion on this point is very varied. One man in Shameen told me it was something like half a million. Another put it down to 15,000! A Japanese business man mid it could not be more than 200,000. 'My own opinion,, after see- ing so manly deserted streets, is that 100,000 would not 'be much below the mark. Streets Heavily Patrolled The Japanese view of the popula- tion question is this: They do not want a big rush of people into Canton just yet, Their big task 'at the moment, they' say, is to rid the city of 'lawless elements. It appears that some time back a large number of business men returned to Canton, but left shortly after, owing • to the num- erous hold-ups and robberies.. There is 'a' curfew in the city and large numbers of arrests are made .every day. The Japanese themselves warn- ed us, as foreigners, not to venture into the Chinese city at night, while people in Shameen were strictly against our going into the city at all! However, being journalists, my com- panion and I would not be denied the opportunity of a thrill. So, taking good care 'to leave most of our mon- ey behind, we i.aok a morning stroll through most of the principal streets with no bigger experience than be- ing once stopped by a group of Ja- panese soldiers and asked to identify ourselves. That happened because, quite inad'vertent]y, we had wander- ed into a prohibited area! However, production of our passports was all that was necessary 'and we were courteously but firmly asked to turn away in the direction of Shameen. The IJapanss,e military are ob- viously very much on t'h•e alert in Canton. From what one could gather there must be close on 10,000 troops in Canton. The streets are heavily patrolled and there were few places where we did not come across Japanese soldiers and gendarmes. Whether there is fighting close to Canton we were unable to learn accurately. When I bluntly asked the question of a•Japanese officer, he laughed and said there had not been any fighting within 30 miles of Canton for weeks. People in Shameen, however, wet e emphatic that heavy gunfire had been audible on the Is- land up to a (fay or two previously. We did not hear any; but we did see wounded Japanese soldiers, disem- barking from motor buses, They may, of course, have come from fronts far away from Canton. We also saw several lorryloads of Chinese arrest- ed and being removed to Japanese army headquarters. These, we were told, were "lawless elements," not "guerillas." The Thieves Markets Two markets are still functioning in the city at which there is an abundant supply of food, but rice, it appears, is stilt short, Money is scarce and poverty fairly widespread. People in Shameen declare that the wave of lawlessness with which the Japanese are trying to cope is primarily ascribable to poverty and lack of employment. According to foreign business men in Shameen, the Chinese trader will never return to Canton until he feels that life and property are safe, but life and property will not be safe until more prosperity returns for, while "lawless elements" are being vigorously weeded out by the Japan- ese army, starving people from sur- rounding areas' are trickling in. At night the city is in darkness'. The main power plant, which the Chinese blew, up before evacuating, is being repaired and Japanese sap- pers are now 'busy wiring the main streets. They are hoping to light up the city before long. A small section of the plant, however, is functioning and cburing two nights of our stay the Band was lit up. To sum up, I would say that such business activity as exists is but a pale reflection of the Canton of form- er days. In• many parts it is like a deserted village. The people are mostly of the 'icor trader class. Therefore, the description "coolie city" is apt. Well dressed and pro- sperous looking people are oan•spicu- one by their absence, During several 'hours spent in the streets I was 'hard- ly able to coufet half a dozen. Tbet may, of course, be pertly •due to the fear of going about looking pros- perous in a ofty se notorious, as It seems to be ' at the moment, for bandits and robbetts. I was informed on °'tidy reliable authority, however, that there were very mew men of meads new in Canton. Until re- eenptly the Chinese 'police were armed with no more than a baton, but they have now been supplied with revol- vers. 'There is considerable building activity, but small effert is being made to efface the signs of destruc- tion on all sides. "Don't you think that instatuatlen is absurd?" He. l ides. jest •two Silly." a. �. Whether we like it or not, all of us, these drays, are being put on the spot, •telephonlicatily speaking. Busi- ness is using its telephone mirror, and what it sees there is causing it to do ethings that affect all of us; things • that we may want to adopt tier our own protection or benefit. For rearm the •telephos a was per- haps the moat abesed of •all besiness instruments. Any Ikon could take it or •leave it alone. We couldn't seethe person at .the 'other end Of the wire, and be couldn't see us, So if we wanted to slam our telephone door in his secs, we eouid do ah without hav- ing to °beenve the pained, angry, or revengeful expression which instant- ly followed this action. And so people went right on, slam- ming telephone doors merrily, until the consequences began to catch up with them. Much of this discourtesy was unthinking. People didn't realize what they were doing. To them, the telephone was so commonplace and automaticthat they., used it auto- matieaIly ' Many of am shill do just that, thereby incurring anisjud'gments of ourselves, our personalities and oar manners, that are as costly to us as they are disturbing to chews. But let's see wihat 'the telephone mirror is revealing, and what others are doing as a result of their start- led .peeks into its depths. Here's the general manager of a large business. He must be efficient' in his job, otherwise 'he wouldn't have held it as long as he has. But if we try to deal with him by phone, we axe in, for a siege. A test show- ed that twenty-five phone calls, cov- ening an •eigiht weeks period, did not once 'find hire in his office. Once his secretary said, "You have just miss- ed him." Six -other times she re- ported that 'he was in the building, but could not be reached. He had no regular time when he might be, found fm his office. As a final gesture of co-operation she suggested that a let- ter might- result in a telephone ap- pointment Our p- poi'ntme n t - Our telephone impression of that executive, and his organization, is not flattening. We wonder whether all his gadding is really connected with business, whether he is phone -shy, or what. Unless we are pressed by ne- cessity, we won't trouble to place.our business with him. He's too bard to catcrh- A certain smaller organization is constantly pounding 'its salesmen to get more accounts. The owner uses a great deal of direct mail, and is a consistent advertiser. But he has overlooked his switchboard operator. •Sthe isn't in on 'his plans.; apparently doesn't know that he wants mare customers. That company was recommended to an executive who had a' fairly large 'contract to place. He phoned to ask them to send a salesman to call and get estimates. Here is the reception accorded him on the phone: "Who es this calling? . . . What company are you with? . . . Who told you to call us?" He hung up, feeling he was being put through a third degree. Later he learned that this girl not only inter- rogated all callers in the same ms�n- ner, but that she forgot to give telephone messages to tier company's own salesmen. She wee doing .her part in turning away business, and doing it well. . John Doe, salesman., wonders why he cannot get an order-' from a man he believes to be„a preferred pros- pect. Maybe he will, when he chang- es his methods. But for months lie has been 'having his secretary call the prospect and timid him on the wire until John is toady to talk with him. No man enjoy that, least . of all a possible buyer. But it happens every day, almost everywhere. ' "We have seen thousand em- ployees," a company executive told me, "Our telephone contacts are ex- tremely important. We control our advertising, and never release any- thing until we feel it reflects credit on us. We have supervisors for our correspondence; and every letter is rued and checked to make sure it 'represents us at our best. But those thousands of phone contacts our peo- ple have with our customers -that is a big problem. We can't hear what they say, we don't know whether they are helping or hurting us. We do know we must de something about them." And 'business men are doing plenty about these things. They are tele- phone conscious to a very high de- gree. Oct" of 'their activities are com- ing ideas and methods that anyone, whether in business for himself, or in a job, or booking for a job, may want to consider using for his own benefit. The classified depavbment of a newspaper decided that its 'telepbQqne technri•que wasn't all it might be. The manager began holding regular meet- ings. Coe by one he put 'the solici- tors, isaleamsen anti the phone girls on the platform at the front of. the room and shad them give their best canvass. The other members of the depart- ment, :equipped with pencils and paper, made notes, criticisms and ,suggesti'ons. It was found that the 'phone .gi:rri ' getting the most business was using the weakest presentation - bee persopnailitie was getting the busi- ness. They promptly gave •her the best solicitation they could develop, they drilled the others accordingly, and the advertising volume went right up. Another concern found, after con - 'Adorable dh'ecking and testing, that its phone calls were not being an- rs'wered promptly. The 'operator would put the call 'through, but the depart- ment or dndevidual took this own time. In some Sentences the caller bad to wait ttwo minutes or even longer. Nov two'ttninutres is quite a while, if you sit with ,a receiver ' at your ear said a watch before you. This organ- hereon rg'a -izartiron decided to dramatise this tie - kW and Mkt) it an object lesson to its employees. . The . MAX. was -a sstei"ies of tele- phone meeiings, with a stage, drake, *hairs, telephone and .`other equip- mment-inc luiddng a large well clock. Promptly on the hour, the phone rang.. The "actors?' let it ring and 'continued with their talking or work, just as Was bed/0g done in the offices. The phionle kept on ringing --thirty ,secs --a minute a minute and a half -two minutes. Only then was it anrswered'.. That,ntwoendnute wait did the trick. T,tge eniployrees • WWho: saw ;this demon sLxtath"'null toever forget it -and this organization is sot'troubled with long waits any mmore, Not long ago a girt -•left her em- ployer to be mma ried. She had been gone only a few weeks whenbe dis- covered, to his agonized dismay, that his business had dropped off forty per cent. He did; all he could to get it back, but with 'little success. Finally he went to a man who had bought from, him 'for years, and ask- ed hi'm frankly why he wasn't getting his regular business. "You remember Mists Helm, don't you?" "Yes," replied the owner of the butsinesps "Well," said hiss former customer, "she's your answer. When I called your place she always took care of me. She knew what I needred or wanted, and how much. She knew what I migirtt be interested in, and she iso* that I got it. It was, a pleas- ure tolitrelaii with her. Get .doer back and you ill see wli .t I mean." The ,-owner got her back for six weeks, at exactly twice what he had paid 'her before. Mem 'he hired two other girls, the beet he could find, and had thea. listen in, day after day, 'to her conversation. It took six weeks to develop them, but in that time 'he not only regained the forty per cent. business 'he' &tad lost; the was forti- fied against such a thing happening again A financial institution does a great deal of advertiising'to attract clients. It uses both institutional and news- paper copy. The latter lists the phone numbers ref its offices, and much of its business is a result of these tele- pho•n•e contacts. The oomfpany heads knew, 'however, that they were not converting as many of these callers into customers as they should. The men on the phone had no uniform method of handling inquiries; too much was left to the individual - So the executives clapped ear phones on a 'stenographer, had her listen in and record the conversations between prospects calling in, and the customers' men answering them. They studied the records of those talks, boiled them down, used the high- lights in a new talk, and then tried that out. They experimented • with sales wards, selling phrases, testing one al;ainst the other, until they had a technique that worked in a high ma- ;;ority of cases. Today their phone technique is outstanding, their peo- ple not onlly courteous and alert, but definitely - sa.les-mended. Their competitors don't seem to' know what 'has ;happened, but maybe some day they will find out. When they deo, and when they act on it, they will discover what a difference it will make in their sales., income and profits. There's a girl in a small, personal service firm, who is literally worth thousands of dollars to her employer because of the goodwill she is build- ing. What she does is so simple that it hardly seems .possible it could be so important. She has trained :herself to recognize and 'remember names on the phone. One roan called her employer. She explained he was out, asked if she could call the .man back, 'and when she learned that he was out of his 'office, suggested that he call back in an hour. She had never heard the man's voice or `name before, had nev- er seen him. But a,n hour later, whet he phoned again, she said, "Oh, yes, this is Mr. Rivens, tette it? Just a minute please." And she put 'her em- ployer en the 'line. Mr. Rivera is still talking about the wondterful telephone service he got from that piece and has recommend- ed it to everybody he knows. The girl says it's ne secret. "I re- peat the name slowly and carefully, trying to fix it irn my mind, and at the same time associating it with the voice. If it's unusual, I ask if he won't spell it for me. Then I write it down so I can see it,. It takes seine effort 'at first, and a lot of concentra- ti'on, but after a while it's almost sec- ond nature." Well, to most of us, the sound of our own name is the sweetest music, in the evened. We don't Mike to hear it mispronounced; and" we are insult- ed or hurt when people don't remem- ber emember it, or fail to use it. Maybe it would be a good plan to treat other people the way we like to be treated, and (remember their names. Isn't it worth a trial? Bill was sort of a bandy boy in the sales a'epartmsent of a medium sized oompanyi: But the was willing, and' tried hard to please. Part of his job was to answer any phone calls that came in while the rest of the depart- ment wish Out at lunch. He did his best, filling out orders, handling com- pladntts, getrting Information for those who wanted it Axel the left a report of each call and his disposition of it on the manager's desk. It wasn't long before the manager began to hear from his customers about Bin's handling of their calls. They liked hits said the wary he took care of them. He was, exceptionally good with coufplaltmers', and soothed many a grouch into goad nature and mmoe'e orderse The manager began testing Bill; 'had some of this old customer call in ,;with any kick they could think of, just to see what would happen. The result was that Bill became a one - Man domupininit • department, aid e, mighty good,- . , An auto ares'off'cost one inane his rep, left him a bedridden cripple for life. He efrutdiiet go deck to 'his job, yet 'he Chad to ramex a hiving,, So he started a magazine subscription buai. Sallow complexion, biliousness. tedigesttos and irritable tamper ase the result of torpid liver action.. You can arouse the M eggash liver by mew Dr. Ceases $idgv9-Laver' pip and Pei will very promptly, P the feel,- w erg of ell bean,. with good digestion. clear seas anal climatal 4thwasilawa nese in his own bedroom. He wrote letters, sent nut circulars, and .lived' with his teleptone. He made hun- dreds of friends on the phone; regu- lar customers. They came to know him and 'like 'hint --Lelia always cheer- ful voice, 'his warm, interested per- sonality, his great desire to serve them. His telephone took him out of that bedroom, into the world. Ant it brought the world in close to him. Whenever we use the phone, in business or social life, people are get- ting etting our number. It's up to us whether. we give them the wrong one or the right one. Some men always talk with, something in their mouth; or they fuss with 'papers, sign letters, or in other ways give anlldy half their attention and personality to the per- son on the other end of the line. No wonder they sound gruff, or in- different, or indistinct, or rade. They' are, deliberately or unthinkingly, pro- jecting a distorted image of them- selves through their telephones; a distortion that reflects on their organ- ization and its other members as much as it does on themselves And it's so needless. We can create our own telephone personality; we can win friends and build good- will more easily on the telephone than in perhaps airy other way. All wer have to do ie to THINK, be conscious of our 'telephone, and "hear ourselves: as others hear us:" WHEN:, USING WILSON'S (FLYLPADS' ' REAC nIRECTIONS %.� • CAREF,ULLI' AND . *" "�- F4L'LDW THEM EXACTLY/ Each pad will kill flies all day iii every day for three week's. ° 3 pads in each packet. 10 CENTS PER PACKET at Druggists, Grocers, General Store& WHY PAY MORE? THS WILSON FLY PAD CO., Hamilton. Ole, Fairs ' and Exhibitions, 1939 September 11-16 An.caster Sept. 15, 16 Blyth .,....Sept. 15, 16 London (Western Fair) ..Sept. 11-167 Midland ' Sept. 1416 Milverton Sept. 14, 15 New Hamburg Sept. 15, 16 Orangeville Sept. 14-16 Wiarton Sept. 14, l66 September 18-23 Acton Sept. 19, 201 Ailsa Craig Sept, 21, 22 Alliston Sept, 22 Atwood Sept. 22, 23 Clifford Sept. 22, 23 Dresden Sept. 19-21 Exeter Sept. 20, 21 Galt Sept, 21-23 Hanover Sept. 19, 20 Kincardine Sept. 21, 22 Listowel Sept. 20, 21 Meaford Sept. 21, , 22 Mildmay -Sept 19, 20 Mount Forest . Sept. 21, 22 Norwich Sept, 19, 20 Paris Sept. 19, 20 Sea.forth Sept. 21, 23 Shelburne .. Sept. 19, 20 Stratford Sept. 18-20 aa: September 2'5-311 t`4 "' Arthur Sept. 27, 26 Aylmer Septr27 Bayfield Sept. 21; 28 Brussels Sept. 2920 Chesley Sept 25; 26 Drumbo Sept. 26, 27 )rmrbro Sept. 25 Georgetown . Sept 27, 29 Grand .Valley Sept, 29, 30 llderton Sept. 27' Ingersoll Sept. 26, 29 Kirktoan Sept, 28, 29 Lucknow Sept. 28, 29 Mitchell Sept- 26, 27 Owen Sound Sept 30, Oct. 2 iE 1 Paisley Sept.+ 26, 27. ,,SeptSeim25, 27 Sept,-. 29 Palmerston Parkhill Stma.tlway Sept. 28-30 'Medford Sept. 26, 27 Wingham .... „. ,Sept. 27, 28 October 2-7 Dungannon Oct. 5, 6 Gorrie Oct.' 6, 7 St. Marys ' . Oct, 5, 6 Teeswater Oct 3, 4 Tiverton Oct. 3, II October 9.17 Forest Oct. 10, 191 N.B,--Dat9es of Shire listed are sub- ject to change. International Plowing Match and Farm ' Macbiner a Demonstration, On2at3o Hospital Farm, Brockville., Ont., Vatted Counties of Leeds and Grenviile ' Oct. 16, 1/, 12, ,111 Ottawa Winter Fair ...... Ns.. 14-1171 Royal Winter Fair, Toronto ., s .... Nov. 21-24 Guelph Winter Fair Deo. 57.'" t