The Principles of Economics, with Applications to Practical ProblemsFetter, Frank A. (Frank Albert)
General
The Principles of Economics, with Applications to Practical Problems
Fetter, Frank A. (Frank Albert)
Economics
3. _In the larger industry the costs of management, supervision, and
marketing are relatively less._ Division of labor decreases the
difficulty of supervision in larger factories, where the processes are
divided, systematized, and made a matter of routine. The necessary
inspection of the results is more rapid and easy. The advertising of
certain kinds of goods involves a large and inevitable outlay, which is
relatively less for a larger business, as the greater the output the
smaller the burden on each unit of the product. Combination effects a
great saving in the number of commercial travelers, a result partly due
to the decrease in competition, but partly also to better organization.
Each of twenty different factories must send its drummers into every
part of the country to seek business. In combination they can divide the
territory, visit every merchant and get larger orders at smaller cost.
Supplies can be purchased more cheaply in large amounts, and shipments
in car-load and train-load lots make possible special (sometimes
illegal) concessions from railroads and from carriers on waterways.
[Sidenote: Limits to the growth of a single factory]
4. _There are some disadvantages in a large industry which put a limit
to the growth of a single local establishment._ There is practically a
limit to the advantages of size in a factory. When each man is working
on the smallest possible subdivision of the product, doubling the number
of employees will not increase his skill. When the finest machinery can
be kept constantly in use, economy in its use has reached the maximum.
As large factories tend to create cities around them, land rises in
value and higher wages must be paid the workmen. Small factories are
constantly seeking out lower rents, taxes, wages, salaries, cheaper
local sources of materials, cheap though limited sources of power, and
thus they compete successfully in many markets. The point is reached in
the growth of establishments where oversight cannot be as perfect and
complete; the eye of the master cannot be over all. The market that can
be reached by one factory is limited by distance, as the cost of
transportation finally offsets all the other advantages of large
industry.
[Sidenote: Do not necessarily limit consolidation]
It is evident that most of these reasons apply to a single local factory
with far greater force than to a federation of locally scattered plants.
It was once believed that the growing disadvantages of large industry
would set an early limit to consolidation. While there is a truth in
this thought not to be overlooked, the effects must now be recognized to
be more distant than was supposed. The limits to the advantages of
combination have been removed by the application of the federative plan
which makes possible under one management the maximum of advantages with
the minimum of the disadvantages in large industry. That was the
discovery of the early promoters of the trust movement.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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