The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-28
BUTCHERS ADOPT
CREDIT SYSTEM
TO KEEP TAB ON BAD PAY.
ABUSE OF PRIVILEGE MADE AC-
TION ALMOST A NECESSITY.

! City Council Asked to Appoint Spe-
ciaI officer to Arrest Hucksters
Who Operate without License.
Butchers Charge That Hucksters
Use short Measures aud Thus I'm
derseIl-Chamber of Commerce
May BE Appealed to for Assistance
in Fight.
An organization for mutual protec-
ton against creditors who are slow in
payment of their bills has been form
ed by the Butchers Association.
The names of all creditors who fail
to meet their obligations promptly will
be filed with the secretary of the or
ganization for the protection of the
members of the association.
City Council will be asked by the
butchers to designate a special officer
to arrest hucksters who use short
measure and operate without license.
These matters were decided upon by
the directors of the Butchers Asso-
citation and reported at the meeting
held at the Catholic Library Hall last
April 49, The action of the directors
was sustained by the association and
the new credit system will go into
operation at once.
The butchers have entered into an
obligation not to open new accounts
without first communicating with the
secretary Of the association to deter
mine if the would-be creditor has an
unpaid bill with any other butcher
shop.
If it is found that the applicant for
credit is not indebted to any other
butcher he will be extended credit.
The butchers believe if this system is
carried out they will be able to do
away with the class of creditors who
run up a bill with one butcher and
then without paying this bill, opens
up an account with another butcher.
Bills Must BE Paid Promptly.
The butchers declare that they are
only too glad to extend credit to those
who will pay their bills promptly but
that the credit system has been so
abused that they were forced to take
some method of protecting themselves.
An officer of the association stated that
the packers demanded that all the
butchers settle their bills every We'd
nesday afternoon, and when creditors
ldlA " pay uP pAOlilRlly llldl Tic BuLCll-
ers are put to a great deal of incon-
venience
The new credit system, the butchers
say, will not affect the customers who
pay their bills at the end of each week
or month, but will only affect the per-
son who runs up a large bill with one
butcher, and then when he is requested
to settle up his account gets mad and
| opens up an account with another
butcher
Make War on Hucksters.
1t was decided also that If no ac-
ton is taken by City Council on the
request made by the Butchers Asso-
citation for the appointment of a spe-
| cial officer to arrest hucksters doing
| business without license, that the mat
| ter be taken to the Chamber of Com
merce with the request that that or
ganization take the matter up with
| Council The speakers at the meeting
| charged that there are now within the
neighborhood of 5000 hucksters doing
business in Savannah without licenses.
1t is also charged by the butchers
| that the hucksters are using false
| measures in order to undersell the
| butchers. One speaker pointed out that
| the hucksters were selling straWber-
ries on the streets at 10 cents a bas-
ket, while the regular licensed butch
| erS and grocers We're compelled to
charge 1212 cents per basket. He said
| 1t had been demonstrated on several
| occasions that it required three bas-
kets of the hucksters' berries to equal
| two baskets sold by the butchers, and
| while the housewife is the loser in
the long run, the butcher is made to
suffer.
Luncheon Was Served.
After the business of the evening had
been concluded the members of the
association had a luncheon. Speeches
were made by Messrs. NJ. S. Gardner,
j. ]. Joyce. P. H. Broome and Theo-
| dore Groot. The attendance was UNI
usually large, and much interest was
manifested in the meeting by the men,
bers of the association. A number of
invited guests were present.
President Gardner announced that it
has been definitely decided that the
butchers of Savannah will accept the
invitation of the International Congress
of Butchers to attend the meeting In
St. Louis during the latter part of Au-
gust. About twenty members of the
Savannah Butchers Association will
attend the meeting.
The officers elected by the association
April IL to serve for the ensuing year,
were installed last night. The officers
are as follows:
Presidential. S. Gardner.
Vice President-C. Winkler.
Recording Secretary-John F. May.
Financial Secretary-C. Rocker.
| Treasurer-P. H. Broome.
Board of Directors-J. j. Joyce, j. A.