Evening star., 1915-01-16
Election of Retail Association
Will Be Held in
February.
SOLDIERS HOME PROBE
AUTHORIZED BY BODY
Provisions for Civil Employees Said
to Be Sold by Commissafy.
Governors Are Appointed.

The annual meeting of the Retaii
Merchants Association was held last
night in the rooms of the organization
in The Star building. Only a small
amount of special business was trans
acted, the evening being devoted large
T ly to the reading of the annual reports
of President R. p. Andrews, Secretary
Charles ]. Columbus and Treasurer y.
c, Graham The annual election OF Oh
f1cers of the association is to be held In
February.
Secretary Columbus was authorized
to investigate report that 23l clVlilah
employees at the Soldiers Home were
permitted to buy provisions at cost for
their own consumption from the COM
missary of the home, thereby working
a hardship on merchants.
Plan for Unemployed.
A plan to keep unemployed women
busy by having them make simple gar
ments for Washington department
stores was submitted in letter to the
association from Mrs r. L. Baer and
referred to the dry goods section. Jo-
seph Strasburger. NJ. A. Leese and Isaac
Cans We're appointed a committee 70
look into the status OF convention 1u1la
mittee to arrange for get-toGether
dinner was authorized.
The following new members We're
elected: Globe -Wernicke Company,
Ralph w Lee. Fl. S. Omohundro, Sea-
bridge Jewelry Company and the Royal
Market Company.
Board of Governors.
President Andrews announced the ap-
pointment of the following members or
the board of governors to serve dur
ing 1915 or until their successors are
chosen: Il. p. Andrews, paper; j. M.
Bird, furrier; Z. D. Blackstone. flor
lists: J. NJ Burrell, coal and wood: +.
C. Chorley, ladies' tailors; o. j. De MOL,
pianos; George S. De Neale, department
stores; Jacob ~Eisenmann, dry goods;
Isaac Cans. clothing; E. G. Graham
electric supplies; George E. Heboard,
merchant tailors; J. Philip Hermann.
furniture; NJ A. Leese. opticians; Louis
Levy, laundrymen; Claude +. Miller,
automobiles: Gerson Nordlinger, Ia
dies garments; H. T. Offterdinger,
souvenirs; James F. Oyster. butter and
eggs: A. D. Prince, jewelers.; Ellie
Sheetz, confectioners; Joseph l.. Ship
ley. master printers: Charles G. Stott,
stationery; Anton Stephan. china and
glassware: Joseph Strasburger. shoes;
George Topham. leather goods; Sidney
West. haberdashers; Alfred Mayer,
credit mems section; Mrs. N. BROOKS,
women's section.
Criticises Eight-Hour Law.
The need of law providing an
adequate license for itinerant mer-
chants, and also 4 law providing for
the licensing of all advertising. solici-
tors, WAS mentioned by President An
drews in his annual report. Mr.. An
drews spoke of tile objections of
Washington merchants to the, police
regulation prohibiting the parking, of
automobiles along certain streets for
more than fifteen minutes, and criti-
cised the eight hour law governing
woman employees.
J would most respectfully recon-
mend that we obtain legislation pro-
viding for the licensing of advertising
solicitors and that we bring all posi-
BILE force to bear to have a false ad-
vertising bill enacted into law said
Mr.. Andrews.
I'VE should continue active in our
appeal to have the present fifteen-min-
ute stop regulation for certain streets
in the business district amended to one
hour at least. I am decidedly of the
opinion that the time has not arrived
in Washington when vehicles should
be circumscrbed to fifteen minute
stop regulation, which is too short to
shop, and at the same time the public
generally will not suffer. AS was
pointed out in our special appeal to
the Commissioners, We realize that tne
purpose of the regulation was to catch
the all-day ear spotter, but In doing
that the Commissioners have imposed
a hardship upon the riding public is
we'll as the merchants in the affected
and even nearby thoroughfares.
"I am of the opinion that We should