Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-12
DIRECTORS OF CHAMBER
BEHIND MANUFACTURERS
decisive Majority Gives Approval to
stephens Bill, Now Pend.
Ing I'm Congress-.
RETAILERS LODGE PROTEST
Hlght to Force Jobbers to Sell Trade.
MARX Products at Fixed Price Ia
Arbitrary and Unfair, Prominent
Business Men Declare.

:, ny decisive majority the board NJ
"rtc'ors OF the Chamber Of Commerce.
Yesterday afternoon set the seal or its
! "ppro'al upon the stephens bill now
." nt IN the House Of Representa-
'lVes ana the Senate. which PROMISES
10 give manufacturers Of trade-n.orlsed
products the right to saw nj wb,t
standard price the jobbers and retail
ers VINO buy from them shall sell such
o.i mere was practically no dis
! board. Oh 'he
The chanhers's action on a..
stephens bill, along with the ,c,tnn
| VI o'her trade organizations affiliated
! with the United States Chamber oe
commerce. at Washington, will be com.
VII, au, 20 me national body. which
VIII act In accordance with The az
press'ons OF n majority OF it's mem
"e,s' mat action, whatever Il may no
| VIII be laid before the commitiecs ~
Sonsress having the bill under con.
Many prominent Richmond n.r-
Tl' including l.. O. Miller. Isaac
Cohen' Jacob levitt and Edw.rd
Schmidt, appeared before the hoard
OPPOSITION to the measure, charac-
! ,erizihs 1t as ill-timed and unlikely
70 ADVANCE the interests of any class
state Association OF Retail Merch.n,.
mas not taken any action In the mai
yer since It's annual meeting in 1914
When IL went on record as opposcd
70 H. and tho local association has
never passed on 1t officially
II. G. BROWN Makes
STRONG PLEA FOR BILL,
Il. y. Brown. OF PHILADELPHIA a pron,
| inent business man. weII-vor.as T.,
raoe matters. came before the board
ana entered an earnest plea for lie
support OF the bill. No one. he said
hnows what liz the proper price for a
gwen piece OF goods but the man who
.ha. cures II, and IL is only right
tnat ne should be put In n position TO
| SAFEGUARD the interests OF the nuh,ic
or the ultimate consumer
For business reasons il FOR mn
other, said Mr.. Brown, the manufac.
.urer could not afford to gauge the
Pupic. II would mean commercial sui
cioe. manufacturers name on the
goods, with standard price on those
GOODS all over the country, would he
Simply n guarantee OF their quality
and the fitness Of the price,
Many department stores In Nav
YORK City have been forced to close
because OF cut-throat competition. But
| YOU can't fool the public all the time
=, People will find out sooner or later
that reduction in prise on one article
! means that there is a corresponding
| raiee on another
|
inc measure Is that IT will limit the
independence of the retailer making
him conform. under all conditions, to
an arbitrary price set by the manurac-
turer. and at the same time, throwing
| no restrictions around the man who
! makes the goods. There Ia nothing in
the bill to limit the price chosen nv
the manufacture. What he SAYS in
the matter is final with all parties con-
cerned.
MR. MILLER OPPOSES
ANY HASTY ACTION
Mr.. Miller took tho position that the
measure Is iil-timed. and, so far as
the board 10 go slow" In acting upon
the matter. The manufacturers, the
retailers and the consumer, he said
have lived all these years without any
such law, and he would deplore hasty
| action.
In submitting his argument, Mr.. MIL
Ter read letter To his firm from the
secretary OF ,he National Retail Dry
Goods Association. In which was in
rorporated the following resolution.
/ directors two years ago.
| Resolved, that il shall he the policy
OF this association to oppose the
stephens hill on the ground that II
would create privileged class. limi.
the Independence OF tho retailer. and
raise the price TO the consumer. II
IS recommended by the board that mem
hers OF this association should take q
stand against indiscriminate price-cut
ting as n means OF stimulating trade,
inasmuch az any action on tho part of
the retailer that is harmful TO those
with whom he does business Is not in
keeping with the high standard OF
ethics Of this associat tOn"
Mr.. Miller was also told In the let
ter that 80 per cent Of all the mem
hers Of the association who have eX-
pressed themselves by letter to this
Office have recorded their opposition
to the stephens bill"
Before going Into the merits of the
Stephens bill. the board. on behalf of
the membership Of the chamber. pre-
F., sented TO Arthur NJ. Cannon. chairman
| of the committee on Legislation, a hand
| some silver loving cup in recogni-
! ton OF Mr.. Cnnnon's efficient and faith
full services to the body. r. Peyton
! Giles. formerly chairman OF the Same
| committee, and now head OF the COM
mittee on traffic, made the presenta-
! ton speech.
George cole Scott was elected to
| membership i'll the chamber