Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-17
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
ON PROBLEMS OF TRADE.
Merchants Of South Form Associa.
ton Hero and Elect Per.
manent Officers.
TO MEET HERE EACH SUMMER
Program OF Better Acquaintance
Week Ends With Automobile Tour
OF City and Entertainment at
Country Club Of Virginia.

OF City and Entertainment at
Country Club of Virginia.
With an eye to the future. prophecy
ing untold prospects OF brilliant time
TO come. the Southern business mems
conference OF Better Acquaintance
Week" closed yesterday. the last Of
fetal event of the conference being a
Sightseeing automobile tour through
Richmond pointing out the places Of
interest to the visiting merchants. The
trip finally wound up at the Country
Club. where the guests OF tho Trade
Extension Bureau of the Richmond
Chamber OF Commerce were served re-
freshmcnts.
Several hundred automobiles. loaned
by public-spirited citizens OF Richmond,
were required to handle the large crowd
which numbered about 400. The auto
mobile trip. which followed the con-
clusion OF the business session at the
auditorium of the John Marshall High
School, left the Capitol Square at S
O'Clock and lasted until o'clock
In every sense of the word, Better
Acquaintance Week." has proved to be
an entire success.
Il. B. Sydnor, chairman OF the COM
mittee. said yesterday in expressing
his pleasure at tho results OF the
conference:
I'VE have enjoyed the greatest ac-
tfvity ever known in any previous trade
week. The visiting merchants are
pleased with their entertainment, and
the splendid lectures delivered to them
in the convention. Also, the Richmond
retailers have shown a splendid spirit
of cooperation"
MERCHANTS EXPRESS THEIR
APPRECIATION OF RESULTS
To show that this spirit Is not con-
fined TO local enterprisers, many pro-
gressive out-of-town merchants, when
! approached as to their opinion of the
results Of the conference, were unani-
nous in this opinion:
I'VE have come here to stay just as
our competition through the mail-or-
der houses has come here to stay. All
of us have something to learn, but we
never knew that we could learn so
much in such a short time till we came
to Richmond. We go home now with a
comings, but. best OF all. we have the
knowledge OF how to remedy them. We
are just beginning to grow"
That the merchants of the South are
preparing to grow. to render better SER
vice and apply their knowledg to their
business is exemplifed by their or
ganization of an educational associa-
ton. Above all things, the outstand-
ing features and success OF this con-
ference has been the introduction OF
the educational side. Having proved
an absolute and undeniable success,
the merchants are prepared to make
1t permanent feature. They have
organized an educational association
composed OF out-of town merchants
who are to meet in Richmond every
year to consider the new problems
that arise TO affect every retail mer-
chant in the South. The executive
committee of the Trade Extension
Bureau Of the Richmond Chamber OF
Commerce will serve as an advisory
committee to this nucleus of South
ern merchants university.
OFFICERS ELECTED By
EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION
The officers Of this educational as
ISOLATION who were elected by tho
members of the convention are: N
ID. Purdy, Lawrenceville, n. c., presi-
dent; MacD. Holiday. Dunn, N. c..
vice-president; w. F. Martin, Mt. Olive,
n. c.. second vice-president: W. T.
Dabney, business manager of the Rich
mond Chamber of Commerce. secie-
tary. and w. D. Amos. Yirgilina, Va,
assistant secretary.
Yesterday the merchants enjoyed a
thoroughly interesting and enlight-
ening program. One thing that has
characterized this convention has been
the patriotic services that marked tie
opening and closing of the meetings.
a gentle reminder to the audience that
this is not only crisis In retail bust
ness. but also in the history of this
country. The convention was opened
with the singing of Dixie" led by Mrs.
0. T. Gillian. Then the audience sang
Garry Me Back to Old Virginia." Be-
cause OF thundcrous applause uszs. Gill
liam was forced to render an encore
and sang annie Laurie"
At 1890 the meeting was called to
order by Chairman E.. B. Sydnor, who
introduced Norman johnson. who spoke
on Better Methods Through Organi-
zation."
Mr.. johnson was received by the con-
vention with much applause. He made
powerful appeal for organization
among the merchants. saying that only
through organization could they make
successful stand against the powerful
competition that they are facing. He
stated that IL they wished to protect
themselves and place themselves in a
position of rendering greater service
and receiving greater rewards, orEani-
cation was the only medium.
MISS TRYoN SPEAKS ON
TEACHING THE CLERKS SERVICEn
Chairman Sydnor said in introducing
Miss Gracte Tryon. OF the National Cash
Register Company, he had saved the
hest for the last" Miss Tryon was re-
ceived amidst great plaudlts and chose
as her subject, Teaching the Clerks
Service" Miss Tryon said that CO.
operation and absolute confidence be.
tween the employer and the clerk was
the only possible way to obtain the bes,
results. Miss Tryon said, III you have
only one clerk. have round-table talk
with that clerk every day"
Miss Tryon said that now of all TIM s
the business world is ready and ripe Il
receive women, and there was a Rrea,
chance that had never before presented
itself. THE time is now ripe for moth.
ers to raise their daughters to take
part in the commercial life Of the coun.
Try said the speaker smilingly. Miss
\ TryOn gave a nllmher NJ iIl,,otro 49,.