The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-09-14

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Action taken at last nights meet
ing OF the Mankato Retail Merchants
association: II.
City officers to be asked to enforce
the law requiring retail merchants to
close on Sunday. "a i"
Merchants to close their stores on
Thursday for the fair from I p. m. to
s p. m. &c.,.
Stores to be decorated with russell
and gold, October 2, and 4, when the
State Federation Of Women's clubs
meets here. 49,. ..@. - ..r..
Next meeting at the call Of the
executive committee to be held at the
Hotel Heinrich with supper.
Local public authorities will be
asked to enforce the law relating to
the closing of retail stores in Man.
:. kato on Sunday This action was
taken last night by unanimous vote,
at a meeting of the Mankato Retail
Merchants association, held in the
basement of the Mankato State bank
building. Several other matters were
discussed and passed upon.
G. B. Fisher, the president, suggest
ed that a supper be held at the Hotel
Heinrich in connection with the next
meeting After some discussion q
motion by ]. B. Richards was passed,
providing that the next meeting be
held at that hotel with supper at
SO cents per plate. The next meeting
will take place when it is called by
the executive committee.
The president remarked that it was
desirable that good crowd be got
ten .otit in order to make the work
effective He spoke Of some of the
things that had been accomplished by
the. league in the past. He told how the
merchants had been asked to adver-
tise In: the program book of the local
fair, and had decided instead to buy
the Whole book for the fair with any
advertisements doing this for $115
and saving $445. He spoke Of other
advertising propositions that the
committee had turned down. The So
licitors had quit, when they found
they could not get a ticket from the
conlmitte. -
- Close For Half Day.
Another subject taken up was
that of closing for half day on the
first day of the fair. Charles T. Taylor
said he appreciated what the mer-
chants had done for the fair so far
He said it would be a big boost for
the fair if the merchants would close
up for part of the first day. as it was
always hard to get good crowd on
the first day. After this there was a
long discussion of the subject by j
B. Richards, Albert SLIDER, M. F. Sulli-
van, II. j. Sperra, Frank Landkamer
Herman Szamet, Ed Nyquist, Otto
Brockf1eyer, L. w. Andrist, G. N
Draper, G. Nachbar, and others. Some
took the view at first that it would
not be- well to close at all on Thurs
day afternoon, because there would
be many farmers in the city who
would desire to do shopping and would
be vexed on finding the shops closed
Others remarked that it would be
very Unfair to have some close while
Others did not That would throw the
trade to the "pikers" and "sappers.'
But at length the discussion brought
out the idea that by closing the
stores for part of the afternoon, the
fair could be made big thing on the
first day, and the stores could be re-
opened late in the afternoon, SO that
people, who wished to shop on stheir
way home from the fair could do so
At length motion was passed with
out division that it be the sense OF
the association that the merchants
ought to close from 1 p. m, to 5 o. m.
on Mankato day, which is Thursday.
The talk further brought out the
point that the people should know
what stores would close and what
ones would remain open during those
hours. At length it was decided to
have 125 big signs printed for dis
tribution among the stores, announc-
ing that they would close during. tina
time. Non members Of the assocfa
ton will be invited to Join in thi.
movement.
Would Ask Saloons to Close.
Richard Hammett suggested tina