Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-11-07
SIX CUSTOMER RULE MODIFIED
ON BASIS OF STORE FLOOR
SPACE.
HOMES WITH FLU" CASES
ARE TO BE PLAcARoEo
Merchants Protest Against Injustice Of
Six Customer Rule and Modification
p, Is Made-volunteer Help Supplied
to Tack Plaeards- on Homes Where
There Are Cases.

The lid Of the quarantine for in
fuenza, that was hurriedly clapped on
Wednesday afternoon, following n
! meeting of the board of health. was
being fitted and clapped more secure
ly in place today. At the same time
an adjustment of the six customer
rule for stores was adjusted and modi-
fed on basis OF floor space in each
store. One of the important develop
ments today in the renewal of the
quarantine was the movement to pla =
card with a quarantine sign each
home in which there is a case of in
| ffuenza.
In order that this could be done
quickly, retail merchants, who this
forenoon protested in a body TO the
| board of health against the six-cus-
toner rule, furnished employees for the
board OF health to send out over the
city TO placard houses. With the quar-
antine clapped on. business was try
Ing to adjust itself. The theaters
hastily closed. Soda fountains ceased
serving drinks and placards posted on
them announced they were shut up.
Under the modification OF the six GUS
toner rule il was necessary for owners
OF the larger stores to post watchmen
at the entrances who did not admit
any one while six customers remained
in the store. Stores having two doors
tried 10 control the number Of Gus
toners by locking one door and post
ing 4 clerk at the other
Modification Of Order.
At the conference Of merchants
with the board Of health. held this
forenoon. the merchants pointed out the
injustice OF the hard and fast rule OF
. a limit of six customers being allowed
in store az a time. regal d!ess of the
! size Of the store. TIE suggestion was
made that this rule should. he modified
on = haets Of square feet Of floor space
f0r the reason that while six Gus
toners in a small store would mako a
crowd" the same number in a large
store would not The merchants ex-
/ pressed willingness 10 cooperate in
every way 20 aid in the control OF the
/ quarantine. It was finally agreed by
Mayor Reilly that the order would be
\ modified to allow one customer 20
| which would admit eight or ten Gus
/ toners in the average sized store at
| one time It was explained that prob
! ably the average-siZed store contained
| 1900 to 1000 feet Of floor space. BY
| floor space is meant space actually
! used FOR merchandising and not base
ments or other space used for storage
| Merchants are expected TO measure
! their floor space and post on their en-
frances the number OF square feet and
! the number Of customers allowed in
! the store.
Forty Gases Reported.
Forty new cases of Influenza Were
reported to the mayor Wednesday. II
| is thought probable that physicians
| being summoned to the meeting with
| the board Of health resulted in al
these cases Being reported They are
! not nearly all, however, Of recent
i origin. Some date back as far as
| Oct 81. -Four cases were reported as
developing Wednesday. nine Tuesday
Il nine Monday. four Sunday. FIVE Satur-
|! day. three Friday, one Thursday ant
on FIVE others no dates we're given.
With homes placarded with quar-
/ antine signs, the city health depart
ment expects TO make every effort pos.
4 prevent members Of the household from
leaving the premises or others from
entering it.