The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-06

department store was slS2 600 less
than IN the corrcspon month Of
the previous wear y group or dc
partmeut stores in a city Of the Mid
die West is being saved 700 special
deliveries a day through the ahoti-
tion of that long -csta bhshcd Gust ON.
The experiences Of several thousand
stores have been collected by the com
mcrCitl economy board and published
~ pamphlet form to serve as a prac-
t.cai guide in meeting labor prob
lens that arise from the drafting Of
men for army service Twenty large
cities and iunumerable small cities
aud towns have joined the movement
10 reduce expenses and diminish the
number OF employees during the war.
These include Philadelphia, Boston.
Cleveland. Cincinnati, san Francisco,
Los Angeles Oakland, Column bus. Day-
ton. Spokane, Seattle. Toledo Port
hand. Louisville oklahoma City. In
diana polls Des MoineS ami Canton.
$50 that AL parts OF tho country are
represented
AZ typical example Of how saw
ings arc made IN department stores.
the case of one IN city of the Middle
West with a population of 100000 is
ciftd Before the wal time expert
ment was tried this store used three
trucks one covered the northern sec
ton Of the city three times day and
another made the rounds OF the east
ern section. while the third covered
the south and west. which was less
populouS. twice a day, After the
change one truck covered the north
ern route in the morning and went
TO the south and west sections in the
afternoon. 4 second truck went over
the eastern route Thus two trucks
, instead of three did the work
Sa Wings as significant have been
! mace in grocery and speciality stores
In Maryland village a grocer circu-
( lated among his patrons a leafet ex-
planning that there would be one de-
( livery instead of two each dav in or
I der to conserve labor for war use and
promising that the money saved would
he shared by his custo mers Two
months after the readjustment the
wagons were making all deliveries be-
tween ! and 8 T. NJ and the drivers
were able 10 spend the mornings in
the store attending TO telephone or
derS. The owner of the store esti-
mated that on the old delivery plan
ne would have been forced 10 employ
two extra men TO take care OF the
increase in his business
Cooperative delivery systems. which
the commercial economy board rec
commended for small and medium
sized cities and towns, and for larger
cities wherever practice BILE, have
brought about even larger savings
proportionatelS than the one delivery
plan In a small Texas town where
each of the sin grocery stores main
tanned a truck, one truck now de-
iiNerS for all In a large Middle West
ern city ali the department stores
have united in cooperative system
for suburban deliveries
The special object of the delivery
recomm dations was Ia make IL u1-
necessary for stores that lost delivery
men through the draft Or other causes
to bid against farms munitiun works.
shipyards and Other industries for
substitutes, In 4 number OF cases the
read justments have shortened the
working day for deiiyerymen and have
enabled merchants to meet demands
for closer prices on goods. IN no case
known to the board has any store
returned to more than one delivery,
The changes are part OF broad
plan for the voluntary conservation
of commercial resources. The board
is cooperating in similar manner
with thG wooden cloth. clothing shoe
leather. paint, and all other indus
tries in eliminating needless uses for
lapor, materials, equipment and capt.
tai
The pamphlet. Economy in Re
tan SerNic may be had on applica-
ton 10 the commercial economy board
or the council Of national defense.
Washington d. Z.