The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-22
Many Business Firms Dislike
the Closing Orders.
Druggists Have To Open Stores
To Fill Prescriptions.
GR0CERS ARE UP IN ARMS
Candy Stores Closed While
Competitors Reap Harvest.
Churches Are Holding Nightly
Meetings as Usual. -

Hello; is this Mr.. Druggist 90
Yes
We'll. my baby is sick and the doc
tor gave me a prescription to have
filled right away. VIII you come
down to the store and fill it for me
tonight? ?"
iii be right down"
That is the conversation that went
over many a druggists home tele-
phone Monday night after the closing
order went into effect. The funny
part of the whole thing being that
most of the calls came before IL
o'clock in the evening. and very few
of these were after 10 o'clock.
The druggists as a whole do not
say anything at all about the closing
order except that they expect to OBJ
serve it; but after talking to them for
awhile one gradually gets the opinion
that the druggists feel that they are
entitled to as much consideration as
the pool halls and cigar stores Many
of them feel that if the order could
be modified to allow the drug stores
to remain open until 10 o'clock that
the interests of the community would
be better served, and there would be
considerably fewer calls on the clerks
and proprietors of the stores to come
down and fill prescriptions under what
can be no less than trying conditions.
Passing by the Edison plant on Van
Buren, street about 1890 o'clock in the
evening persons on the sidewalk
were treated to the sight of great
clouds of steam emanating from the
big sunflower valve just north of the
main building. It seems that this
steam might well be turned into the
| radiators of the city, but the chief
engineer at the plant said today that
this steam escaping from the valve
was a regular thing and was not a
waste resulting from the closing order.
Pressure on the steam lines is
practically the same now as before the
| closing order went into effect said
the engineer, and the steam escaping
| from the valve is only waste from
overloaded engines"
Another field open to conservation
methods is the churches. many peo-
| pie contend It seems that one of the
| largest churches in the city is expect
| ing to hold a series of meetings every
| night this week, and the meetings are
| not for the purpose of putting religion
| into the hearts of the people either;
they are merely gymnasium classes
and social evenings In this particular
| church, the report says that no less
than two tons of coal are required to
heat the building every day. In one
! IF the other big-ehurches of the city
| iata obtained from = reliable source
| says that it takes two and one-halt
| tons of coal to heat the church suffi-
morning service.
More Union Services
! Churches are necessary, of course
| to the good of the community, but the
| opinion of the business men of the
| city is that the union services pro-
posed for Sunday nights might well be
| applied to the morning service as well
and that the Thursday night prayer
meetings could be discontinued til
warm weather without any i'll effect
| on the morals of the congregations
| The candy stores of the city have
| made a formal protest against the or
der to State Fuel Dictator Carey
| charging that it is unfair to close
| them early and allow their competi-
| tors to remain open two hours later
! The theater managers. too, tho not
making any formal protest and ap-
! parently swallowing the order with
| equanimity. say, if they consider one
| friendly. that it seems hard after al
! the time and money they have spent
\ in spreading the governments wal
propaganda that they should be closed
! at time SO early that many people
are ordinarily just starting for town
| The ten O'Clock closing hour is what
/ the theater men feel would be much
! fairer to all concerned Time giver
| to the four-minute men for patriotic
speeches, special features in the Rec
! Cross Y. NJ. c. A, and other wal
| work drives. money spent for specia
/ patriotic films, and numerous othel
] things done to help the war work Of