The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1918-02-23
SOMETHING ABOUT
THE ORGANIZATION ON
COMMERCIAL ECONOMY


understand the organization of the
committee on commercial economy of
the state council of defense, nor are
they properly informed of it's plans.
All merchants wish to know about the
personnel of this committee, about its
organization, about its activities and
about it's authority. This bulletin is
an explanation and answer of sucn
questions. 1t should be read carefully
and 1t should be employed when it is
necessary to inform those that are mis-
Informed or uniformed of the activ-
tiles of this committee. Local chair
men and their committees and all dis
trict committeeman will find it most
serviceable
The committee on commercial econ
omy was created by the state council
of defense. The state council Of de-
fense has been in close touch with the
commercial economy board of the coun-
Gil of national defense. This board
from the very beginning of the war
has been investigating the possibility
of introducing economies into retail
Ing. Its investigation covers an area
Of twelve states. 1t has studied retail
ing conditions In over half hundred
cities and towns such cities and towns
being used for investigation because
in the aggregate they represent prac-
tically all the different condi-
tions existing in the retailing
business of the country. Findings of
the commercial economy board have
been placed before thousands of the
stores of this country. The board how
ever, felt that when it had reached GER
tain definite conclusions as to the
practicability of introducing economies
and knowing that action in the differ
ent states and cities of the country
would come only through a more local
organization, their organization being
a more national one asked the differ
ent state councils of defense to cooper
ate with them in their work The state
council of defense of Washington ap-
pointed, therefore, a committee on conf
mercial economy and referred to this
committee the entire question of put
ting business on a wartime basis
The state council of defense insisted
that such change as could be affected
should be made by the business men
concerned, and that any such economies
that might be introduced would come
as a result of the experience and in
vestigation of practical men. The first
action of the committee on commercial
economy of Washington state council
of defense was to call into council
twenty representative merchants of the
state of Washington, appointed as mer-
chant members of the committee on
commercial economy. These merchant
members met in Seattle and incorpor-
ated in their decision the best way OF
putting retailing onto a wartime basis
by adopting six resolutions. These res
olutions are not the utterances of the
oretical men. The action called for by
them may be duplicated all over the
country. No new economy was to lie
introduced. Every economy recon-
mended for adoption may be found In
force somewhere in the United States
and in many places today.
The committee has no government or
state legislative regulation binding 1t
to enforce its plans for economizing. 1t
seeks to have this economzing don.
voluntarily as measures that will help
to meet the needs of the country, as an
answer to the call of today sent to re-
tailers as well as to other business
ing introduced into all parts OF the
state. No individual is carrying on this
plan independently on his own respon-
sibility; no man or set Of men Is using
the plans of this committee for self
benefit. The only accredited representa-
tives Of this committee are the
twenty merchants who constitute
its merchant membership and their
district appointments. No decision OF
this committee is a local one. The de-
cision as represented by the six reso-
lutions represents the state OF nina
and the decision of all of the merchant
members of the committee. 1t was
taken only after a thorough canvass
ing of the facts at hand as they re-
lated to the need for economizing and
the practicabilIty of doing so. All
measures to be introduced and which
have but one purpose. that Of the put
ting Of retailing on wartime basis,
are a decision of committee Of twenty
merchants who have been officially ap-
pointed to represent the state. The
measures are approved only after care