The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-02-15
SATURDAY NIGHT CLOSING
DOES UNCLE SAM EXPECT 1T
Same Conditions Prevail In Other
Towns As Here-Is the Govern
ment Behind the Scheme

Just what the outcome is going to
be in Leavenworth over the Satur-
day night closing order sent out by
the State Council of Defense several
weeks ago, is problematical.
Opinion as to whether there is
anything gained or saved by closing
at p. m. on Saturdays is about
evenly divided and as result fully
half of the business houses have re-
manned open.
The store owners who believed it
was a patriotic duty to comply with
the order have been closing their
places of business promptly at 6
o'clock.
As to whether or not the govern
ment really intended carrying the
closing program into the smaller
communities and insisting that the
country merchant observe the same
rules laid down to city merchants,
there has been much discussion. But
we do believe that in fairness to all
the local merchants should get to-
gether and decide on a definite pro-
gram.
AS far as we can learn the same
~
towns as here.
At several points thruout the
state, the Saturday evening closing
was tried out for a couple of weeks
and then abandoned altogether. This
was true in the Grays Harbor coun-
try where the population is COM
posed mainly of mill workers, and
where it was argued that Saturday
evening was the ony time these peo-
pc had an opportunity to come to
town and do their trading.
Last week however an article ap-
peared in the daily press which sta
ted that merchants might be forced
to adopt earlier closing hours. AS
to whether or not this could be done,
or any attempt will be made in this
direction is another question.
"a communication from E. F.
Dahm to T. M. Hanger, chairman of
the Walla Walla district to put the
commercial economy program in eff
feet, states that the commercial
economy committee of the council
of defense has no power to force
the program on merchants. The OBJ
servance of the suggestions made is
purely voluntary the message
stated"
In Walla Walla considerable op-
position to the new program devel
oped. The Walla Walla Union had
the following to say:
" A special dispatch from Aber-
deem in yesterdays Oregonian may
throw some light on the question.
It says: Aberdeen merchants last
night voted to abandon the early
closing phase of the so-called war
time economy program, following
the receipt of a telegram from the
national council of defense, stating
that that body was not sponsor for
the scheme and that it probably was
a local state plan.' Aberdeen mer-
chants who were the first in the
state to adopt the early closing pro-
gram, declare they were bluffed into
the action by E. F. Dahm chairman
of the commercial economy commit
tee for the state council of defense.
A telegram received in Walla
Walla from the commercial economy
board of the council of national de-
tense at Washington D. c., says:
AS we understand it, the movement
to curtail credit and early closing is
a local state movement of the COM
mercial economy board That is
not the question at issue. The
council of national defense has re-
quested all merchants to restrict de-
liveries to one daily or establish CO.
operative delivery systems.
"Hence it is plain why different
states and communities are adopting
different rules, with no fixed sched-
ule with regard to credits and early
closing yet recommended by the
national council of defense covering
the country as a whole; for evident
ly it is realized that what might be
suitable, as an example, for an in
dustrial district, might not be feas-
ible in an agricultural community"