The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-11-19
PRICES OF CITY
BEING COMPARED
Criminal Court Investiga-
ting Committee Getting
Outside Figures

d
name now on letter heads, met last
, evoning In the Circuit court room
Of the court house and discussed
conditions in the city very fully.
About Thirty were in attendance
and a number of complaints were
/ formally made. OF the regular com.
'mittee appointed by Judge Showal.
ter there we're present Mrs, \. r.
G. Morrow, Mrs. James a. Meredith.
N. NJ. Nesy and Assistant Prosecut.
ing Attorney Mason. Attorney
Harry Shaw was absent. The Hon.
o. S. Mckinney spoke at length on
the subject. R2v. [. S. Towsou. OF
Christ Episcopal church, had IL
word to say. Mrs. B. l.. Butcher
spoke forcetuIly and at length.
Frank Crawford gave report OF
the "Giles" matter which has caused
much discussion in the city, and -
number OF Fairmont citizens report
cd overcharges here, as ii seemed
TO them.
t, NJ. N. Neely, as chairman. took
charge OF the meeting. Mr.. Neely
, said It was the intention OF tho
committee. 10 investigate thorough
+ ly all prices in the city. Letters
have been sent to the following
newspapers asking for names Of the
/, leading groCers. provision and meat
| dealers, It being the intention to
start with these merchants first:
; ConnellsviIle News. Cumberland
, Times, ClarksbUrE Exponent, Park
crsburg News. Wheeling Register,
Morgantown New Dominion, Graf
ton Sentinel and the Blucfiell Tele
graph. Regular stationer" has been
supplied With full head at the top
reading Criminal Court hvestt-
eating Committee" The names OF
the committee are printed to the
left OF this main head. Underneath
the main head are the words: "OS
| Marion County. West Virginia. Ap-
pointed by Judge L. n. Showalter
TO Investigate the Cost of Living in
ITairmont and Marion County"
| L. n. Davis, secretary, and Miss
Virginia Morris. stenogTapher, weTc
both present last evening, Mr..
Davis reported he did not know of
many instances where grocers in
tthe city ever published prices OF
their commodities. III the newspa-
pcrs.
merchants did not wish the general
public to ace. ia print Just what
! pricas were being charged from
ttimo to time,
Lists hare been typed Including
! $50 articles in the grocery and meat
lime. This list will be sent to the
! various stores In other cities just as
soon as the various newspapers
send the names Of these, as request
ed. G!ocers WILL be asked to put
down the prices beside these ,artt-
cles they are charging, so compari-
1 son can he made here. Mrs. B. l..
Butcher was asked ny tho chairman
! to report on the Giles matter.
/ Mrs. Butcher stood and reported
that as she understood it Mr.. Giles.
Of Pierpont avenue. u merchant
who charged much less for poultry
and birds and eggs than other
stores had been notified to vacsta
In forty.eiRbt hours. His chickens
sold about 10 to 15.cents apiece less
than others and when he told you 4
chicken was young, you could de-
pend on him, sl1a said. She said
she understood the lady who lived
upstairs objected to this mai, 3
store. Naturally. she said, l.
wouldn't be pleasant living go near,
Frank Crawford. who rented the
store to Giles, said the store in
question was rented by Nj. Giles in
/ the first place for "pet sto:a," and
that there was no floor underneatn
! and that Mr. Giles began keeping
/ poultry until he had as many as
/ 200 chickens and 10 to Is turkeys
running loose in the basement. The
place was 30 unsanitary it had been
necessary to close Mr.. Giles out
A meeting was held before Mayor
Conaway yesterday at five o'clock
and at this time the reason for
forcing Mr. Giles out Of business
was explained as due to tho unsaDt-
;tarv conditions at his store.
Tho point was made last evening
that If one man was closed out be'
cause he kept and killed poultry on
the premises, why were not all
stores required to conform to the
sale rule also.
Hon. o. S. Mckinney spoke at
length. He said he was member
OF the Kiwanis club and wished to
OFFER the services of this club In the
solving OF the many problems now
before the commission. lie stated
that he knew a merchant at Monon-
gah who had heen denied further
goods at the Wholesale house here.
This man, he said, always paid cash,
came for his goods and carried
, them away, and that he was told
he couldn't have any more, The
reason was given that he under
sold other merchants.
Mr., Mckinney said he had al
ways felt It his duty TO buy at home
land formerly did so for many years.
He said he was deeply interested in
Tatrmont and wanted to boom the
city, naturally, as. he owned real cs.
tate here, but he firmly believed
Fairmont vas doomed unless mer'
chants lowered their prices. We've
| lost factorles here" he said, "on
account OF high prices" He did
admit that perhaps merchants had
reasons for their high prices, per.
lhaps high fentss were responsible,
perhaps customers were so impa-
tient to be waited on it was,neces'
sary to provide extra clerks SO they
could be taken care of the instant
they entered the store. Perhap5