The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-12-09
COOKE CARRIES WAR ON
COMPETITORS TORALEICH
Introduces Bill in Legislature to Kill Army Stores
Aldermen Send p. II. Williams to Raleigh
to Forestall Cooke With Another Bill

clothing dealers b e o re h e
Board of Aldermen Monday
night. c. A. Cooke, who is at
once a member of the local Re-
tail Merchants Association and
member of the n. c. General
assembly, took his Ordinance to
Raleigh this week, made bill
oi il and dropped it into the Leg
t,lative Hopper a few minutes
alter the Speaker of the House
called for the introduction of
bills Tuesday morning.
2ir. Cooke is determined about this
ding. These army goods stores seem
g., he making inroads on his own cloth
.Z2 business. Mr.. Cooke has been YELL
IL low prices and making dirt cheap"
lis advertising slogan ever since he
4.r-j his stock of clothing and furnish
- tsom BERTHE County and recently
-n...- .as entered Elizabeth City a class
.. T.visn merchants VINO have out
.. z.-- Cooke in the matter of cheap
-fv.s ing and cheap goods. Ard
l:,tIf or JeWlSn DreJHfe0 erected
-.u- I a vacant lot right in front of
g...-- store and displayed their wares
t,r .a. it was too much for Mr.,
.'naE.
IT. coke is tie prime mover in the
r.s . tie army goods stores and sec
..t nd clothing dealers and enlisted
-., port of the Retail Merchants
A,-u. ION : committee Of the .Asso-
+.-.,.. drew up an ordinance to impose
- # $1,000 oh second hand clothing
-.,. -- This committee was composed
: g. \ Cooke. Frank Cooke. q bakers
...>r.-...or and w S. White. a Seed
.iaa,~ The ordinance didn't mean any
-.au- - tie latter pair and three
.,u.-.s of the Merchants Association
...iu.- know anything about it until
Cooke GOT before the Board of Alder
ren Before the Board of Aldermen
III bunch had to stand by Cooke be-
cause he was 4 member of the Asso-
.sa--cn ard acting in the Associations
.s..n BY authority of a committee sane
u...-. by the Association.
IL, Cookies ordinance Jared before
r.. -acrd of Aldermen Monday night is
Id .-ewhere in this newspaper.
Tir- the ordinance introduced by Mr..
ra.r, n the meeting of the Board of
Aldermen Monday night imposing a tax
+ : -1nU on second hand clothing deal
Rs n Elizabeth City and providing a
riu. - 500 for violation of its provi-
~ion~ hasn't AIdermanic sanction, is in
Heated by a new bill drawn up yester-
.i;ry The new bill greatly modified, was
turned over to Alderman P. H. Will
tamS. who was dispatched to the Cen
eral Assembly last night in an endeavor
70 forestall the passage. of the Cooke
oi!l.
The new bill. drawn up by the Alder
men yesterday, would impose tax of
5000 on intinerant merchants and an
additional tax of $50 on the sale of
second hand goods. 1t also provides
that anyone engaging in the pawnbrok-
ing business must pay tax OF sou,
which means that anyone conducting a
business embracing all these lines
would have to pay a total license of
500
The bill was submitted to the Mer- |
chants Association yesterday afternoon
for approval, before Mr.. Williams left |
for Raleigh This bill will likely meet |
with public approval. 1t is certain that |
Cookies hasn't Starting out with the |
fool allegation that the army stores |
ought % be put out of business because |
they sell unclean goods-a direct sland- |
or of the government itself-Mr Cooke |
proposes to sterilize unclean goods by |
imposing a tax of $1,000 on them. For |
81 600 Mr.. Cooke would permit any |
body to sell clothing carrying the germs |
of venereal and other diseases. He
seems not so much concerned about the |
fact that itinerant merchants should be
made to pay a tax commensurate Win
the taxes paid by establish merch-
ants.
Another bill introduced by Mr.. Cooke /
in Raleigh this week is known as House
Bill No. 30 ''To change the Highway
Commission in Pasquotank County
No one knows the nature OF this DILL
Mr.. Cooke left here with a bill ap-
proved by the Highway Commission
authorizing the Commission to hire out
the chain gang or abolish 1t by ordef
Of Court, in it's discretion. The high
way Commission wants to get rid OF
the chain gang and use the money now
spent upon it's maintenance in working
the roads another way. Whether Mr..
Cooke has introduced this bill to abol-
i<I the chain gang or drawn up another
n is a matter of speculation. Likely
- not he would abolish the Highway
Commission itself if E. F. .Aydlett told
mia to do it.
Or. f. Griffin, representing this
district in the State Senate, In long /
distance telephone conversation yester-
dry advised this newspaper that ne
would not interfere with any legislation
Introduced by Mr.. Cooke unless he was
apprised of opposition to such Ieglsla-
ton. If opposition is revealed to Sen
af0r Griffin he will hold any of Cookies
bills in the Senate Committees until the
opposition can come to Raleigh and be
heard.
l29 Bills First Day
With 100 items of LEGISLATION, ranging