The New York herald., 1922-08-09
MERCHANDISE FAIR
PRODUCES BUSINESS
Attracts Out Of Town Buyers
in Throngs on First Real
Trading Day.
MANY ENTERTAINMENTS
j.. J, Henning Looks for Settle
ment Of Rail and Coal
Strikes in Week.

New York's new experiment in mer-
chandising. the National Merchandise
the Seventy first Regiment Armory and
the Grand Central Palace. The fair is
under the auspices of the National Re-
tail Dry Goods Association, which has
the cooperation of the National Garment
Retailers Association.
While the public In general knows
little about the fair, there nevertheless
was a great crowd at both the armory
and the Palace all day and at night. and
the aises We're thronged not with the
people one sees along Fifth avenue and
the side streets intent on buying at re-
tail, but with professional buyers from
all the States and Canada and Great
Britain.
This is a buyers fair, intended to give
buyers of dry goods and women's wear
an opportunity to find under two roofs
what they might have to go all over the
city looking for In ordinary circum-
stances.
Business" now is the keynote Of the
exposition, but the artistic has not been
overlooked. There are unique and beau
tiful displays at the Palace. The fashion
show and ballet every afternoon ana
evening at the armory are not only well
worth seeing, but from the packed
houses that attend and applaud are
wholly satisfying as a form of enter
tainment.
Perhaps the audience last night was
composed OF out of town buyers and
their women folk, but II 1t was the
time has passed when the out of town
folk look any different from the natives
Day n Complete Success.
At the Palace In the morning business
started much more briskly than on the
preceding day and the Strengthening out
OF the rough spots necessarily attendent
on the opening of such a large affair
helped to make the day complete sue
cess. Buyers began to pass into the
great show at 10 o'clock in the morn
ing and the attendance swelled and
swelled until the Palace was packed
There were curious people, OF course. but
the volume of business done was graft
fyingly surprising to those in charge.
Before noon more than 1000 buyers
had registered and 1t was clear that the
day would see the records of the first
day exceeded. The opening or new ac-
counts, too. was an encouraging FEATURE
and the merchants Interested were ap-
parently more than pleased and san
guine OF the complete success OF the
show.
At the armory, where the finished gar
merits are sliown--the Palace being given
over to dry goods and accessories-the
same tale. was told. Upward OF 5000
orders had been booked by the mer-
chants having booths In the armory be-
fore 10 o'clock at night, and, one exhib-
itor, Just about that time, was enthu-
siastically reporting that he had booked
eight orders In one hour.
In addition to the regular order or
business, which is selling to those who
visit the fair. there Is another activity
ut the Palace, 1t Is the midsummer con-
vention of the National Retail Dry Good
Association. which opened with the Mer-
chandise Fair on Monday.
Predicts Quick End to Strikes.
Tho chief event in the convention pro-
ceedings was an address by II. }. Hen
ming. Assistant Secretary OF Labor, who
said that the rail and coal strikes would
be settled within week and that the
adjustment of all important labor
troubles woud presage an era or pros
perity such as the country has not seen
in many day.
Mr.. Henning estimated that there are
I 600 900 men out OF work at present,
largely because of labor troubles. He
opposed unrestricted immigration and
advised business men to favor the pres
ent system of quota immigration by ma
tlonalities. He attacked child labor and,
referring to the Administration In wash
ington, said OF the President:
Warren G.. Harding Is the safest bet
for the Industrial welfare of the nation
we could get, and l do not say that as
a partisan. Harding Is an iron man and
has stood like a rock against all sorts
OF propaganda, for the right"
The president of the association.
Jesse Isador Straus. thanked Mr.. Hen
ming for the good news" he carried
about the strikes. Then Lew Hahn, gen.
eraI manager of the fair spoke, warning
those present to get In supplies of coal
at once.
The fair is TO continue for three weeks
and the prospect is that great business
will be done In that time by the exhibit
tors. The performance at the armory
takes place twice n day.