Evening star., 1934-05-29
RETAILERS TO HOLD
CHICAGO CONCLAvE|
Store Executives to Discuss
Far.Reaching Changes
Under New Deal.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO, May 29-The eyes Of
American retailing industry will CEN
ter here next week as hundreds of
merchants and store executives from
all parts Of the Nation meet for
the Concurrent Controllers Congress
and Management Convention Of the
National Retail Dry Goods Association.
In the Century of Progress City for
four days retail leaders will discuss
from every angle the first year Of
the new deal as it has affected the
retail store, along with many other
regular problems Of technical ma
ture
That the storemen will have ample
ground for discussion Is evidenced by
the fact that no other branch Of
business has been SO deeply affected
by the N. r. A. and the economic de-
velopments Of the past year as the
retail distributive system. To men,
ton but two instanceS-the retail code
has been responsible for far-reaching
changes in both store operations and
| policies, and nearly two-thirds of the
manufacturers codes submitted in
Washington have been of immediate
concern to stores, as they affect the
sale OF thousands Of items Of mer-
! chandise handled by stores.
Five Groups Included.
Five groups of the association,
whose membership comprises nearly
| 5000 department and speciality stores
doing an annual volume of more than
! $4,000 900, 600, are uniting in holding
the convention. These groups include
the Controllers Congress, store man.
agement group. personnel group. traf-
fic group, Retail Delivery Association
and the newly formed credit man
ayers group.
Subjects listed for discussion are
in many cases a direct reflection Of
the present economic problems gen.
| Grated by the new deal Controllers
| will analyze the problem of higher
prices, the mounting tax rate, unem-
ployment insurance and the Federal
securities bill. Store managers will
| ponder the advisability of moderniz-
ing and renovating their establish
ments in the anticipation of higher
building costs, and the problem of
| return goods from the customer.
| problem heightened by the provisions
in many producer codes which restrict
the return of merchandise to the man
| ufacturer.
Training directors will talk of the
perplexities involved in giving ade-
quate training to store employees under
the limited hours of the retail CODE
Traffic executives will scrutinize Co.
ordinator Eastman's reports on trans
portation, and the need for truck reg
ulation by Federal agency. Delivery
executives, with the first opportunity
| after four years Of depression econ
omies, to think in terms of up-to-the-
minute delivery fleets, will discuss the
ideal delivery carrier for various forms
OF service. and national highway re-
quirements.
Leaders Will Speak.
| John H. McKinlay, president of
Marshall Field 81 Co., Chicago, as
head Of one of the largest retail
establishments in the largest retail
markets in the Midwest, will open the
sessions Monday morning A few of
the other prominent speakers will in
clude: David Ovens, president. Ma
tional Retail Dry Goods Association;
c. A. Bethge, chairman. Labor Com
mittee, National Retail Code Author
| ity; Prof. Malcolm P. McNair, Bureau
OF Business Research. Harvard Uni
versity; a.. E. Muntwyler, general
traffic manag.r. Montgomery Ward &
Co.; j. L. Keeshin, president, National
Highway Freight Association; J. S.
Baker, Public Safety Division. Ma
tional Safety Council; Warren G.
Bailey, vice president. Business Re-
search Corporation, Chicago; Edward
F. Higgens. general credit manager,
Hahn Department Stores, Inc, New
York. and Martha Douglas, director
OF training, Carson, Pirie Scott & Co.,
Chicago.