Evening star., 1934-08-05
EFFORTS CENTERED
ON CODE REv|S|ONS
TO spur ACTIVITY
Retailers Contend Certain
Provisions Tend to
Hamper Business.
special Dispatch to The star.


NEW YORK, August 4.-The pres
ent tempo of Summer business has
served to bring out in bold relief the
need for removing or altering pro-
visions in N. r. A. codes which have
tended to slow up the movement of
merchandise to the buying public.
Such was the opinion expressed by
the National Retail Dry Goods Asso-
citation today through its managing
director, Charming E. Sweitzer. The
focusing of this need for the lifting of
restrictive provisions in codes, he said,
together with a more liberal policy by
the N. r. A. on price control features
in codes in recent weeks, is leading re-
tailers to hope that through natural
forces in production and distribution
such adjustments in codes as are nec-
essary to speed up buying and selling"
viii be effected during the coming
months, and that recovery will be
speeded by more free exchange of
goods,
Projects Are Listed.
Among a long list of efforts which
the association is making to have
codes amended In this direction, he
quoted the following:
Many supply codes of industries
which furnish supplies to stores,
through the use Of the familiar price,
posting plan, have arrived at uniform
prices, most of which retailers feel
are too high, inasmuch as in some
cases they approach or even exceed
the 1929 levels. The higher cost of
these store supplies, which step-up
store overhead, make 1t difficult for
retailers to keep prices down.
The association is seeking a re-
opening of the retail optical code be-
cause of the restrictions it places on
the advertisement of glasses and opti-
cal service.
A conference with members of the
dress code authority and retailers is
being sponsored in order to discuss
the working of the return provision of
that code. Retailers are interested In
seeing that while return provisions in
codes eliminate wasteful methods and
the unjustified return of merchandise
to the manufacturer, they also are
concerned in having decisions under
this plan permit the return of goods
where the quality of merchandise is
not in accord with the specifications
of the retailers order. Expensive loss
to retailers resulting from unfavorable
decisions would have to be passed on
to the public in the price of the mer-
chandise.
Discounts Studied.
The association is quietly working
with number Of code authorities to
restore more of the former market
freedom in terms and discounts. which
it claims viii promote better distri-
button. Many manufacturers are
learning that the former higher dis
counts, reduced under code provisions,
were help to them in promoting
business and in stimulating the
prompt flow of credit. In other cases
the retail group is combating the ac-
tivities of code authorities, who are
trying to prevent the granting of
quantity discounts which speed up
buying and volume.
The N. r. d. G. A. is collecting in
formation that certain codes have
| classified customers of the industries
| arbitrarily and in a discriminatory
manner as between competitive retail
outlets. Such clasSifications make it
more expensive for some retailers to
| buy and therefore sell to the public in
spite of the fact that their purchases
may equal or exceed those in other
| clAxSificationS