The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-02-07
LEGISLATIVE MoNsTRosITIEs

LEGISLATIVE MONSTROSITIES-
Never in the history of our state have
there been so many legislative proposals to
kill off payroll industry, drive capital from
the state, destroy property values, and make
it harder for the average citizen to earn a
living
1t is going to take the combined courage,
common sense and understanding of the sane
thinking members of the legislature stand
ing tightly together-to protect the interests
Of our citizens. There is conservative bloc,
best interests of the people as whole. These
members of House and Senate need support
and encouragement expressed by their con-
stituents in letters and telephone calls and by
personal visits to Olympia. It is upon them
that the economic stability of the state now
depends.
Senate Bill 8 (purporting to be plan to
equalize the advantages chain stores have
over independents through mass buying and
mass distribution) is the most vicious of all
the attacks being made at Olympia on estab-
lished business. It is the most vicious be-
cause it would adversely affect the greatest
number of people. There is not store of
any kind in Washington that could escape
the destroying influence of this measure.
Senate Bill 8 makes it unlawful to estab-
lish new or continue an existing store unless
licensed by the state. By "store" is meant
"any place within this state in which goods,
wares, merchandise or personal property OF
any kind are sold or offered for sale, either
at retail or wholesale" Exemptions are CO
operative stores and public grain storage
warehouses or elevators mot selling or OPP
Grating for profit"
Annual license fee starts at So for q
single store, jumps to $40 each for a group
Of two stores, and increases by $40 each for
every additional store in group up to 10
when the annual license fee is $3.50 for each;
and upon each store in excess of 19, the an
nual license fee shall be $3.50 for each such
store"
There has long been an agitation for
special tax on chain stores, and if these Ii
cense fees applied solely to chain stores there
are doubtless many people who would favor
such an actment. But this bill is drawn in
such way as to include stores that are not
In any sense "chain stores" The joker in the
bill is that these graduated license fees are
imposed on all stores, of whatever owner
ship or control, by setting them aside in what
the language of the act calls groups" ANY
store automatically falls into GROUP" if
receiving the privileges or benefits of mass
buying or mass merchandising or mass adj
vertising."
What this means is that an individual
way related either in ownership, control or
operation to any other store, becomes one of
q "group" if participating in any way in CO
operative buying of merchandise to offset
the advantages chains enjoy by buying in
large quantities at price lower than an indi-
vidual could expect to buy. Or, if by similar
means, an individual store participates in
distribution. Particularly Ubiquitous is the
provision that store becomes one Of
GROUP" if it is receiving the privileges or
benefits of mass ADVERTISING
Consideration of possibilities shows that
under this proposed law it would be practi-
cally impossible for any store, no matter how
small, to operate without coming under one
or more of these provisions of mass buying,
mass merchandising or mass advertising.
The small merchant barely able to continue
in business during the depression might find
himself grouped" with more than 10 similar
small merchants. If so he would have to pay
an annual license of $25O-which in many
cases would be the last shove over the preci-
pice to bankruptcy.
In the interest of the greatest number
of people, matter what other legislation
may be passed as political attack upon
those who still own property-this Senate
Bill should be killed by the power of an