The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-06-17
POWERFUL PRIVATE CODES
ARE ONLY AVIATION FOR
RETAILERS, SAYS JOHNSON
Fiery General Tells Grocers' Convention Here
That NRA Was Scuttled by Little
Fellows Men Aided the Most.
Continued From Page One


nick Big Butter and Egg man on
Broadwav-an international Good
Time Charley. paying for the whole
World War"
This i a Drug store"
The speaker referred 10 the en-
croachments OF chains. mail oroeT
houses. enormous department store
.ystems.'
L need not mention the constant
reaching out into other fields ~
such speciality distributors as ming
stations-who are selling tires and
even notions" he said.
You don't want 10 hear about
drug stores hawking everything from
eer-beaters 20 ladies undergarments
with the original drug counter so
lost IN a mystic maze OF gadgeJs
that Won have 10 ask a hOOr-valker
10 find IL for yOu-and friend 81
mine the other day. who did ask
a clerk IN one Of them for guidance
IN the pharmacy counter. got for
an answer. Lady. this is a drug
storeH
Laments for Little Fellow
The little fellow. Gen. johnson
insisted. is being slaughtered IN
large part by unfair methods Of dig
competition and when NRA stopped
some OF those methods l. stopped
the slaughter Of the independents
The general said r. would not dis
cuss the details Of lie slaughter Of
the little man"
1t is too much like sitting at the
bedside Of a man who has Just hao
a couple Of loads Of buckshot
plmped into him. and entertaining
him with an arithmetical discourse
about the size. weight and cOmpo-
sition OF the slugs that slaughtered
him" TIE general went on
IF the old rate Of centraliza-
ton tSrives. the rate we were going
before ERS. it will be but a few
wears before We all shall work for
some natiOnalized corporation which
is dictator absolute OF what we snail
earn. where and when We shall
work. and how and why we shall go
to tEo scrap heap. he said.
Stresses Basic Principles
L don't believe we will ind the
answer in anything left IN the pitt
fui mockery that IS now to mas
ou,rade as MIRA. I don't see now
any voluntary agreements can Work
II hey are not TO impair the Anti
Trust Statutes and organization. IL
is inst like asking whether MIA
can helm small enterprise If II must
do nothing to correct the set up
under which small enterprise was
wrecked
Your salvation must be found IN
the fundamental principles Of NRA.
ana m trying TO see If they can DE-
worked out in any other way.
NOW. YOU and I know. to our
zorrow that not much OF chain ana
mass success was achieved on any
clean bill Of health. There are
few and I fear I have unwittingly
been unfair to some in not making
rxrrptionS in COndemning cut
throat methods of chains with too
broad a sweep.
Iauds 4. and r. Cooperation
Il am not sufficiently familiar ior
example. with all the figures ana
methods OF A. and P. for example
either to criticisc or commend II on
This whole difficult problem. but /
do know that it was first under the
vrire on the Presidents recovery
agreement. and that whenever l
s1rcested anything % John Hart =
fowl as 10 what IL should or should
not do. to carry out the President
NRA policy. the response was imTlie-
diate and complete.
MANY chains. however. started OUT
IN break the rules OF fair practice
ss they were developed in NRA al
most Immediately upon its reStrle-
tious. and the conditions as 10
methods. hours and wages IN some
before NRA. we're shocking
In 1898. out Of some quarter oil q
n,,lIion individual retail food and
r-ro~erv stores only 20 thousand we're
orrani7ed for centralized buying
Stresses Bulk Buying
The able intelligent hard work
inc individual merchant working for
himself has something that no
chain manager can ever have. and
that in part offsets the tremendous
mower Of these great groups oil
wealth. but il can't in the long run
offset the power Of bulk buying.
When YOU stop 20 think that oil
s. 200 600 600 OF chain store sales IN
This country. one single chain con-
trolls nearly $1,000 900 600 or about
40 rer cent OF all Of IL. and pretty
close to 20 per cent Of the entire
retail grocery business Of this ooun-
try il doesn't take much magma
ton TO see that II YOU can't organize
10 Get al least some advantage out
Of mass buvinC. YOUR continued eNiS-
tcnce IS not much more than mat
ter Of how long that giant has
whim "a hold its hand. could wipe
YOU all out in a year
IF YOU can't find way 10 bulk
both your buving and YOUR ware
housing and distribution in cooper
alive organization 10 take up the
lost motion duplication and waste
and slack If antiQuated methods
YOU are going the way Of the buf-
falo. the covered wagon. the horse
and buggy. the great aux and the
do-6O-and I regret 70 say. the
NRA."