The Wilmington morning star., 1946-06-11

economic and social status:
[ ID Pay more money to the en-
ploye.
CD Provide better health-work-
ing conditions.
90 Increase the educational
facilities of the state.
a. Demand better farm-to-mar-
ket roads.
Both Governor Cherry and
Greene, despite their contradlc-
tory views, predicted that the state
is on the threshold OF a great era
of prosperity.
The sparkling morning session OF
the Merchants association opened
at 1920 o'clock with President
Greene calling the delegates to
order. The Rev. William Grove.
pastor of the First Presbyterian
church, gave the invocation, after
which Mayor w. Ronald Lane de-
livered the formal address of wei
come to the 400 state representa-
tives and their guests.
Response to Lane
The response to Mayor Lanes
hearty welcome was voiced for the
congregation by T. M. Drlsklll'
president of the Charlotte Mer'
chants association.
After Greene's address, abbre'
waited reports were submitted by
! Willard L. Dowell, Raleigh, execu-
tive secretary; T. c. Hinkle, Lex
ington, treasurer, and R. B. Tom
linson, Star, field secretary.
Governor Cherry then gave his
speech, concluding the morning &C
tivities.
The afternoon session began with
a symposium on merchants PROB
lens.
L. A. Raney, of the Raney Chew
rolet company, led off the discus
| sions with a brief but Informative
talk on Automobile Dealers
Problems"
Showdown and Ceilings
Raney and six other state mer-
chants all agreed that the main
troubles in retailing today are %
the production showdown caused
bv strikes and (2) the OPA retail
price ceilings.
Normally" Raney asid, II sell
about 1000 cars per year. Since
the war ended I have received
only Al cars to sell to my annual
1000 customers"
Raney then went on to explain
that the increased cost Of automo-
biles, caused by hikes in labor
wages and production costs, is alb
sorbed almost solely by the re-
taller.
IF the OPA is not abolished, so
that retailers can raise their prices
sufficiently to make a reasonable
profit, we, the small merchants,
will be ruined" he declared.
Extinction Threatened
J. H. Blount, Greenville, speak
ing for department and specially
stores, echoed Raney's views, say
ing that 'the middle-man, the re-
tail merchant, is threatened with
extinction by the dispute between
capital and labor"
Still another major problem OF
the merchant, as explained by E.
c. Daniel, Zebulon druggist. is the
lack of good sales personnel. I'VE
must train our sales people to be
courteous and efficient" he SAID,
eff we want to keep the good will
and patronage of u customers.
Daniel the ntold of the splendid
sales training work" now beng
done by North Carolina colleges
training which will be OF ines
Unable value to the merchants
and, hence, the whole state
Clyde Ayers, High Point, speak
ing for food dealers, deplored the
"near-famine" which is threaten
ing the entire nation. "OPA is to
blame" he said. although oPA
did a fine job during the war, II
has outliveG its use and should be
brought to an end"
Meat Black Market
He disclosed that about 30 per
cent of the states meat supplies
is sold on the black market be-
u honest merchants cannot
compete with the black-mar-
keteers under OPA ceilings.
J. H. Early, Winston-Salem furnl-
ture dealer, S. T. Proctor, Fuquay
hardware man, and Roscoe Grill
fin, Rocky Mount shoe merchant,
all voiced the same complaints
about strikes and OPA.
THE lack of merchandise is
due to lack of labor" Early said.
TOO many people just don't want
to work"
Proctor reiterated the COM
plants and added poor advertis-
ing and store-display" to the cur
rent problems of hardware mer-
chants. Hardware men are fa-
behind the other merchants in
adequate advertising and display"
he said. The result is that many
of the large chain stores are draw
ing the business away from the in
dependent hardware dealer"
Trouble Topics
Griffin concluded the seven
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