Evening star., 1953-10-28

they shouldn't be doing"
A lone housewife. however, was
on hand to call the ordinance
long overdue" Mrs. Robert
Madden of Chevy Chase said
this room capacity 200)
wouldn't hold the people who
came to my door last year"
Capt. Carroll ". Miller of the
Silver Spring police substation
said police are plagued with
complaints from citizens and
irate housewives concerning
door -to-door statesmen. He added
the complaints are aimed at the
fly -by-nights" and not repre-
sentatives of reputable firms.
Public Safety Director Arthur
E. Miller said he proposed the
ordinance on the basis of COM
plants he received about insult
ing solicitors, failure to deliver
goods, inferior goods and fake
cripples playing on housewives
sympathies.
E. P. McVey of the Interstate
Manufacturers Association and
the National Association of Di-
rect Selling Companies said the
ordinance, if adopted, would
affect many communities.
1T would become a national
issue. and other communities
would be quick to follow you,"
he said. 1T would demolish a
ST billion industry"
Mr.. McVey said passage of the
ordinance to solve the county's
problems would be like burning
down the barn to roast a pig"
Company Screening Cited.
j. Allen Fusta of Baltimore,
manager of a vacuum cleaner
sales division, said most of the
direct selling companies screen
their own personnel.
w. j. Brewer, branch manager
of a roofing company in Balti-
more, said the proposed ordi-
nance amounts to downright
insult"
Howard Browning of New
York said residents who have
complaints against magazine
statesmen should contact the
Central Registry of Magazine
Solicitors, which he represents.
One saleswoman, Mrs. Geral-
dine w. Hyatt, conceded her
agents try to get inside a Gus
TONER'S door. She added, how
ever, it is a little difficult to
demonstrate her WareS-ortho-
pedic supports. including corsets
on the front porch.
David Murray, 1925 Cordell
avenue, Bethesda, Federal en-
ploye who sells door-to-door on
a part-time basis. said:
You're throwing up barriers
to direct selling that would put
it into big business" he said.
William D. Donnelly of the
General Conference of Seventh
Day AdventistS said the ordi-
nance would be unconstitutional
in its present form, in which it
requires licenses for statesmen of
religious books and pamphlets.
He added the ordinance gener-
ally is discriminatory and would
deprive men of their livelihood
under the revocation powers
granted the license department.
/ Newspapers Ask Exemption.
Joseph B. Simpson, jr., an at
tcrney representing the Balti-
more SunpaperS, the News Post
and the Sunday American, urged
that all Maryland and District
newspaper solicitors be exempted
from the regulations. He added
he is generally opposed to the
ordinance.
The Silver Spring Board of
Trade and the Bethesda Junior
Chamber of Commerce said they
support the ordinance in princi-
pie.
/ David Scull, president of the
trade board, however, said there
is a need for means of identi-
fving statesmen. He suggested
that reciprocity agreements be
set up among area governments
to recognize a license in all areas
cree it is obtained in one of
/ them
Mrs. Kathryn j. LaWler, attor-
ney for a Silver Spring store,
suggested that businesses instead
of their statesmen be required to
get a license and post bond. She
got support from Louis M. Tul-
man of the National Established
Roofing, Siding and Insulating
| Contractors, Inc.