Milford chronicle., 1962-05-11

FhIDA1, MAJ IL, 1907
THE SUNDAY CLOSING PROBLEM
The question of Sunday closing of retail
outlets-save for the sale of various neces-
sites, such as food, medical supplies, gaso-
line and so on-is a ticklish one. In many
areas general meIhandise is sold on full
day basis each Sunday, and competition has
forced stores to stay open though manage
ment and employees would prefer to close.
That trend has met counter element.
Numbers OF states have enacted Sunday clos
ing laws, on the eminently reasonable basis
that comniercialization of universally rec
ogniZed day of rest and recreation should be
stopped. These laws have replaced ancient
"blue laws" which were so extreme as to be
unenforceabIe.
A state law, according to retail spokes-
men who favor Sunday closing, is the prop
er solution. City ordinances have a built
in fault-retail stores just outside the city
limits stay open and get the business. So
city laws are Desirable only if enactment of
workable state law is delayed.
Finally, such laws must be carefully
drawn, and must clearly and completely
specify the merchandise that can and cannot
legally be sold on Sunday In some states
exceptions are 1eeded, as in resort areas.
Of top Importance, the laws, when and
where they are passed, must be enforced,
and not rated as meaningless items in the
statute books.
RUSK'S COMPROMISE
Secretary of State Dean Rusk is offer
ing the Russians an agreement on Berlin's
status which compromises differences be-
tween Washington and Moscow. The COM
promise proposals include several offers.
The United States would increase East
Germany's status, to an extent, allow an
International authority to control the ac-
cess routes to Berlin, join in NATO-War
ssaw Pact non-aggression declaration and
tagree not to give atomic weapons to any
fother country-among other things.
The key to this so-called compromise is
Russia's success in getting Washington to
deny its strongest ally on the continent mod
ern weapons. This is a signal triumph for
Moscow. For West Germany is already
power and when the federal republic ac-
quires nuclear weapons, she will be even
more of power. This Russia would avoid
since Germany is Russia's traditional con-
Germ.
The optimism of the Secretary will have
its supreme test if an agreement is reach
ed if such is the case, no doubt Rusk's po-
stion will hang in the balance of the work
ability of that agreement. If the Russians
soon disregard it, as they have done with
most of our agreements with them in the
past, Rusk will have cost this country its
firm position, and rights, in Berlin, to ease
,
reminiscent of Hitler's "crises" in the late
1905.
o SECURITY AT HOME
The best-known private detective in the
world says we ought to divert some of our
concern about world security to the home
front.
w. Sherman Burns, president of the
international detective agency bearing his
name, thinks that many of us-up to our
necks in bomb talk forget that there are
security problems right here, right here
where we live and work.
Look at this striking example of secur-
ity - or its lack = in our own backyard ::
Burns say that pilferage losses to business
and industry dn the u. S. A. last year
amounted to more than one billion dollars.
Quoting Burns:
"a noteworthy fact is that those respon-
sible for these losses would be Mortified if
you labelled thep criminals or thieves.
"The things they take are small items
out when you count them UP they reach an
appalling total"
Burns cites as a striking case, an Eas-
tern cosmetic manufacturer who employed
a large force of women in packaging plant.
The company-liberal in its policies-pro-
vided only token supervision of the assem-
bly, lines Most of the women were mothers.
Morale appeared high.
But large, unexplained losses were trac-
ed to the assembly. lines where almos. daily
women filled their pockets with lipsticks and
compacts.
At Burns suggestion, management post
ed large signs in the packaging area show
ing now the losses would affect jobs. The
practice stopped almost at once.
AS the private detective says:
Plant security is necessary to protect us
against any number of things-fire haz-
ards, criminal outsiders, machinery or elec-
trical breakdown Why allow pilferage to
be added to the list that threatens good op-
erations and relations?"