THE CENTRE DEMOCRAT, BELLEFONTE, PA, March 25th, 1937, I hh LEGISLATORS MEETING IN HARRISBURG: Will you take the responsibility for cutting the wage of every worker in Pennsylvania ? We ask that question sincerely and respectfully. We ask it of a Legislature that has time after time demon- strated its ability and eagerness to legislate for the bene- fit of men and women who work for a living. In view of this, we do not believe that there is a single Senator in Harrisburg who would give second thought to a bill which he knew would cut wages in Pennsylvania, We refuse to think that the Senate, now in session at the State Capitol, realizes that the Store Tax Bill, to which it is giving consideration, would have the effect of cutting the wage of every worker in this State. We ourselves realize it, because many of us who are signing this article are in the retail food business. We deal with all classes of wage earners in our stores, vear in and vear out. Day after day we see that one-third of our population which is “fll-nourished, ill-clad, ill- housed” —{thousands who first count their pennies, then hesitate between buving a loaf of bread or a bottle of milk. They cannot alwavs afford both. To such people even a slight rise in the cost of food means a very large cut in wages. There is no difference between reducing a family's wages a few dollars, and raising its cost of living a few dollars. Either way the family must buy less food, less clothes, and must live in a poorer home. If the Store Tax Bill, which the Senate is considering, is passed, retail food prices will have to go up. In ef- fect, this will be a cut in wages for every family rich or ‘poor in the State. Of course, the well-to-do ean bear a small reduction in income and suffer little more than inconvenience or annovance, but even the slightest cut in the wage of the majority of our citizens would mean disaster to them. The Store Tax would reduce the wages of those who could least afford it. The Store Tax Bill proposes an enormous tax on each store in a chain, although chain stores already pay local, State and Federal taxes as high if not higher, than other merchants, The tax, if it passes the Senate, would cost each store in the popular chains more than many of their ® This is the third in a series of articles which we are publishing to explain the Store Tax Act to the voters of Pennsylvania, smaller stores make. There are 3756 small chain food stores in Pennsylvania neighborhoods, not one of which | I print of Editorial from makes enough money to pay its share of the tax this bill Philadelphia Fvening would place upon it, Where then would the tax come from? By sla Bulletin, Marc} our expense of doing business? Bul expenses are made up of wages to our managers and clerks, and warehouse PENAL TAX ATION workers and truckmen: and of rents to local landlords and payments to other Pennsylvania citizens, Would the Senate have us take the tax out of them? We do not think so. Should it come out of the farmers from whom we buy our food? Pennsylvania farmers will tell vou that chain stores are the best customers they have. Must we cut down their incomes (Gapay the tax? There is only one way—higher food prices, I'he Store Tax, if if passes the Senate, will come out of the wages of Pennsylvania voters, That, of course, is eur side of the storv, hut we say with all sincerity we believe it is also the wage earners’ side. It is unfortunate that a large tax should be placed on food, especially at a time when so many people find it difficult to obtain food even at present prices. The rea son given for the tax is to raise the salaries of rural teachers. Nobody would quarrel with that. But how- ever commendable the purpose, must we place an exces- sive tax on the first essential of life? A tax on food is a tax on every man that lives. Could not the money to raise teachers’ salaries come from a source other than from the poor? We realize as we write that there are some Senators who differ with us honestly and conscientiously, and we know that every Pennsylvania Senator will vote on the Store Tax according to his best judgment, The rec- ord of this present Senate proves that, But, if the Store Tax Bill becomes a law, and the wage carners of Pennsylvania feel the pinch of lowered real wages, we hope that the Senators now in session al Har- risburg are prepared to accept the full responsibility. AMERICAN STORES COMPANY Pennsylvania A & P FOOD STORES . Pennsylvania CASSEL’S STORES . Reading, Penna. SHAFFER STORES COMPANY Altoona, Penna. WEIS PURE FOOD STORES . . . Sunbury, Penna. KROGER GROCERY & BAKING Co. Pittsburgh, Penna. P. H. BUTLER COMPANY Pittsburgh, Penna.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers