PROSPERITY SEEN AS WORKERS BUY AND WAGES FLY I J. G. Shedd Tells of Business Stimulation and Universal Employment at High Pay By JOHN G. SHEDD (Head of America's Largest Retail; Business—Marshall Field's) In giving you my opinion that this ' country Is to enjoy unparalleled pros- I perity during the next few months it j would be advisable to recite some facts regarding the effects of the war on the retail business of England and ■ Prance. At the outbreak of the war. retail! business of all kinds had a tremen- 1 dous slump, stocks were reduced and purchases were limitedi due to the apprehension that the consuming and 1 spending power of the public would' be curtailed. Merchants were utterly amazed. | however, when the Christmas busi- ! ness experienced by the various j stores during the month of Decem ber, 1914, was larger than had ever taken place. They were still further confounded when business during the year 1915 was more than 10 per cent, larger than that of 1914, and in 1916 more than 20 per cent, larger than that of 1915. As a matter of fact, retail business in England up to January 1, 1917, showed a phenom enal increase over any previous busi- I ness. People Buying Freely People were buying freely and the purchase of luxuries was extensive There was a large demand for silk underwear, silk hosiery, jewelry, ! pianos, furs, expensive lingerie —' things of higher qualities and finer grades, whatever the price. This was made possible by the fact that labor enjoyed more constant employment and had very much higher wages. The effect of this was to cause extravagance, many for the first time enjoying a taste of luxury. So general were the purchases of , luxuries in England that a serious effort has been made to curb them by import laws. The prices of all merchandise made tremendous advances. In Eng land in the first year of the war I'O per cent, of the total productive ca pacity of manufacturing plants for [ civilian use was devoted to manufac- j turing materials for war purposes.; The English director of commerce j has recently said that T5 per cent, of I the goods manufactured at present! are tor war use. The result of this | heavy drain on factories and ma chinery was a large reduction in the ; quantity of goods manufactured for civilian use. Prices and Wages t'p This condition immediately in creased prices. Wages increased be cause of the efforts of civilian manu facturers to maintain in a partial de gree the volume of their production. While this situation was the primary cause of advances in prices, a short age of labor and materials con tributed some share. The extraordi nary advances in retail prices did not seem to affect the phenomenal buy ing of the people. Notwithstanding wonderful pros perity, retail distributors were •forced to adopt severe measures in economy in order to offset the great loss in men. Paper, string and boxes sparingly used. The "return . oods" privilege at present is limited to thirty-six hours from delivery; its entire abandonment has been under consideration. Deliveries were con centrated on three alternate days of the week. While we all appreciate that war means destruction, at the same time, from the experience of England and France since August, 1914, war has meant sustained business. What War Means to Us In our Awn country people have r.ot waked to the full realization of what the war means for us. We can profit in our civilian life by knowing and heeding the experience of France and England. The release of men will be the great need of this country, and everybody here must 1 sacrifice as England and France have have done. WaV expenditures in this country by our own government and by the allies will release a. huge volume of money. This money will go in the main to wage-earners, many of ■whom have not been i- the habit of possessing such wealt before, and this money will be spent. This will greatly stimulate retail selling, al though retail merchants may be hampered to more or less extent not only in securing merchandise but in the necessary readjustments which will be involved in the turning over of men to the government. Women Can Do Much Women can do much right now to relieve the strain of conditions con fronting retail merchants and ob viate the necessity of the government passing stringent laws that will vi tally affect the many privileges ex tended by retail distributors. One of the most necessary and immediate steps that women should take is to discontinue the extravagant and wasteful habit of having merchan dise sent home and then returning it. They should make their selections in the store, carry their purchase home if possible, and. unless the merchandise is damaged, it should be kept—not returned. They should bring their children to the stores in stead of having the goods sent to the children. The adoption of this plan by every woman throughout the country would effect great economies for ail' retail distributors, enabling them to j release a large number of men at ".iee, and would not make necessary •irastic government laws or the fore ver of retailers to make extra charges; | <"r the service of deliveries and calls' return goods. Prices of all merchandise have al-' made heavy advances, and it ~ iiot at all unlikely that they will " v en go higher, and largely for the; rame reasons that made the heavy: advances in England and France. I Labor will be more fully employed, however, and at high wages, so that j I believe that this country is enter ing on a period of prosperity that has not yet been equaled. EDUCATIONAL. School of Commerce Troup Bulirtlog, 15 S. Market Square Noted for thorough training in Business and Stenegraphy. Wonder ful demand for Bookkeepers and Stenographers. CIVIL SERVICE COURSE Be Patriotic—Save Time—Begin Now School Open All Summer Ol H OftEß—Right Training by Specialists and High-Gratlc Posi tions. You take n Business Course but Once. The BEST is What ioil Want. Bell 485 Cumberland 459.J Harrisburg Business College A Reliable School, 31st Year 328 MurS&et Si. Harrisburg, I'n, FRIDAY EVENING, f ? r f ? r L-, , SATURDAY ONLY A jloale 321 Market Street Sale jjj AUR 2 fori sales being an original feature with us, we know it is true that "KENNEDY'S 2-FOR-THE-PRICE-OF-1-SALE" " have been imitated by small competitors, but none has ever been able to offer the real values that you find here. Any of the following articles, we will sell Saturday only, TWO for the price of one, or in any combination you choose, such as any two 25c articles both for 25c; any two 50c articles both for 50c; any two SI.OO articles both for SI.OO. These goods are from our regular stock and are direct from the manufacturers and guaranteed fresh, new goods. We would advise you to make your purchase early, as we may be sold out, although we have laid in a large stock for this sale. Only two of any one article, allowed to each customer. No mail orders filled. ————— ___ # Ass't Chocolate Candies Winslow's Soothing Syrup I KENNEDY'S THREE HOUR SALE | NI , H 25f D . I 2 for 50c 2 for 25c OF THESE NINE ARTICES I s Hair saWe °r SUC 1 tor 5C 9A. M. to 12 O'clock Noon _2for2sc 2 for 10c SI.OO 500 350 250 250 Bromo Seltzer Jayne s Sanative ?ills S. S. S. Swift's Specific Sempre Giovine Limestone Phosphate Mentholatum Red Cross Kidney Plasters 2 for 10c 2 for 25c 2 for SI.OO ? for 50c 2 for 35c 2 for 25c 2 for 25c ~ r *** 500 rz Aspirin Tablets, 5-grain Allcock's Porous Plasters Diapepsin Java Rice Powder Bromo Lithia Drake's Cough Remedy 2 doz. for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for 50c 2 for 50c 2 for SI.OO 2 for 10c 2 for 35c 100 250 250 SI.OO 750 Frog in the Throat Euthymol Tooth Paste Glycerine Soap Wyeth Sage and Sulphur Jads Salts Neuralgine Tablets Pear's Unscented Soap 2 for 10c 2 for 25c 2 for 75c 2 for 25c 2 for 7 0c s l - 50 25 £ 250 250 350 50 100 Hot Water Bottles. 2-qt. Babcock s Talcum Powder Haarlem Oil Caps. Ear and Ulcer Syringe English Breast Pumps Spearmint Chewing Gum Sulphur Candles 2 for $1.50 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for 35c 2 for 5c 2 for 10c Tetlow s Face Beef, Wine and Iron Shac Headache Wafers Hill's Cascara Quinine De Witt's Witch Hazel Orangeine Headache Combination Fountain Powder (all colors) (pint) • (Stearn s) Tablets Salve Powders Syringes 2 for 25c 2 for SI.OO 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for 10c 2 for $1.50 250 350 100 500 50 150 Red C piasfers adonna ? oTn^it'or Soap" Alcohol Stoves Peroxide Hydrogen Mentholatum Luden's Menthol Cough Munyon'sTOtch Hazel 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for 35c 2 for 10c ( 2 for 50c 2for 5c 2 for 15c s °£ 25 £ 100 500 SI.OO 250 250 Pray's Ongoline Pray's Rosaline Phenol Sodique Phenol Sodique Pineolum Outfits Hay's Hair Health Hay's Harfina Soap 2 for 50c 2 for 25c [ 2 for 10c 2 for 50c | 2 for SI.OO 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 25 < > f* loo 75 £ 250 SI.OO 500 Mennen's Talcum Powder Pompeian Massage Cream Pompeian Massage Cream Walnutta Hair Stain Squibb's Talcum Powder McGill's Orange Blossoms Make Man Tablets 2 for 25c 2 for SI.OO | 2 for 75c 2 for 60c 2 for 25c 2 for SI.OO 2 for 50c 15 <> 250 SI.OO 500 250 ' 100 Acorn Salve Colgate's Shaving Soap Spiro Powder Sargol Tablets Sargol Tablets Carter's Liver Pills National Corn Remover I for 15c 2 for 10c 2 for 25c 2 for SI.OO 2 for 50c 2 for 25c 1 2 for 10c 250 SI.OO 100 250 250 100 250 Kondon's Catarrh Jelly Bliss Native Herb Tablets Bronchial Lozenges Sassafola Manoline Tubes James' Headache Powders Malena Stomach Pills 2 for 25c 2 for SI.OO 2 for 10c 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for 10c for 25c 130 250 i 200 SI.OO 100 • 500 500 Weber s Alpine Tea Pierce s Pellets Belladonna Plasters Steam's Wine Cod Liver Carbolic Soap Wesphal's Auxiliator Stillman's Freckle Cream 2 for 15c 2 for 25c 2 for 20c 2 for SI.OO 2 for 10c for 50c for 50c 100 250 350 250 250 250 500 Red Cloverine Salve Gingerole Rubberset Tooth Brushes Peterman's Roach Food Sayman's Salve Roach Sault Electric Bitters "jT ,^l - 00 Westphal's Auxiliator Fish Food Frivole Talcum Powder White Pine and Tar Capsicum Plasters Fountain Syringes Tube of Glue T 2 for SI.OO 2 for 10c 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for 25c 2 for $1.50 2 for 15c KENNEDY'S CUT-RATE MEDICINESTORE K JLUt. 1 ' T " -SSSSS mmmmm—mm 3525^K35525^2^ HARRISBTJRG TELEGRAPH: JULY 20, 1917. 7
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers