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