a. PAGE TEN THE DALLAS POST, DALLAS, PA, FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1937 These P WHO WANTS THE STORE TAX? NOT THE WAGE EARNER AND CONSUMER For the Store Tax would increase the price of the food he buys, and have the effect of reducing his wages. It would be a concealed sales tax on food and tall most heavily on those who can least afford it. The Democratic Party im Pennsylvania, which has expressed its opposition to a sales tax, cannot logically favor this sales tax on the first essential of life. NOT THE FARMER For the chain stores are the best customers Pennsylvania farmers have. They have helped farmers organize the marketing of their crops. They have helped to develop a market for Pennsylvania potatoes, and for the first time in years Pennsylvania farmers get a premium for their potatoes. The chains have increased the sale of Class 1 fluid milk, and pay the highest prices for it. They have jumped in and helped sell crops from all over the Nation that otherwise would have sold at a great loss. In the last year the chains have co-operated with thousands of growers of apples, grapefruit, beef, lamb, turkeys and other farm products, in moving surplus crops. As Pennsylvania farmers know, the chain stores of this State stand ready at all times to help them solve their selling problems. The annual purchases from farmers, producers and manufacturers in Pennsylvania amount to over $218,000,000. NOT THE LAND LORD Formany landlords depend solely on the rents received from chain stores for their livelihood. Chain stores pay the highest rents and are sure pay. Chain stores raise the value of real estate by attracting other retail businesses to the neighborhoods in which they have stores. Chain stores pay rent in Pennsyl- ~ania that amounts to about $21,500,000 annually, a substantial part of which is returned to the state and municipalities in the form of taxes. NOT THE BUSINESS MAN For business men realize that once Pennsylvania has taken this slep to penalize efficiency and discriminate against the very companies which Lave done the best job, the doors are wide open for similar legislation aimed at any line of business in the State. They realize that it would be just as reason- able to pass graduated taxes on milk wagons, cows, taxicabs, etc., so that a man or a company owning many would pay on each one a tax 500 times higher than that of a competitor. NOT THE BANKER For the chain stores maintain substantial deposits in hundreds of local banks through- out Pennsylvania. NOT THE CHAIN STORE EMPLOYEE For the Store Tax threat- en: the jobs of thousands of native Pennsylvania citizens. There are nearly 4000 chain stores in the State— about one-third of all the chain stores in Penn- sylvania-—not one of which is making as much as it would be taxed under this bill. There are over 62,000 chain store employees in Pennsylvania, most of them born and raised in this State. Their families, friends, and customers, together with 116,000 chain store stockholders, would be injured by this lezislation. NOT THE THINKING CITIZEN For the Store Tax Bill is unfair. It places an annual tax of $500 on a little food store making $500 a year because it happens to be owned by one of the popular chains, and taxes a huge department store making eves $1,000,000 only one dollar. Its supporters claim on the one hand that it will not raise the price of food, while on the other hand they claim that it will help independent grocers by making chain stores raise their prices. THE THINKING CITIZEN realizes that the cost of government must be met by taxes and that chain stores have always paid their fair share willingly. He knows that chain stores pay local, state, and federal taxes — as high, if not higher, thas other stores doing a similar volume of business. "N mn TELL YOUR SENATOR TO VOTE 0 but it's pretty fough going” says this mother, whose name and address will be furnished to accredited Welfare Agencies upon request. *My husband is a paperhanger. We've been married ten years. When we got married, my husband made good money. Then times got bad. We don’t have as much money as we used to, and we've got three children now. “My husband gets jobs that bring in enough to eat if we are careful. Of course, we watch every cent. The chain store on the corner has been our friend during these times. { don’t know what we would have done without it. Some say a big company is tough, but the chain store on our corner is not that way. Bill O’Brien, the manager, understands us and helps us in every way he can. Everybody here knows Bill. “Bill has told us about this tax. He says it will raise the price of food and maybe close his store. If his store goes, we will l6se a good friend, and if the other chain store down the street goes, too, we'll probably have to pay more for food. Everybody knows that chain stores have always sold the cheapest. “Rich folks can pay a few cents more fcr food and not miss it. We can buy a pound of onions for four cents. An increase of one penny, and lots of people I know would have to do with less onions. They say children ought to have “We're getting along, somehow milk, but my children aren’t getting enough milk now. Evem a few cents put on the price of food, would cut down the little milk they are getting now. “They say food prices are going up anyway. Why do they have to put a tax on our food so that it goes up still more? If they do, it will take food out of our mouths.” Mrs. M. W. Ketchum, Secretary of the Kensington Neighborhood House, and the Richmond Soup Society, who has devoted over forty of her seventy- eight years to welfare work, says: “] have not visited this family, but I know of thousands and thousands of similar cases. The plight of the family in this advertisement is repre~ sentative of a large percentage of our population—at least one-third. The statement does not exaggerate. There are many, many who are worse off in Pennsylvania.” “We've worked hard to build up our milk business” says Edward R. Fuller, President of Silvan Seal Milk Co. “During the depths of depression in 1932 we started : milk business which we thought would be successful if wc saved the consumer money. We decided to use the cash and carry method of distribution exclusively. The chain stores lent their support, and today this business is successful kealthy and growing. It employs 200 people, and takes zailk from about 800 fine Pennsylvania farms. Last yea: alone the housewives who bought our milk through the stores saved almost three hundred thousand dollars, and the farmers received higher prices. The closing of stores in any considerable amount would seriously affect the devel: cpment of such a company as ours. “There must be throughout the State any number of suck manufacturers that would be similarly affected. It does seem that whenever a large industry such as the chain store: 3s menaced through confiscatory taxes, or similar attacks not only the stores but many other industries dependent on the stores for the sale and distribution of their prod- ucts are also seriously injured. In our dealing with the stores, we have h~d nothing but the most able and consistent co-operation and support. We strongly hope that no hastily considered legislation will ‘jeopardize the livelihood of our 200 employees and our 800 farmers, as well as the savings that we can give to the consumer through the use of cash and carry.” A FEW OF THE INDIVIDUALS, COMPANIES AND ASSOCIATIONS WHO ARE OPPOSED TO THE STORE TAX BILL YES, THIS ADVERTISING COSTS A LOT OF MONEY Some people have said that if the chain stores can afford to spend so much money on this advertising campaign, they can afford to pay the Store Tax. We expected this criticism before we started. The amount of advertising space we have used may seem enormous. But all the advertising we have bought, including. this advertisement, has cost less than 59% of the annual tax under this bill. This is a tax that would go on, year after year. We think we are justified in investing one-twentieth of the amount of what this tax would cost in one year to protect our customers, our employees and ours selves. We not only think we are justified, but we consider it our duty to tell the facts as we see them. INDIVIDUALS James C. Bay, Supt. of Schools, Eas ton, Pa, Mrs. Mary. Hendershot, P-T As. mem- ber, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Harry R. Schaefer, Pres. Hous ton Post No. 3, American Legion Auxiliary, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Kathryn Algayer, P.G.P. Degree of Pocahontas, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Clara Bunting, PWM, Fernwood Chapter, Order of Eastern Star, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Thomas S. Armstrong, Pres, and Mrs. Frances Nelson, Temple University Womens Club, Phila- delphia, Pa. P. F. Stewart, Attorney, Turtle Creek, Pa. Rev. H. F. Obenauf, Pastor, Lawrence Park, Pa. Rev. D. L. Houser, Wesleyville, Pa., Pastor. R. W. Thompson, Physician, Wesley- ville, Pa, Walter J. Allison, Wesleyvills, Pa., Dentist. Mrs. J. Aspen, Ladies of the Most Precious Blood Parish, Phila., Pa. Mrs. T. Kelly, State Secy, American War Mothers. Mrs. Walter N. Hagerman, President, Jenkintown Womeas Club, Miss ‘Margaret M. McNalley, Presi- dent, Court of St. Francis Saviour No. 371, Catholic Daughters of America, Bryr Mawr. ’ Mrs. Frank B. Lynch, Chairman of the Hygiene Committee, Women's Auxiliary, Phila., | County Medi- cal Society. Mrs. Taylor Leonard, | Pres. Keyser School P-T As., also Pres. of National League of American Penwomen. MISCELLANEOUS COMPANIES Wayne Ice Co., Erie, Pa. Keystone Coat, Apron & Towel Ser- vice, Erie, Pa, Erie Warehouse Co., Erie, Pa. A. J. Louch & Son, Erie, Pa. McEldowney Bros., Co., ‘Altoona, Pa. Buchanan Lumber Co., Altoona, Pa. J. C. Fleck, Altoona, Pa. Altoona Advertising Service, Altoona, Pa. C. A. Turner, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. Reichle Electric Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Mutual Supply Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Harry Gilbert, Germania, Pa. J. Shoemaker, Lock Haven, Pa. Erie Trucking Co., Erie, Pa. pat Trucking Co., Hollidaysburg, a. Fred Lafferty, Altoona, Pa. Vance Transfer Co., Altoona, Pa. Voltz Trucking Co., Altoona, Pa. James Devine, Altoona, Pa, John Devlin, Altoona, Pa. M. N. Asper Department Store, Blairs- ville, Pa. Wilson Products Co., Tyrone, Pa. Love Mfg. Co., Johnstown, Pa. Lockhart Mfg. Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Cooked Foods, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. Colonial Biscuit Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Pittsburgh Pretzel Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Brillo Mfg. Co., Philadelphia, Pa. International Salt Co., Scranton, Pa. Blumenthal Bros., Philadelphia, Pa. Hachmeister, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. Holtzman's, Inc., Myerstown, Pa. Perfect Foods Co., Lansdale, Pa. ASSOCIATIONS Chester County Dairymen’s Coop. Assn., Avondale, Pa. Lehigh Valley Coop. Farmers’ Assn, Allentown, Pa. South York County Dairpmen’s Assn., Delta, Pa. Food Distributors’ Assn. of the Phila- delphia Trade Area, Phila., Pa. Penn. Canners Assn., York, Pa. Berks County Fruit Growers Assn., Reading, Pa. FARMERS William Wetzel, Carroltown, Pa. Orville Snowberger, East Freedom, Pa. B. A. Baker, Hollidaysburg, Pa. Lawrence Baronner, Hollidaysburg, Pa. P. C. Strittmater, Patton, Pa. L. A. Cretin, Patton, Pa. R. H. Farabaugh, Loretto, Pa. C. W. Baney & Sons, Warriors Mark, Doyle Stutzman, Homer City, Pa. Hamilton Proctor, Renovo, Pa. J. B. Schrack, Logantown, Pa. Lyal Wagner, Lock Haven, Pa. H. W. Dromgold, New Bloomfield, Pa. Me & P. Stephens, Pine Grove Mills a.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers