Show RA D AGENTS OuI ANNUAL ET CHICAGO May 20 Purchasing G. ing agents and storekeepers of railroads all allover allover over o tho country attended the opening session of the thc annual convention of tho the Railway Storekeepers Storekeepers' association tion here yesterday j The meeting willbo will willbe willbo bo be continued today tolay and tomorrow Business depression and tho the necessity sit of retrenchment on the part of tho the railroads railroads rail rail- roads has made malic economy tho the keynote keynote key key- note of the tho meeting m practically every address x on n tho the program dealing with sonic soma phase of oC this subject The need of economy and the part that m may ty be played by hY the tho storekeeper was emphasized by oy by W Vt W. T. T Bates c the Missouri Pacific railroad who incidentally incidentally inci mci- dentally criticised recent legislation Railroad managements at this timo find a situation confronting them demanding demanding de de- de manding emphatically the strictest economy in operation and are earnestly endeavoring to brin bring about this result I without seriously interfering with or bein being detrimental to the service said I Mr fr Ir Bates Stringent ent measures have bave I been taken regarding labor and all aU items of expense possible have havo been for forthe forthe forthe the present eliminated in order to overcome overcome over over- come como existing eristin conditions Tho The store department de do- in the majority of cases has bas responded readily to the tho call for tho strictest economies but there is another another an an- another other feature along economic lines which must of necessity interest us still deeper from the reason of it its ita permanency permanency perma perma- nency and that is s economical operation necessary to overcome the tho det deficiency duo to recent legislation which seriously affects receipts |