OCR Text |
Show Independent Retailers Fight Chain Store Growth In State By GORDON' MATHIS The Independent Retailers of this state have started their fight to sustain legislative and executive action to control chain store growth in Utah. In this state, as in all other states of the Union, we send the best and most practical prac-tical men and women we can find to represent us and make our state laws. There was a law passed pass-ed by a good majority of both houses and signed by the Governor, Gov-ernor, after months of deliberation and study, to control chain store growth in this state. The law will not put any chain store now existing out of business, but it will control their further expansion. expan-sion. The law was made to protect individual enterprises; to protect people in business who pioneered the towns and cities of this state; who contributed to its growth; who erected buildings and rooted their businesses with an idea of permanence. They stayed on during dur-ing the lean years as well as the fat years; when the grass was green and when the grass was dry. They are still tussling with the problems, because they are a part and parcel of the town. Corporate and chain stores with their immense eastern captital, reach out to drain new communities commun-ities and to suffocate increasing numbers of independent merchants. mer-chants. They do not erect or own their places of business, but rent quarters, so that if the grass dries up, they can load their stock into trucks and move where it is green. They do not join in pioneering, pio-neering, and build up with a town, but move in after a town is made and the money is sure. Through activities of the chain stores the law above referred to is to be brought to a vote of the people and both the chain store system and the independent merchants will be on the firing line during the next six weeks, prior to election. The chain stores will pour thousands of dollars into in-to this fight, using catchy advertising adver-tising through newspapers and over the radio stations. The independent inde-pendent merchants will fight back in the best way they can, but without such large expenditures. |