Drive in Camden County Forges Ahead as More Firms Sign
Camden Courier-Post – August 8, 1933
The N.R.A. recovery drive in the Camden area forged ahead on three fronts yesterday.
Clinton L. Bardo, president of the New York Shipbuilding Company, was appointed chairman of the N.RA. campaign committee for Camden city and county.
Two hundred and eight additional employers in Camden and vicinity pledged their aid to the drive yesterday by signing N.RA. certificates of compliance at Camden post office.
Thirty Camden merchants met at Hotel Walt Whitman to organize a retail division of the Camden County Chamber of Commerce with the hope that a united front will better enable retailers to protest non-cooperation of N.R.A. merchants or any situation created whereby specific codes might harm one or more businesses in the city.
The total number of N.RA. employers in the Camden area is now 1342. Among the firms signing the recovery pledge yesterday were the Progressive Garment Company, 60, employees; S. J. Huntzinger Company, 20; Sinnickson Chew and Sons Company, 16; American National Health and Accident Association, 15, and New Sanitary Laundry, 14.
Bardo Is Named
Other members of the N.R.A. campaign committee will be named by Bardo, he announced, in time to participate in their first meeting Friday at 3 p.m. in the offices of the Camden County Chamber of Commerce in Broadway-Stevens Building.
The committee of public, civic and industrial officials was requested to be formed by Gen. Hugh S. Johnson, National Recovery Act administrator, in a telegram to Loyal D. Odhner, chamber executive secretary, several weeks ago.
The purpose of the committee, Odhner explained, is to make a city, and county-wide canvass of all industries and stores to discover whether they have signed the pledge. Furthermore they will also canvass the neighborhoods to determine if possible whether re-employment of men and women out of work is going on as rapidly as expected by N.R.A.officials.
The offer of the merchants to organize a retail division for the local Chamber of Commerce was made in a resolution which will be presented immediately to the board of directors of the chamber for action. Sig Schoenagle, president of the Central Association of Merchants of Camden, presided at the meeting.
Merchants Explain Hours
Considerable discussion developed over the limitation of retail store hours as provided in the President’s recovery agreement. S. Lester and Joseph Fuhrman, Broadway merchants, declared some smaller stores were under the impression they could not remain open beyond the 52 hours prescribed as minimum and at the same time justify display of the "Blue Eagle" symbol.
Both of these merchants said there were no restrictions under the recovery act other than a statement that a store must not operate less than 52 hours and further provided any store did not work its employees more than 40 hours a week.
Opening for longer than the minimum number of hours set forth in the recovery act, in their opinion, was thoroughly in harmony with the President’s drive since it would create work for more people to complete all store service over and above the minimum of 52 hours.
"Many of the smaller stores," said Lester, "have for years extended service beyond the minimum of 52 hours. Many of their customers live outside the city and are used to these long-established hours of service. It would be not only a hardship to reduce suddenly these hours of service, but it would also keep out of employment extra help that will be needed for the extra hours."
Retail Code Outlined
Odhner in response to several Camden merchants as to the statement he would make covering the N.R.A. regulations, said;
"A merchant in order to display a ‘Blue Eagle’ must pay his employees not less than the minimum wage prescribed by the code,
"Nor must he keep his store open less than the minimum hours prescribed by the code.
"All agreements between merchants of various communities regarding opening and closing hours are purely voluntary and are not required by the code.
"If those agreements on opening and closing hours are designed either to cut down the number of workers in the stores or to avoid taking on additional employees, then these agreements are a direct violation of the spirit of the code.
"If on the other hand these agreements are made to eliminate a chaotic condition in the trade and will result in the hiring of additional employees and in increased wages, they are within the spirit of the act and should be supported. "
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