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 CODE AU2HO:-ITY
 LADIES' {JBAG IiDUSTRY
 C 347 riFTHi A'E'RTE
 0 1 E- Yi0id,

 Y April 2?6, 1935

 Col. 'alter i.Lkngun
 Deputy Administrator
 Com.ierce Building
 Wc.shington, D. C.

 Dear 3ol. :-Ln, un:

 The Code AuLholitj has denied the petition of the Meeker Co.,
 Joplin, Liissouri for .Eruission to employ 0le-rners at less than
 the Code wages, for the following reasons:

 "Joplin, kLissouri is located 1400 miles from iT -; York Citf.
 Practically all ladies' 1 .C.idta--s are :,, nuf;tu'ed by concerns
 in Ne'- York City and thet immediate vicinity, where there are
 several hundred menufact'-r'-rs, la,'-E and smaall."

 7e cannot ag-ree th.t any cj-niufacturer is hr:ncic:-poed
 by being located 1400 miles frorm "Tev York City. New
 York City is not the geo-ruohical center of the United
 States, and neither is it the distrioitin.- center for
 the handbag industry in the United States. Joplin,
 MIissouri is more centrally located for distribution
 than are factories located in l1e- York City. It is
 true, that the, Meeker Co. maj find that tJIhe-,r are at a
 disadvante,.,-e for distribution in the Ne Enland or
 iliddle Atlantic St,.tes, u--.t they enjoy tn equal alvan-
 ta-e in the Middle 7est, Soithiwest, Uorthuest and Pacific
 Coast territories. The LIteker Co. e.rnlo; more than 18
 traveling salesmen who concentrate on this territory.

"Neerly 100 of the aat-rials used in fabricating ladies i.--nd-
ba s, consisting of leather, metal frames, silks, mirrors, paper,
wadding, buttons, b-ckinLf, cloth, cement, zipoo-rs, and a few
other items, are purchased in Ihe'7 York City and in the New Snrlc.nd
States. The MIoekr Co. in ourch.-"sin," such m,.terialjs, is h,.niii-
c::pped in competition -vith the New York ma-nufLacturers, in that
neav-r freight, e-:*ress and parcel post charges have to be oaid;
charges that the :Ic' York ..cnufacturcr d6es not have to bear.
These charges, in addition to tra.\eli"- ex-penses going to market,
telegraph and other expenses, a.noa;nted to 2.2O of our gross s.l--s
for the -ear 1S34, an e::pense tne 7;-v York -i .nfacturer does iot
nave. NTcvt York being a style center, it is necessary thd the