"421- -

 THE ME]ZER COMPANY, INC.
 Fine Leather Goods .
 Joplin, Aissouri
 4 -4
 April 30, 1P

 Mr, Walter Mangum, Deputy Administrator .
 Textile -Divi-sion, N. R. A. .
 Washington, Do C. .-

 Dear Mr, Mengum: ..i

 With further reference to yours of April 13th, I am enclosing here
 with, as you hpve requested, bf-lance sheet for the years 1933 and 1934.1
 These balance sheets are tpken out of our public accountant's annual ..V
 report on our business. These accountants are Baira-KurtZ & Dobson, -pj
 Joplin nationall Sank building Joplin, Missouri. We 'can furnish.you. ,1
 further information if'such is necessary, or you can if you wish .
 .communicate direct with these accountants.
 . ," i '
 I am also enclosing -"hat I think is the information asked for in t:
 second paragraph of your letter. You will note we show for february.-
 and .arch a big shrinkage in the number of people employed and when...
 consideration is given to the fact that ell employees for 'the months..
reportedd, although many of the'u working only pert time as the total .
hours will siow and a smaller Pmount o goods manufactured, you can ..
readily see hov our business has deteriorated. April would show as
.bad or worse condition than March. .

 Mr. Clevelrnd I. Ie,,tir n-s just written me relative to the intern
 that he, in coT. ,r' ',i n C :..'r smpn r'ewev Short, had with you recently
 and has .'dvisr:1 *. ,...- '" Y.,rk cr.jwd insists we are making money
 hand over fi:.i Ti.3 ;-' YL r fellovs kno.v" our position, but as I
 previour-acv .'dv'si., i- ja-rv oninicn, based on experience, that they
 not care .b;:,'lin rbout our position in tnis industry. It is my hbnes,|
 opinion tht thc/ feel tl'pt the handb-g manufacturing business is an.
 eastern business. I might be rrong in some of my conclusions regard
 these fello-,s in the east, but I don't think so.

 In a bulletin put out by the Code Authority dated "'arch 21st., th.
 list ninety-one cases pending for non-comoliance with the Code. I won
 if you fellov's.in T.'ashin-ton know the details of- these non-compliance
 Of course, I do not, but it wouldn't surprise me if mpny of them were
 not in the same class as that of the 'Virginia Art Studio of Lynchburg, i
 Virginia who Prperently have never complied with the minimum wage, and..
 concern in Lynchburg is nerfectl- justified in my opinion in not comp
 It is reported I think that the Vir,-inia Art Studios are doing a big A.
 ness. They mnv be, but nt this time of the year they manufacture a p4
 cular tvnre oi bag thpt fcrins a uir r:art of their year's business, and
 looks like they ere doing a big business in recent months it isn't bec&l
 they are takin.' advantage of tne lo,;.er wages they are paying, but on a
 count of the seasonal bags they are making.


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