BROOKVILLE — In August 1933, the Brookville Rotary Club featured a round table discussion on the NRA depression program at the Clemmon’s Sweet Shoppe. The NRA depression code was established to provide fair trade codes for participating businesses, to set prices for goods, services and wages.

It also was to establish production goals and to impose restrictions for other companies to enter the alliance. This program was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s plans for bringing the country out of the Great Depression.

One question of immediate interest to every store and business man in Brookville was: “Is there a maximum number of hours set for stores or other service agencies?” Rotary President, Harry Smith read a statement by General Thomas S, Hammond, executive secretary, from the president’s Re-employment Program, Washington, which was: “Although there is a minimum of 52 hours set for stores or services, there is no maximum.

Employees may work only 40 hours a week excepting in managerial or executive capacity, drawing $35 or more a week. By limiting the number of hours that an employee could work, it would create job openings for local citizens.

Later in that week, Post Master Riley placed in the mail the president’s plan of NRA operation. Businesses rushed to the post office with slips filled out in order to secure the big posters (as shown in the picture above) for display and the number of local firms that displayed these posters was 54. Part of this guidance also urged employers to hire local unemployed people to help their local economy.

The following are the open hours for the several branches of local business:

• Elevators – 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Warren’s Stores – 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.- 10 o’clock Saturday nights.

• The bank could be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. except on Wednesday, when the closing hour had to be 12 noon.

• Groceries, meat markets, department stores, shoe stores, furniture stores and hardware stores – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 o’clock Saturday nights.

Garages, service stations, drug stores and eating places were not affected to opening hours. Doctors were not included in the code.

Later on, car dealers were urged to join with pricing restrictions etc. and they could display the poster. Also, many other areas of business were affected.

All information and the photo for this Look at Brookville article were supplied by the Brookville Historical Society. Do you have a photo or historical information to share or add? Please contact the Brookville Historical Society at 937-833-0285 or email to [email protected].