STORY #30
BARBERS
A local newspaper warned tragedies would befall men in the community that relied on village establishments for their hair grooming needs. The headlines read “Long Hair and Whiskers May Come Back Again As Result of New Schedule.” The article suggested that if a man was unable to use a safety razor and/or happened to run short of cash, his fate would result in long hair and a bushy beard!
The drama and trauma were the imagined result of a well-attended meeting held in August, 1933, in the basement of the Adams County Court House. Paul Flavin, a barber from Portsmouth, Ohio and secretary of the Portsmouth Barbers Union addressed the gathering of men regarding the regulations set down in a new license law being administered by the State of Ohio. It was necessary for the barbers, both shop owners and workers, to meet certain requirements that included completion of instruction in barbering practices and related procedures as well as hygienic matters.
Everyone was required to pass a test of their knowledge. Establishments were responsible for following the NRA Code (National Recovery Administration) that set minimum wages and maximum weekly hours and minimum prices for items that were sold. Fair competition was required among the members of the barbering brotherhood. Those failing to follow the state laws and the rules of the union were subject to fines and possible termination of their business. Unannounced inspections by the health department were always a possibility.
The barbers at the meeting agreed to abide by the union's directives regarding business hours and prices for services. Shops would be open for business from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. except to close at 12 noon on Thursday, open Saturday night until 10 p.m. and closed on Sunday.
Under the union's new guidelines:
Advertisement from 1922
There were thirty-six Adams County barbers attending the meeting. Those from Peebles were: Frank Gowdy, Sherman Clark, Vora Shanks, Chester Thomas, George McCoy, Walter Arey, Harvey Black, M.T. Newman and Golden Newman. Those from Lawshe were: Mack List, Arlie Blankenship and W.N. Storer.