Poll Shows Strong Local Opposition to Repealing Sunday “Blue Laws”-October 13, 1976

Results from a recent business community survey reveal that a solid majority of Norwood merchants want to keep the state’s traditional Sunday closing regulations intact.

Announced last night during the Norwood Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting at the Red Coach Grill—which drew an attendance of about 100 members—the poll showed that 61 percent of responding members oppose relaxing the “blue laws” to permit retail businesses, including package stores, to operate on Sundays.

Chamber Vice President James B. Trask reported that 40 members responded to the survey, representing roughly 40 percent of the organization’s most active membership out of a total roster of 260. Conversely, 39 percent favored permitting Sunday trading hours, a bloc likely consisting of merchants anticipating increased customer traffic and sales.

Under existing state statutes, most retail establishments and all package stores are legally barred from opening their doors on Sundays. Question No. 9 on the upcoming November ballot is non-binding, placed before voters by the legislature to gauge public sentiment on retail deregulation.

Overwhelming Opposition to Uniform Electric Rates and Graduated Income Tax

In addition to Sunday trading, the chamber poll gauged sentiment on two other prominent November referendum questions:

• Graduated State Income Tax (Question No. 2): An overwhelming 77 percent opposed the proposal, with only 23 percent expressing support.
• Uniform Electric Rates (Question No. 7): Opposition was nearly absolute, with 94 percent voting against the measure and just 6 percent in favor. If passed, uniform electric rate legislation would mandate a flat rate per kilowatt-hour across the board—stripping away existing volume discounts currently afforded to large commercial and industrial electricity consumers.

Chamber Business and Keynote Presentation

During the evening’s proceedings, resolutions were formally read honoring recently deceased members William J. Moran and Andrew J. Juskiewicz.

The main address was delivered by Joseph Wallace of the Harold Cabot advertising firm, who treated attendees to screenings of various commercial films to illustrate modern strategies in product advertising and consumer marketing.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger