The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-28
He Claims That the Retail Gro
GERS Association
Has Treated Him UnjustIy In
Regard to Flour.
The Association Says That It's Flour
Rate was Made Purposely to
Help Home Mills and That Mr..
Sproat Entered Into the
Agreement-Mr.s proat
Denies This.

J. s. Sproat of the Star Grocery says
that he intends to bring suit against
the Retail Grocers' association for dam
ages on the ground that they are COM
bining to ruin his business.
The particular point which has
caused the trouble is on the wholesale
price of flour. Mr.. Sproat claims that
the association by combination pre-
vents him from buying flour from To
peka millers as cheap as other grocers
who are members of the association can
buy it. He says that the result is that
they undersel him and consequently
interfere with his business.
The association admits that there is
an agreement in existence and claims
that Mr.. SprOat while a member of the
association agreed to the arrangement.
Mr. SprOat says that he never did agree
to the arrangement and when the gro
GERS insisted on enforcing it he re-
signed.
BY the agreement with the milIers
the association agreed to sell Hour at
Is cents per cwt. profit and that If any
member of the association broke the
agreement he was to pay the billing
price for flour which is Is cents per
cwt. more than the members of the
GrOcers' association pay. Mr.. SprOat
was Notified by the mulers Saturday
that he would have to pay the billing
price for flour hereafter which is now
S1.95 per cwt- The members of the as
ISOLATION pay only $40 for the same
grade of flour and are consequently
able to underseu Mr.. SprOat.
He will make that the basis for his
suit against the association and will
ask for damages. He does not know
whether the millers viii be included in
the suit or not.
VIM. Dransheld, secretary of the Gro
GERS associations said today to a
Journal reporter: We have nothing
to fear in this matter. Mr.. Sproat
agreed to this arrangement himself
and we fail to see how he can hold US
fed. We all agreed that if any m ember
of the association broke the agreement
he should pay the billing price for flour
and that is what is being required of
Mr.. SprOat now.
The reason we made the agreement
our home mills. There had been some
cutting on flour here and the mills
trade in Topeka had almost all disap-
peaTed- We were buying outside flour
This agreement was made to patrOnize
home mills and that is what we are do
ing. We are not afraid of Mr.. SprOat's
damage suit
Mr.. Sproat says: when I Joined
the association it was with the under
standing that it would not interfere
with prices I remained in the associa-
/ ton until this combination on flour was
made and then I resigned. Now I am
/ notified by the mills that I must pay
| more for -four than the other grocers
/ sell it for and it is evident that the re-
! suit is to cripple my business"
The Retail Grocers' association was
/ organized about six months ago It
/ comprises over 100 grOcers in Topeka.
/ The original purpose Of the Organiza-
] ton was protection and to work to-
/ gether in the collection of bills. 1t in
/ cludes almost all the well known gro
GERS in the city.