The San Francisco call., 1906-09-09
PREVENTS DEAL IN
BAKING POWDER.
Commissary Officer Would
Not Consent to the Sac
rifice of Valuable Stores
CHECKS SALE IN TIME

Rudolph SpreckeIs, head of the de-
partment of camps, has ordered an
investigation into a baking powder
deal that did not come off, but which
nevertheless indicates the free and
easy way in which relief stores have
been disposed Of Only the firmness OF
commissary officer who refused to
honor reduisition approved by Col
onel Lea Febiger prevented David
Nieto securing $50 pounds of baking
powder at five cents a pound which
could not have been purchased whole
sale in the open market at thlrty-nve
cents.
When a board was appointed to list
the various relief stores, for some rea-
son few of the officers named were
commissary officers. The greater part
of them were from the line. These Of
ficers, unframed in the purchase or
sale of supplies. made some queer list
ings, not the least peculiar OF which
was that of something like ton of
baking powder which they rated at
five cents a. pound. At ordinary times
this baking powder. which is all of
first class brands, cannot be had at
wholesale for less than thirty-sevep
and one-half cents pound. At that
time 1T is said to have been worth
considerable more in San Francisco.
Lieutenant Scott of the department of
comps said Friday that after the pow
der had been listed at five cents the
officer in charge of the warehouse
could not have sold it at any other
rate
Immediately after the listing the
officers in charge of the warehouses
were approached by buyers intent up
on securing the baking powder at the
listed price. The officers refused to
sell, hoping that something would be
done to prevent the sacrifice of the
staple. They succeeded IN standing on
the buyers until the latter part of
June. Then a new attack was made
through the soup kitchens.
By special arrangement the soup
kitchens were at that time supplied
with goods from the relief stock. which
they secured upon acquisitions and
paid for at listed prices, credit being
given the Relief Corporation on the
soup kithcen bills. One morning Da-
vid Nieto, a soup kitchen proprietor,
appeared with regular requisition for
relief supplies, duly approved by Col
onel Febiger, among the items being
$50 pounds of baking powder valued at
listed prices. The price Nieto would
have had to pay was $4S, while the
value in open market was $3.50, leaving
substantial gain for Nieto of 1912.
The officer in charge refused to honor
the requisition for the baking powder
| item.
A rather heated controversy between
Major c. r. Krauthoff, eommissary Of
| fcer, and Colonel Febiger ensued. The
major understood the value of the
baking powder, If Colonel Febiger did
not Furthermore the commissary Of
| fcer knew that $50 pounds of baking
powder was enough to run all the
| soup kitchens in San FRANCISCO for six
months: in two months Nieto had had
| less than seventy-flve pounds.
Colonel, Febiger, however, could not
| see 1t in that light and insisted that
the requisition be filed. Finally the
| commissary officers carried their point
and Nieto did not get the baking pow
| der. 1t is still in the relief warehouse
| and will be used, or part of it, in the
soup kitchens which is about to be
| opened at Ingleside. The remand er
will no doubt be disposed of at market
| prices.