Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-31
Local Labor Unions to Be Asked
To Join Ranks of
ProberS.
TO INVESTIGATE PRICES.
Will be Requested to Appoint
Two Committeeman TO Work
With Organizations.
President G. NJ. Vinson In Favor of
Union" Co-Operativcs Grocery
Store as n Solution.

The Federation OF Labor win be
asked to Join in the proposed investigar
ton of the causes for the high cost Of
living.
This decision was arrived at this
morning after brief consultation
smong members OF the board Of direc-
tors of the Manufacturers and Mer-
chants association. which has taken the
initiative in asking for committee.
from the Real Estate association. the
State Fair association and the Com
mercial club TO go TO the bottom OF the
situation After the conference IL was
| decided In ask the Federation OF Labor
| TO Join in the investigation by appoints
Ing two committeeman, and letter to
| this effect Will be sent to all the other
associations asked to affiliate IN the
| move.
The public onslaught has been direct
cd SO far principally against the re-
taiers. They cry for Investigation OF
the wholesalers, and the johhers, ana
the manufacturing combinations. To-
| day from these concerns comes a call
for investigation OF rents coal and raw
materials. AS net result much light
| should be thrown on the entire stua-
ton If an investigation committee really
goes after facts and President Hewlett
| declares today that the entire treasury
| Of the NJ. x NJ. will be placed behind
the inquiry, If the spending of funds
| becomes necessary, so that every corr
per of the situation can be gone into.
Prominent manufacturers maintain
that they have no interest in keeping
prices up, for they realize that lower
| living expenses would mean more men
with dinner buckets. and II is this
class of population that the city mosa
| lacks, and il is conceded. will con-
time to lack until the lahorer can buy
enough with his $2.25 per Gay to real
| " I'LL his dinner pail, instead of 10
force him to hunt markets where his
daily wage will buy him more than
| 1t does here.
WHAT 1T MEANS.
I'VE win be able to save the people
| from 10 to 70 per cent OH the cost ~
living if this investigation is made,
declared one merchant today ''bus
1t must be thorough enough to fully
uncover the butter combination, the
| jobbers' combination, which forces tot
| many uiid1lemen's 'rakeoffs,' tho
| rental combinations, when have mad.
Main street rents almost prohibitive,
| and the clothing, furniture, and res
taurant charges, which often, 1t is all
legged, call for 100 per cent or more ia
| profit"
An instance is given of man who
| ordered three boiled eggs, slice OF
toast, and a cup of coffee, In tn,
| Chesapeak restaurant this morning.
and paid so cents for them, the bill
being 10 cents per egg, with 10 cenn
! for coffee and 10 cents for the toast.
| Il think" said the man. that the
! price Is fair sample of city restaur-
ant prices. The Chesapeak is an or
| binary restaurant, and if the proprie.
tor get his eggs at % cents per dozen.
| as he undoubtedly does, or for less
| mo 20
| profit of at least nearly 81 per dozen,
not to count the large profit on the
toast and coffee. l think the restaur-
ants nave taken a shameful advant-
age OF the upward market, and ought
| 10 be brought into the imelght along
with the rent mas, the grocer, the
| butcher, and the jobber Personally
! hesitate TO think OF what would hap
/ pen II ] really wanted something to
! eat In Salt Lake restaurant, an1
/ how many days ! would nave to work
/ 10 catch up with myself IL / SHOULD
| take my wife and daughter to a down
! town dinner with me once"
PLAIN WORDS.
That the Butchers and Grocers' as
| ISOLATION was born with a threat of
boycott on its lips Is the information
| given to the News" today by char
| ter member, who declares he has now
| come TO see the iniquity Of the thing
and is opposed To its extreme policlses
! The history OF It's organization" he
| said, rs the history of antagonism TO
| local Jobbers. who really have strong
| and potent trust. and whose boycott
! amounts 10 something. The jobbers
| insisted on selling direct to boarding
| houses and hotels and the retailers
| didn't like &C. so they informed the lob
| beers they would have to stop, or the
| retailers would form q lohbiug asso-
! citation, and do their own wholesale
| buying Thus came n call for a meet
| ing, ana finally close understanding
| with the Jobbers, which win explain
why the retailers only can handle
boarding house and hotel orders.
BUT SLIGHT DIFFERENCE.
THE case between the manufacture
ers and jobbers is only slightly differ
emit 1 could give you n liz uf MI
a dozen manufacturers who have been
given the alternative Of letting the Job
Der take out his profit IN every case,
whether he Is needed or not, or of sur
foring boycott ON his goods. and I tell
you the jobbers controlled so many
stores that such a boycott was not 10
be laughed at. ! know Mr. Mount, ana
! know how angry he was before he
was finally brought 10 time. ana gave
IN, allowing the jobbers 10 handle his
output exclusively ana / know Mr.
Wallace OF the National Biscuit COM
pany and know that the tight he Is
NoW fNkhEtl ~ WIN the lounefS Is
one OF boycott and a real nght to the
death IA which the iobbers are trying
10 eXteuninate the home company by
shipping In Denver goods, because he
refused 10 bow to their demands for
exclusive control OF his goods Hew-
lett Bros are doing business only di-
rect 10 retailers for similar reasons"
FAVoRs LABOR" STORE.
President c. NJ, Vlnson Of the Utah
Federation OF Labor declared this
morning that he resented very much
published statements 10 the effect that
organized labor defended the action OF
the Butcher ana Grocer trust He de-
clared that continued raise OF this trust
IN price OF necessities rendered useless
the efforts OF lahorlng men to raise
their wages 10 living scale and that
he favored the opening OF cooper
alive grocery store, where unlon men