Bisbee daily review., 1908-03-17
MERCHANTS IF
 TUCSON OBTAIN
 BETTER RATES
Business Men of Old Pueblo Score Point-CoSt of Living Will Be Appreciably De- creased By Change.
Arizona star)

pack1ng houses VIII hereafter be on the local market at a price less than that which has heretofore been charged for other than the leading brands.
 The retailers of the city have been making extensive purchases of goods from houses at Benson, Los Angeles and elsewhere which have represent ed net decrease in the wholesale cost of more than 30 per cent and as soon as these orders arrive, ship ments added the price of living in Tucson will be materially decreased.
 The freight rate to Globe, for in stance, is 5S cents higher on the hun dred than it is to Tucson, from the great market centers. Yet groceries have been higher here than in Globe The reason is found in an instance ike this: Canned fruit is quote ed at s3 at the producers. It has been sold here by he jobber for s410 and then the small merchant has sold it out at s5. In other words the job Der has been making profit of S1.10 while the merchant who sold it, can by can, instead of by the wholesale, had only 90 cent profit.
 The competition of the foreign
 
 prices here and means that the injus- tice which has hitherto been done this city by forcing it into the posi- ton of being the highest priced town in the territory to live in, will be done away with through the coming to the rescue of foreign wholesalers and through the determination of the packers to give their products to this oifv at -aae0nah4a pT.ippS
 That there are going to be really big doings in the wholesale and retail world of Tucson within the coming week or ten days. and that these do- ings are going to materially affect the price of every commodity which the homekeepers of the city use in a grocery and provision way. is the net conclusion reached from certain facts which leaked out yesterday through the conversation of one or two Of the wholesale men.
 The most imminent of two situa- tions Is that between the packers and the wholesalers. In common with the prices of all other things that have been on the markets for retail disposal the price of the product of the packers has been very high. This . inc eonsequence that, with every rise in the price of packing house pro ducts. there has been steadily di- minishing sale for the aforesaid pack ing products. Now the packers are moi in businesscor their health and they are anxious to dispose of their goods to the people of this city. They have come to the conclusion, SO the relation of facts goes, that the whole saIers and retailers have been carry ing their prices to too high figure and that as a result, except for the well to do. there has been practical prohibition of the use of their goods by the public.
 General information is to the point that beginning today, or at least not laer than Monday, the packers will withdraw from their trade agreement with the local wholesalers and will themselves deal with the retail houses, fixing a lower cost price to the retailer and also a lower price ts the purchaser from the retailer
 Two of the wholesale houses yes terday. interviewed on the~matter, de clined to make any statement about it. but representatives of third said that 1t was the understanding of that house that such action was contem- plated by the packers, although he vigorously denied that 1t was due to excessive prices being fixed by the local jobbers. He said that he did not know what action the wholesalers would take if the premises but that it would undoubtedly lead to a trade war.
 The other proposition is more gen eraE in its nature and embraces with in the scope of its effect entire subsistence and commissary problem of the city For the past ten days there have been in the city representatives of various wholesale houses at Los Angeles, Fl Paso and other points who have been dealing with the retailers. They made large sales in many instances.
 In conversation with some promi- nent people of this city yesterday one of the wholesalers is reported to have said: Ever since the Star first agitated the question of the prices of l food in this city, the wholesalers from other points have been prepar- | ing to invade Tucson. Recently they have come. here from Fl Paso, Los | Angeles, Bisbee and other points and have made an energetic. campaign among the retailers. As general rale, they have quoted them whole sale prices which are about 30 per cent lower. than they have heretofore been able to obtain from the local wholesale houses Naturally the re tailers have jumped at thing like that and we have been forced to meet i the competition, and as result of the agitation of the Star, the retailers oi the city are reapinR about 30 per cent more profit on their goods than they were before 1t commenced. Where Il will stop we do not know, but these | other towns are after the local busi- | pess and will likely make another cut. If they do, we will have to meet them"
 i That statement was confirmed in a general way at one of the local houses yesterday evening, when it was ad- mitted that wholesalers from other points had had drummers in here who had sold bills to local retailers at more advantageous figures than they ! had been securing before.
 In an effort to ascertain just what effect this war between the various dealers was having on the cost of living in the city, and assuming that the cheapened cost to. the retailer would be considerable reduction in the price of staple and fancy grocer ies. a representative of the Star called at three of the business houses