Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-03
MARKET MEN DENY THAT HIGH
COST OF MEAT is DUE TO IN
TENSE COMPETITION.
DEMANDS OF CUSTOMERS
CAUSE OF HIGHER PRICES
General Use of Telephone Creates Ne.
cessity of Expensive Delivery Ser
vice-Market Men Say Profits Are
Only to is Per cent-stase to Pro-
FIT by Merger of Wire Com panies,
Special to Tines-Republican.


Des Meines. Dec. s-Des Moines
shop keepers take issue with Secretary
Wilson, as Indicated in his annual re-
port, as le the high cost OF meat be-
Ing due 10 intense competition and the
establishment Of larger number OF
shops than needed.
II IS true said prominent mar
he- man. that there has been an enor-
NOUS increase in the cost OF doing the
retail business. It Is not due TO multi
piici1y Of snaps, bu. to the demands
OF the customers. The telephone and
she delivery wagon are expensive lux
uries .or the consumers, but the re-
ductoR in the number Of shops would
sos make any difference in these
things"
Il IS denied ny almost every market
man in the city that there Is an aver
age profit of 3S per cent in the retail
ing OF meat. Some of them say that
/ they figure as low as or 10 per cent
and few will admit they figure on more
than Is per cent.
II do not believe that We are go
ing 70 see any increase n the mum
Der Of large stores said w W. Wit
,ner, OF the Slavery. who has Travelled
much I'VE are more likely 10 come
10 the European system of many small
shops in residence neighborhoods where
the purchases are made and the Gus
toner carries home the packages. The
number OF such stores is on the in
crease IN Des Moines as in most Cit
les 7: Is the ideal way of shopping
for the family al slightest expense.
+ look also for an Increase in the number
81 cooperative stores. They are COM
mon in Europe and successful and thru
them consumers get the necessities Of
life almost at cost. Greater econo-
niles in the retailing of goods are nee
essary, for everyone recognizes the fact
that the cost Of living has enormously
increased and It has increased for the
wage Garner for more than his wage
j II is probable that the state Of Iowa
will profit in some degree by the nerg-
e- of the telegraph and telephone com
panies and .he desire on the part of the
Western Union 10 clear everything ou-
nj the way For number of years tht
, Western Union and the Burlington rail
road have had a controversy over VIII
: should pay the taxes on the telegraph
line along the branch which was form
I erlv the old Humeston and Shenandoah
, road. Neither company would pay tn
taxes and the state was left holdin
: the bag. The telegraph conlpan
claimed only to have leased the wire
and the railroad com pany insisted tina
the value Of the wires was included i
the railroad property itself. Now tina
thare will be an accounting of the at
fairs Of the telegraph company, il
4 believed that the state will soon &c
lis money and a settlement will be al
fected.
A critical editor in southeastern low
J recently laid to the reform laws {
# Iowa the blame for the fact that thous
ands Of barrels of apples were left :
4 go 10 waste in orchards where the
i we're frozen He stated that unde
these new tangled laws We have
's farmer doesn't dare convert 5 apple
into cider vinegar without risk OF
heavy fine But for this the froze
! apples would have been utilized. At Il
r. state house this is enlphatically de1it
and IT is asserted that there is nothir
Is in the way Of making good cider Vii
,e egar, which any farmer can make. T.
only instances where farmers have su
n tered from the law is where they ha'
] sold as vinegar cider that was not Y
:. ripened. in fact. put il on the mark
before II was ready, and in this cond
ID ton the vinegar is worthless for pr
=, serving purposes In number of il
stances The sale OF immature vineg
j. has been traced by the pure food repair
ment TO the farmers There was
adulteration. bur the vinegar did n
y come up 10 the recognized standa1
hence trouble for the farmers. 3
II is denied that the law stands in I
= way Of the conversion Of Iowa appl
into cider and vinegar.