Evening journal., 1909-12-30
PROBE PROFITS
ON FOODSTUFFS
Secretary Wilson After the
Cause of High Cost Of
Living
THINKS SOME ONE
MAKES TOO MUCH

WASHINGTON. Dec. 30.-Secretary OF
Agriculture Wilson is probing into Inn
portant phases OF the question OF why
the cost Of living is going up. Through
employees of the Department of Agri-
culture who are IN the field he is finding
out to what extent retail prices Of food
products exceed wholesale prices, or, in
other words. what are the gross profits
of the retailers Of food PRODUCTS. What
the Secretary wants to know is just why
IL is the ultimate consumer is comolain-
ing of increasing cost of living. He
would like to find out II It IS because
the farmer is getting high prices or the
wholesaler is exactng too high profits
or whether too much is going to the re-
taller.
In the annual report of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture Secretary Wilson
told Of the results Of an inquiry into the
proces of meat He rcinted out that the
question Of high prices of fresh meats
and their products was one felt by the
incomes Of 100000 families. Through
employees Of the Bureau OF Animal In
dustry inquiries were made in 50 cities
large. medium and small-in all parts Of
the country, and It was found that for
these cities the mean gross profit in
selling beef was IS per cent.-that is the
total retail cost charged consumers
above the wholesale cost paid by the re-
tailers was as stated, S per cent.
Many Denials Made.
Publication Of the figures, which in the
case of Shreveport. La, went toe s per
cent and Nashville to 6s per cent. has
caused a stir. Many letters are being
c..~atorrr NyfIeon rrOtpetiug
that his figures must be wrong. To all
such letters he is responding with the
request for definite evidence on the
other hand, he is getting many letters Of
approval.
But Secretary Wilson does not intend
to let the matter res with an inquiry
into meat prices He intends to find out
similar facts as to the common kinds OF
food products. such as butter. eggs, milk
apples potatoes and the common fruits
and vegetables.
Secretary Wilson viii have little trou-
BILE making the Investigations. He has a
large force Of men in the field in vari-
GUS lines of activity. In the Bureau or
Animal Industry many field men are re-
quired to enforce the meat inspection
law and for other purposes. The en-
/ forcement Of the pure FOOD law requires
many more men. who are constantly in
the field. And there are various other
employees Of the Department Of Agri-
culture who are scattered all over the
country.
How Much Farmers Get.
For one thing Secretary Wnson has
been impelled to this inquiry just as
into the one on meat prices, by the re-
peated charge that the farmer are get
ting higher prices for their products
than they ought to get Secretary Will
son does not believe this and has never
believed IT, He does rvt believe the high
cost of living. so far as food products
are concerned, can be laid at the farm
er's door He thinks that it lies some
where along the road between the farm
er and the ultimate consumer. That is
he puts the burden at the door Of the
middleman.
In HIS annual report. he did not at
tempt TO say that were the profits Of the
wholesaler. He only went to the point OF
saying that the average gross profit of
the retailer OF beef in so cities was IS
per cent.