The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-01-06
Citizens of District Highly
Pleased With the
Proposition.
WASHINGTON PRICES
ARE GENERALLY HIGH
Retailers, Farmers, and Whole
SaIers All Blame Each Other
For Conditions.

Who gets the unearned increment the |
farmer. the commission merchant and
the grocer each say is made by the
other man from the price the average
citizen paws 10 fveC
VIII the EIkins resolution result in
the settlement Of the question or cause
readjustnent Of what is now gen
orally conceded to be a scale OF abnor-
nal and exorbitant prices2
Not since the beginning Of the present
session OF Congress has there Seen Iegis-
latiOn attempted which called forth more
general OF favorable comment from the
citizens Of the District as that heard
throughout the city TODAY with refer
euce 10 the Elkins resolution
Two or three Investigations Of this
Subject are already in progress in The
District and, as the men in charge Of
each report progress a perfect triangle
Of accusing fingers is formed By Tire
producer, the wholesaler and the re-
taller, according 10 the consumer. who
feels that he is the corpse Of this par
tiCular inquest.
Urge Investigation
Secretary James Wilson. Of the De-
partment Of Agriculture. and the great
mass Of the people Of the District Of
Columbia, are urging the investigators
on in their labors with the peculiar
result that has been attained
Secretary Wilson's solution for the
problem presented by the Increased
cost Of living is the same as MS soRI-
uoT, of half a dozen other puzzles that
furnish material for the Iyceum pay
rOIlS-'-back 70 the farm
The people Of the District want 70
LIZ
the matter OF making both ends meet.
a vital question with a large majority OF
the citizens Of Washington.
The E1kfns resolution may have the
desired effect. II adopted, and bring
about a statement Of the real situation
II IS a matter OF comment throughout
the District that up TO date little or
nChinE has been done here TO bring
about an investigation Of the local con
ditions except what Secretary Wilson
and the officials Of the Department OF
Agriculture prosecuted for the purpose
Of getting material for the annual re-
port Of the Secretary.
Washington Prices High.
Il has been known here for years that
Washington consumers were paying a
higher percentage Of profit to some one
than the people OF Baltimore and other
contiguous cities. Il has been freely
stated that hoUseholders Of the National
Capital we're charged higher prices for
the necessities Of 5he table than any
other city in the United States While
merchants generally contend that this
latter statement is not true, they have
nevertheless admitted that the prices
here are high because the wholesale
price IS high
The Times undertook an Investigation
Of the cause Of the difference between
the wholesale and retail price today,
eSDeCigily the charge that has hem
freely made that the commission r1e--
chants and the wholesale men have
given out price scales for publication
that are considerably lower than the
prices quoted 10 the ETOcerTuen on the
same product CSroCervmen CornDTaTu
that this treatment is not fair that
Jney are compelled to pay much more
for produce than the wholesale sner-
chant admits 70 the public
Charge Declared Absurd.
This charge the commission merchants
and wholesale men declare is absurd
They assert that on the other hard the
prices are sometimes lower than the
scale that has been made public which
allows the retailer q profit from 20 TO
80 per cent as the retail prices are now
given
There are occasions. when one grocer
has selected the best Of a barrel Of
chickens or cabbaE es that the men thar
come after him must pay a higher price
for what IS left These are rare oCCa-
siOns, the wholesale men state. as the
EroCers themselves force down the mar
ket price
There are a number Of small deal
eTs IN. Washington, according to The
habit u buying CUlls or seconds and
selling them for first class gods This
class OF merchants believe these CuIIs,
which are only a shade less desirable
than the select articles, should be
sold for q much lower price when
they make their purchases and vet
represent the goods as the best quail
itv and demand the retail price for
wholesale dealers admit that the law
Of supply and demand obtains in the
fluctuations Of prices yet they declare
there is no such difference as the retail
men charge
Place Responsibility
The wholesale man places the re-
sponsibiltty for such high prices on the
the faTmer-the prOducer-who. he
says, holds back the stock
The farmer says he must be shown.
One small trucker, who lives in a near
by county, related an instance Of the
conditions prevailing in Washington IN
connection with the sale Of apples He
said he had a quantity Of fine apples on
his place, and asked the market prfce
Of commission man The commission
man declared he had plenty OF auDTas
OF that kind and declined to buy Them
at any price In the meantime apDIes
were bringing a very high price in the
local market This trucker. who v-as
without facilities to market his produce
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