Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-03-10
Meat Dealers Tell Lodge Commit.
tee That They Are Crushed
to the Wall.
INVESTIGATING FOOD PRICES.
Cooks and Buffers Get a Good
Rake-off on Orders, According
to q Washington Meat
Dealer,

washtn gton. March At was q prov1s-
ion dealer who wore the largest diamond
of any Of the witnesses summoned yee-
terday before Senator Lodge ana the
food price committee Of the Senate. Hs
was John Rohlman, whose place Of busi-
ness is on Columbus avenue, New York..
and he testified that the small dealer -
being crushed against the wall Of high
prices. Other witnesses before the COM
mittes cams from Philadelphia, Balt-
more and Washington.
Mr.. Rohlman said that tho profit was
much less to the dealer than formerly,
and that his friends In business, with
whom he had consulted before coming
to Washington. had advised him to say
that the retailers were being robbed BY
the wholesalers. They could do better
with the western packers than those in
the East because the former were able
20 handle the meats and their by-pYod-
ucts more economically.
Some things Mr.. Rohlman held had not
advanced among them potatoes and but
ter. the latter Of which he testified he
had seen at d cents a pound Is years
ago. He said he belonged to retail
grocers's association. but did not attend
it's meetings, and that 1t had no control
over prices.
when they coma around every six
months or so. tell them I will pay my
dues, and they take my name OF the
list he said, land they come around
again at the usual time"
EXPERIENCE WITH COOKS.
Walter Brown. Washington meat deal
er. told about the percentage paid to
cooks and buffers, and said this was
sometimes added to the prices in cases
where II was demanded.
Lady Pauncefoote's cook" he said,
told me she was in the habit of getting
twenty per cent. but would take ten,
since the trade was heavy. refused to
pay It. About ten days after Lady
Pauncefoote sent for me to say the meat
had been poor for the last ten days |
told her about the cooks demand and
she asked me to repeat it to Lord
Pauncefoote. She called him and I did
SO. They sent 70 New York for new
cook"
John G. Walker Of Washington brought
| his letter book to SHOW prices of ten years
ago and attributed the increase to the de-
| sertion OF the farms for the city. and
| consequent under production. He said that
ten years ago partridge sold at 81 a
dozen and that last year they were $24
| to SIS a dozen. This seemed to interest
| the committee,
S. X. Harrison. representing retar gro
GERS and meat dealers OF Baltimore, tesu-
fed that the trend Of prices had been
| higher all along tho line during the last
| fifteen years. He said the retailers had
been making Loss and less profit from year
| to year.
| Questioned as to the prices Of stapta
groceries. Mr.. Harrison said they also
had increased. When he suggested that
his firm had been forced to quit handling
Il cheaper grade Of green tea because o1
the tariff. Mr.. Smoot interrupted inpA-
tiently: The tariff had nothing to Do
with It. It was the pure food law"
The witness said hs judged there haA
been 10 per cent increase IN the gro.
ceres in which his firm dealt during
the last Ave yesrA The advance In meat
was ABOUT the same in that period. but
about 10 psr ccnt. during the last 10 or Is
years. Pork had gone UP Is per cent. in
| witnesses, he declared no agreement ~
to prices existed between the retailers
or between the retailers and wholesalers.
| Mr.. Harrison said the Egin market
controlled butter prices. He declared the
price had recently dropped six cents =
pound without any explanation, but that
butler had again advanced two cents.