The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-21
DECLARES THAT
COMBINE EXISTS
Retail Grocer Gives Some Facts
and Figures Regarding Cost
of Commodities.
SHOWS WHY AND HOW
CONSUMER is HELD UP
Gives Cost in California; Cost
F. O. 3. Salt Lake, What
Combine Receives.

10 the nrjcc of commodities falling In
Sal, Lake? This is the question that
every househ holder in Salt Lake is ask
ing. Then n look at the grocery Dill
for the week shows the same old prices,
not cent difference. in fact. some oil
;he prices are found TO be higher.
An examination OF the market quota
lions shows that -four Is now 81 per
hundred while a year ago ii sold lot
IS per hundred: that while it was 9o
per cent higher then than IL is TO-DAY
and While the reduction in price from
n year ago is SO l-3 per cent. neverthe-
less that he then purchased n sixteen
ounce loaf Of bread for > cents, wnile
today tho loaf sells at the same price
while the weight is bur ninc ounces Jhen
he and the family began to bgure now
he Is be1citted by the reduced price oil
-four.
In sugar the housewiic knows that a
yepr ago Sc per hundred was the price
pei1 tor sugar and that IT Is sold at
the same price today. yer only fourteen
pounds is obtained for 81, and then the
family again begin the matnematica' cal,
cu)ation and The same result Is obtained
as on the fou- calcUlat.on--the consumer
gets TIE worst of II.
Then In tie matter Of eggs and meats
md butter end poultry and fruits ana
yegei 2 hics the came facts stare the
bouseWifa In The face still at The high
point. The grocer says lie is not 10
blame. the wholesaler and the conirnls-
sion men declare they are not 40 blame.
Who is? The consu:ner concludes that
Ec Is the goat.
Retailer Investigates.
Out on East Second South street al
the corner, of Eighth EGet is the Nc
Daniels grocery. The proprietor John
The commission man. who declares he
is rot responsible for the high prices.
SO he began 10 investigate and In the
course OF his INQUIRIES he discovered that
be had struck Tlne lead. so he followed
,tis lead. Here are some ASSAYS made
from the outcroppines.
Most cf the green vegetables used In
Salt Lake come from southern Califor-
Lila. Al least Los Angeles is the ship
ping point FOR the stun. MI McDanels
learned that the express rate per hun
arod pounds on tomatoes. cucumbcrs and
beans were S2.i5: on lemons The !ocni
freight rate waS s!.St per hundred. anu
on ornnses Sl.5i Then nc did some fig
uring. and this is what lie found:
per hos. 23 pounds. 20 pounds net, soc;
cucumocrs, per hos, IS pounds In box.
3ec; beans. per pound. 5Ac: lemons, per
box. 80 hounds. $40; oranges, per boz,
Actual cost Lob in Salt Lake--To.
ioatoes. per boN- % pounds. 20 pounds
ret siseS; per pound. 3-20c; cucunloers
Ler boN, is pounds in box. $llO:
Sac each; beans. per pound, SIC; lemons
Per boS, so pounds. s5.63; oranges. per
box 20 pounds. s5.;e.
Salt Lake commission men get--Tonna
toes. per hos. % mounds, 20 pounds net
s2U0; per pound. 10c cucuinbers. per box,
is pounds in BOX. $500; per pound, SIC;
leans. ps: pound 12c: lemons per boz.
81 pounds $3.50; oranges Per box, 40
pounds. 81 %.
'rhis. understand. is foF purchases in
s'nau Quantities. ana the retailer could
tlIJs buy in small quantities pay the
tpS
and ti:cn sell II: retnil al almost the same
price 'i,at The commission combine in
sa. s6s sk GmnarseS m ,he ooS Tc,1iler tale tho
hlne buys in car lots. thug obtaining all
the advantages OF quantity buying and
oil freight route at much lower rate. In
the table printed above the first three
items show cost OF stuff here after the
regular local express rate is paid. while
the combine buys the same In mixed cars
and thus secures d lower freight rate
which would again reduce the cost very
materially.
WHO Pays the Fiddler?
Talking with The Tribune. Mr. Nc
Daniels said from a careful study OF
rates and cost of lemons In carload lots
and from partial confession OF an .'an-
gel on the inside OF Salt Lakes 'benevo-
lent or rather charitable commission
combine; leraons were cos ting them fob
Salt Lake, only s4.35. while the retailer
like myself danced 10 the tune of $3.50
per box and stood all the cussings from
customers at the exorhjtant price re-
iailers charged. Saturday lemons were
reduced by the combine to s. per box
with promise OF further decline the
coming week, Wholesaler declared 10
mc ou YESTERDAY That lemons cost only
s. per box in Los Angeles. and adding
10 this the local freight rate of $i.23
per poN they would therefore cost Cob
Salt Lake. Si-25 per box"
This statement OF Mr.. JcDanicls wil!
rarsc many persons TO open their ewes
From this statement il will be scen thar
There is combine in Salt Lake that Is
in restraint OF trade and that 80 long as
it exists there will be no drop III the
nricn of commodities