Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-01
FOOD PRICES DIFFER TAFT GIVEN PLEDGE
Not the Same All Sections insurgents Will Support Poll
of the District. ces in House.
TESTED FOR COMMITTEE OPPOSE CAUCUS ON RULES
Goes Mar Stand Ready However Fight
ketng Staples. Out on Floor
COST MORE NORTHWEST NEW WORKERS GET IN LINE
in Pro-
easWe gTam-Caucus
Not the Same in All Sections
of the District.
TESTED FOR COMMITTEE
Property Clerk Hargrove Goes Mar
keting for Staples. :
COST MORE IN NORTHWEST
Georgetown Cheapest for Same
Quality-Eggs Bought in South
east Were "Floaters."

east Were "tloaterS.
A day or two ago Representative J.
Hampton Moore OF Pennsylvania, chair
man of the special committee which Is
investigating food prices and conditions
in the District of Columbia asked NJ. c.
Hargrove. property clerk and purchasing
agent of the District government, to pur-
chase three staple articles of food in
three widely separated sections OF the
city. He had heard so much about the
variance in prices between the northwest
and the southeast. and SO on. that he
wanted frst-hand knowledge on the sub
ject. Mr.. Hargrove was the principal
witness at todays hearing before the
Moore special committee, and compari-
son OF the prices he paid proved most in
teresting.
B. L. Steele, treasurer of the defunct
Departmental Cooperative Guild, which.
other of its officers testified yesterday
was put out of business principally
through the activities of the local branch
of the National Retail Grocers' Protective
Association, was on the stand today long
enough to say that the troubles of the
guild began after the refusal of it's Off
GERS to ''uuonize' the guild on the de-
mand of representatives of the grocers'
association. DIR. Emile Scharf. president
of the National Anti-Food- Trust League
was also before the committee. Health
Officer Woodward was the only other wit
ness. He told the committee about the in
spection of cold storage warehouses and
perishable food products in the District of
Columbia.
Tells of His Marketing.
But the members Of the committee
seemed particularly interested in Mr.. Har-
groves price experiments. Just to give
the committee an idea that buying food
supplies wasn't any new thing with him,
Mr.. Hargrove mentioned. at Mr.. Moore's
behest. that he spent about million and
a half of the Districts money every year
in this way.
Have you bought anything lately?''
suggested MIR. Moore, with smile.
'Af your direction i have Mr.. Har-
grove replied.
Then tell the committee all about It,"
said MIR. Moore.
rection." said he, Il bought one pound of
pork chops. one pound and three-quarters
of Sirloin steak and half dozen eggs at
three places-one in Georgetown, one on
'olneCIlfut avenue ana one GOWN Dy IDe
navy yard.
In Georgetown the pork cost IS cents
pound the sirloin at the rate of 20 cents
a pound and the eggs A. cents a dozen.
"On Connecticut avenue the pork was
20 cents a pound, the sirloin 25 cents =
pound and the eggs As cents q dozen
Down by the navy yard the pork
was Is cents a pound, the sirloin Is
cents a pound and the eggs 35 cents
dozen.
Had the Goods With Him.
Then, just TO show that these food
staples mentioned were not imaginary,
Mr. Hargrove opened a suit case and
spread the three pounds of pork chops.
the three sirloin steaks and the dozen
and half of eggs on the committee ta-
BILE. He explained, too. that the meats
had been tested by experts Of the
health department and found to be
about the same quality. The same was
true of the pork-chops purchased in the
three widely separated sections. But
the eggs told a different story.
Subject To the Dr. Whey sait solution
test all but one of those purchased In
Georgetown al - cents a dozen sank, in
dicating extreme freshness; all of the
Connecticut avenue eggs at IS cents sank,
indicating ditto. and all of the South
Washington eggs at 81 cents foated, in
dicating just the opposite. But they were
the best and the highest priced that the
South Washington grocer had for SALE
Committee Men Take Notice.
The members OF the committee seemed
quite interested in the fact that sirloin>
steak was > cents per pound cheaper in
south Washington than in Georgetown,
and ! cents cheaper than on Connecticut
avenue.
Mr.. Hargroye, from his official record of
purchases OF food supplies for the District
government, was able to give the commit
tee some excellent comparisons. For in
stance, in July, 1905. the District paid
14ls cents a pound for poultry and in
July, 1869. paid - cents a pound. In the
same period the price at which butter
was bought by the District advanced
from aO1a cents to % cents pound and
fish from to cents a pound
Mr. Hargrove told the committee he
couldtt account for the increase as he
had never tried TO figure ont the cause.
At the suggestion of Representative
Coudrey OF Missouri who thinks the beef
trust is the head devil in all the high
price propositions and who yesterday in
'troduced :; bill 10 investigate II, Mr.. Har-
grove told where he bought his meats and
row he bought them. He didn't believe.
he said. that there was a combination of
wholesalers here in the District who
agreed among themselves on bids and
appropriated the District contract busi-
ness "a they saw fit.
Cut Rate for District.
The prices for which the District Sc
cures its meats. as mentioned by Mr. Har-
grove, are certainly enough to make the
average housewife, in these expensive
days shed bitter tears. For instance,
the District pays only a fraction over IL
cents a pound for the best quality rib
roasts, ~ cents pound for chuck roast,
u cents a pound for round steak 13 cents
for sirloin and 16 cents pound for por-
terhouse.
In. Emile Scharf, president of the Ea-
tional Anti-Food Trust League. followed
Mr.. Hargrove before the committee
-After he had talked about fifteen mn-
utes Mr.. Moore put question up to
him.
"Dr. Scharf' said Mr.. Moore, you
seem to be philosopher on the food
question. Perhaps you can explain some
thing for me. Yesterday morning, with
my colleague, Representative Lafean Of
Pennsylvania. sI went to the National
Press Club for breakfast. We had gram
fruit. cereal and cream, fresh and whole
some fried eggs. bread, butter and coffee
The total bill for the two OF US was
30 cents. This morning we went to 4
leading hotel and had about the same
thing. The service in both places wa,
CONTINUED on Second Pase.)