The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-05-08

An interesting contribution to the facts
being accumulated relative to the high
cost Of living has been made public on
the authority Of officials of Eastern rail-
roads carrying provisions into New York.
The data is contained in the pubica-
ton of traffic rates on various foodstuffs,
such as butter, eggs and vegetables,
showing that only an insignificant part
Of the cost Of provisions between the pro-
Queer and consumer can be charged
against the transportation companies.
/ The publication is significant in that It
brings public knowledge one step nearer
the true source Of the immense cost OF
distributing food in the big cities which
/ is fast proving TO be out of all proper
tons to reasonable profit on the labor
and capital involved.
Increased Cost of EGGS.
A vice-presldent Of one of the large
railroads recently saw farmer unload
1 ing potatoes at a railroad station in
4 Rochester. He asked at what price the
! farmer had sold his potatoes; he learned
that it was 20 cents. and that the po-
tatoes were TO be shipped to New York
| city. The freight charge on a bushel Of
| potatoes from Rochester TO New York
| is cents. AT this time potatoes were re-
failing in New York, nominally, at $50
a bushel In reality, potatoes are sold
mostly by the quart TO consumers. At
OILY S cents quart the retail price Of a
bushel Of potatoes was $3.50.
That is a bushel OF potatoes shipped
/ from Rochester and laid down in New
/ York costs p cents The bushel was sold
by retailers. for $25e Who got the differ
ence?
/ Last winter. when eggs were retailing
( in New York at from 30 to 90 cents a
dozen, the price for fresh eggs in Sala-
manca, 900 miles from the city, was %
cents The freight rate on eggs from
Salamanca TO New York amounted TO
about half cent "a dozen. so that the
cost Of eggs laid down in New York
came to 2Oi2 cents. The consumer paid
from 40 10 60 cents, sometimes more.
Who got the difference?
Rates on Butter.
On butter the rate from various Ohio
points TO New York city is 40 cents
hundred pounds on New York state
butter retailing at s. cents or more
pound. the average freight charge
amounts 10 less than a third Of a cent
per pound.
The rates on table Injuries that are
brought from far distant States in the
winter and early spring, are shown 10
! have little 10 do with fancy prices
Early this spring the railroads got about
half cent quart for hauling straw
berries from Augusta, Ga. to New
York city The freight rate on straw
berries selling at 81 or 90 cents was no
greater than those that were sold at Is
cents.
Fresh asparagus in early spring may
be termed a luxury. This year a crate
containing twenty-four bushels Of as
paragus. which would retail for $40 or
more, was shipped from Augusta, Ga.
70 New York for about SO cents
Rates on Florida Truck.
From Jacksonville. Fla, TO New York
city the freight charges on a standard
package Of cabbage weighing 10 pounds
came TO 6SIz cents; on O-pound
package OF caulihower. i3 cents: on
an So-pound crate Of egg plant. "a
cents; on a 5o-pound crate Of cantaloupes.
IS cents; on a J0-pound crate Of celery.
80 cents.
In early spring new potatoes that come
from Florida cost the consumer about
10 cents quart This Is cents worth Of
potatoes weighs one pound fourteen
ounces. The new potatoes from Florida
are shipped in a package that contains
ls5 pounds so that the potatoes in the
package bring in at retail the sum of
Sl4O. For hauling the 1S5-pound package
from Florida the railroads get 81 cents.
When 81 cents is subtracted from Sl470
the remainder is $14O9. II the farmer
gets s. for the l@ pounds Of potatoes he
is lucky Who gets the difference