The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-09
COFFEE GOES UP
 WITH THE REST
Cost of the :Favorite Morn ing Beverage Constantly Advancing Val orization Scheme a Finan- cial Success, But the American Consumer Has Paid the Piper.

American Consumer Has
 Paid the Piper.
 Throughout the United States cof- fee-drinkers are to-day wondering when they will cease having to pay constantly increasing prices for their breakfast beverage. For more than six months retailers and grocers have been hacking advances in their quo- tations, some of them a cent or two at time, others three and four cents at time.
 of the best-known retail houses in New York city added three cents a pound to the price of nearly all grades of coffee, this advance follow ing similar advance made a few months ago.
 have had absolutely no effect in in- fuencing a reduction, and what is more, retailers are making 1t plain that ere long they may be compelled still further to mark up their quo tations. Among people who know nothing of the factors which govern the price of coffee-and even among many who profess familiarity with conditions-the advances in price are causing much dissatis- and many retailers have suf- fered the loss of old time customers because of their higher prices. But higher prices are general, and what has been the gain of another, for whenever the buyer has gone else where he has been compelled either to pay the advanced price or to accept an inferior grade of coffee.
 What is most to be regretted in the movement is that it has been chiefly among the cheap CT grades of the staple. People who can i'll afford to pay the extra mon ey are those who have been hardest hit, for coffee which less than six now 21 and 22 cents, and that which was 20 cents is now 25 and 26.
 Cutting Down the Package.
 But the Java berry which was 35 and 40 cents a pound, has been mark the man who at his breakfast table sips his coffee from a fine china cup is not compelled to give the cost of his beverage single thought. To the poor man whose income is small the extra cost is real hardship, how ever, especially as his morning coffee is too precious to be given up.
 Some jobbers who sell the pack age coffeee' which is so popular among the poorer classes are said to have begun making packa ges which contain only fourteen ounces, instead to be sold at the old prices, so that the purchasers will think that prices have ceased to advance. This is trick that can be resorted to only ill the case of the poorer people who buy their coffeee in prepared packages ic nnr a price will later be marked up.
 Retailers profess to know nothing of the causes leading to the advance. Ask any of them. and the response will be a shrug of the shoulders and the declaration that tits because of the market"
 "we pay more; you pay more." is all they have to say. As a matter of fact, the trade is literally at sea over its high prices. Some of those who are out of sympathy with ad- vances have lately made allegations sed to see in the rise 8 skilfully en- gineered campaign on behalf of the 'valorized'' coffee-a term explained below. Brazilian coffee. amounting to 6,300,000 bags, is being held for a favorable market. Still others re- suit of increased demands by consum- CTS, which exceed the supply.
 That retailers have had good ground for marking up their prices is apparent enough. Quotations for spot coffee on the Coffee Exchange ent level, compared with 8 cents in June, and with cents less than two years ago. Of course, these Ex- change prices are for the green ber- ". and refer to the article only in wholesale lots. Many retaileres their prices as much as they legiti- nately might, for, while wholesale prices have doubled in two years, heir prices have gone up less than )ne-half.
 Rise of Eighty Per Cent.
 In the last eight months the mar ket for the commodity on the Coffee Exchange has risen nearly so per cent Traders on the Exchange who Ire bullishly inclined contend that his advance is fully justified by trade conditions;" they deny stout y the allegations of a corner or of nh hnipulation. NumeEous statistics Ire brought into line to confirm the legitimacy of the advance, yet there who steadfastly maintain that the present level of pr1c ces-which has not been paralleled in sixteen years-is lue chiefly to manipulation.
 A numDeF or traders III the mar 1et recently have become sufficiently convinced of this to take the "short iide," and in financial circles there is ] growing belief that before long here will be contest between the coffee bulls" and "bears" for supre- macy in the market.
 In the meantime it appears from simple trade conditions that a higher 'ange of prices at the present time han early last year is justified, al- hough to say here that an elevation ,f so per cent. since June is warrant I'd would be to deny the allegations of and a corner.
 Manipulation there almost certainly 1as been, but it has been so adroit hat few coffee traders are ready to make the flat assertion. They con- ent themselves with saying that the vor1d's s,lpplv of coffee is much 1aea