The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-23
NO HARM IN GIFTS
 BUSHNELL SAYS
Wholesale Grocer Explains
 Things to Committee

Hartford, June 23-FTank c. Bush- nell of New Haven startled the mem bers of the special committee on the investigation of combination of prices in the necessaries of life at the hear ing held yesterday afternoon at the Capitol when he said that he believed that it was a justifiable procedure for a merchant to make presents because he received an order for goods from made after Lawyer Benedict M. Hol- den had said that he knew of a case where a state official had purchas- ed goods of a merchant. and that the merchant had afterwards sent him a check. The official, who was the head of one of the state institutions, sent back the check and that firm never got another dollars worth of business while that man held office.
 MT. Bushnell said that the act of the merchant in question was justi- fable and matter of business pol1- cy. To Mr. Holden, he said, it would be just the same if lawyer, who had a bill against a man for $100 dis counted it $50. It was done every day in business and was legitimate.
 MT Holden replied that in his case if he discounted bill of a client, the act would be beyond criticism, for then the man involved would be the only one to benefit. But in a case where the money was sent to an off ficial of a State Institution, the act would be wrong, for the institution would not get the money, and the man who took it would really be getting graft
 MT. Bushnell testified that the Southern New England Wholesale Grocers' Association had at one time an agreement with the American Su-
 xr-I,a fhnx maintained uniform price on sugar and in return received a rebate of 20 cents on every hundredweight. This agreement was no longer extant, he said.
 He was asked by Lawyer Holden what he thought of the proposition to create a state purchasing agent and said that in his opinion it was the biggest farce he had ever heard of. He pointed out that there, were so many kinds and qualities of goods which the agent would have to buy, such as medicines, medical appliances, clothing, food stuffs, coal and the like that it was folly to think of securing any one man qualified to fill the posi- tion we'll, and out of the question to suppose that such a man could be secured at a salary of $3O00 a year, no larger than was paid to some of his salesmen who were experts only in one line of merchandise. The day you establish a purchasing agent for the state" he said, that day you in- crease enormously the prospect of graft in the purchase of state SUD- plies"
 In answer to the claim relating to high cost of living. MT. Bushnell said that the people themselves were re- sponsible for it in a great measure. He took salt as an instance and said that 115 bags of salt retailed at S4 and that the same quantity in bulk brought but $25O The public, however, he said, want to buy goods in packages put up by manufacturers and this combined with the millions of dollars that have been spent advertising just such packages, is responsible for the difference in cost.
 In conclusion he said, the whole salers do net make the prices He cited the case of the Shredded Wheat Company when it was doing business in Worcester, shortly after it came into existence. It sold goods he said, to the wholesalers for s450 a case and asked that they bring in So. In Springfield the retailers cut the prices and as fast as they sold out their stock threw out the goods, so that in a short time the company was doing no business at all in that city.
 In response to a request from that concern, he said, he went to Worces- ter and talked the matter over with