The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-07-02

Linen coats cost IL cents each; col
lars, cent ami half; drawers. 5
cents, and cuffs cents per pair.
The charge for washing a silk shirt
is 10 cents; for dress shirt, 10 cents.
suit OF paiamas, 10 cents. and for a
union suit, only cents. The family
laundry work is also cheap. a bed
spread cost 10 cents. a blanket 20
cents and a napkin. l cent You can
have a sheet washed and ironed for
g cents ana a towel for cent. Con-
nected with the establishment is a
pressing department, where mems
coats. trousers and vests and ladies'
skirts and waists are cleaned sad
shaped at fixed prices.
Uncle Sans Retail Stores.
What We have seen 50 far might be
called Uncle Sans wholesale mercan-
tile establishment. IL is the ware
House and factory and the central sta
ton from which all the goods are dis
tributed. The work Of selling the mel
chandise is done largely in retail
stores, and for this purpose the gov
eminent has twenty-five branches. one
at each canal center. They cover the
principal settlements along the canal
zone, and are found also at Porto Bel
10 and Toro Point In these cities
goods are sold In exchange for cou-
pons. which can DC procured by en-
ployes from their timekeepers or from
the officers Of the government and
Panama railway on invoices. You can
buy nothing in the stores except with
coupons. A twenty dollar gold piece
would not buy lead pencil. The sys-
TEN is all arranged on the coupon
basis. and one must carry his coupon
book Co the store and let the clerk
take out the checks which represent
the amount of his purchase. These
checks range in denomination from 81
TO ] cent. so that anything can be ex-
actly paid for The business is done
after a rigid accounting system. Cash
registers are employed and the sales
man makes out sales slip for each
purchase
The goods are taken TO the stores
on the cars from Cristobal and there
is special refrigerator train every
morning which has eleven cars rilled
with meats. ice and perishable goods.
and ten other cars loaded with other
goods. The train starts at 80 every
morning and il is the one train which
Is always on time.
In addition TO the goods sold in tho
stores, there is a big mail order BUSH
ness Messengers go around ever;
day to the homes of the employees and
take their orders receiving coupons
therefor. These are sent into the cen
tral Offices. and the goods are brought
back the next day. All the bread is de-
livered at the houses. and it is so of
the ice meats and groceries The
wagons Of the quartermaster come 60
the cold storage train and the house
keeper has her supplies even more reg
ularly and more quickly than in the
states. No charge is made for de-
livery.
In the cristobal commissary.
You can be interested I'm seeing one
of the local stores. Take that store al
Cristobal. 1t is situated on a corner
IN the heart Of the town. IL is about
ering all told almost half an acre. En-
terms YOU find yourself in an es-
adjustment much like a department
store. The room is filed with shelves
and counters. divided UP into depart
ments and each is devoted to one kind
of goods. Here there is nothing but
hardware. over there are glassware and
china and farther on are shelves filled
with dry goods and notions There Is
one department for cigars and tobacco.
another for drugs. and a third FOR
meats and groceries The meat branch
has cold storage room in which three
or four butchers are kept busy cutting
roasts chops and steaks for the Gus
toners Here everything is sanitary,
The meat is wrapped up IN the cold
storage chamber and handed oGt
through a slot
The stores are thoroughly organ
lied. Each has its white manager aud
its white assistant boolSkeeper The
other clerks are mostly West Indians.
because they are cheaper than whites,
receiving only from SIS 10 S45 per
month.
would say that have patronized
these stores q great deal during my
| stay on the isthmus. Through the
commissafy | have been able TO buy
one ~ the books. and have made MY
purchases with the coupons. ] find
the prices much lower than those Of
the local Panama establishments. and
In many cases they are as cheap ard
cheaper than At home. There is no
opposition as TO the prices FOR the gov
eminent publishes a fun price list ev-
cry week or so. and one can tell Just
! Mhat ANYTHING and everything cos0.