The Detroit times., 1912-01-03
OLD MARKET BASKET
AGENCY FOR LOWER PRICES
Economist Says Housewives
Should Drop Fancy Pack
age Craze.

NEW YORK. Jan. S.-Mrs. Julian
Heath. chairman OF the household
economic committee OF the City Fed.
GRAFTON OF Womens clubs, who or.
ganized last October an association
for the reduction of the high cost of
living, is out with advice In regard
TO what housekeepers should do 20
save at least 20 per cent OF their en-.
penses for foodstuffs
MIS- Heath. who has studied all
phases OF the question for several
years, 10 considered an expert. and
her Housewives League, membership
In which Is open 10 every woman who
Will make investi gations In her neigh
borhood and pay Just Ave cents
year, already has resulted in the low.
ering OF expenses in many homes. On
Jan. 8, she will address a meeting OF
the residents of Summit. y. j., who
nave risen In protest against exist
ing prices.
The time has come" said Mrs
Heath, when IL is necessary for wo-
men TO unite to save their homes. The
vast amount of money made by the
non-producers who have gone into
business OF retailing foodstuffs Is a
terrible drain upon the pocketbooks
Inittee have discovered a method of
combating this evil. and take
pleasure In explaining.
First OF all, however, | want IL dis
tinctly understood | am not setting
70 he. Cd
am aiming TO do Is to aid in the
and save money for the individual
| family
In this metropolitan district we
have several millions OF people, so II
| Is natural that an organization such
as ours must be divided into groups.
Community groups We call them,
and in each OF these the women or a
certain locality can gather, appoint a
chairman and there inform each
other OF the prices asked at the
stores in which they trade. General
conditions, such as methodsT OF hand
ling foodstuffs, etc, can be reported
and there il can be decided which
OF the community grocers and butch
ers should be patronized.
Where IL is possible TO go TO a
large market | would urge that the
housekeeper do II. | realize the hard
ship In a large city that would be
met by such trip, but | urge that
certain public markets be located
throughout the city. Here IL can be
arranged that the farmers from New
Jersey, Westchester County and Long
Island can gather and sell direct 10
the consumer II may sound hard TO
/ say that this would mean several OF
The grocers and middlemen would
lose SO much money that they would
have 10 close shop, but. after all,
there are too many of these men.
| To-day we have craze for pretty
| packages. We buy crackers at the
rate OF 80 cents a pound instead OF
no. Why should we hesitate in al
lowing the grocer TO handle them
once9 He would take them out OF
he big tin box just as he takes but
ter from the large tub
Women OF means in the suburbs
can save much IT, on their motor
trips, they stop at some farm and
/ buy their green groceries. II Is alb
surd 10 pay what we do for them and
the habit of their sisters in the city
TO run long.standing accounts at the
! stores also should be stopped. The
habit is unfair 70 the tradespeople
land they cannot be blamed for charg-
1 ing more. since they have 10 wait so
long for payment.
Forget the telephone ordering
See what you buy Realize. too. that
the care of the home is a profess
sion