The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-09-24
War Time Grocery Store Prices
Outlined by a Wholesaler

Interesting figures on the subject OF
grocery prices are presented in an al
dress delivered by Oscar B. McGias-
son, president OF the National Whole
sale Grocers' association before the
Chicago Chamber Of Commerce. MI.
McGlasson said:
AT. the. request OF the department
OF Justice at Washington, ! have pre-
pared statement OF over one hum
dred items Of domestic groceries,
those manufactured and produced In
this country and about fifty items OF
imported foods, taking the price OF
these groceries in July, 1913, and COM
pairing them with prices OF July, 1914.
and also the same foods, comparing
the prices at the beginning OF the
war; Aug. l., with those Of Aug Aug IL
this year.
IF | sold a retailer bill of these
domestic groceries land include
sugar and -FOUR consisting Of one
hundred and three items. In July,
1913. he would have paid s22s.16; II
this retailer had bought these same
goods. item for item in July this
year. it would have cost him $3.50. 10,
or 1.37 more; these same goods, sold
August list, beginning of the war.
would cost the retailer $230.74, ana
on August 81. about twenty-five days
after war was declared, this man
would pay $233.96, a difference OF
1922. or little over 1 per cent. ad-
vance, and, this difference Is more
than made up in the price of one
article-sugar.
These articles are the 4 common
groceries sold day after day by all
retailers, and are made in this coun-
try. Imported goods are a luxury
and I am little concerned If the per-
son who demands them is compelled
to paw for the fad-the longing to
satisfy dainty palate with foreign
made goods-as know that the best
foods in the, world are produced IN
the United States.
"This retailer would have paid IN
July, 1918. for forty-eight items OF
imported foods, s391.11; July list, this
year. 1929; August LIST, beginning
of war s394.s9. and August 21st, $497.-
So. or a difference of $102.63, showing
an increase on imported foods OF
about 30 per cent AS the wholesale
grocers carry very light line OF I'M
ported foods, 1 would have been COM
PEELED to pay this advance to regular
importers agent In short while
all imported foods will be consumed,
(even at higher prices. as the rich are
willing to pay any price,.
"But we have this satisfaction. that
those who have been eating foreign
made goods will be compelled to eat
homemade, and they will be so pleas
ed with the wholesomeness, the purity
and satisfying quality of homemade
foods, that they will be forever cured
of their foreign taste
81 have given the plain facts-plain
figures-and this list has been sent
to the department of justice at Wash
ington. and am willing to. check the
figures with anyone. This evidence
would be accepted in any court. and
should be received by the public as
conclusively and finally showing that
all this agitation is largely one OF
Imagination psychological, if you
please.
eff am told by everyone I meet a
certain thing, 1 am convinced In my
mind that it is the truth. When the
consumer is informed. from apparent
" reliable sources from day to day,
that foods are going sky-high-that
spectators are holding foods-that
the cost of living is to increase, by
reason Of unlawful combinations or
unscrupulous men, and the depart
ment Of justice is ordered by our
president to investigate: and the
mayor Of our city establishes vel
fare department for that purpose, the
average consumer concludes that it is
best to buy big supply of foods and
lay up a few months requirements.
'All this has put the people in a
hysteria-a panic-as with the eScep'
ton of imported foods, only one
article, sugar, has materially increas-
ed since the war. and the following