The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-17
SUGAR CONTROLLED N 1oPHQ
But Prices Are MaAe By the
Men Higher Up.
Monte Klstler Was On W1tnooo
Stand Today.


.eeS 4: given by John witt D.sis .assss
| tile Co. manager.
ION August We had in stock 1.Hoe
bags Of sugar. On that date Ne haA
purchased 10000 bags Of sugar mot
delivered. On August II we bought .
car of 500 bags and another On Augu1t
\ 1b."-Testimony of John c. WITT sa1oo
manager Of the Davis Mercantile conn
pany.
Il should estimate We had s.ooo
sack CAME Of sgk:r va no on hsnH when the
purchased but not delivered. but In
what quantity l can not say. am not
in position to know as v. b. Kiseler
handles that part Of the businessss-
man for the McCord-Kistler Whole
sale company.
; I'VE get our prices ON sugar from
tho firms Of brokers at Kansas city
through whom Ne are supplied by tno
4 refiners. The sugar we hly here -
} manufectnred p CaliIernia. celoee1S
have never IN MY rscofiss4ion ssen
lower prices on setans11nted cane sugar
, than were in force last apring after
J the tariff reduction became effective.
No German manufactured sugar \
!. sold in this part Of the country 80 Tar
az have ever heard."-Erom Mr..
Wits statement.
-
That fortunes have been made in
Topeka in the last two weeks by deal
ers at wholesale in the necessities OF
llving,- through advances in the price
Of sugar and that unless an early
crash comes the profits will continue
to pile up at an unheard Of rate. WoD
the Implication Of the testimony be-
| fore Fred Robertson. United states
district attorney. who u probing the
wartime advances Of this and other
| articles of food on behalf of the eov-
ernment.
Nothing to show collusion between
wholesalers, however, was produced.
The enormous profits such az are to
be obtained from an advance Of &3.36
sack on thousands Of sacks OF sugar
have been the reward of wholesale
dealers astute enough to buy heavily
before refiners advanced prices to the
Davis Mercantile company and the
McCord-Kistler Wholesale company
have shared In the profit-creating
climb of the sugar market. This morn
fng's session of the hearing was de-
voted chiefly to the sugar business.
prices on beans. rice, spices and cof-
fee coming In for q small share Of at
tention.
Today for the first time witnesses
are being put under oath. Saturdays
testimony was given informally. NIL
lers were heard then regarding meth.
. DDS customarfly in use in marketing
!. flour.
Monte Kistler of the McCord-Kistler
/ Mercantile company was the first wit
, ness to be called for the investigatio
, He was questioned concerning the pur-
chases Of sugar by the corporation.
! Kistler said he could not furnish the
l desired information. The elder KistIer
knew about these matters, said the Wit
: ness. but he Is not in the city at this
time.
l 1t developed in the course Of the in
Kistler company had on hands 5,OOe
I sacks OF sugar which were bou9ht
l when the sugar market slumped some
e weeks ago. TEis sugar. under prevail
} ing conditions, is being disposed Of AZ
$ 50 the hundred pounds. At $485. the
price at the time the deal for the pur-
I chase of this sugar was consummsted.
Y there was still q living profit for the
In addition to the 5000 sacks Of
sugar which the McCord-Kistler peo-
pie had on hands when the suear
market went skyward. It held future
to be delivered in large quantities. ThIr
r sugar. the witness said, had not ~
yet been delivered. but was contracted
for and is to be delivered at the price
n purchased.
: No Combanadon-Wftt
John Witt, sales manager for tho
Davis Mercantile company, gave -
assortment OF concise Information rel
: ative to market conditions in the pant
two weeks which did more to abGolvo
local dealers from appearance Of do
ing anything worse than reaping Z
: legitimate profit through fortunatS
turns in the market, than any Other
: evidence 20 far obtained.
He told the amounts Of sugar Owr,o0
by his Arm. az given above, ana W9n1
on to explain that their market iufor-
!. nation came daily from the Kanno1
= City firms Of brokers who reproGon1
q the refiners for this market. Knov3-
- edge that the price had advanced 81
y the primary market was the originoI
"a motive for the advance Of the Iuon]
9 price. He denied positively TIA -