New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-06
War Has Not Affected
These Staples, Tribune
Probe Finds.
ONLY FLOUR AND
SUGAR ARE BOOSTED
Dealers PrOphesy Increase All
Along Line When Present
Contracts Expire.

An INQUIRY yesterday NV - -,
vailing prices for eggs and ouI.er, .ond
plsted the survey of the prlheiHR"' beve
staples whose prices supposedly n r
been Affected BY the European wa,
srsting the prices for these commodities
found in the chain stores as Cll'e
r;on. a WAS apparent that there was no
snstiseation for asking advanced prices
lar eOvs and butter with the war as a"
THO range Of prices found IN these
.tarss vas approximately the same 90
for tho corresponding week IaSV yea
while they were in advance OF pI!1s,
asked during the weeks Just pIeeeel"s
sbe outbreak Of the war. the rise i =
natural one, inasmuch as august anu o.
September prices for dairy ana laI,u
,s<pS1,cts are always higher than July
prices. al. 81.
Ear the war declarations began, WIN
butter and eggs at about their natur"s
level as established by the high cost OF
living during the last rev years anu
with other staple grocery prices rs ~
unineueneed by the war, -four and sugar
remained the only two neccssarleS lot
which the housewife need feel she must
pay abnormal prices. 10
IL her particular grocer shou4d CIV
sive prices for other goods, unless trey
ave imnorted from the countries at war;
she can feel pretty well satlshed jha'
he is seeking to take advantage oil her'
Sugar Going Up.
The dealers prophesied, however tna5
before the end Of the year they W9uIu
be justified in raising prices an alonE
fhe line. Sugar and flour. they Salu'
would still be the chief offenders in IN.
creasinc the cost Of living. they sara
that their sugar contracts at before
tba-var prices were beginning 10 run
ont. and that expecting a further rise
in price, they were making CONTRACTS
at the current wholesale prices oil -
TO 81 95 a hundred.
When the time came they said, they
would have to serve their customers
with sugp- purchased Indcr these new
contracts, and the present ADVANCED
prices of 80 cents for five pounds ana
% cents for three and onc-half pounds
would be materially increased.
The prices for eggs and butter yes
terday varied somewhat among the
various dealers, attributed BY them TO
the quality of their goods. The basis
Of comparison was increased by group
ing the egg and butter markets with
the chain grocery stores.
The Manhattan Butter Market, WIN
several stores i'm Harlem, was asking
81 cents for tub butter, 81 cents Tor
best creamery butter, 25 cents Tor
Western eggs and 80 cents Tor freSh
state eggs.
Gristede Brothers carried only the
best creamery butter, at 81 cents
Western eggs were % cents and fresh
state eggs were 80 cents, while special
White LeChorns were IS cents.
F. N. Sweeny, operating q number OF
stores on the upper West Side and IN
Harlem, with the main store at 752
Ninth av., carried only creamery but
ter, az 81 cents His eggs were 30
cents for Western and IS cents for
fresh state.
Butter at IS Cents.
The Reeves stores were selling cream
cry butter for 80 cents as Saturday
special, but the price will be So cents
on Monday Fresh Western eggs were
e5 cents; White Leghorns, 43.
L. oppenheimer was asking 80 cents
for creamery butter, 81 cents for West
ern eggs and So cents for fresh state
eggs.
James Butler was giving eleven
Western eggs for 25 cents, fresh state
eggs were 80 cents, his best creamery
butter was 35 cents and tub butter was
SO cents.
2. Parker's stores were asking 27
cents for Western eggs, 81 cents for
fresh state and 35 cents for creamery
butter.
Acker, Merrall & Condt bad tub but
ter at 80 cents, creamery at 80 cents
and fresh state eggs at SO cents.
The storekeepers said that the free
city markets were helping rather than
interfering with their business and
prices. One Of tho chain men confided
to a friend how he had a lot of soup
on his shelves which he could not get
rid of at four cents a can. So he
loaded it on one Of his wagons, carted
il to the Fort Lee ferry market and
sold it all at FIVE cents a can.
Another grocer remarked that the
free markets to a certain extent less
ened their competition from the wagon
merchants. Many Of these, instead OF
taking the grocers' customers away
from them by door-to-door sales, were
now gathering at the free markets.