The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-05
They Set Prices in Accord ance With Fluctuating Markets Without Con- sideration for Con-
 sumer, Is Alleged
RETAILERS GUIDED BY FIGURE THEY PAY THE JOBBERS, IS DECLARED
This Difference Causes the Burden Which the People Bear Is the Sense of Interviews-Yes-
 terday's Developments

The story of the local market since the spectacular increases in the price of, food commodities which has been told by jobbers, wholesale and retail dealers, and the people who have been forced to bear the burden, reached its climax when reports that many local spectators had s.got rich quick" were confirmed. The feature of the devel- opment of yesterday consisted of inter- views from retail dealers in which jobbers and wholesale dealers were taken severely to task.
 The retail dealers who talked straight from the shoulder" without attempt to shield or protect made the point that the viewpoint of the retailer and wholesaler is entirely different. the one, dealing directly with the pub llc, amenable to the opinion of the public, and the other dealing only with merchants, so hardened that he seldom considers the public.
 
 These retail merchants hold iobbers and wholesale merchants at least par tlaliy to blame for "war priceso which have prevailed and do prevail in Bir- mingham. Some of the statement se- cured yesterday follow:
 Big Dealer Hardenedv ". W. Wood: The jobber and
 the large wholesaler who deal in
 groceries take view of the pres
 ent market situation different from
 tnat of the average retailer.
 nave read with peculiar interest
 interviews given out by the .bie
 business men who operate on the
 local sugar and flour market.
 inese men do not hesitate to use
 all possible influence to hul1 the
 market; and in order that they may pc able to realize on great hold. ings Tn warehouses; no stone ia
 ieAt uhturned to influence public
 sentiment in their favor. The
 dealer in huge quantities of pro-
 visions has become hardened. All
 Pupiic responsibility has been for
 so..eh III mad rush for pecu-
 niary profit. I believe one of inc
 cnlef reasons for the spectacular
 advances which, have occurred on
 the Birmingham market is that the wholesaler and jobber base prices
 made to the retail trade entirely on the market quotations received py telegraph at the close of busi-
 ness each day. If great dealer mas by any chance secured con trol of vast quantity of provis- Ions by the use of special knowl- cage of the market and by reason or large capital and great storage facilities, he considers any profit.
 no matter how large, that can be
 secured then by holding necessi-
 ties or life for long periods Of time. entirely legitimate. These dealers are not in touch with the public. They deal only in finan- cial terms, and only finance is thought of. Any rumor of changed
 conditions that would tend to af-
 feet the market of commodities
 held by them is immediately ac- cepted as true, given the stamp of
 approval, and freely circulated among the trade.
 The Different Views
 Many retailers take an entirely .if- ferent view of the market. Take the practlce or my firm for an example. Our selling prices are based almost en- tirely on cost prices When the mar ket goes up we continue to retail at the same price until we are forced to restock at higher prices. We like to give our customers the benefit of busi- ness acumen which might have been brought in play in making our pur- chases We protect the trade. This policy pays in the long run. It builds up business. We want only a le- gitimate profit. We are now selling sugar at 1s pounds for $1. The whole- sale quotation is now about 71kc in Birmingham. We certainly would -n ot make anything like a fair profit if our retail price was based on this quotation But we secured this lot of sugar before the spectacular advances and We feel obligated to share our gain with the public. am now con sidering reducing the retail price of sugar to IA pounds for 31. My com. pany also purchased few carloads |of flour at low prices We are now disposing of this lot at an average of $1 per barrel below the wholesale quo tation. If the Birmingham wholesaler and jobber would adopt this policy and turn loose vast quantities of provisions now being held. awaiting even fur rner anYances Tn price, great purucu would certainly be raised from the shoulders of the working man and consumer. Of course, the wholesaler and jobber is not entirely to blame
 (Continued on page Eleven)