Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-12-17
GROCER GIVES HIS
SIDE OF THE H. G. |.
Favors Putting Embargo On
Foodstuff Until Prices
Drop a Little.
MAKES LESS PROFIT NOW

the question of the high cost OF liv-
ing, at least J J. Cameron, secretary
OF the Omaha Retail Groccrs' associa
ton. says there is. He points out some
of the grocers' side OF the contro-
versy in an editorial in the Grocery
Reporter.
The real cause for the high cost
OF living" he says, seems to be a
puzzle and very difficult one to To-
cate just where the trouble is Every
one from the government down 10 the
consumer seems to think there is a
black man in the woodpile some
where, which makes them very SuS-
picious OF everyone who has anything
to do with the handling of food prod
uctS.
Some people say there has been a
short crop OF nearly all grain and veg
etabes: others claim that spectators
have bought up and are holding all
staple foods for high prices, while
others say we are exporting too much
and we should have an embargo.
President Wilson says the farmers did
not raise a sufficient amount to sup
ply the demafd.
Eve all know something is wrong
Coxey's Army.
Then Mr.. Cameron kids this
great big risky country OF ours for
its spasmodic writings. which re-
suited once in a Coxey's army in a
financial panic Of 1898. once in a cash
iers' checks furry of 1907 and the
present unreasonable antics OF King
High Cost of Living"
He then points out that the great
est institution of all never missed a
beat during all these shake ups, and
that institution, according to his way
of thinking, is the scientific and eff
ficient system of food manufacture
and distribution.
"The manufacturer sells to the job
Der, the jobber to the retailer and the
retailer distributes to the consumer
he continues. However, many mex
perienced people have made a deter
mined and persistent effort to demon
alize this long. established and scien-
tihc principle of distribution.
Grange is No More.
The grange was a very popular in
stitution for the consumer few years
ago, but nothing is left of that but a
faint memory of days gone by Co.
operative buying has been bobbing up
occasionally, but the most we hear
about that now is the stockholders
hunting for the promoters. Boycotts
have been in the air for some time,
and the women folks must be encour-
aged, right or wrong. Community
buying is an old game and can be
played on any occasion; while it is a
sure thing game at first, they all lose
quickly and it does not last long
enough to give any satisfaction. That
pesky middleman makes all the
trouble.
while all OF those various schemes
were tried out, the missing link was
never discovered until Postmaster
Burleson had put in operation his
farm-to-table proposition. While it
was a little expensive, it was a big
success for the mail order and cata-
logue houses. We understand they
are making several millions of dol
lars a year out of the parcel post sys-
tenn; but the consumer and the
farmer are as far apart as ever.
For Small Garner.
THE question now is, what is the
best thing to do to relieve the situa-
ton for the small wage Garner. Gov
eminent statistics show there is a
short crop and that large shipments
of meat, grain and food are sent TO
foreign countries, and also that specu-
lators are taking advantage of the sit
uation and storing immense quantities
of these staple articles, holding them
for war prices Under these condi-
tons an embargo is the only question
to be considered. Put an embargo on
for two or three months, and when
spectators find none of their hold
ings can be shipped out of this coun-
try, they will be compelled to let
loose here for what they can get,
thereby getting the prices down grad
ually to normal.
Smaller Profit.
The retail grocers would welcome
this change, providing the prices did
not drop too suddenly. The difficult
ties of the retailer who was battling
with the rising costs, that were in
creasing every day, were not under
stood by the consumers. The per-
sistent efforts that were made by the
grocer trying to please his customers
were not appreciated. Grocers car
rying fifty or sixty of their best Gus
toners who paid promptly every week
or month necessarily would have from
$1,000 to $500 on their books most
of the time. When prices went up SO
per cent, these same customers &C
counts were raised to nearly $1,000
and the profits were considerably less
than at the lower prices.
when -four sold at $l.35 to 81 50
per sack, the usual profit was 20 to
rs cents per sack. When the prices
raised to $3.50, their profits were no
more per sack, but their investment
on the same amount of -four was near
ly double. Potatoes and many other
articles we're on the same basis"