The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-12-15
Carriage Expenses Help Boost
Prices, Census Bureau
Survey Shows.
ECONOMIES HELD POSSIBLE
Detailed Inquiry To Be Made In
Washington or in Some
Other City.

City carriage, or delivery costs on
| foodstuffs and merchandise bought In
Washington, IL an appreciable factor
In the high cost OF living In the Capi.
tai, II is shown In n preliminary sur
vey by the Census Bureau.
Secretary Of Commerce Redheld be.
lieves this factor In one OF the princi.
pal causes OF the high cost OF living
here and elsewhere, and this view is
shared by Director Of the Census Sam
l.. Rogers.
II liz shown by the inquiry that the
cost OF delivering milk, Ice. and coal,
and wood-necessities OF life In wash
ington--aggregated over II per. cent
OF gross sales OF these articles for es'
Establishments listed In the preliminary
survey.
The cost OF delivering general, or
department store merchandise. was
much loyser, running less than per
cent on gross sales.
Believes Economics Feasible.
Census officials who made the In.
quiry conclude that the cost OF dcliv'
cry Is undoubtedly a big factor In
high cost In the handling OF perish.
able and food products, while II IL not
as large as might be expected on gen.
| eral merchandise.
| Secretary of Commerce Redfeld 10
convinced that great economics In de.
| livery expenditures are possible, with
a coriseauent lowering Of costs.
| As a result of the showing on the
preliminary survey here, detailed
Inquiry IL to be made In Washington
or some other city. covering every
Item OF merchandise or produce upon
which there 10 n carriage or delivery
charge. II Is estimated that such an
| Investigation In Washington would
cost upward OF $1,000. while IL would
probe.
MIX and lee Highest.
4 Delivery costs on milk are appar-
entity among tho highest being one
OF the principal costs OF doing bust
ness In Washington. This II true
likewise to n slightly lesser extent
Of Ice. High delivery costs for milk
are ascribed 90 delivery demands made
by patrons of the milk dealers. The
dealers say that difficult delivery re-
| quirements must be met on pain OF
| losing customers.
The preliminary survey did not take
| up costs on foodstuns, except milk,
and ice was the only perishabie.
Nom perishables were bulked In q re-
port OF merchandise, including all
such as IL generally handled by de-
/
Report OF the preliminary survey
by the Census Bureau was made b,
Director Rogers to Secretary Redneld
today.
| Delivery Cost q Per Cest.
The department says with respect
to the report:
| The results OF this invsstig alton.
which was made In tho city of Wash.
ington! CONFIRM the general impres'
sion that the cost OF city carriage Ia a
the price paid by the consumer, and.
in tho opinion OF Secretary Redneid,
Justify the Census Bureau In select
Ing some representative city or cities
and detailing experts for the purpose
OF making more comprehensive
study OF the subject OF delivery cost
In relation to the prices OF commodi.
| ties,
"For the four selected classes OF
merchandise covered by the -preiiml.
nary suryey--ice. coal and wood,
milk. and department store merchan.
about 5000. 900. the s Cost Of dsIiY.fy
alone amounted TO dearly 100000. or
about per cent, according 10 tho ng.
ures compiled. IL IL the Secretary'r
cost great economies are possible; and
no also believes that tho survey OF
the selected city or cities--revealing,
as Il doubtless will, the very consid.
Icsrtage contributes to retail prices
will focus the attention OF consumers
upon the great saving to be effected
by eliminating duplication and thus
be OF distinct aid In reducing the cost
OF living"
Mercksadise Cost Low.
or the 100000 business shown In the
report, by far the largest share was
merchandise or department store bust
ness. while much the greater share OF
the 10000 cited as spent for delivery,
was spent In. coal and wood. ice and
milk deliveries. This leads to the con-
clusion that the average cost OF 8 per
cent on gross sales for deliveries in
Washington Is kept down by the high
ly organised merchandise business on
which delivery cost IL very low.
In other words. the merchandise sales
In the survey. aggregating perhaps two
thirds OF all sales shown, spent less
than quarter OF the total expenditures
FOR carriage.