Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-25
f,overnment Ownership
advocated by German
town Merchant, Who
watches Distress
figures Cited to Prove
Small Dealers Are Not
Getting Big Profits.
Farmers Are Blamed

n
- THE days Of your courtship' Mrs
~ uousekeeper. you and the man
now the head Of your little but al
- hungry family woulo ssron on aes s,.es
r-...n,e through the romantic WOODED
IL the Wissahickon In the mansion
r<I.' -. ~ venerable Germantown. In
rrea -dreams Of n domestic castle you
{o-..s vourrelf-and him, OF course-hV-
~ S.,n,lv ever after" In one OF the many
stfrrctve nelghborhoods OF ,nat % suouiD
iw hnsbands income. you preferred the
f {'e'.-n.rsive houses 20 the east OF German
- - svenue. because rents over there were
~. reasonable, and, besides, the living
- cheaper.
~. are. 10 be a careful, economical
s.s.eper and you were going to put by
-. ~ iIttle from your table allowance,
rS,ovn 10 your husband, until one special
80 Won we're going to surprise him by
s~<~sing your sacredly boarded nestegg
80 Won were 70 reap the reward OF your
,sasr,ai and convert the treasure into
s.xment on the purchase Of one of those
-,t.iv West Side homes that you admired
"a coveted IN the days of your wooing.
CAN'T SAVE A PENNY
mt YOU didn't take into account. did you.
A. rising cost of food, that not only you
~ vonr husband but the sharers of your
- and happiness must have7 He comes
kr,ce nightly from the shop or mill, ana
noush work is plentiful and the pay en-
vslops Is somewhat fatter than was
-<sr or two ago, you can't save penny
-, ths weeks end comes, although you
~ not bit extravagant in your household
Ana yours is no exceptional case. Your
,slrhbors tell the same story and face the
nms problem. Some OF them IKE tne
sc,.skeepers OF other parts of the city, have
srn,aled in their perplexity to the EVENING
11narR In turn the EVENING LEDGER has
rshmitted the matter to the corner grocery
nan. yours perhaps, knowing that, In
MEASURE, he Is the domestic "confessor
q his vicinity.
Flower, who has conducted grocery store
Al the corner of Penn street and Magnolia
avenue for twenty-eight years
"JUsr CAN'T HELP IT,
sconditions today. as see them" said
xr Flower 'are unpreventable under our
eristing methods of business, and 1 think
n time the small grocer, such as I am will
become thing of the past. The Government
nay have TO take over this industry, as well
a others and control its conduct, unless the
ble men change their course. Today all is
ooncentration and monopoly. few per-
sons control production. and while such
state OF affairs is permitted to continue
don't see how prices or living conditions can
become any better. The time Is not ripe
now. but It is coming. when Government
ownership must be employed II the work
hsman. the small wage-earner, is to live as
hs should
Actually, II looks to me as II we are
nnng weaker generation. unoer tne
present living cost the man OF moderate
means simply cannot buy the proper food
nr himself ana his family ne cannot
rve his children the education they should
have and that he wants them TO have in
aoer 70 make their living In the world
shen tney leave school. lie WORKS every
eay, Is sober and frugal yet his wages DO
not rise In keeping with the increasing cost
the necessities OF his household, SO he
mas 70 DO without many things both for
himself and his children. that they abso-
iutely need
Ihis can have only one result. In spite
compulsory education, more stringent
sanitary laws and other precautions we are
going to raise up weaker generation, for
ne simple reason that an Industrious man
moderate salary cannot afford to feed
sno clothe his children as he should.
c0AprN,c rocrS
ISIS
lake tne mills around mere: know
nm'nes that are In want, although the
auspaho ana tather is WORKING TO the ut
most Of his ability. We feel this condition.
we cannot see such family. our
"hknpors and worthy people, starve. When
woman comes into the store and asks
~ credit, often give 1t out OF pity, know
iuli well that 1 won't be paid.
Let me illustrate. A man earns, say
w Out Of that he sets aside 81 toward
INIT Now. with clothing and coal, milk
@na ice. light and other expenses, he can
not give the grocer more than IS a week.
And with pricos as they are today IS a
week viii not keep a working man and his