Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-03-29
Will MAINTAIN
OLD PRICES IN
SPITE OF COST
Laundrymen Hard Hit BY Scar
city of Commodities to Stay
BY Same Figures

Though admitting that their bust
ness has been hard hit by the wars
high prices, all but one of the local
laundrymen consulted by the Star
Bulletin deny that they may soon
raise the price Of work. It has been
rumored that laundry prices might be
raised considerably.
J. C. Rapier, manager of the Alex.
ander Young Hotel Laundry, stated
definitely that no increase in prices
Is contemplated by his firm. We
intend to stand by our prices in spite
of the high cost OF materials" he
said
]. Abadie, manager OF the French
Laundry, made similar declaration
of maintaining the standard prices of
his company. Charles Kaiser of the
White Seal Laundry stated that no
increase in prices is contemplated in
the near future at least. Albert Rein
eicke, manager Of the American SAM
tsry Laundry, would make no state
ment at the present time as to wheth-
er a raise would or would not be
made by his firm.
Perhaps no local business of any
extent has been SO directly affected
by the wars increase of prices as
has the laundry business. All of the
managers consulted in the matter ex-
press this fact emphatically.
Have "oone Out Of SIGHT"
Bluing, starch, washing soda, wrap
ping paper, acids, gasoline and num-
erous other commodities have gone
"out of sight" as one manager puts
it.
Vegetable bluing for which we
paid 1885 a pound at the beginning
of the war has now gone to $14 q
pound" declared Mr.. Kaiser Of the
White Seal This Ii because the ma
terial from which it is made comes
from Germany.
Washing soda has gone up from
1910 a hundred pounds to $3.50 hun
dred. Starch which formerly sold for
cents a pound now sells for 10 cents
a pound. Paper has increased In price
at least 100 per cent, and this is one
Of our biggest items, as much Is re.
quired in wrapping the parcels.
Z Manager Rapier OF the Alexander
Young Laundry service played wise
at the beginning of the war, and pur-.
chased In large quantities the bluing
which he saw already starting up,
ward,
Much of this bluing, he says, is
mineral which cannot now be pur.
chased in the United States. The
mineral blue has been raised from
$4.S5 to $50 for the same amount.
London Pays Huge Price. " F..
Recently at an auction sale in Lon
don," says Mr.. Rapier, "a key of this
bluing which had formerly been worth
about $50 sold for $1491, and this is
characteristic of the high prices ask
ed for 1t in other places. T..
Soap has increased in value from
4 cents pound to cents a pound.
and shows no sign of lessening In
price. Starch has gone up and paper
has jumped more than 100 per cent.
"Oxalic acid, which used to be con-
sidered high at 8 cents pound is
now 90 cents, and bids fair to soon
pass the 81 mark. For six weeks
none of the acid could be purchased
whatever. We use this in bleaching
stains" :ss.
In addition to the other materials,
cloth which is used on the rollers and
which is of an especially fine make,
has also risen. This must be fire.
quently replaced as the wear on 1t Is
great.
According to figures from the vari-
GUS laundrymen, the entire increase
in cost of running their business is
about 200 per cent since the war be-
gan. H.. 49,.