Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1916-02-25
DRUGGIST TELLS
OF HIGH PRICES
On Account of the War in Europe
the Retail Druggists Are Now
Losing Their Profits
IS A SCARCITY OF CASTOR OIL
Price Of Quinine Will Advance and
Clycerine is Affected

During the past few months prices
of nearly all commodities have adj
vanced from 10 per cent upward
Paper stock and ink prices have been
materially advanced. Prices of food
stuffs have advanced as well as prices
on all kinds of general merchandise.
Local merchants tell that standard
makes of overalls which before the
war could be bought for from $3.50
to $1,000 per dozen cost from $3.50
to $500 now. Freight amounts to
about 20 cents per dozen and yet the
local merchants sell these overalls
for 81 each. Cotton gloves have adj
vanced in price from 10 to % cents
per dozen and shoe strings have adj
vanced $50 per cent
The retail druggist is a fellow suf-
ferer with the consumer of drugs as
a result of the war prices prevail
ing, and not, as some consumers may
imagine, an extortioner taking adj
vantage of conditions to boost prices,
according to II. j. Frank of the Blu
mauer-Frank Drug company.
If one can not buy a ten cent bot
tie of castor oil, or has to pay more
than he ever paid in his life before,
Mr.. Frank indicates that the retail
druggist should not be brought to
task, since, as a matter of fact, his
prohts are cut tremendously by the
high price he has to pay for his
stock in these days.
Sensational advances in the price
~ oh ha
been and still are the rule rather
than the exception" he says.
1T is becoming more difficult ev-
cry day for drug jobbers to replenish
fast-disappearing stocks, and price
has become a secondary considera-
ton for many items.
Retail Profits Are Less
with these conditions prevailing,
and growing worse, the position of
the retail druggist is such that the
consuming public should know of the
existing conditions. The consumer
is paying in some instances 10 times
as much as he did before the war,
and yet the retail druggists profit
is no more, but relatively less. This
fact should be borne in mind.
"a household drug which has been
in use since the dawn of civilization
is castor oil. At the present time
the manufacturers are unable to sup
ply; their stocks have become COM
pletely exhausted and they are I'M
able to manufacture because the
stocks of castor beans, from which
the oil is extracted, are unprocurable.
The principal source of supply of
these beans is India Owing to the
war the freight vessels now in opera
ton are accepting for transportation
only war munitions and other COM
modities which carry a high freight
rate-therefore the stocks of beans
can not be replenished.
From present indications wher
the present small stocks of the oil
are exhausted it will be completely
off the market. This condition has
caused a phenomenal advance. Pre-
vious to this condition the retail
druggist bought at a nominal price
of rs cents a gallon; today he is
paying $3.50 a gallon, with his pur-
chases restricted to one gallon. The
consumer will thus understand why
it is no longer possible to procure {
10 cent bottle of castor oil.
Quinine to Cost Still More
Another chemical in universal de-
mand which has had a prominent
place in the uplift of prices is qui