The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-31
Reserve Supplies Needed to
Ward Off Hunger Here.
Hundreds of kilograms From
Over State After Orders.
POTATO SHORTAGE IS SERIOUS
And Hundreds of Cars Have
Been Shipped Away.
Express Companies Reaping
Harvest by Embargo.

Activities of Topeka commission
being concentrated on a frantic but
almost hopeless attempt to obtain re-
serve supplies of goods large enough
to minimize the emergency which will
be created here by trainmen's strike
Monday morning. But little success
in the effort is being met and the run
on grocery stores continues.
JobberS thruout the state are bonn
harding railroad offices and jobbers
and manufacturers in large cities with
kilograms by the hundreds in an at
tempt to induce the railroads to accept
shipments and the manufacturers to
ship. In practically all such cases,
however. the point of origin is so far
away that the railroads refuse to ac-
cept shipments because the goods
could not get here under the rules of
the embargoes. Again, the jobbers
and manufa cturers in Kansas City,
Chicago and other places from where
the goods could be shipped and arrive
here before the limit of the embargoes,
which is anywhere from Friday aft
ernoon to Sunday evening, are hold
ing onto their goods for consumption
IN their own cities, which will be hit
by a more serious shortage than will
Topeka.
Short on Potatoes.
"One of the most serious shortages
in Topeka will be in potatoes" S. E.
Lux, commission jobber. said today.
"The Kaw valley supply has been
practically exhausted It is impossible
to get shipments from the north or
anywhere else. I offered a jobber in
Kansas City SLAB a bushel for a car
which he had on hand Wednesday. At
first he promised them to me. Then
ne called me up and told me he could
not supply them. L suppose someone
else offered him more money
JobberS here are not laying in a
| reserve stock because they can't get
it. I certainly would stock up against
a big emergency if 1 were able" he
said in answer to a question.
The supply of potatoes here is al
ready short, according to merchants.
They are rated under perishabIe
freight by the railroads. If the strike
would be called Monday morning the
serious.
Supply shipped Out
This summer thousands of car
loads of potatoes were shipped from
the Kaw valley all over the United
States Prices were low, some of them
selling down to 60 cents a bushel Now
the Kaw valley supply is exhausted
and the Kaw valley is cut off from
other producing stations.
There is but small supply of vege-
tdDltS mere, the merchants say. Be
cause of the dry weather the output
of the Kaw valley was small The
freight embargoes will not permit ex-
tensive shipping from Colorado. The
Rocky Ford melon shipping in Colo
rado will be paralyzed and hundreds
of thousands of dollars will be lost
Merchants say they have a supply
of canned goods on hand that will last
, for at least two weeks. w. H. Davis
| of the Davis Mercantile company
states that his company has taken
precautions in the way of a reserve
stock but further stated he did not ex-
pect the emergency to last any great
| length of time.
Shipping by Express.
| Mr.. Lux stated that he was doing
much shipping by express and it was
costing him extra at the rate of 500
| q day. Many of the other firms are
/ in the same position. While the clause
in the railroad embargoes which pro-
vides for acceptance of shipments that
will reach destination before the strike
would be called is affording relief to
shippers it does not afford adequate
shipping facilities in long distance
/ hauls.
| A great many merchants have not
yet received their fall stocks and that
is to their disadvantage. A large
amount of that stock has been or
dered, they say, but much of that not
received has not yet bsen packed. Mr..
Lux said today a lot of his perishable
Oh ders has been delayed for several
days already on the roads.