Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-21

,f,er reading the papers and hearing
a. naople talk nowadays one would think
,bat everything except postage stamps and
srInking water had Joined the chorus Of
,hs high cost of living But tits not so.
ona has a Jolt coming; for on deep in
,asf,gatlon. one will find that some things
.,e tbe same as to prices as they were
.befo de wah'
Among these modest things that have not
.r,ered the riotous race Of prices are nuts
rrnnes bananas. rice and some kinds Of
esh simple folk who desire 10 Confine them
selyes to the cost levels OF former days
might sustain themselves without emacia-
,ion by a proper combination of these foods
roYee could he used as a beverage for IT,
too, has not advanced in average price. One
eould use prune juice as n sweetener
"But. confound it," snOrted a banana
~bolesaler on Dock street, "the people
won't eat what's cheap. They hear every
thing is way up In price and they want to
nav high prices or they think things are no
rood. The higher the price the more they
buy. and they turn up their noses at things
that don't go up in price.
u bananas are good food. The natives in
the tropics almost live on 'em, and bananas
would be a big sight better for folks in this
country. than some of the stuff they eat.
The last shipload that came in was sold at
fen cents per 100 pounds less than the price
last year. They retail Mt fifteen to twenty
cents A. dozen for good-si2e fruit. Phila-
delphia eats shipload n week from South
America but II could eat n lot more If the
people would buy 'em."
Rice stands at the same price as formerly.
There was a good crop last year and the
demand for it is not excessive, People as
4 rule think they are "Chinified" if they
eat much rice they blush and stammer
when they tell their neighbors about having
Il for dinner. But pound of rice swelled
up by proper cooking will fill--oh, it will
All ever so many stomachs. And with the
exception of vhe fatty food element, rice
contains practically all the DEMONSTRATING
necessities Rice sells at from eight to
twelve cents n pound, according to size and
quality of grain.
The prune-the luscious boarding house
prune-stil offers it's services at its usual
price of twelve to fifteen cents pound The
prune is said by food experts to be the
purest of the dried fruits, because no chem
icals are used in its preparation as are
used In drying other decduous fruits. And
the prune has more sugar and real food
elements than most fruits. Doctors recon-
mend 1t to convalescents.
Nuts, such as English walnuts, almonds
Brazil nuts, sell at twenty-five to thirty
cents pound which is the same level as
former years, the grocers say. Peanuts are
much cheaper II bought by the pound. Nuts
are said by food experts to furnish more
food value. dollar for dollar, than ordinary
meats. If properly mastcated they are
easily digested they say.
T. AS to coffee, it is the one very common
grocery staple which has not mounted in
price. South America is still on the job as
coffee producer Prices range from six
teen to thirty-flve cents and higher. but
the average Is the same as in former years.
Fish generally has advanced five or ten
per cent over last years prices. but this
advance is very small IN proportion with
the advances in many other food articles.
Much fish is eaten, but more would be of
advantage TO consumers both in food cost
and health, the fishmongers say. They
have plentiful supply from Canada and
the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. as we'll
rs the Atlantic coast to the south The
nsh are frozen in chunks and not broken
apart until they reach the retailer.
Retail prices in Philadelphia vary ac-
eording to quality and the place of sale.
haddock sells for twelve to fifteen cents a
pound weakfsh twelve to fifteen trout
nfteen to twenty whiting. ten to twelve
sea bass, fifteen to eighteen; cod steaks.
twenty to twenty-five; smets. twenty, and
halibut, twenty-five to thirty.
People do not seem to care much about
prices said a grocery buyer for one of
the larger stores this morning. "They get
accustomed to certain standard of butter,
Tor instance; they may try oleomargarlne
tor time, but In the end they will return
70 their favorite grade OF butter, no matter
II mas gone to sixty cents pound