The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-02-22
IL Railroad Refused to
Ship Foodstuffs Here for
Three Weeks5 Household
ers Would Then Have
Cause to Worry, Belief OF
Prominent Dealers.
six Thousand Bushels OF
Potatoes, Estimated in
Possession Of One Firm
Flour Here in Plenty,
More is Being Rushed
From Middle West.

Bridgeport has narrowly
sidestepped q food panic, slim
ulated by publication Of sensa-
tional REPORTS that for g time
actually threatened the food
supplies of this city, and tend
ed to arouse the residents to 9
serious pitch. - !
The action Of the larger
commission and wholesale
grocery merchants has captur-
ed the trenches of speculators
bent on initiating prices and un-
loading excess stocks OF sup
plies and the situation is SEEM
ingly under control.
Even the smaller grocery dealers
throughout the city seemed imbued
with the spirit of conservatism and
held their prices already forced by
country-wide conditions to high
level. as near normal as could be un-
der local conditions.
With Joint action taken by the IN
terstate Commerce Commission and
the New Haven railroad early this
week. whereby a schedule OF deliver
les OF -four from Minneapolis, sugar
and potatoes has, been arranged Tor
daily delivery in Bridgeport and otn-
er New England cities, and the rail-
road gateways Of New England being
held open for food commodities to the
exclusion OF manufactured goods
there is no likelihood that actual food
shortage can result.
The utter uselessness OF the agita-
ton that has swept homes throughout
Bridgeport during the last few days
is seen in the statement made by
Turney Bros, yesterday, VINO out-
lined the situation in these words:
.3There is as much foodstuffs in this
CITY today as there ever has been
during the same week Of preceding
years"
Irrespective of published reports
that no -four was stored In reserve In
bridgeport it was learned that Com
stock & Willett Co. had approximately
400 barrels on hand, and that Miner,
Read and Tul1ock could supply about
1000 barrels in case of urgent ne
cessity. Likewise it was admitted by
Turney Brothers that their stock OF
D0taJO0S
3 900 bushels and one estimate placed
it nearer the 5000 mark
With prices for 1917 nearly 700 pei
cent. higher on potatoes than during
the seasons of 1915-16, dealers frank
ly admitted yesterday that the hold
ing of stocks could scarcely bring
higher prices but that sonne means
must be taken to conserve and equally
distribute the stocks here.
AT a meeting Of the directors of the
Bridgeport Business Mems associa-
ton held yesterday it as voted to au-
thorize David Feuer, head of Susman.
Feuer Co. and chairman of the trans
portation committee of the associa-
ton, to investigate conditions IN
Bridgeport.
The opinion prevails that with few
minor exceptions to the general rule
none OF the larger dealers has at
/ tempted to corner the market on flour
I sugar or potatoes, simply because the
/ prices had been Inflated by manipu-
| lators to prices considered excessive
before arrival OF stocks in Bridgeport
In their efforts to check panicky
/ conditions in Bridgeport yesterday re-
tail dealers in all sections of the city
i pOSLcu siSuS, we IidsC o"soi' "
! tatoes For Sale" and Plenty Of Su-
gar Here" These notices backed uI
/ by the immediate sale of limited
I quantities to each purchaser tended
! greatly to modify the fears enter.
I tanned by those who had read sensa.
! tional reports Of the supposed short
/ age
Minor Read & Tullock, among the
largest grocery supply houses in New
/ England, announced yesterday tfiat
merchants in this city had hundreds
/ OF carloads of provisions on the rails
/ destined for Bridgeport and due t
! arrive at~dny time
Undrr such conditions as existed
/, yesterday no reserve stocks could ex-
Continued on Page 40
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