Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-12-09
APPEAL TO
THE PUBLIC.
TOHELPCFT
CHFAPFOOD
Administrator Proposes to
Publish Prices Paid by
Retail Dealers for Chief
Articles of Food.
Will Then Ask Consumers to
See That Only Fair Profit
Is Charged Dealers Re-
fuse to Adopt the Cash
and Garry Plan.


fuse to Adopt the Cash
and Garry Plan.
The following statement was issued
yesterday from the office OF State Food
Administrator Bicknell:
All grocAry merchants OF Boise and
ghe surrounding territory who are
willing to put their business on a
cash and carry home" basis beginning
Jan. 1, 1918, are asked to communicate
such determination on their parts to
the food administration office, 31S-19
Idaho building. Boise, Idaho
II q sufficient number indicate their
willingness to so transact business
commencing the first OF next year and
the public wants It SO done, Idaho's
food administrator will issue q request
that all merchants 80 acting be backed
up with all the power the United
States food administration can COM
mand.
Idaho's Administrator has held three
meetings during the past 10 days with
the merchants OF this territory In I'M
successful endeavors to get them to
adopt the cash and carry home" plan
Is suggested by the United States food
administration, based upon recon-
mendations after extensive tnwestiga-
tons by the representatives of tho fed
eral trade commission, the food admin
istration, the department of agrtcul-
ture and tho commercial economy
board Of the council Of national de-
fense."
Although at tho request Of the gro
GERS all merchants were invited in to
Friday nights meeting with the view
of getting their cooperation so as to
better enable the grocers to adopt the
plan and many of these merchants
showed their willingness to cooper
ate. the grocers did not make good"
and in many of the votes taken at the
meeting insisted that the balloting be
limited to the grocers.
This action on the part of some Of
the larger grocers indicated to the
food administrator, that these grocers
are determined to follow what they be-
lieve to be their selfish interests rath-
er than comply with the necessities
demanding a change in bushes re-
sulting from the war.
WILL PUBLIC SUBMIT
Idaho's administrator has now de-
termined to carry the government up
peal directly to the public with the
view of discovering whether the public
Il willing to submit to some slight In
eonwenienoes that It might better en-
abls their country to win the war.
A majority Of tho grocers voted IA
vorably on the adoption of the food ad-
ministration plan at the meeting Fri
day night with these results: For q
no delivery except paid for system
ycs, "a; no. Z: for . straight cash sys-
tem-yes. ~; no, 4 These votes. were
confined TO Boise grocers entirely.
Voting On the Same proposition by the
outside merchants showed I voting in
the affirmative on both propositions
and none voting against It All the
grocers voting on both propositions
showed ~ voting yes and six register
Ing no.
While tho result Of tho balloting
showed an overwhelming majority, the
Idaho administration had hoped that
the merchants would see the feasibil-
ity OF the plan from . patriotic stand
point that the matter could have been
made unanimous, and he calls atten-
ton to the fact that throughout the
ballotinS votes cast both ways were in
several instances explained with
strings" tied to them.
STATEMENT BY MR.. BlCkNELL
Mr.. Bicknell says: II listened to the
grocers expressing their pros and cons
for three solid hours Friday night, got
all their views and let them do all the
talking, and now / want to do some
talking to both the grocers. the mer-
chants and notably to the public.
MANY of the men in attendance at
these various meetings seem to over
look the fact that we are in the midst
of death struggle between democracy
and autocracy and that in making the
request that they change their man
ner of doing business ] was speak ing
officially for the United States gov
eminent and not because / was desir-
Gus of impressing upon them any in
dividual views of my own.
The men at Washington represent
ing the various boards, who decided
after a full. mature and deliberate in
vestigation. that the cash way Of doing
business would be big boon in the
present crisis and that the delivery
system cost too much, having been
greatly abused by the public through
encouragement by the merchants to
give them everything they demanded,
should be cut out. are all experts and
were gathered from the four corners
OF this country to make recommended
<3oua ~ h,.efuesa that would mt mt