The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-11-01
IRE WILLIuG TO SACRIFICE
Secretary Maddox Says That Kenoshs
Grocers Are Willing to Lose on Flour,
Potatoes and Other Products If
Given Half the Chance.

Ihere IS something wrong some
where. Government control of prices
is not working in Kenosha. The ,mer-
chants are blaming the farmers and
wholesalers and they are passing the
buck back to the merchants. Kenosha
merchants assert willingness to meet
the prices set by Food Administrator
Hoover but cite statistics to show that
this is impossible. They have even
gone so far as to say that they would
sell potatoes, sugar and -four at cost
or even at a slight loss, if the farmers
and wholesalers could be forced in some
manner to cooperate.
II have made a thorough investiga-
tion of the situation in Kenosha, -
said Secretary Maddox this morning,
'tand I have failed to find single
grocer or butcher who is charging an
exorbitant price for his product, con
sidering what he is forced to pay
either to the producer or to the whole
saler. Take flour, for example, the
price set by Food Administrator Hoover
is $1,000 barrel, but the wholesalers
are demanding as high as $1,000 and
$500 Even second grade flour can
not be purchased for less than $11.0O
per barrel We have written to the
State Council Of Defense, in an attempt
to force the wholesalers to furnish flour
at a price which would enable the Ke-
noebo ,,,archau+o r. ,,,an+ +be pop,1aSA If
the government. As to sugar, it can It
be bought for love nor money"
The potato question is also bother
ing the grocer. The County Council of
Defense has been able to purchase a
carload or so of potatoes to be sold at
$1.25 per bushel, but the merchants
claim that it is impossible for them to
meet this price. Here is the place
where they hand the buck to the farm
ers as they claim that there are numer-
Gus farmers in the county who are hold
ing their potatoes for fancy prices in
spite of the ruling of the government.
One farmer who has plentiful supply
Of "spuds' is reported to have said
that he would hold them for $500
a bushel or let them rot in the cellar
and according to the grocers this is the
attitude assumed by most of the farm
ers Of this and adjoining counties. The
Retailers Association say that they
can sell within twenyt-four hours two
thousand bushels of potatoes to Keno
sha dealers if they could get them at
$1.40 or less and that if such was the
case the grocers would willingly saeri-
fee small profit on them to meet
the government prices.
Kenosha is net the only city which
lis confronted by this problem in put
ting government control of prices into
practice. The pastime Of passing the
blame from retailers to wholesaler and
back to the producer or vice versa, is
prevalent in Chicago, Milwaukee and
smaller cities and all are anxiously
waiting final action by the state and
national administrators to place the
blame and furnish solution to the
lowering of the prices. And while they
are fixing the cause of the trouble, the
public will continue to pay the bill, for
according to Kenosha retailers, and
statistics seem to support their claim,
lower prices are impossible under the
present system in spite of their willing
ness to meet the requests Of Uncle Sam.