The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-02-21
other Pacific coast cities. It was be-

jlieved today.
/ Although prices OF perishable foo
/ stuffs in San Francisco and elst
where In California do not compar
1 with those in the east. they nav
still reached unprecedented figures
Potatoes today were selling
five cents a pound retail, and som
fancy grades at that figure whole
sale. Onions sold wholesale at iron
i12h to Is cents pound, and Inn
| beans at 10 to II cents. Wholesal
potato prices have Advanced MT!
cents a hundred pounds in SO hours
Eggs are among the few article:
showing a decline and are now sell
ing at 80 cents.
Butter was unchanged at So cents
Other prices: String beans 80 .
So; peas, 1g1s; sweet potatoes. :
per GENITAL: turnips, 1925 SACK
squash, 31s cents a pound.
Meanwhile with the price OF flohi
soaring, local bakers have asKe.
permission Of the city supervisors u
sell a ten ounce loaf of bread Tor 3
nickel instead of twelve ounce LOAF
as the law provides.
To Be Still Higher.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, Feb. 2l.-food
prices will continue to soar hlgher
and higher and sensational prices
may be reached in 1918, A. c. Eek
lund, president of the Minnesota Re
tail Grocers' association said here TO-
day. With buyers paying 500
bushel for Minnesota potatoes. ana
buying at the farms, spuds may De
expected to take an immediate jump.
he said. Canned goods, he SAID,
would Jump another thirty percent
this spring, making the price just
double what it was in 1914.
Minneapolis millers discounted the
OF -four taking any sensa-
tional jumps this week. They de-
cllned to comment on eventual prices,
explaining the only comfort they
could give was for this week.
Boycott on Potatoes.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 21.-The
Housewives league of Los Angeles
today declared a boycott against
potatoes. AS long as potatoes are
being held at the present price or
FIVE cents pound, the membership
of the organization will refuse to
buy them, according to Mrs. Watsch,
president.
AS lima beans are today quoted at
II cents pound, wholesale onions
are retailing at 1871 cents pound
and other staple vegetables are COM
similar prices. the boycott
may extend to other conditions. To
night the league will hold mass
meeting to discuss the situation.
Double Last Years Prices.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Feb. 21.-With
potatoes at seventy cents peck, or
5% cents q pound, and ebgs bringing
a naverage OF SO cents a dozen, ST,
Louis today was feeling the weight
of high food prices. Butter prices
ranged from 48 to SO cents pound
There was some reduction in Few
farm products. but they were in the
commodities that are not in great de
mand here. Squash was retailing fol
one cent pound. Onions were
quoted as high as fifteen cents
pound.
String beans were an unknown
quantity today, together with lima
beans. Future bids on string beans
brought as high as 312 bushel. Sales
last week were at S..
Dealers along produce row said
prices today in many cases were
more than doubled those Of last year
Pork Goes Up Again.
CHICAGO, Feb. 21.-With hogs
quoted on the Chicago markets today
at 1925 per hundred, nearly halt
dollar higher than the record price
since the civil war, Chicago whole
salers, packers and retailers today
came out with a prediction Of an in.
crease of from 10 to 40 percent in
retail prices Of meats.
Alibis galore, including freight con-
gestion, excessive export demand.
shortage Of live stock, general pros
perity and even increased and ex-
travagant consumption on the part
OF highly paid workers In war
bride" factories. were quoted in JUS
LITIGATION of the coming boost.
1--WE can't see anything but higher
pricea" an Official Of the Illinois
Market Co., one Of Chicago's largest
wholesalers and retailers said. you
can kid yourself into believing that
war, weather, clearing Of freight con-
gestion and other temporary condi-
lions will halt the upward trend of
prices, but it won't change the in
evitable. AS long as the war con-
tinues, prices are going to soar. And
the small consumer foots the bill.
Practically without exception every
article of food available here is any
where from 10 to 500 percent higher
than the same time last year.