Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-01
POTATOES KEPT
ON SIDINGS HERF|
At Least $1,000 Bushels Said
to Be Held for Demurrage
Charges
COST GREATLY INCREASEn|
Chamber of Commerce Official
Reports Conditions Leading
to High Prices
COST GREATLY INCREASEn

At least, lis cars of potatoes, or. aho,.
$4,000 bushels are being held by PhilaS'a
phia potato dealers on freight sidings u,sa
in the city, according to James p Wis.,
superintendent of the Transportation A.
reau OF the Chamber of Commerce. ~
made report today at the meeting OF N.
agricultural committee. which is invest,,ss
ing problems in the high cost Of living.
'All OF these cars are being held ma.
demurrage charges" said Wilson "so,.
of them have been held twenty days IN.
demurrage charges on one of these cars
estimate would be $50; but as one load !
potatoes has increased in that period e
proximately 5000 in value, the demurrss.
cost will figure out at about one cent !
bushe per day" 80
The names of the consignors of the no,.
toes could not be determined said wllso.
because the railroad companies are M
permitted to give them.
n. b. Kelly, general secretary Of th1<
Chamber of Commerce. VINO had been askss
by the agricultural committee to take n
the matter of food Investigations M
Mayor Smith. reported that the Mayor NJ
replied that he would not appoint a ~.
cial committee, nor did he expect 10 "a.
operate with anybody In regard to a,
food situation aside from the ordinary a.
operation with the municipal department
directly concerned in the matter
Thomas c. HARRISON, chairman OF "A.
agricultural committee, said there Ia ns
question in his mind that dealers and specl
lators are holding food and produce for 4,
advance in price.
DEALERS DENY. BOARDING M
Commission men and produce dealerf|
generally disagree with reports that ~
cod-storage warehouses of this CITY ~
Jammed with food. They say that the reuort
submitted yesterday before the State Less
lature is probably a month old and that 4
month makes big difference in the storss1
| supply of certain foods at this season a.
| the year.
IL all shipments OF food were cut off fron
| outside supply points and the city wsr,
| forced to depend entirely on the storar,l
| supply the people of Philadelphia woun
| have empty stomachs very shortly. the CON.
| mission and storage men say. Eggs for In
| stance, would all be eaten up in few dsyi
| and butter might last three weeks. Potatoes
| would not last much more than a week. tn
| time that other articles would last they CA
| only guess at because they say there m
no statistics of the amounts in storage
! NOT RECORDED BY CATTELL
! T.. j. Cattell, city statistician, who keeN
| records Of everything in Philadelphia that
| can he recorded, says he has never beog
! able to gather statistics on food. becauj
appetites vary and because so much produu
| is brought into the city by farmefi
wagons and in small quantities that a.
| not be kept track of. M
/ j. $. Morris, president OF the Phladelphh
| Produce Exchange Front and Chestnut
| streets, said the supply of foods in storago
| is like a housewives cupboard which wouN
soon be bare If she bought no new suppls
| every few days. To say that the, wan,
houses are filled with supplies and that N
storage and commission men are holdin1
up prices Is unfair. he said.
| The storage supply of eggs In Philadtl-
phia would not last more than three Or
four days II no new supplies came in but.
ter might last three or four weeks potA.
toes, ! am told. would not last more thai
| a week
"The persons who attempt to poison pub
! lie opinion against the cold storage men ar
neither practical nor honest The storap
business is not a speculation, it is means
| of preservation and equalization of the mar
| ket. People in cities could not be fed now
adays without the storage houses"
5. S. Daniels. secretary of the Producs
| Exchange, said the warehouses are Obliged
| to maintain a certain amount of their stocks
for the supply of hotels and other larss
consumers who make contracts for the
season. Philadelphia warehouses are net
| run On a speculative basis. as some are y
the Middle West, he said.
The report of the State Department o.
| Agriculture. which was presented yesterday
| 10 the House OF representatives III resA's
to the condition of Pennsylvania fooe
| supply, showed that the cold-storage houses
still hold a large supply of certain foods y
! spite of the fact that immense quantitlea
have been exported to Europe. The repon
showed that many sources of supply hav'
| been exhausted. s%
In the ten cold storage houses in the ci'y
| according to the House of Representativo
report there are 6,62s.17S pounds OF meat
4,695.069 pounds of poultry, l.65SAs'
pounds Of fish, 5,000,901 pounds Of buttet
36,594 pounds of eggs out Of shell. 2se0v
barrels of apples. 24,S63 boxes of apple
and 47S2 packages of vegetables. "
According to reports today from ian'
caster and other potato shipping centefs
Philadelphia dealers have notified buyer
not to ship any more potatoes at anytprlr
because the market here is overstocked sn'
prices. which have already dropped twenty
five cents bushel. are likely to go lower.
George w. Crowl, a potato dealer OF Tni'
ty-second and Chestnut streets. one OF "
dealers mentioned in the Lancaster repon
said he is unable TO dispose of his pre-
ent stock of potatoes because the market n,,
been ruined by the newspaper agltais'
.lAaH