The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1917-07-20

The report of the grand jury to the judge of the United
States District Court at Chicago, northern district of Illinois,
June term, in discussing present trade conditions and the causes
responsible therefor, among other things, says: 1.-The Gamers,
wholesalers and jobbers have devised some means for insurlng
complete cooperation among themselves which enables them
to fix the price of canned goods and prevents the Gamers from
selling to '"the consumer or "the retailer If the retailers
persist in buying from the Gamers, then the wholesalers will
not sell them groceries. etc, so says the grand jury.
As an instance of hoodooing the public with a name, the
report recalls that because Elgin was at one time in the remote
past a creamery center, "the people of the United States con-
tinue to follow prices quoted as 'Elgin' prices" although there
is comparatively little butter made or legitimately mote the
word "legnimately') traded there. 1t is the custom now it
seems for a few Chicago traders to go to Elgin once a week and
make a few trades on the Elgin Board of Trade and thus make
it easy to establish a price for butter that they could not other
wise easily obtain. The people are willing to pay fancy prices
for butter with the "Elgin' name. The Elgin Board" is open
only 10 minutes-from II As to y noon on Saturday of each
week. The grand jury very properly observes that these Chi
cago traders could make these trades just as well in Chicago
if their real motive was just to buy butter.
This grand jury suggests that legislation should be had
which would limit the time food products could be kept in cold
storage and that cold storage keepers should be required to
state under oath all persons making use of rail road cars for
storage purposes.
The report concludes with this very significant circular
letter sent out by one of the largest wholesale dealers in Chica-
go to the trade:
"Our customers in particular, have very unusual
profits within their grasp at this moment. Will they
throw them away or tuck them away?'
Jobbers are affected; they are financially inter-
ested. They urge that the greatest haul yet made by
the retail grocery world be converted into tangible
assets. Wholesale houses are not legally appointed
custodians or guardians for anybody, but they do have
an interest at this time, one that is defnable and that
must be apparent to all.
"Of What earthly use are futures if the benefits
are wantonly wasted?
"No man ever got very far on the road to compe-
tency who was a wise buyer but a spineless seller.
will the grocer who has long lamented the
scanuness of his profits let up now long enough to
bring in the heaping basket left on his doorstep?
Our representatives should make themselves
heard at once on this readjusting of retail prices"
Another sent out a circular from which we quote as follows:
Raise your prices now on everything we have
advised you will advance. The goods are worth more
money now than they are bringing. AS soon as our
prices advance, yours must. We are giving you the
benefit of our purchases to give you the extra profit.
- You can get the extra price this week as well as next"