Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-07-16
Restaurant Keepers
May Purchase Meats
at Wholesa1e Prices

Cedar Rapids, July 16.-J.inn county
people who have been forced to eat at
restaurants paying high prices, par
| ticularly for meat, may in the future
eat at less cost. IL the action taken by
| County Attorney II. X. Lockwood pro-
duces the results anticipated.
The restaurant keepers have gone t.
| the wholesale meat dealers and asked
to buy meats at wholesale prices,
These wholesalers refused, It Is said
| to sell them on the grounds that the
| retail butchers and grocers OF Cedar
Rapids would not permit 1t. except a,
| retail prices.
This has kept the price OF meat a,
restaurants high.
The county attorney has addressed
the subjoined letter to the T. NJ. Sin
clair Company. Swift 4 Co, Armour &
| Co., and cudahy Company.
In 1t he proposes that the whole
| salers sell at wholesale price to the
restaurant keepers and. II there is OBJ:
lection or boycott on the part OF re-
tailers the matter will be presented to
| the grand jury. The war times and
the matter Of economy prompts thi;
| action.
Every wholesale meat concern do
| ing business In Cedar Rapids will re-
ceive this letter:
Complaint has been made to me
that owing to pressure brought &c
bear on you by the retail butchers and
grocers Of Cedar Rapids. you refuse
to sell meats to restaurant keepers
at wholesale prices, and that, conse-
| quently, they are compelled to pnr'
chase their meats at the retail shops
Let me state that, should you desire
to sell directly to the restaurant keep
ers at wholesale prices, I shall see to
it that you get the full protection OF
| the law In case any interference Is Of
fered by the retail butchers ano
grocers.
There are many good reasons why
you should be free to sell to the res
taurant keepers at this time. 1t Is moi
matter Of depriving the retail butch
ers and grocers of business, nor of en-
| aiding the restaurant keepers to make
| greater profit, but It is a matter oil
wise economy, l believe, for the public
at large. Every day in the week there
are more than five thousand OF wage
earners, farmers and business men and
| women who eat at the restaurants in
Cedar Rapids. They pay big prices
for what they eat, and especially FOR
| meats.
IF the restaurant keepers were per-
mitted to purchase their meats al
wholesale prices they could put out
their meals at less cost to those five
thousand who pay the bills, or they
could furnish more and better quality
Of meats for the same money.
II will put it up to you, gentlemen
that this would be wise economy for
the people of Linn county: that the
benefit to the entire community FAR
ou.weighs any loss Of business and
profits to the retail butchers and
grocers. Besides this is in keeping
with the necessities Of these war
times, and along the very lines that
our president and our governor are
urging. The gospel OF economy is with
us.
II trust that this matter may ap-
peal to you as good sense. 1t Is I'M
necessary for me to state, trust. that
I am not trying to tell you how to
conduct your business, but do wish to
assure you that should you decide to
sell your meats to the restaurant
keepers at wholesale prices, any evil
dence you furnish me Of boycott. OF
other interference Of any kind on the
part OF the retail butchers and grocers
on account of 1t. will be laid by me
before the next grand jury"