The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-04-23
FOOD PRODUCTS TAKE ]
ANOTHER BIG JUMP
Rice which Heretofore Has sold A. =
Moderate Price increases Three
Fold in Riehmond.

Every food that contains any va
riety Of grain almost doubled In value
last week. Richmond wholesale gre-
GERS increased the price when II was
! learned definitely that the grain sup
ply had fallen short and that II would
cost them more to market u. Smut
taneously retail grocers increased the
price. with the result that the house,
wife today will have TO pay great
deal more for her bag of flour Than
she did yesterday.
Rice, the only food product which
had not increased in price to any ex-
/ tent during the last two years. is
listed in the increase jumping from
three pounds for quarter to ten
cents n pound at the lowest. News
papers in every city in the United
States have been urging tho use of
this food as II was the cheapest on
the market. Evidentally everybody
took advantage of this advice with the
result that an unusual demand fos
rice has sent the price up The de-
mand now seems to be greater than
the supply as Is the case with the
other products. Wholesale grocers say.
John Chinaman, who heretofore bag
been contented to run his Washes
washee shop with energy given him
by the consumption of a few grains
perts nation wide as a fair exam pIe
of economy and demonstrator Of a
way to reduce the cost OF living. But
now even this door to cheap food has
been closed
Advise Giving Farm Land.
Richmond wholesale dealers are all
or the same opinion that there is no
corner on the grain market. and that
the demand alone is responsible for the
than the supply" they say. land some
definite economical step should be
taken" One prominent wholesaler
who does not wish that his name be
used showed a Eirgiuian reporter n
copy OF a letter which he was about
to send to the Wholesale Grocers
association. In this epistle, he recon-
mended that some economical step hs
advised by the association: that a num-
Der of the city men be persuaded to
go back to the farm; that some plan
be devised whereby they would be
given ground on which to raise pro-
ducts for foodstuffs, and that some ac-
ton be taken Immediately as every
thing from soda to soap" had risen
in price-and is going higher.
Rice had advanced In price from
three TO four cents a pound: almost
double its value over last week,
Flour that sold for s1l barrel last
week viii he sold this week for s1&
and SIS.
Beans have advanced So bushei
and are now selling at $3.50 a bushel
Afolasses. n syrup which even the
poorest people could place on their
tsbIes every day as means of econo-
( MIXING. has advanced from thirty to
forty cents gallon. Many a poor
person who heretofore could manage
TO scrape up fifteen cents for each
meal, invested five cents in loaf Of
hread-going to a certain Richmond
grocer who had not increased the
price to six cents--and the other ten
cents for small quantity Of molassea
But even bread and 1asses." the
necessity in their case. is now some-
what of 4 luxury
IT won't do to sit about and talk
,, OF speculation wholesalers say, for
the products are not being specuiated
| with--its the great demand; go back
| TO the farm: economic or suffer.
! We're suffering now just as bad as
| the average man for we pay high
| price too