The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-19
$5,S25 FINES TAKEN
FROM 90 BUTCHERS
Red Cross Gets Tidy Sum and
Food Board Orders Restitu-
ton to Customers.
HALT ON PROFITEERING
Hearings Next Week for More
Retailers Cited for Ex-
cessive Profits.


haitian. Brooklyn and The Bronx were
permitted yesterday by the Federal
Food Board to donate total Of s5,s2s
to the Red Cross as part OF penalty
for profteering on sales Of lamb. Fifty
seven of as many varieties contributed
500 each. and one man handed up s12b.
The rest of the penalty. which hurt
worse than the "fine" (the board doesn't
call 1t that. however). consisted Of a
voluntary agreement to refund the
amount OF overcharses to customers, the
promise to post a sign in stores ex-
planning why they made the refunds and
a pledge to abide by the regulations of
the Food Administration henceforth.
The f1fty-eight butchers represented
the first Of a contingent Of ga against
whom complaints were made that they
sold lamb to customers at profit In ex-
cess of that suggested" by the Federal
Food Board.
A large number Of the accused pro-
fessed that they did not know what the
boards prices were. and had never
heard of them. but with a few exceptions
all accepted the boards way out of the
difficulty. which was interpreted by the
food administrators as fairly good proof
were satisfied they had really been
guilty Of taking more than fair profits.
In the near future the board will mail
each Saturday to some 10000 retailers.
dealers in foodstuffs, its suggested"
prices OF certain staple commodities. and
then nobody will be able to plead ig-
norance of the limit he shall place on
his charges to the public.
Since 1t became known that the board
Intended nrnHAaA mfr
whose books showed evidence Of profit
eering, reports have been received at
food headquarters. 8 West Fifty-seventh
street, that the prices OF meat have
taken a decided drop in many hundreds
of retail butcher shops in the city.
No Refunds on Cash Sales.
The refunds ordered by the board
refer to overcharges on book accounts
and not on cash sales. There is no way
to check up the excess charges when
Mrs Jones paid cash for her lamb
over the counter but the excess exacted
from Mrs. Brown. who pays at the end
or a week or a month. is down In black
and white. AS there are more book
account customers among the we'll to
do than among the poor IL is evident
that the we'll to do person has the
advantage In this refund matter. How
ever. the Federal Food Board couldn't
find any other way to govern the re-
funds and the Red Cross donations will
represent the excess profits that could
not be returned to customers.
There were many glum faces among
the butchers who thronged the boards
headquarters, wher~ rhe cases were
heard by John Mitchell, president. and
Arthur Williams, Federal Food Admin
istrator for this city. Only six Of the
234 summoned failed to appear The
first complaint heard was that against
w. Stein OF S24 Third avenue. Charles
Z. Robinson. counsel for the board,
presented the cases.
In opening the hearing Mr.. Mitchell
explained that under the food control
act the offence of proflteering was
punishable by fine Of $4,000 or two
years imprisonment. He said that
where the board was satisfied defend
ants were guilty 1t could present the
cases to the District Attorney for prose-
cution or cut Off the wholesale supply
OF meats for. a period of two weeks
Then the announcement was made that
as an alternative to either OF these
courses the board could accept a volun-
tary contribution to one Of the war
charities IL the dealer agreed to refund
the amount of overcharges and promise
obedience to the Food Administration
rules.
Inspector William Jones of the Food
Board testified that Butcher Stein
quoted loin chops at 48 cents a pound.
rib chops at 4S cents. shoulder chops at
As cents and stew lamb at SO cents on
October s. Mr.. Williams pointed out
that these prices were 10 cents higher
than those suggested by the board for
loin chops. IL cents higher for rib chops
and 6 cents higher for shoulder chops.
Margin of Profits Mixed.
In deciding whether butchers were
guilty of prof1teering as charged the
board took the following as a fair basis
OF profit: Thirteen cents a pound over
the wholesale price for loin chops, II
cents over for rib chops. cents for
legs of lamb and & cents for shoulder.
The margin of profit" for the rest of a
lamb carcass was as follows: Stew, /
cent below wholesale: fat. minus 12l
cents; haslet, minus IL cents: kidney,
minus 1 cent; waste, minus II cents,
and sticks, minus rs cents per pound.
Mr.. Stein was adjudged an offender on
the face OF his prices after he had re-
piled to questions that he was a citizen.
had taken $500 in Liberty bonds and
had also contributed to the Red Cross.
There was much restlessness among the
other butchers as the penalty was i'm
posed upon him. Several others faced
the music singly, after which the board
heard cases In patches of ten and twelve.
Ruben Gluck of 1904 Second avenue
insisted he hadn't overcharged and the
board promised to give him a hearing
later.
Thirty-nine agreed at the hearings TO
do as the board suggested, instead OF
running the risk OF having their whole
sale supplies cut of for two weeks or
being compelled to face the District At
torney. II was announced that the re-
naming cases on the calendar would be
heard next week. beginning Monday at
10 A. NJ.
After adjournment there was a rush
OF butchers to Tess up contribute to the |
Red Cross and get II all over. This
brought the total donations up to fifty-
eight when the board made its formal |
statement as to the days doings.
Mr.. Mitchell said: ANY one who has
taken advantage OF war conditions 10
enrich himself cannot expect the au-
thorities are going to give him n clean !
bill OF health because he refunds the
amount he has unjustly taken. He must
make some reparation other than this,
II man picks another mans pocket |
It is not adjudication to the defence n |
he simply returns to the victim the !
money he stole from him."
Contributors to RED CroSs,
(AlIA