The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1918-03-15
Merchants Reply
To Civic League
STATE COMPLAINT IS UNFOUNDEO
In Many Cases Goods Are Sold At Less Than
Spokane Prices

The wOmes's civic league of
this city recently sent a COM
munication to the state food ad-
ministrator, R. f. Bicknen, pro
testing against the prices which
the merchants of the city are
charging for groceries, and also
protesting against the charge
made for delivery. A list of the
prices at several of the stores of
the city was sent to the food ad-
ministrator. The matter was re-
ferred to County Food Admins
traitor c.. j. Kinsolving and by
him taken up with the merchants.
The merchants feel that an in
justice has been done them by
the civic league, inasmuch as the
prices charged in this city are in
many eases less than the Spo-
kane prices on the same articles
and have issued the following
statement:
Through the food administra-
tion, our attention has been
called to complaint made by
the civic league of st. Maries,
alleging that the people Of st.
Maries was not receiving the re-
duction in price promised them
when they were put in the cash
and carry basis. Were this true
they would have just cause to
lccmplain. If not true, then an
unjust complaint has been made.
Lets be fair in this case, in
IVestigate the press reports that
were published at the time the
change went into effect. Upon re-
viewing this it will be seen that
the prices that prevailed before
was reduced on a goOdly number
IOf leading staple articles. Fur
thermore permit us to cite that
the Government food administra-
tors have given rule after rule,
governing and stipulating what
! the wholesale and retail prices
should be, and as the demand has
been greater for certain cOmmod-
liIes than others, the market huc-
tuates and our merchants are
compelled to adjust their selling
prices on the costs of these diff
ferent commodities.
Furthermore the complaint
alleges more speosncally that the
merchants have raised prices on
wheat substitutes materially.
This portion Of the complaint
is absolutely correct, but who is
TO blame for it? The Govern
ment tells the millers, the job
bers, what percent they can Oper-
ate on, they allow them to make
these raises and the retailers are
at the mercy of the jobbers and
producers.
The merchants of st. Maries
ask in justice to them for a fair
and impartial comparison as to
prices, quoted by the food admin
istration each Tuesday asd Fri
day and published in the Spokane
Chronicle, and ask them to COM
pare same quality with what the
merchants of st. Maries offer foI
sale then add your local freight
which ranges in price from q
cents to 46 cents per cwt. from
Spokane, and the drayage, which
in round sum approximately add:
one-half cent per pound, or 81
cents per hundred above tn,
lprices quoted in Spokane. It viii
then be seen that in many in
stances the merchants Of st
Maries are selling al the same
and even cheaper than SpOkan'
houses, when freight and dray
age are taken into consideration
E (which is absolutely a part o
their costs to get the goods t
lSt. Maries).
. THE food administration hai
asked the people all over tn
. limited States to carry their pro.
visions home as far as possible
, THE merchants of st. Maries ar
, Incorporating as far as possibl
s helping to get the food to tn
=. consumer at the lowest cost pos