The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-08-06

II HERE IS profitecring in Portland. Why
blink the fact? A mania to get rich quick.
while the chance offers. has taken possession
of u.s.
The farmer. the landlord. the merchant the
hotel man. the restdurdtenr-dH are pdtrio-
proGteers! The consumer is being muicted every
time ne spends a dollar.
There is hypocrisy in it, as well as greed We
wave the Starry Banner. prate of patriotism and
the need 10 conserve and add dollar TO the price
Of a pair Of shoes dime 10 the price Of cloth.
penny TO the price Of nlilk.
The one-delivery-a-day movement is fine con-
servation plan. A better would be one-a-
week or none-at-all. For our part, we are willing
and able TO carry home our own bundles.
But there is profteering in this one-devery-a-
day movement. II costs l5 cents to deliver
bundle. The consumer who carries his packages
is entitled to n discount of that much. but he
doesn't get H.
There is profiteering in the eating houses.
Prices are up and portions down. You get two
thin slices of bread and maximum of two humps
of sugar. where formerly you had as much bread
and sugar you desired.
This is good conservation. For our part, we
can get along with one slice Of bread and no
sugar. 4Ats
But the consumer is paying for bread and
sugar that he does not get.
SKINNED milk is by-product. Ordinarily it
is wasted-thrown away or fed 10 swine. But
in these war times we arc asked to consume
skinned milk in the shape Of cottage cheese.
This is sound advice Cottage cheese is a paa-
table and nutritious food.
But 90 cents pint for SHRINE food is damnabie
ertortion.
The prices Of fresh vegetables. eggs, dairy
products. honey-are higher than ever before.
Are string beans. that Groic in abundance
ererv farm in the willamette udtiev, IN epery
garden in Portland, being shipped to the trenches
in Europe, that the consumer must pay rs cents
q pound for them?
Are our soldiers eating honey. foicl, fresh eggs
and frlat'
The Portland milk dealers are charging Is
cents quart for milk. You have the authority
of the Portland milk commission that any price
ouer f9.2 cents IS profiteering.
There is profiteering in canned goods. candy
and other foodstuffs that keep. These food
stuffs, in many instances, were bought by the
store men in pre-war days at pre-war prices. One
instance: certain brand of candy, put up in
tins which used to sell at 30 cents pound.
The store men scratched out the "30c" on the
price label and substituted doc" The poison
of greed entered their souls. They saw others
profteering Why not do it, too?
So they erased "40c" and substituted soc"
The consumer, not knowing or forgetting that the
original price 30 cents n pound, WINGED or
grumbled little and paid 90 cents.
The store men piucked mp courage and erased
the SOC" on the poor, mutihtdted label chich bv
noD iOas threatened NTH obtiteration, and sub
stituted zoe
And that particular brand of candy is now
selling at many stores at 20 cents pound!
These are but a few examples of patrio-prof-
iteering in an almost endless list. There is prof
iteering in drugs, fuel, leather, automobile sup
plies. clothing-everything in fact, which the
humankind eats wears burns, builds with plays
with, works with or otherwise uses.
The patrio-profteer is Just surely pro-
German as the despised and despicable Hun him
self To force an abnormal profit at this time is
to aid the kaiser and to aid the Potsdam
derer is treason!
These aUar profits rightttlly belong to the
oovernment to aid ii IN carrying on the Wdr
and eperu dollar mutcted from the consumer
by right belongs to the government for the
same purpose.
The less we pay TO the patrio-profteers, the
more ace can giUe to the cause of democracy