Evening star., 1918-06-09
CLERK COMPLAINS
OF CAFE GOUGERS
Potatoes, Soup and Iced Tea
Sold at Big
Profits.

Food Administrator Wilson's mai! Is
growing heavier daily with letters
containing protests and complaints
from consumers of alleged over
charging for necessities OF life.
These protests are by no means con-
fined to price boosting by retail stores
and inefficient ice deliveries. Numer-
Gus complaints are being received
about what is termed as the cafe and
lunch-room profiteers." Many of
these latter complaints come from
strangers in the city-men and wom-
en- who are making their homes here
compelled to eat in public places
One writer. a government worker.
stated that he knows of no eating
place in Washington where one serv-
ing of potatoes. which he points out
are being strongly advocated by Ad-
ministrator Hoover as a food con-
servation measure. can be procured
for less than 10 cents. The portions
he writes. are without an exception.
so small that one has to almost stop
This protestant gives figures on costs
and profits.
Presents Figures.
Let us take figures on the pota-
toes" he writes, from the stand
point of the restaurant man. Figur-
ing fifteen pounds TO the peck. one
bushel would cost s1.20. No doubt. ny
buying in quantity the cost would he
much cheaper. On May 26 an article
was published telling of the working
OF the lunchroom in the bureau of en-
craving and printing. 1t stated that
one barrel of potatoes would provide
500 servings. Figuring two and a
half bushels to a barrel, at cents a
20
ures) 500 servings would cost only
SO. We will suppose that the expense
OF preparing, cooking. help. etc, cost
as much as the potatoes themselves
making the total cost s6. If each of
the 500 servings sold for 10 cents (the
regular price,. the proceeds of the
barrel of potatoes would be $50. Sub
tracing the total cost of SC from the
$50 would leave a net profit OF S44. In
other words, the barrel of potatoes
would represent profit of more than
700 per cent Certainly a good propo-
sition for the restaurant man.
THE food administration is GER
tainly right in stating that potatoes
are cheap food at cents a pound.
but not for the clerks that eat at
cafes.
Eggs costing 40 to IS cents a dozen
are 10 cents each. some places getting
Is cents. Iced tea in most places can
pc uOusul lOT CculS, Out at one Cs
the canteens put up especially for the
government help the price is 10 cents.
We all know the cost of making iced
tea. This same place charges Is cents
for ice cream. just s cents more than
most places. In one restaurant less
than two weeks ago a bowl of soup
could be bought for 10 cents, together
with bread. 1t was then changed to
soup. 10 cents; bread. cents. At the
present time. soup is Is cents with
bread. What has caused the sudden
change in price? Has the material
used in making restaurant soup in
creased so much in the last month?
There are numerous other foods 1
could mention, but they all prove the
same thing. Why do we see SO many
lunchrooms and cafes springing up
everywhere? When we figure the
enormous profit the question is easily
answered.
THE food administration has done
wonderful things. Why not go a step
farther and look into the restaurant
prof1teering from the standpoint of a
government clerk who is on the
wrong side of the counter?"