The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-01-24
MELVILLE PLEADS FOR PLAN
state Food Administrator Urges Coop
Grafton and Stands Solidly Back of
Local Administrator New Rules
for ''Heatless Mondays.

The Kenosha grocers and butchers
took long step toward reaching an
agreement with the state and county
food administration relative to the es-
Establishment of the "cash and carry =
system of some other economical one
at a meeting of eighty five of the
dealers Sunday afternoon In the as
sembly room of the Chamber of Com
merce when they voted unanimously to
resubmit the question to the price com
mittee whose decision would now have
the force Of law upon Kenosha deal
egs The "olive branch'' action fol-
lowed an address by Andrew Il. Mel
vile, of Madison, Sec'y of State
Council of Defense in which he pointed
out the need for cooperation and con
servation and explained the plan of
the government. DIR. G. Fl. Ripley, who
is chairman of this committee, stated
this morning that action would be TAX
en- as soon as possible, and that all of
the plans suggested at the meetings of
the dealers would be given careful con-
sideration.
Melville Talks Plain
"We we got to be good soldiers,
every one of u.s." said State Secre-
tary Melville. elm the matter of the
Liberty Loan and the Patriots Fund,
Kenosha stands tfst in the United
States of American arG Wisconsin is
nf II al INTO hat
the retail grocers and butchers Of this
city will be just as patriotic for Wis
consin is as patriotic as any state in
the Union in spite of the fact that we
have some skunks" down there at
Washington to represent us. The mer-
chant is going to be disconnected in
his business by the war just as much
las anyone else but / can assure you
that no one is going to get the little
end of it.
The State Secretary made clear to
the dealers that the nation was not at
tempting to bring about the financial
ruin Of any of them but that conserva-
tion Of man power, food and resources
was 80 imperative that some plain
must be worked out for Kenosha to fall
in line While strongly an advocate
of the leash and carry" system he
stated that he would leave the matter
entirely in the hands CT the local com
mittee but that the state administra-
tion would back them up to the limit
AS in his address to the County Council
of Defense on Sunday morning, he
showed how America must provide the
food for the Allies and herself and in
order to do this every possible waste of
labor in overhead expenses must be
eliminated,
Melville Threatens Force.
Secretary Melville was explicit in his
explanation of the power behind his
Office. elf we are not willing to fall
In line as patriotic citizens" he said
"the government will be forced to
put into effect the food card system
now prevalent in Germany. If Uncle
Sam can take our boys and put them
IN the trenches and tell them if they
have to they must die for the U. S. A.,
If he has done that, he can also con
troll the retail food dealer in spite of
the fact that he is not Ecensed'' The
way was left open for the Kenosha
dealers to fall in line gracefully and it
is believed that their turning over of
the affair to the committee is a step in
this direction.
Praises leash and Carry"
There were no words minced by Mr..
Melville in his criticism of the pre-.
sent system of charge and free delivery.
''The largest overhead expense in the
retail food dealer s business is delivery
and it is unjustifable. The consumer
has worked you to a finish. My wife
and nearly every other man 9 wife has
caused you to go to extra expense to
deliver orders time and again and you
have been dupes enough to accommo-
date them. They we worked YOU to
finish. The credit business is also alb
ominable. The merchant has been a
joke; he has been banker for the com
munity and has not charged any in
terest. The account business and the
delivery system have been the curses
Of the retail business. The United
States stand solidly on basis of cash
and carry SO far as it can be put into
effect in every city or VILLAGE
There was considerable "hemming
and having" on the part of the deal
ers when State Secretary Melville turn
ed the meeting into an informal dis
cussion following his address. One
grocer pointed out that the food deal
ers were being made the goats and
hat the rule should apply to all bust