The Duluth rip-saw., 1918-10-19

! Hogs" complain because the Rip-saw
does not get proper information. The
material portion of the narration in
the previous issue was from docu-
mentary evidence, such as a firms
own statement as to four dozen cucu-
! cumbers received, deductions for
commission and express, an allowance
of 20 cents for a basket and 10 cents
net for cucumbers that were selling
from 70 cents dozen, upwards, at
wholesale and Is cents, each, at re-
tail.
Those Interlocking Interests.
Allegations as to ownerships and
interlocking interests were based on
| information given by man formerly
an officer of one of the companies
most commonly credited with being
"Food Hog' but who sold out and
left the country, after letting num-
ber of cats out of the bag.
Independent dealers and outsiders
! speak highly of Mr.. A. w. Worley,
secretary-treasurer of the Duluth
| Produce Exchange, Inc, as we'll as
Mr.. George E. Lytle, manager of the
Stacy Merrill Fruit company.
The most complaints Of shippers,
producers and buyers concern the
Observation-Disclosures company and
the Knudson Fruit company.
s. Mr. y. Sage ,RaldE chief genius
of the Palnner company,
came to Duluth from Sparta, Wis.
He is represented as being a mighty
smooth, able, get-there Spartan,
equal to any that despoiled the Per-
slams in ancient Greece.
Canny Colonel Dunlop.
John J. Dunlop, captain Of the
Knudson Fruit company. craft, also is
credited with being mindful of his
own as well as that Of shippers, con-
signors, producers and even humble
retailers.
A modern novelist could write sew
eral best sellers by taking food
Hog" tales as basis of his work.
The Rip-saw's space in these times
of fire and politics is utterly made
quate.
Even at that, Col. Dunlop is re-
ported to have declared that "Mor-
rison and his id Rip-saw ought
to. be muzzled."
There are those who believe that
muzzle would do much to keep
Col. Dunlop from sucking eggs or
getting his teeth into pieces of pie
that he might, with propriety, at
least, leave alone. Mr.. Dunlop orig
inally was millinery salesman,
Horner's Potato Deal.
Once upon a time, Col. Dunlop, or.
his firm, is credited with buying a big
batch of potatoes from one Horner,
out Wrentshall way, $400 being paid
down to cinch the deal. i
Getting bac't to Duluth, it was
found that potatoes had slumped, or
possibly, it was desired to jockey
Horner and beat down the agreed
price. Inspectors were sent out to
give the pile of spuds a second in
spection. They most seriously stated
that the tubers were not up to plans
and specifications, therefore the deal
was off. Col. Dunlop, Indian fashion,
wanted his $400 in earnest money
back.
Farmer Horner came to Duluth
and marketed his spuds through an
independent dealer. On advice. he
declined to hand back the $400 in
earnest money to the dear old Knud-
son Fruit company.
The Knudson Fruit company then
sued.farmer Horner for the return Of
the earnest money. He took change
~
Dunlop's company now fights that
change and, eventually, farmer Hor-,
her is likely to spend that much and
more on lawyers. It seems unsafe
to run counter 20 the wishes of Col.
Dunlop. ..-.
A Sweet Potato Stunt.
Once upon a time, Col. Dunlop
came to an employe in another ,frn
that has membership in the Duluth
Produce Exchange, Inc, and asked
for small bag OF sweet potatoes. 1t
vas given him, freely and without
price. The incident came to the at
tention of the head of the firm.
did you give Dunlop some sweet
potatoes?" he asked.
eyes, I did, small bagful, and I
did not charge him anything"
That part OF. it is all right, but
run by there and see if he has any"
Investigation showed that numer-
Gus hampers of sweet potatoes were
possessed by the Dunlop house. The
natural assumption was that he was
so canny and close that he did not
want to break into hamper, even to
provide his own table with q mess
of the succulent tubers.