Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-16
LOTS OF talk
BUT NO RELIEF
FOR H. c. OF |.
While Other Cities Report Re-.
suits, Omaha Continues to
Pay High Prices for
Practically Everything.

city, county and federal probe was
started in the CITY council chamber.
but no appreciable reduction in
prices has been noted in Omaha.
Mayor Smith, County Attorney
Shotwell and Assistant United
States Attorney Peterson are still
investigating and talking, but have
no developments to report. nor has
Omaha yet participated in the re-
lief which is being given other cities
by reason of the efforts of federal,
county and city officials.
Reports from other cities continue
to indicate the results of activities
of authorities in their attacks
against prohteering, while Omaha
asks, How long, oh Lord, how
long?"
Can't Live on Watermelon.
Now that the watermelon season
is waning, the retailers Thursday
cut the price to "a cents per pound,
evidently to save themselves from
losses which have been caused by
spoiled goods. Inquiries at the re-
tail meat markets showed that
round steaks are generally marked
at 30 cents a pound, with slightly
less prices for the cheap grades.
Choice sirloins run form 40 to 50
cents. Food staples generally re-
main at high prices.
In his communique yesterday on
the high cost Of living Mayor Smith
stated that the only place he knew
of in Omaha where prices had been
reduced was at the municipal store
in the Auditorium.
The mayors activities Thursday
in connection with reducing the
high cost of living in Omaha con-
sisted of weighing prunes and
peaches in the Auditorium store.
where the city is selling govern
ment surplus stocks. At 5 o'clock.
when the mayor called it day, he
expressed considerable satisfaction
with his days efforts, while prof
iteers grinned to themselves and
continued to charge their excessive
prices.
Probe is at Standstill.
No definite information can be
obtained as to when the mayor will
resume his investigation which was
started last Monday morning. He
intmated that he may continue the
hearing next week.
"The mayor sold three pounds Of
bacon Thursday afternoon and then
prices went all to smash" was a
comment by City Commissioner
! Zimman.
An examination of prices of food
staples in Omaha show that most
of these commodities have been ad-
vanced from 100 to 200 per cent
since 1918. Sugar is 100 per cent
higher; -four, more than 200 per
cent; rice, 100 per cent; butter, 100
per cent; eggs, 100 to Us per cent;
cheese. IFS per cent: bacon. more
than 100 per cent; potatoes, Us per
| cent.
Action at Des Moines.
Information received yesterday
from Des Moines shows that E. G.
Moon, United States district attor-
! ney for the southern Iowa district,
is making Investigations looking to
tine prosecution of Des MONIES
wholesalers and jobbers.
w. B. Barney, state food and dairy
commissioner and head of the Iowa
state marketing bureau, announces
that the retail price of eggs in Des
| Moines is from 8 to 10 cents too
high, and he urged a housewives
boycott to bring about a price re-
duction.
The city engineers department
has received notice Of an increase
of 7 per cent in the price of sewer
pipe, and an increase in cement from
81 20 to $235 per barrel. Cement
was as low as 81 barrel five years
ago in Omaha.
Says Comparisons "Odious."
Joseph Hayden, head of Hayden
Bros stores, states that COM
parsons sometimes are odious, as
for instance comparing food prices
as published in Omaha and other
cities.
For instance, take Wisconsin
cheese" he said. II noticed in an
Omaha paper that it stated Wis
consin cheese was being advertised
in ST. Louis at IS cents pound and
that an Omaha carry store was SELL
ing it at 40 cents a pound. We
have Wisconsin cheese now at 40
cents pound, and we also have it
at SO and 80 cents a pound. 1t is
quite possible that the cheese being
advertised in St. Louis at IS cents
a pound is the same we are offering
at 50 cents pound.
Take peaches as another in
STANCE: We sold peaches Thursday
at $llO crate and in ST. Louis the
price was $l.o0 per crate"
Mr.. Hyden added that his store
has been selling army bacon for "a
cents per pound, the same kind of
bacon now being offered in Mayor
Smiths municipal store at IS cents
per pound. The manager of Hay
den's meat department said he ex-
pected to have another lot OF this
bacon and will continue to sell it
for 81 cents.
We have been years building up
our basement market and we are
willing to have our prices compared,
but we do not want the high pre-
valling prices in Omaha used in
connection with any reference to
our grocery and meat department"
Mr.. Hayden added.
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