The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-16
TO BRING BOOKS
Big Packing Firm VIII Show
Profits Made on Meats.
Swift g. Company Willing To
Have an Investigation.
FARMERS PROFITEERING, TOO?
Charge Made That They Are
GOuging on Peaches.
More Wholesalers and Retailers
Turned In.
FARMERS PROFITEERING, TOO?

Swift packing interests will bring
their books to Topeka for examination
without legal process. Assurance
that the big packing company would
give market and sale figures on meat
was made to Clyde NJ. Reed, private
secretary to Governor Allen, thru an
agent of the company. Representa-
tives OF the company may be called to
Topeka next week that the state may
get a check on profits of retail meat
markets.
With the assurance that wholesale
records were to be procured in the
meat probe, state departments today
arranged to take a look at clothing,
dress goods, shoe and millinery prices.
1t is probable that the women's organ
ization which this week investigated
retail grocery and meat prices in To-
peka, will make their next call on fur
nishing stores. Schedules for a state
wide investigation OF clothing, dress
goods. shoe and millinery prices are
being prepared today in the office Of
r. J. Hopkins, attorney general
These schedules will be sent to county
attorneys.
Probe Local Markets.
That the meat market probe will be
the next move in the profiteering in
vestigation was indicated today when
Secretary Reed announced the offer
of Swift & Company. According to
the offer of the company, its officials
will come to Topeka to testify as to
their own profits, as well as the prices
paid for meats by Kansas retailers.
Books Of the company in Topeka and
in Kansas City will be opened to the
attorney general
The first direct charge of profiteer-
ing by farmers came to Hopkins to-
day in a letter from a Chanute man.
He told of the alleged combination or
Neosho peach growers who boosted
the price of fruit from 81 to $3.50 a
bushel: The Chanute man also stated
that shoes which sold regularly for
81 a pair were raised one week later
to s14 a pair.
A Mcpherson merchant wrote to
testify as to the action of wholesalers.
He said overalls which were $3.50 a
dozen in May. now sell for S2S.50. and
will advance to $33 a dozen Septem-
Der l. Work shirts which wholesaled
for $3.50 a dozen in May. now cost
the retailer from $12.75 to $3.50 a
dozen.
Then Wanted More.
After the retailers had bought their
fall and winter clothing stocks, the
merchant wrote to Hopkins, the
wholesalers asked them to pay 10 per
cent more for the stock than the
agreed price. This demand was made,
he declares, after the retailers had
contracted for their winter stocks.
Complaints came today from Wich-
ita and Kansas City, Kan, as to the
price of ice. 1t is asserted that prices
were increased from 40 to so cents a
hundred pounds for ice The Wichita
complainant directly charges that the
Wichita ice interests are in a COM
bine in violation of the state anti
trust law.
A Herington man advised Hopkins
that he sought to buy SO cents worth
of cane sugar at a local store. The
merchant refused to sell less than a
dollars worth of sugar. The man
then paid 81 for s Y pounds of sugar.
A Manhattan complaint is to the ef-
feet that sugar in that town sells eight
pounds for a dollar.
Big Shoe Profits.
From Wichita came a complaint
that merchants in that town secure a
profit of SIS to $40 on each pair of
shoes. Dresses, which cost the re-
taller $25, are said to sell for $50,
while suits which wholesale for SIS.
retail for $35 and $40. Profits on hats
are declared to be in excess of 500
per cent.
County attorneys in various coun-
ties will be directed to call complain
ants to testify in a court of inquiry.
Where evidence is secured, retailers
will be subpoenaed to explain their
long profits. No arrests have been
made in connection with the individual
profiteering campaigns. Neither have
complaints been filed against organ
izations seeking to control prices in
violation of the antitrust law. The
suit against the Beatrice Creamery
| company is based on charges of in
dividual efforts to dictate profits of
retailers.