The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-02-22
duty, he would have given the
tainted stuff a kerosene bath.

duty, he would have given the
tainted stuff kerosene bath.
cat one time I worked for a pro-
duce firm that sent me to Morris &
Co. to get butter. I invariably was
instructed to cover it up in the rig.
When reached my place of employ
ment the butter was trucked in and
then sent up stairs to a small room
about 10x10 IT. square.
"In that little room, the butter
was taken from the original contain
ers and packed into butter tubs.
After that, with my superior, drove
here and there to deliver the butter.
I finally noticed the peculiar fact
that always was directed to drive
into an alley before delivery was
made and that no name was on
the side of the box of my rig.
"The facts were that oleomarga-
rine was being bought from Morris
& Co. and then packed into butter
tubs as real butter. My employers
bought at an oleomargarine price
but sold at a low butter price.
How can you sell so cheaply?'
the purchaser would ask when my
superior went around to take or.
ders. -....
1--WE have dairy back here and
We are bucking the butter trust he
would reply.
"I finally got onto the fact.
too, that the stamps never were
scratched and remember handling
something like 400 tubs of the stuff.
My boss would go to the kitchen
where the delivery was made and
then would lug in the tub. After
I set it down and the cover was
lifted off so that the buyer could
look at the contents, my boss would
run his little butter tester down
through the center of the butter.
twist out a core and hold it up for
the cook, steward or buyer to taste.
'That's good butter" the reply
invariably would be and the cash
would be handed over. Terms in
variably' were cash because of the
very low price made. -'.
'In transferring the olemargarine
from the original container to the
butter tubs, a small core of real
butter was put right down through
the middle and the tester was jabbed
into that when the sample was taken.
I remember that eight or ten tubs
were delivered at the Mitchell hotel
on Second st. Some was delivered
to small restaurants on Lake avenue
s. At the st. Paul restaurant the
Chinaman caught onto the swindle
and chased my boss out of the
kitchen with meat cleaver.
"Not one of the suckers who bit
on the game knew where the stuff
came from or who delivered it. Cash
was paid to Norris g. Co. therefore
there were no proofs as to identity
of buyers or where the product went,
I was not known, being young
chap.
when I quit there, an attempt
was made to beat me in my settle
ment but when I threatened to go
to the city hall and tell about that
peculiar butter traffic, the firm came
across promptly with my wages in
full. -
81 am satisfied" said the Rip
saws visitor, "that consignors Of
produce often are bluffed into TAX
ing less than their shipments are
worth. l know that we would be
told to take team to a car to
unload shipment When the door
was opened, the representative Of
the consignee would say that he did
not want it. Later in the day, we
again would 60 back to the car and
then unload it. In some mysterious
way the stuff had become more val
liable and desirable to the commits
sion house. do not know how that
could come about unless the consig-,
nor had been beaten down in the
meantime.
There are tricks in all trades
but Duluth's Food Hogs know many
of them and some are extremely
slick" I