El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-08-09
It's Peace At Any Price, Plenty
At A HeILuDa Price; Merchant
Admits He ProfteerS "A Little"
D. FRANK WITTRAlI.

D
GIT Is no longer n question of what
IsuppIies are worth. but merely
how much the consumer can be forced
to pay for them"
| Such is the way in which one FL
Paso dealer. himself admitting that he
profiteers "a little.7 sums up the pres
ent situation regarding the high cost
Of living
The average man is having a hard
time in merely making both ends
meet. although he IS more economical
today than ever before the merchant
continued and then proceeded to land
knockout in the solar plexus when
he Informed the reporter that mems
suits are going sky high before long"
A Few Present Prices.
Shoes, clothing, foods. luxuries are
going up-there is not a single item
constituting the life Of the average
American today unless IL be his relig-
ionl that is not costing him from 25 to
several hundred percent more than
Few years ago. Thus state the dealers
in defending their individual high
prices
Local dealers are not particularly
retlcent regarding their prices and in
general talk willingly to investiga-
tors. Here are few facts they re-
vealed:
One pint Of milk and one pint Of
table cream day at a certain dairy
the same price would insure almost a
gallon Of milk and a quart Of cream
daily.
Five little lamb chops will cost you
$I-50 ut some places. tHOw few lambs
realize their Importance as they enT1-
-
prOpOrtiOnately high and the butcher
looks doubtful when asked If there Is
a prospect for relief.
Potatoes bring the sum Of % cents
for three pounds. more than double
their former price.
Rice. always the cheapest staple on
the market, brings l23z and Is cents
a pound where a little more than a
year ago il brought from 4 to cents
The Price of Eggs.
Butter (almost any kind is costing
y cents in many stores. Two or three
years ago the dairymen was cOnsid-
cred "nervy" who would ask 40 cents
a pound However. one can purchase
the same butter down the valley for
SO cents
Eggs. If they continue at their pres
ent rate Of Increase soon will be dis
played IN jewelers. windows and old
residents will tell how once those
precious things were used by the ma
tives as food At present your grocer
viii smilingly inform you that they
are . cents a dozen today" and the
buyer for the firm gives you the con-
iiden-tal tip that They're going up TO
$780,
At grocery store north Of san An
tonic street WatermeIOnS are selling
ut cents n pound. The same melons
ut store on South stanton street are ,
selling for TX cents pound. or just
ha.NE
two merchants won't account for the
I make plenty Of profit to satisfy I.
me" said the Stanton street grocery !
man No use getting too rich off the I
o,feT fellow"
Coffee? so cents today. ma'am"-l
Going Up, Going Up.
Today the best brands Of coffee
bring 80 and so cents where once they 1
sold for 40.
shoes probably lead the van in .
the raDid advance Of prices Get .
firm hold on your paper and prepare
for the wOrst-One merchant has .
wOnea's shoes already market at S34
a pair. Father can't buy n good pair
Of work shoes for less than - and
dress shoes range from that mp to SIS.
minimum for mems shoes d. ring the
winter and fatty refuses to estimate
how high prices on women's footwear
will go.
But they'll pay it." he laughed. so
We can charge it"
Saturday morning shoe repair shops
announced n increase II IS cents on
half soles. bringing the price up 10
S1.l5. As an explanation one dealer
hung in front I his place large piece
Of sole leather bearing the following
words:
Value Of this piece OF leather July.
value. July, 1.1s-S13.
Value July 20. 19l9-S17.55.
value July Is. 1913 -S1S.55.
Value August Z, 1879. $3.50"
A Popular Hit.
So as upward and onward they go.