The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-02-10
WAY TO BEAT RETAILERS
Concerted Action by Public Remedy
For Existing High Prices-Whole-
sale List Ignored.

Cambridge. Md, Feb. 10, 1919.
Mr.. Editor:
AS the following from yesterday s
Baltimore Sun so clearly explains the
maintenance of high prices by retail
ers, together with other information
of interest to consumers, 1 submit it
to you for reproduction in your paper
CONSTANT READER.
The article follows:
Just so long as the people are
willing to pay, without protest, the
prices that they are being asked fol
foods, just so long will they be ex-
pected to pay them. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that the wholesale prices
are tumbling in every direction, the
retail prices keep up their wartime
position, and determined efforts are
being made by the retailers to keep
them up.
In large number of cases the
retailers stocked up on non-perlsh-
able goods, and they do not propose
to take any losses unless they are
compelled to do so, but in such
things as meats, vegetables, fruits,
eggs, butter and the like, things on
which they do not stock up, they are
still charging all they think the
traffic will bear. irrespective of the
wholesale prices, and they are get
ting away with it.
When the war was on, Food Ad-
ministrator Maltbie had a large num-
Der of market men before him for
charging exorbitant prices, and they
promised to limit their charges. But
since the restrictions have been off,
and they cannot be lacked up, they
are making a killing, charging, in
many instances, larger percentage
of profit than they did in war times
when they admitted they had been
profiteering. In a few articles there
has been a drop of one or two cents,
sometimes more, in no case drop
proportionate to the cut in whole
sale prices, and in large number OF
things there has been no drop at all.
While such a charge is hard to
prove, it is generally believed that
not only the butchers, but the other
stallkeepers in the markets have
price agreements. One thing is GER
tain, there is practically no variation
in the price charged; prices are sub
stantially the same at all stalls; in
the market, no matter whether the
stallkeeper is selling stuff he pro-
duces himself or stuff he bought
from commission merchants.
Market stallkeepers and the store
keepers have been enabled to keep
up their prices because of the fact
that since the food restrictions were
removed and people have been at
liberty to buy as much of anything
wanted as they pleased, they have
been buying more than they actually
needed and have thus played into
the hands of the retailers. If the
public would stint for while, it was
pointed out yesterday by practical
housekeeper, prices could be forced
down in a short while. 1t will be
remembered that several years ago
combination was made about
Thanksgiving time on turkeys, and
turkey prices were sent soaring. Peo-
pie simply refused to buy at the
prices asked, the dealers had large
quantities of turkeys left on their
hands which they had to sell for
what they would bring or put them
back into cold storage. The = result
was that at Christmas and New
Years turkeys were selling at rea-
sonable prices.
Figures recently given out show
that there are in the cold storage
warehouses of the country, and par
ticularly in New York and Chicago,
millions upon millions of pounds of
beef, mutton, lamb, veal, fowl, eggs,
butter, cheese and other foodstufs;
that the warehouses are over-fowing,
and tha tall this stuff is being held
back from market for the purpose
of extorting war prices for it from
the consumer A positive refusal on
the part of the great army of house
keepers of the country to buy
pound of any kind of food not abso-
lutely needed would, it is stated, soon
bring prices tumbling. Bat as long
as any price that is asked is PAID,
prices will continue to remain be-
yond reason.
Baltimore is suffering more than
other cities, and from being one OF
the cheapest cities in the country TO
live in has become one OF the dear
est, due, it is stated, to the unre-
strained operations of the 1000
profiteerS.