The sun., 1919-09-10
FINDS WHOLESALERS
HOLD ARMY PRUNES
commissioner Day Discovers
1875 Cases in One East
Side Store.
SOME SOLD AT II c. PROFIT
I,ealers Sent Relatives and
Employees to Buy Cases
One at a Time.

rha Rev. DR.. Jonathan 6. Day. Com
-,..,oner OF Public Markets, made the
discovery yesterday that many cases Of
.-rv prunes, now being sold by the city
tr the Federal Government in public
.,nool buildings. are falling into the
hands of wholesale. and retail dealers
=, soodstuffs on the East Side, and
~Droeteers' at that. During the course
A. a comparatively brief investigation he
,ounded I'D AIS fifty pound cases Of
,run.s in the shops of four wholesalers
and from FIVE to fifteen cases in the
stores OF a dozen or more retailers.
The prunes were purchased from the
,,,v at IS cents pound and we're resold
a, from 26 to 20 cents a pound. which
mr. Day characterized as "the rankest
hind Of prohteering." The Commissioner
ald he ordered the dealers to return the
nrunes at once to the schools from which
thsy purchased them or he would hand
,bs cases over to the United States Dis
tr,ct Attorney for prosecution on charges
Of boarding and profiteering.
Dealers Were warned.
Ben A. Matthews. Assistant United
States District Attorney, said last night
no report Of the straying of surplus
army prunes from the straight from the
city to the consumers route had been
received by him.
DR.. Day repeatedly has warned whole
sale and retail dealers, restaurant keep
,rs and boarding house mistresses who
might banker for prunes In more than
one case lots that the prunes were In
tended for householders and not to
attempt to buy any. They were for
consumers, and consumers only, and he
hoped the poor OF the city would manage
10 buy all the prunes which the city
has been able to get from the army.
1t was an anonymous letter which
started DR.. Day on the trail of the
urune profiteers. The letter contained
names and addresses. Accompanied by
George Schaefer, general inspector of
the department, the Commissioner says,
ne visited the store of 1. Dickman. 492
Grand street, where he found 100 cases.
A total OF 1875 cases was located at NJ.
Palestine's, Attorney street; 100 cases
at Goldberg & Cohen's, 205 East Fourth
street, and $50 cases at Hirschwick 4
Leventhars. 24s Broome street.. DR.. Day
declares. All are wholesalers.
The dealers pretended to be terribly
hurt at first over the idea that the
Commissioner would suspect them OF
trying to make money on Uncle Sans
prunes, but the cases all bore the army
marks and the proof was indisputable
that these particular cases had passed
through Public Schools 161 and los.
Then there was a general Tossing up,
and the Commissioner warned them that
II they didn't take the prunes back to
the schools ne would ask the Federal
authorities to prosecute them.
Palestine explained that he bought his
hoard Of prunes from Dickman. He
already had obtained 400 cases. he said
and he had been promised 200 cases
more.
Sold at 90 Cents a Pound.
One case which had passed through
the hands of Goldberg & Cohen DR.. Day
says. was traced to retail store at 81
East Seventh street, where the prunes
brought 20 cents a pound. Other lot
we're sold at 81 cents a pound by the
same concern to retailers at 1877 East
Seventh street and at 225 East Tenth
street.
The wholesalers. according to DR.. Day
denied they had done anything wrong
and took the stand they were doing
the city a favor by taking the prune:
on its hands. They considered the trans
action nothing worse than just good
business" ..,
The selling stats in the school store:
long have been advised to be on the
alert to prevent cases of prunes to fall
In the hands of food dealers. The mer
chants were able to fool the sales foil
oy sending members of their families
and store employees to a school one by
one Each bought a single case. Then
the same set of buyers would purchase
case each at another school, and by
being reasonably industrious the days
total purchases naturally were on 8
Wholesale scale.
BY paying the city Is cents a pound
lot prunes and reselling at 20 cents
tne dealers were able TO make profit
U $3.50 a case This was a profit OF
about 5s per cent.
Dr, Mary e. Pennington, chief of the
United States research laboratory at
Philadelphia, urged yesterday at the
convention OF the American Association
Of Dairy, Food and Drug officials in the
hotel Commodore that laws be enacted
70 punish those who put bad eggs on the
market The present high price of eggs
que In a measure to the fact that
warehouses are too full of eggs. she said.
Or. Z. F. Ladd. Food Commissioner of
north Dakota, declared II the duty OF
al hands to eliminate "the greatest OF
al evils confronting society" the sale
ot patent medicines and nOstrums DIR.
lad denounced farmers who sell but
tef With 22 per cent. Of water in 1t and
Aeep milk and cream under unsanitary
conditions
4, roy d. Potts, marketing specialist for
ue United States Department of Agri-
culture said the distribution of milk
through retail stores might help to re-
auce the cost of living. European coun-
ules are seeking markets for their dairy
products In this country. he said. and II
Will QeDend upOy1 fha Vnaunhara M the