The Alaska daily empire., 1919-08-22
Investigation Proves Nec- eSsities Selling Cheaper in Juneau Than Seat
 tie or Portland
NO PROFITEERING HERE
Recommendations Made Merchants Reduce Price of Foods to Lowest
 Possible Figures

No evidence of profiteering by l merchants in Juneau has been found after thorough inyestiga- tion of costs and selling prices by members of the subcommittee which are endeavoring to lower the living cost in Juneau under the direction of P. R. Bradley, Federal Food Administrator and B. M. Beh- rends, chairman of the General in- vestigating committee.
 At the meeting of the general committee yesterday afternoon re- ports were made by all the sub committees. The subcommittee on coal oil, hardware and building materials, through it's chairman, F. w. Hebert, reported that there was no profiteering in connection with the commodities it investigated. !. Mrs H. J. Fisher, chairman of the committee on grocieries, goods, and wearing apparel, filed writ ten report in which is said that the members of the committee had investigated the costs, selling prices and expenses of business thoroughly and had not been able to discover any evidence of profiteering. On the contrary, the report said, by a comparison of prices of the more important necessities of life, they are sold as cheaply, if not cheaper in Juneau than in Portland or Seattle Further, it said, the merchants in margin of profit as possible and that in checking the relative per centage of profit on some twenty necessady articles of food, it found that butter, eggs, ham, coffee and sugar were being sold on the least possible margin and recommended that if possible dealers should place flour, potatoes, beans and coal oil as nearly as possible on the same basis, in order to directly benefit the man with large family to support. tVs
 Mrs. Fisher investigated the prices of dry goods and wearing ap- parel and E. P. Kendall the price of groceries. e
 The subcommittee on meat asked for more time in which to make it's report, explaining that it was nec- essary to take up certain questions in connection with the investiga- tion, with Seattle.
 The committee on groceries aid dry goods and wearing apparel sub mitted the following report:
 Juneau, Alaska, Aug 21, 1919. MT. B. M. Behrends, Chairman
 Charles Goldstein, J. M Giovanetti
 J. c. Mcbride, E. M. Polly, Fred
 Hebert, Claud Erickson, Allen Shat.
 tuck, E. P. Kendall, Mrs. H. Fish
 CT, Mrs. J. H Valentine and Mrs
 H. A. Bishop;
 The subcommittee selected by you to secure accurate information rela- tive to the charge of profiteering by dealers in dry goods, wearing ap parel and necessary food commodi- ties, beg to report as follows:
 We have examined the cost bills and selling prices of five of the principal merchandise stores of Ju neau, including the sTreadwell gen sral store and after taking into cen sideration the overhead expense, ex- cessive cost of freight, turn over etc., we are satisfied that there is no profiteering by merchants of Ju neau in the above commodities.
 On the contrary, we find, by com parison, that general prices of noces. .sary commodities such as dry goods wearing apparel and groceries, with the single exception of green goods are sold as cheap today in Juneau Alaska, if not cheaper, than are sold in Portland or Seattle, notwith