Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-09
FRUIT R0TTINe
in CARS. CHARGES
0MAHA'S N AY0R
Council Orders Probe to Fix
Blame for Waste of Food
.stuffs While Prices
Remain High.


ment of the stores and placing them
in the hands of the mayors depart
ment The resolution was passed
unanimously. Mr.. Zimmai, was not
present.
Says Supplies Not Inspected.
any telephone has burned my ears
for several days because of the in
activity of the manager Of the gro
Gerry stores" said the mayor. II
am advised that the government
supplies have not even been ill.,
spected with view to buying them
for sale by the city to the people. "
"On the contrary we are informed
that conferences are being held
daily with the commission mer-
chants, the very ones who appar-
emily are in part. at least, response.
bic for the waste and destruction of
these food products, and it is re-
ported by Mr.. Zimman that they
and the city are going to cooperate.
most remarkable example of So
Letting the aid of the wolves to
protect the unoffending lamb"
Mr.. Zimman was put in charge
Of starting the three municipal gro
Gerry stores last Tuesday when Com
missioner Ure went on his vacation.
He has been holding conferences
with commission men and grocers
and gardeners. whose cooperation,
he declares. is necessary to the sue
cess of the store. He voted against
the stores when they were pro-
posed.
Investigation BY Chief.
The mayors discovery of the II
carloads of fruit which. he says, are
spelling and already spoiled on the
tracks at the Webster street depot.
was made Thursday. Upon receipt
of report of the spelling fruit he
ordered Chief of Police Eberstein to
make an investigation. The chief
reported Thursday afternoon.
This report states" says the
mayors report, that on track No. e
of the Missouri Pacific there were
two carloads of potatoes that had
been permitted to spoil; on track
No. was a carload of lemons,
carload of potatoes and carload of
peaches, to which no attention was
being paid and they were spelling.
On California street, between Four
teenth and Fifteenth, was carload
of peaches that had been there for
nearly week and were now entire
ly rotten.
"On another track were one car
load of peaches, one carload of
lemons, one carload of grapes and
two cars of watermelons, no part of
which had ever been unloaded, and
the contents of which were very
nearly, if not entirely, spoiled.
81 have the names of the railroads
and of the commission merchants to
whom these are said to have been
consigned and who apparently are
responsible for this willful waste of
food products, but | withhold the
names of the commission merchants
until the facts are more fully devel-
oped, because | have no desire to
do anyone possible injustice.
"At the time these food products
are spelling the retail grocers in
Omaha are putting prices on these
products substantially as follows:
Potatoes, 20 cents to 80 cents per
peck.
Peaches, $150 to $l.6O per crate.
Lemons, IS cents to 90 cents per
dozen.
Watermelons, S cents per pound.
To Take Immediate Action
"This council must take immed-
late and positive action in view of
these evidences of vast supplies of
food rotting while prices are going
skv high. 1t must learn whose
fault it is that these food products
are permitted to go to waste, learn,
if possible, why this is being per-
and if the law of the state,
or the laws of congress are being
violated, we should aid in bringing
the guilty parties to justice am
not presuming to PREJUDICE any
person. but l do insist that this
council should aid in ascertaining the
facts and in laying those facts be-
fore the proper authorities. 1t
must also fight food destroyers,
profiteers, if there be any in our