Evening star., 1919-08-15
Calls Wages Too High.

So far as labor Is concerned. Mr..
Cassard said that he had nothing to
complain of, except that wages were
high. To regular labor. the labor
which lives on the place and has the
privilege of raising garden. he said,
he paid $50 month, while to extra
labor he was forced to pay $3.50 to 81
day.
The farmer" said Mr.. Cassard. "is
just about as bad off as any of the
people in these days"
He testified that he has a farm of
240 acres. of which 140 acres are un-
der cultivation; that he has about
$25.000 capital invested; that his gross
profits were $12,500 and his net
profits between $4,000 and $4,000 last
year.
Wholesale prices of fresh vegeta-
bles. the witness said, f1uctuate con-
stantly with the supply and demand.
He explained how the produce is
farmers wholesale market here early
each morning and is sold to the re-
ta1lers or to the commission mer-
chants. The farmers pay 20 cents
day for the privilege of a stall in the
market. Prices are arrived at, he
said, by the farmers and the retailers.
Last year the farmers did better in
the way of profits than this year.
Fish Sold at Auction.
Riley White of Evans & White,
wholesale fish merchants. said that
his firm sold all kinds of fish on a
10 per cent commission to the retail
ers. Their stand is at 11th street
wharf. The fish. he said. are all sold
at auction He said that the prices
are fixed by the supply and demand.
His working capital is $4,000. and
his net profits for last year amounted
to about $4,000. The witness said
there was no agreement or organiza-
tion among the fish merchants to fix
prices. and there could be none, since
the fish are sold at auction. They
are all sold each day, as a general
rule, though sometimes when fish are
left over they are re-iced and kept
until the following day.
Sanitary Grocery Company Prices.
E. G. Yonkers of the Sanitary Gro
Gerry Company testified that his COM
pany has a chain of lis stores here.
plus of $250.000, and has been ten
years in business. It handles Ero-
ceries and canned goods and bacon
in original one-half and one-pound
packages. The bacon is purchased
at So cents a pound and sold at so
cents. he said. The company. he said,
purchased its groceries and canned
goods all over the country.
Canned tomatoes, corn and peas,
he said, are coming into the market
and eggs are about the same as last
year.
The witness gave the following
prices at which the Sanitary Grocery
Company is retailing various articles:
Sugar, 10 cents retail, wholesale cost.
1924 cents a pound: flour in 24h-
pound sacks, $1.75 and $1.65, whole
sale cost, $12.70 a barrel, price, 16
cents q pound, wholesale cost, IAN
cents a pound: beans. 10 cents a pound,
coffee, 45 cents a pound, wholesale
cost, SO cents; tea, 81 to IS cents
pound: canned corn. IA cents. whole
sale cost, $1.30 a dozen; canned to-
matoes, 16 cents. wholesale cost. $1.67
a dozen; canned peas, 13k, 17h and
20 cents, wholesale cost, $1.37 a dozen.
The price of canned goods coming In,
he said, was 25 to 80 cents cheaper
than last year.
Fixes Profit at 1877 Per Cent.
Mr.. Yonkers said that the Sanitary's
business last year amounted to 3d.
034, 900 and the net profit was $780,
900. or about 1871 per cent The per-
centage of profits this year. he said.
probably would be smaller than last
year. The business in 1917 amounted
to 1885,, ,964.48 and the net profits to
$210. 0.001.S7, or 15.5 per cent.
The witness testified that his COM
pany was limiting purchases of sugar
to two pounds person. because sugar
| was hard to get. the ref1ners being
far behind in filling their orders. The
marine strike was largely RESPONSE
BILE for this condition. he said.
Meat Dealers Profit 81, 900.
c. r. Kengla, jr., proprietor of the
Shirley market on p street near Du-
pont Circle, told the committee that
! his trade demanded only the very best
meats and that he was forced to pay
a high price for them He said he