The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-08-12
SENT
To CH|CAG0,
IS ALLEGED
State Buys Car Of Sugar to
Distribute to Consumers,
MEAT CHARGES BROUGHT
Whitehurst Says Dealers Mis-
represent Packers Charges,

When news came that three Okla
homa City jobbers were dlverting
sugar TO Chicago to gain increased
profits from lots OF sugar which they
hand on hand. Governor Robertson
today announced that he would ask
the federal sugar equalization board
20 Immediately cancel the licenses Of
the offending iobbers.
Investigators Get Information.
Field men in the department, OF John
A. Whitehurst, president OF the state
board OF agriculture, secured the in
formation regarding the practice Of
the jobbers in sending sugar out Of
the state. notwithstanding the
enormous home, demand for canning
purposes. and Mr. " Whitehurst i'm
medately asked the assistance OF the
governor in meeting the crisis
The state board OF agriculture to-
day closed the purchase OF car OF
sugar a, New Orleans for $3.50 4
hundred. which means cost OF 500
here. Mr.. WhitehurN said this car Of
sugar will he pareeled out all over
the state. perhaps through the state
marketing commissions No one COM
muni,y will be favored. according TO
Mr.. Whitehurst
Not Local Jobbers.
| According to Whitehurst. none ol
the offending jobbers do business IN
Oklahoma City. He said he believed
Oklahoma City wholesalers were try
ing pa,riotically to spread their sup
plies out where they will do the mos
good to the small consumer He eitet
an instance OF one wholesaler re-
ceiving 4 car Of sugar Yesterday and
refusing $i2 . hundred offered BY
candy and soft drink men, insisting
that he preferred 10 dole his sugar
out in maximum lots OF three bags
10 a retailer, where il will get to the
housewives who are struggling 10 put
up 4 quantity of fruit against the
winter demand.
Rotten Profiteering.
"Sending sugar TO Chicago for the
added profit when the whole state IS
crying for sugar for canning pur-
poses is the ro.,enest sort of profi-
,eering, in my judgment" Whi,ehurst
said. I'VE are going TO do every
thing we can to put a stop TO such
practices. do not want to be &C.
cused OF trying TO overturn the estab-
lished channels Of business. but ! do
want 10 relieve . pressing need and
forestall the drastic legislation which
certainly viii follow II the cost d
living disturbance results in . spe.
cial session Of the legislature. l de
not propose to dip into the troublet
Of one community except for the pur'
.pose Of bringing to light = eonditiof
that might benefit the whole state.
! Meat Cost Probed.
| Whitehurst today completed an in'
vestigation Of retail costs OF meat IN
Oklahoma City and in score OF othes
towns and cities throughout the state
which established the fact that IL
many cases retail butchers are secur.
ing beef laid down at their doors ioi
less than II cents a pound.
The state board OF agriculture
secured packing house records on tn
sale of 10 beeves on August I IN Okla.
homa City. The top price for an,
side of beef in the lot, delivered, wal
IS cents and the 10 sales contained
five carcasses which were laid dowi
at the butchers door for ten cents |
pound.
Downtown Packers Markets.
Mr. Whi,ehurst said he had asket
Morris and Company and Wilson an,
Company to open downtown market
in Oklahoma City. as an experiment Il
see whether q solution 10 the retail
cost Of meat problem could not b
found.
The presiden, Of the state board o
agriculture believes that our economic
. sys,.m--the butchers plan OF dom
business, with lis alleged exces,iv,
overhead COSTS the cause for, higl
retail meat prices.
Mr.. Whtehurst stated that In pre-
1 limnary Investigations . number o
retail butchers had given the stat
board the information that their bee
wa. costing them from 20 TO n cent
from the packers. Whitehurst's figures
, show ,ha, the packers are delivering
u l..g Ill oysv ,LS .iate AZ pi0P rp0ta 4