Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-02
SMALL INCREASES
IN PRICES FROM
FREIGHT BOOSTS
Equally Distributed, Rate In
crease Would Cost Each
Man Dollar Week.

Washington consumers may rest
assured that increased freight rates
will not increase appreciably the pres
ent price of their groceries. 1t is
estimated that if the higher rates
were borne equally by every man.
woman and child in the United States,
the per capita share in Washington
would be approximately $13 year.
But the bill of $1,400, 100000 which
the public must pay to assure the car
riers their annual s per cent return
on their invested property and grant
their employees higher pay will not
be borne equally. The men of voting
age, for the most part, will foot the
bill" rough estimate of the per
capita share, divided among the men
of voting age, is $52 annually.
Fifty-two dollars yearly, distributed
increase of a dollar week. But this
will not be borne equally. While Mr.:
Jones, who travels a great deal. will
find his weekly expense budget jump
ing at an alarming rate, his ne1ghbor,
MIR. Smith, may find it hard to dis
cover any appreciable increase in his
weekly grocery bill.
Increased freight rates, distributed
among the thousand and one things
shipped by freight. will amount to
very little to the average consumer.
provided he pays the increase deter
mined by the Interstate Commerce
Commission. But the trouble is, ac
cording to economists and the dealers
in household commodities themselves.
the average consumer. before the bill
is paid, may contribute several times
the amount asked by the railroads.
Among Lowest Expense Items.
Freight rates comprise one Of the
lowest expenses connected with the
maintenance of an average wholesale
grocery store. This statement was
made by we'll known dealer here to-
DAY, who showed The Star his freight
expense last year, amounting to little
said that when the time came to raise
the rates on freight he would calcu-
late the total of his increased expense
therefrom.
This total, he said. which will
amount to a few hundred dollars, will
be distributed among his commodities,
so that their sale will bring him what is
needed to meet the higher expense.
Consumers may rest assured that
the increased freight rates are not
going to legitimately boost the price
of his groceries appreciably. If his
grocer abides strictly by the margin
higher price will not cause a great
deal of damage to the customers
pocketbook. @
below are cited exanples wfrfcir-xre.
based on the present freight rates
and costs. They may be taken as q
rough estimate of how the higher
rates will effect Washington house
keepers.
Suppose your dealer buys his coffee
from Philadelphia. The rate is 24h
cents per 100 pounds. The proposed
increase is 40 per cent. The new rate
would be "a and a fraction. cents per
100 pounds. This should be reflected
in an increase of mills per pound.
A Few Examples.
Potatoes shipped here from North
Carolina cost the dealer 56h cents per
barrel for freight charges. Southern
rate increases, which will apply in
this case, are rs per cent. This will
mean a rate Of zOh cents per barrel.
the Increase being a little more than
IA cents per barrel. There are two and
one-half bushels of potatoes in a bar
rel. Potatoes. therefore. might in
crease a fraction over cents a. bushel.
Butter, costing IS cents a pound re-
tail. is shipped here from Wisconsin
at q freight rate of $1.48h per tub Of
100 pounds. In figuring the increase
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