The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-25
Frederic Haskin's Letter
tspeaaa carrsxpoodenes 9 rs
Soda Costs and Prices.

port reductions of 10 to Is Cents
under a year ago figures"
The range of prices on ice cream
was shown TO be astonishingIx
varied, running from 80 to 81 "a
a gallon on bulk cream and from
SIPS to $40 a gallon on bricks.
Taking everything into consider
alton, the fountain owner main.
tains that the cost of fountain
drinks has not dropped appreciablV
He points to one experts estimate
showing that the syrup in q seds
costs $.0204; ice. $.0006; carbonat4J
water, $.0016; and ice cream, Sea
total, $.0526. To this the .exnart
adds overhead and salaries whisS
he figures come to not less than
five cents.
The cost of a sundGe he estimates
at four cents for ice cream and
three cents for fruil, and when
extra touches, such as cherries
or nuts are added, three more cents
to which again he adds a nickel for
the intangible overhead. From his
estimates he claims that Is cents Is
the logical price for d soda now.
and 20 cents for a sundae.
The final argument from the deal
er'S side is that customers have
become more particular than in
the good old days to which they so
feeIingly refer The man who plunk-
ed down a nickel and got a glass
casually washed, slopptly filled 10
overlooking and slammed down on
a sticky counter with flies tapping
up the spilled syrup, felt that he
had a nickei's worth Today ne
would not feel that this sort of
service was worth 10 cents or even
a nickel. Soda fountains have mad
to raise their standards of cleanli-
ness and service. And they could
not go back to extreme carelessness
ii they wished, at least not where
health departments keep an eye on
sanitation in eating places. Foun-
tain owners claim that cleanliness
and attractiveness of the fountain
are big items in the important over
head.
The customer is rather at disa1-
vantage in the price argument in
cities where there have been such
arguments. He cannos quote rates
and costs so glibiy as the business
man. The burden of his refrain is
that with sugar and milk and eggs
so much cheaper and most other
things a little cheaper, fountain
drinks certainly ought to average
a. little less than war prices.
Penny Pinching.
n1a I-r1iefs1 =,
comm entary on psychology. He
says the public wouldn't take any
account of a two or three cent drop
in price; that the public doesn't
like to bother with prices compli-
Gated by pennies. A few years ago,
this would have been accepted as an
AKIN by most people, but today it
is believed that many consumers
would deny it.
The buying public, willingly or
not, has got used to pennies. Pur-
chase of a soda or two sodas a.
ready demands brain exercise on
the part of the buyer to add 10 per
cent to the listed price of the drink
And with the tendency to economy
On the increase, buyers are again
beginning to consider the penny.
Certainly the protests against tie
tax on fountain drinks, and state
ments of fountain operators that re-
moyal of The tax would increase
business are not based entirely On
the American public's distaste for
handling pennies. 1t is as much
the cost of the article which arouses
protest
Druggists arc hoping and expect
ing that the tax VIII be removed
before the end of the year. blr
Mellon has advocated u repeal Of
the soft drinks tax, and several
bills have provided for this. Thu
cost of collecting sc small a tax
has been high and druggists and
buyers have from the first protested
that it taxes as Injuries drinks
which people buy as part of a lunch.
The soft drink tax is hanging n
the balance. It may continue. In
the meantime, fountain owners Of
one city at Marion, Ind
have solved the problem of fouH-
tain prices and pennies for tDo
present by absorbing the luxury
tax and charging Is cents for a
soda, the tax included. This is one
moderate step toward old prices