The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-06-28
WOMEN TO STOP
FRIGHTENING
New Jersey League of Women
Voters and State Federation
Members Act as Reporters.
Publish Food Prices

Thirty New Jersey women, promj-
nent in their respective communities,
have enlisted as market reporters 10
aid the campaign of State %organiza-
tons of ONE to check ~profiteering
this summer on farm food products.
So effective is their system, in which
they have the cooperation of State
agricultural authorities, hat too much
spread between farm and retail prices
is Immediately brought to light and
publication of the facts, it has been
shown, speedily corrects the evil. The
reporters are members either of the
New Jersey League of Women Voters
or the State Federation of Women's
Clubs.
Mystery surrounds the identity of
the women reporters in their home
communities, as their activities are
directed entirely from their State or
CARNATIONS. Any housewife, inquir-
ing the price of fruit or vegetables on
her morning visit to the store or mar
ket stall, may be procuring the infor-
nation, so that there is no opportun-
ity for any dealer to recognize her and
misquote prices.
The retail prices of s~easonable COM
modities are forwarded to Trenton by
each reporter. There they are COM
piled and published for distribution,
side by side with the average prices
paid the farmer in the wholesale mar
kets throughout the State for the
same products, as shown by the rec
ords of the State Bureau of Markets,
whose experts are acquainted with
the average cost of marketing all
nariSha hIa nraI,ntc Thic in forr,attln
is then forwarded to every women's
club and to any other persons, organi-
cations and newspapers requesting it.
The women's clubs interested in the
fair-price movement have made it
clear that they are not combating the
dealers as a class. They recognize
the necessity for the service perform
ed by the retailer in the modern dis
tributing system. The reporting sys-
TEN came into existence under eopdi-
tons in a previous season, when farm
ers were selling products at less than
the cost of production, while in the
city frequently were being
asked prices for these same essential
food commodities hat put them out of
reach of the masses of the people. In
some instances, comparisons showed
gross profits of 500 and 900 per cent.
According to State agricultural Off
Gals, the work of the market report
ers aided materially in checking ten
denotes toward this kind of profiteer-
ing last summer. Crops then were
scarce, however, and there were no
glutted markets. 1t is extremely nee
essary, in the face of big crop pros
poets, say these officials, that fair
prices should govern the city markets
this summer, and that fresh farm
products be kept flowing to the pub
lie without interference in the form
of barriers of abnormal profits. For
this reason, a larger torps of market
reporters has been organized to keep
in touch with a wider range of city
markets this year, and thousands Of
ome throughout the State, whose
clubs are making a special study of
economic problems, especially in rela-
ton to the food supply, will know
whether their dealers are taking fair
profits or are overcharging. Club
leaders believe, however, that with
their reporting system in operation,
there will be little attempt at a re-
vival of food-crop %profteering in this
State.