South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-04-02
BATTLING MYSTERY
OF PROFITS FROM
MEAT Is UNSOLYED
Like Cock Robin Characters.
All Parties Involved Sing
Out: Not /. p"

Cul. WI Il.
WASHINGTON. Aprn 1.-Gst out
peach and paper and have a cry al
solving the must puzzling puzzle eX-
tall
d, IS a puzzle which affects every
NAH, woman and child in these
United States. whether they live OF
farms or in cities Iu New York OF
in California. ia bungalows or In
mansions.
% is more engrossing than the age
OF Ann the length Of a piece OF
string or who killed Joseph Elwell
ard William Desmond Taylor. II is
the great unso.ved mystery Of the
present.
% is this
WHO GETS THE BIC RAKE
OFF ON a POUND OF MEAT Oh
IT'S JOURNEY FROM THE FARM
II THE TABLE,"
The characters in this Cock Robin
mystery speak:
NOT T." SAYS the farmer. point
ing 20 his mOrtgaged farm. his over
due notes and his long hours OK toll.
Not H. Wccps Packer.
NOT j." wccp5 the biz packing
plant. pointing TO it's traditional ar
Iggnent that it makes only two cents
on the dollar.
NOT IT, cries the retailer. and
cites In confederation the United
States department OF agriculture.
NOT T." sobs the railroad. point
Ing out that the government had 10
guarantee il per cent so IL could
continue 10 operate.
WELL. CERTAINLY NOT t.
yeIlH the ultimate consumer point
ing TO his pay check. almost stretch
ed out Of recognizable form by the
pulling and hauling of the butcher,
the baker. the landlord and the gas
man.
The United States government has
recently been trying TO solve the
puzzle II set the department Of
agriculture. which probably contains
more experts Of various kinds than
any other single agency Of govern
mCnt, on the trail But the experts
haven't caught up with their quarry
as vet.
The retailer has long been sus-
pected OF being the arch-conspirator
but now the department Of agricul-
ture gives him a clean bill OF health.
absolves him OF all blame i'm this
mysterious Journey from the hoof 10
the table. in "a report recently COM
piled
Retailer Makes Little.
After an exhaustive survey cover
ing some 90 cities and more than
5000 retail stores. the government
sleutns found that the much
maligned retailer makes only 2.29
cents on dollars worth of meat
No; an exorbitant profit. 20 be sure.
II is not radically different from
that which the packer contends he
makes
The inquiry covered such cities as
New York. Chicago. Pittsburg. San
Francisco. Birmingham. Los Angeles.
New Orleans, Baltimore, Memphis,
indianapolis. Hartford and Raleigh.
y. c..
among other things this survey
revealed that the cost of retailing
meal has nearly doubled since 1918,
or whereas it cost 3.19 cents a pound
10 retail meat in 1913 il cost 5.26
cents in 1919.
The governments survey found
that when YOU ray the retailer a
dollar for steak he spends II in
this way.
To the wholesaler for the meat
S1.14 cents
To expenses Of retaiIing-16.57
certs
'FRONT.' % cents.
Cost Of Retailing
The 1857 cents which the retailer
spends for upkeep is disposed Of as
follows:
Salaries and wages-tO.25 cents.
Rcnt-1.S&
Ice and refriEeration-o.77.
WrappinS paper-0.T6.
Light and powcr-o.21.
Interest on iudcbtcdncss-O.51.
Miscellaneous eNpenscs-2.Tf
This would seem 10 throw the
blame further back i'm the chain
than the retailer.
The railroads. through their au-
thorized spokesman in Washington.
tcstify1g before numerous COM
mittceS OF congress. have put up
hard-luck stories 70 almost
brought tears 90 the eve Of sympa-
thetic listeners Labor 'rh. rollins
stock depleted. conditions bad, bare
Is able 90 make operating expenses.
say the railroads.
The Aluminium Dollar.
The packers. through their spokeS-
man and i'm great volumes OF adver-
Using have repeatedly avowed that
they make no more than two cents
on the dollar. one big packing
concern for months has been putt
tlue out an aluminium dollar. calling
a. the packing house dollar" which
bears out this argument through a
char. stamped upon lis face.
The farmer certainly isn't ge-tins
IT, Country banks filled with farm
payer and the bushels OF corn that
have been used for coal this winter
afford ample proof OF that.
Government investigators travel
ia "a circle. from farmer Co commits
sion men 20 packer 90 retailer 20
consumer.
AZ. the governments experts and
. tf ultimate ADINAllIfl~ Ilttt. ttlf
old refrain somebody's Getting r..
Getting It." but the identity II the
se,ter is more obscure than "a lotion
stocking in these silken and wooden /
days.
GINGHAM.
Bingham bathing suits are quite
the newest thing. And the fabric IS
50 woven and treated that little
hamrht.r a.n-r-t have N hanL Ninth