Evening star., 1935-02-05
Food Prices, Beefsteak,
Rats. Cats and Chickens

To the Editor Of The Star:
Mr.. j. w. Westhaver mildly chides
the writer because he complained In
recent letter to The Star about the
unwarranted increase in the price of
food without offering solution to the
problem. He then makes this original
and unique suggestion for its solu-
ton: Organize the farmers and con-
sumers. Sure! Let's do that next
Monday morning. In lieu of our pos
sibly not being able to finish up that
little job before lunch time. Mr.. West
haver suggests that Government
control of professors distributors
might provide the simplest solution Of
the food problem" Now, this gentle
man surely is not so naive as to be-
lieve the Government Is going to be
interested in any plan that will tend
to lower prices to the consumer. The
Governments chief concern has been,
and still is, how to get prices up. The
fact that the big jump in food prices
comes after the food reaches the
stores, thereby benefting the farmer
not at all, seems to make no differ
ence to the Government. The idea is
to get the price up. The chain stores
must indeed think their own personal
Santa Claus is here.
Mr.. Westhaver remarks on "the sys-
tenn that is denying Mr.. Mumford his
daily beefsteak." What does he mean,
daily" beefsteak? Why, I had my
monthly beefsteak (round) the other
night and I insisted the kitchen door
be left open while the steak was being
cooked and thus killing two birds with
one stone: Giving the neighbors an
olfactory treat and doing little per-
sonal Dragging. Daily beefsteak, in
deed! The gentleman must be under
the impression that have just come
to Washington to take job at salary
commensurate with the fact that I
control a couple of thousand votes
back in dear old Squeedunk County.
AS result of my letter of protest on
food costs in The Star Miss Stella
Stewart, chief retail division of the
Bureau Of Labor Statistics, mailed to
me some Voluminous reports on the
activities of her department in dis
seminating food prices to the public.
1t was all very interesting and I thank
her but, reading it as intently as I
could, was unable to find anything
that changed my opinion that the
average farmer would faint from
shock if he knew we here in Wash
ington are paying 5 cents a pound
for cooking apples and 1-3 cents a
pound for sweet potatoes. Maybe it
is piece of impudence, however, for
me to presume any one except a
Democratic officeholder has the right
to eat such things.
Nothing so important as what the
consumer pays for his daily food is
going to receive any attention from
the Government. 1t must be some
thing important if 1t is TO be inveSti-
gated. In that connection I am in
daily terror that an old friend of mine
down in Maryland is going to run
afoul of Federal Investigators. This
good old soul has a nice flock of chick
ems, but here of late the rats have
been cracking down on them like
omce-Seekers on Congressman. For
awhile it looked like annihilation for
the flock. Fortunately the old lady
also owns three cats and they have
solved the problem. Her modus oper-
andi is to put the cats in the henhouse
as soon as darkness falls. Being good
ratters these noble cats have saved the
flock Trouble is likely to arise, how
ever, because the whole performance
is a direct violation of an N. r. A.
code. I have tried to convince the
old lady that she should split the cats
tricks of duty into 8-hour shifts, SO
as to conform to the code. but she will
not listen to me. She is also ignoring
section Ia because she will not per-
NIT collective bargaining by the
felines. Any day I am expecting to
hear she is in the hoosegow.
s. H. MUMFORD.