The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-02-17

 spent millions of dollars familiariz- ing the public with their brand names, and building up good will, are obliged to write off that invest- ment SO far as Puerto Rico is con. cerned.
 USE VICTORY SOAP"
 Those Puerto RicanS who go in for cake toilet soaps-moSt get by with bulk laundry soap for all purposes-now must use Victory Soap. They have no idea who made any particular cake. They get 3 12 ounce cakes, 72 of which are imported for $2S9. The same number of four-ounce bars of Colgate toilet soap, one of the known brands, would import for $2.s0. Both quotations are with. out tax.
 On the other side, the Agricul- tural Marketing Administration has sent here large quantities of unbranded rolled oats in 20.ounce boxes at $2.92 for 36 containers. Quick Quaker oats, In vacuum cans, would cost $5.70, but there are no Quick quaker oats on the local market.
 While this island has been cry- irg for food, a surplus Of 65.000 cases of unbranded, paper-packed oats has accumulated in warehouses. Why? Local business men say be- cause. in this climate, worms quick ly ruin rolled oats which are in paper, so housewives dare not buy the A.M.A. imports.
 When the A.M.A. calls for bids for foodstuffs to come here, 1t orders by specifications. There Is no iIn- portant complaint about the gem eral quality of food imports. But foods, above most other consump- tion items. are matters of personal taste. Two brands may be of iden. tical quality by all health and nutri- ment tests, and yet the Smith fam fly will insist upon one-because they like its fiavor-while the Jones family demands the other for Its color, or texture, or taste.
 The Tugwell insistence upon unbranded merchandise deprives consumers of this important gratifl- cation, and deprives processors of the fruits of their initiative and imagination in catering to this hu- man idiosyncrasy.
 Governor Tugwell claims that the government is saving Puerto Ricans $500000 a month by hand ling foodstuffs and allied imports in this manner.
 The Puerto RicAn Chamber of Commerce challenges this esti- mate with detailed figures. George Holiday, secretary, computes the actual saving at $6O.OO0 on the basis of prices, and estimates the cost to federal taxpayers, for sales and operational overhead. at $I 100000.
 He arrives at this by figuring the import of all foodstuffs brought in during the final half of 1942. at A.M.A prices, and comparing this with the cost of the same items at trade prices.
 For example. rice is by far the largest item of import. During that period the A.M.A. brought in 23.ll3 tons of rice at 6.55 cents a pound. which ranges from O.l to O.4 cents e pcsnd under trade prices.
 GUINEA PIG ISLAND
 This would represent q max. mum saving of ee q ton or eie4.- e0l for six months. an average saving of eS0 8i4 c month.
 The maximum saving on any major item of import Is almost seven per cent on wheat Hour. To achieve the savings claimed by Governor Tugwell. A.M.A. would have to handle everything at Q cut of approximately 70 per cent overall, This it is not doing.
 Business interests point 70 tne food handling method as . prime lIlustrntion Of the Little New Deals insiAience upon p1shlne 1Fivats capital out Of proprietary enterprise.
 Yt is contsnded that Governor Tugwells inslslenee upon me