Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1943-08-06

Edward j. Duck erative vari-
ETY.. In short, he is glutton for
punishment, and earns his pay
the hard" way.
All of which makes it most
difficult for the Office of Price
A Administration to obtain ev-
idence against hundreds Of tav-
erns and retail liquor establish
ments which are illegally over
charging their patrons day after
day and week after week. The
customer has built up an ac-
quaintance quite akin to down.
right friendship, between him.
self and the gentleman with the
white shirt and black bow tie.
For weeks the Labor Advisory
Committee of the OPA, OF
which yours truly has been
member, has pondered over the
subject of bringing the cul-
prits to justice; but we have
postponed any action because
we thought it more Of service to
the consuming public to con-
centrate first on rolling back
food costs, then establishing CELL
ing prices for all restaurants in
the Northwestern Ohio district,
comprising nineteen counties,
including Lucas and Wood
counties, plus a number of
townships in the outlying dis
trict.
But now the time has come
when we may dare to mention
the demon rum and the greater
demon, greed. Our argument is
not whether or not people should
drink or how much is good for
them. We are primarily inter
ested in seeing that those who
do patronize the cafes and beer
emporiums are not relieved of
their spondulics in greater
quantities than the law permits.
("Spondulics" meaning money!
PRICES WERE FROZEN
You'd never know it, but
prices Of liquor and beer were
frozen quite some time ago. No
one is allowed to charge in ex-
cess of the highest price that
particular establishment charged
for each item during the month
Of March, 1912, excepting that
the retailer is allowed to add
the cost of additional state and
federal taxes levied since March
Of 1912. This increase is neg
ligible and does not justify the
huge jumps in "over the bar"
prices.
There's no use denying that
this government law has been
almost universally ignored, par
ticularly in the Toledo area. In
places where beer was sold for
fifteen cents per bottle, or two
bottles for quarter, we are
now paying twenty or twenty
five cents, and have been for
some time. While certain pop
ular brands Of whiskey then sold
for fifteen cents, and other
more costly brands retailed for
twenty cents, there are now any
number Of places where you
will pay at least twenty-five
cents per shot, no matter what
the brand
COMES THE DELUGE
And do you recall when few
months back deluge of new
brands Of liquor adorned the
shelves of most Of our cafes ?
Was this a means of getting
around the ceiling price regula-
tion? TIE same wholesalers and
d,rtilcries peddled these new"
brands, and for a while the
drinking public could hardly
obtain any other than these.
What is needed is a militant
attitude on the part Of those
who are being victimized II you
know of any such unjustified
increase contact OPA head
quarters, Home Bank Building,
Tenth Floor, co John Mum. II
YOU will sign an affidavit to the
statements, the OPA will see
that its investigators look into
the case, and your name will
not be made known.
P. S. And changing the size
Of the "shot glass" from one
ounce to seven-eighths or three
quarters Of an ounce without
a nrice reduction Is also illegal