v «iL ' ' -
Thursday, December 19, 1940
Above the
Hullabaloo
By LYTLE HULL
STOP THE FOOD PROFITEER!
There are some very low rack
ets among the people of this
world: murder, thievery, dealing
In prostitution and other equally
vicious methods of making mon
ey. But somehow none of these
seem to compare in sheer filth
and rottenness with the business
of food profiteering and rack
eteering, at a time when one's
country is passing through a pe
riod of stress—or at any other
time, for that matter.
The Department of Justice is to
start an investigation designed to
reduce the cost of food to the
consumer and to increase the
money return to the farmer. The
Department states that "the food
industries function badly for both
consumers and farmers." At one
end, they say, lies malnutrition
among millions; and at the other
end is a population of farmers
who must sell at bankruptcy
prices. In between, it is stated,
are powerful closely-knit groups
of processors and distributors
who today receive about 50 or 60
cents of the average dollar spent
by consumers for food. They
used to receive between 40 and
50 cents.
The statement goes on to say
that forty-five million people are
limited to diets so poor that they
lack essential food elements.
L "These families are below the
\ safety line." It then demonstrates
I from figures compiled by the Na
f tional Resources Committee that
' more than 41 per cent, of the
American people are already
hard-pressed and would be in
grave difficulty if the prices of,
food should rise above the present
levels.
TJi e statement then quotes
from a recent summary of the!
Federal Trade Commission which,
'• expresses the belief that "the;
"survival of independent farming
by farmers who own their own
farms is in jeopardy." And, re- j
ferring to this same source: "It |
called attention to the fact that
nearly one farm in four wasi
foreclosed between 1930 and;
1936; that there was a net migra- j
tion of more than seven million
people from the farm to the city I
between 1920 and 1935; and that'
the total value of farm land and
1 buildings in 1935 was about two
\ billion dollars less than in 1910,
although the total area devoted
to farming had increased by more
than 9 per cent. These evidences
of distress are directly related to
the fact that between 1913 and
1920 the American farmer re
ceived from 52 to 60 cents out of
every dollar spent on food by the
consumer, whereas in 1938 and
1939 he received from 40 to 41
cents out of each such dollar."
There is nothing new about all
this. Everyone knows that these
conditions exist and nearly ev
eryone knows where the blame
lies. It is seldom your grocer, or
your butcher, or your baker; he
is merely a pawn of the "big
boys." But the "big boys"
couldn't do without him any more
than he could operate without us
consumers.
Many of these "big boys" are,
of course, essential. The farmer!
can't drive his wagon up to the
city grocery store and sell his;
goods direct. The necessary dis
tributors do that for him. Much
of his produce is processed and
put in tin cans. It goes into
bread, into milk bottles and into
barrels; it is juggled in produce
exchanges, and is "dumped" by!
speculators. It is generally bang- i
* ed around by more millions of
handlers than is any other com- j
modity on earth. Most of these
handlers are decent citizens who
are willing to make a clean living
in a clean way; but there are
many who are not, and it is these
evil smelling vultures whom we
must help the Federal authorities
to throw out if we expect to pull
through the tough times ahead, i
There is one way to do this.
Every housewife watches the food
prices. If every one of these wo
men"Vould "raise a squawk" ev
ery time any price was made
higher, and would "shop around"
k for better prices, the grocers
Sfcwould be forced to "raise a
to the wholesalers and
* the wholesalers would in turn'
J 'raise their squawks," and the
Justice Department would hear
this big squawk and would re- j
double its efforts. And pretty
soon the jails would begin to fill
up; and maybe someone would
get hung; and the prices of food
would go down for the consum
er, and up for the farmer, and
. we would pull through the hard
I times which will result from this
¥ war; and everything would be
"just dandy.'
All of which sounds like a pipe 1
dream, but all of which is quite _
possible if each one of us will do'"
his or her part.
Dark Ages
Teacher: "Who can tell me
when the Dark Ages were?"
Bright Boy: "That must have
been the time when they had so 1
many knight*." I
Modern Super Market
I PRICES EFFECTIVE
slilß from dec * i9th
T * 4th
Anniversary 1
Modern Super Market, in celebrating our Fourth Anniversary, is passing on to our hun-
dreds of customers real money-saving food values in appreciation of your patronage and . ■
good will. Your loyalty to us has made our business possible, and it is only right that — —
we show our appreciation through the very lowest prices possible on quality foods. Check CHRISTMAS "PI I ■ All# WM 0% 111
NUTS THANK YOU!
■■rf 11 ■■■■ x JL i y
All of us here at Modern Super Market,
I "■ I M Ann t -- '. from manager to delivery boy, express
I ■ 111 m w pDCAiyi MITTC O lbs. OCc our thanks and appreciation to our cus-
A fllL w vllLillil liUlO u tomers for the patronage given us during
English * our four y® 3l-8 of service to you. As we
WITH PURCHASE OF $2.00 IN GROCERIES WAIMITS " FR ?0 C
TT/lfjllU IU Lil/« uw you the best food store in town. Best for
Lm M -
r resn oocoanuts F ach oc ig jq Quamy!
LARD 4 lb. Carton 29c MIXED NITS LB. CHOICE FRUITS
NO.2CORN OC« MAXWELL STICK CANDY FOR CHRISTMAS!
NO.2BEANS 4CANS/hP HOUSE COFFEE 2 pouT ,
NO.2TOMATOES LUU - 22 C LB. c ORANGES p ß e a ; 85?
Tomato Juice 2 - 46 -> z - Ca »* 33c CHOCOLATE DROPS l ™t m o SiZ em n o7l i
i —r -7-77 ORANGE SLICE 15
Iceberg Lettuce 9c CHRISTMAS MIXTURE ORANGES*" 3 DOZ. 25'
Celery Stalks 15c | Carrots Bunches 15c ]oc It) TANGERINES DOZ. 10°
l • 1 1 1 Q Florida Seedless Sweet
Cranberries lb. Ibe JH-J-*- GRAPEFRUIT DOZ. 35 c
Fancy Grapes 2 lbs. 15c APPLES DOZ. 10 s
— Cured Black Twiir
sLTiiFlour.pl'ndLard Z 69c HAMS#SW 18' APPLES BUSHEL SI.OO
Rtf~Cocktail^2 FOß 2sc ROAST*'LB. 15 BANANAS —6LBS.2S c
PEACHES 2 25c uriuc RITZ CRACKERS LB. 19°
Sliced or TJTTVTf Jl DDT T7 No. 2 ID NeW Irish
crushed PINEAPPLE ca, 15c POTATOES 5 LBS. 15 c
in I A Any Flavor Cc
■ A I f\ II ■ a Full Dressed, O RTp JELLU D
Mnriprn \nnpr Markpt KING JOY COFFEE ,B IS E
ITIUIIwI II WlllfUl IvllfllVtUl nVQTFRQ
I ululLllu lilll LO, 2 lbs. Crackers, All for "1
Phone 89-309 WE DELIVER Elkin, N. C. — f|
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN, NORTH CAROLINA