Show GRAND JURY VINDICATES I All Of THE Smears S n ars Whitewash All Over Wholesalers Re Retailers Retailers Retailers Butter Men and Everybody V Except Lorenzo Jensen ti Sale of Local Salt and Sugar at Distant Points For Less Than Here Is Elaborately Explained Result of Grand Jury Investigation V The grand jury returned one indictment and that was against R H B Gommer charged with embezzling from tho the Thiel Detective agency on December 22 1906 As the indictment was drawn to read December 22 1907 it wilt will have to be rewritten and again approved of ot by b the jury T The grand jury summoned for the purpose of investigating the alleged food tood combine reported to Judge Arm Armstrong Armstrong Armstrong strong of the district court yesterday and its findings virtually exonerate all the combinations which exist among the retailers and wholesalers from any wrongdoing The report Indicates that the Butchers Grocers association the Utah Wholesale Grocers association association association tion and the Salt Lake Fruit Pro Produce Produce Produce duce exchange are real rea benefactors and philanthropists and that their members would rather lose Jose money than see tho the common people suffer The jury however after diligent re research research research search discovered that Lorenzo Jen Jensen Jensen Jensen sen secretary of 01 the Butchers Gro Gre Grocers Grocers cers cern association is really a bad man He is the scapegoat offered by the jury to a longsuffering public The report says that in his capacity he ho has undertaken to meddle In mat matters matters mattern tern foreign to his duties and entirely outside the scope of the association The grand jury actually condemns Mr Jensen and his predecessor W J saying In several severa instances they have acted unwisely and in a way that justifies us in condemning on then them In the strongest terms DeathBed Repentance Another curiosity of the report Is Js its it approval of the th action taken on Dec 2 1907 by the Butchers Grocers as association in amending Its bylaws so as to prohibit those who attempt to ix Lx axa a trust price shall be prohibited from membership in the association ass This terrible penalty was agreed upon unanimously by bythe the association says the T Po f n it the following Is said This amendment setU S beyond all question the tho purpose of ot the association thin tion as to the tte regulation of 01 prices and puts the association in complete accord with the th laws of the state Thus TItUs Is a trust trus declared de Jared a philar rophy t n this connection H It t will be noticed that the amendment referred to was pared pa Fed while the grand jury was In session That It made nade a hit with the Jury cannot be doubted The report remarks in passing that the arti of ot association of the Butchers Grocers association were I Copied verbatim from the articles of the Denver D nver association Leaders in inthis inthis Inthis this association are now no vigor vigorously vIgorously vigorously prosecuted City Market Suggested The report recommends one thing which the council has never attempted and that Is the establishment of a city market where farmers can bring their produce and come into actual contact with the consumers The present license of 22 a quarter charged ped peddlers diets ders and other produce vendors is not considered exorbitant There Th re Is a very lengthy and laborious dissertation as to present and past prices but no reason Is given for tor the advance and no method is suggested for making produce and other staple articles cheaper V The Inland Crystal Salt company Is absolved from any attempt to do the public by selling Its salt cheaper cheaver in Denver than in Salt Lake This is done because In order to run a fac factory factorY factory tory economically a surplus Is made and that surplus goes Into the market where e it meets competition and sells either below actual cost or at a aver very small sma margin above cost And th further reason that if It these Utah com corn companies panics should cut the prices in the home market the large companies else elsewhere elsewhere elsewhere where would Inaugurate a fight upon the Utah companies in their home ter territory territOry territory and destroy the market This explanation must be dent If any anyone one can understand The jury states in addition that thIs discrimination should be investigated by the legislature but does not pre presume presume presume sume to hand In many any indictments The report In full fuU Is as follows The grand jury on Octo October October ber her 9 II 1907 makes this report of ot Its Investigation into alleged combinations among merchants and into the prevail prevailing ing In prices of food stuffs in Salt Lake L ke City and vicinity We Ye have ha as far as was possible In Inthe inthe the time we e have had investigated the methods method ot of the wholesalers and job jobbers jobbers bers hers the manufacturers who sell their product through the local ocal wholesalers and retailers and the retail dealers On May Mil 25 1907 the Salt Lake Fruit Produce exchange an unincorporated ed association was organized among the commission men and wholesalers rs handling and fruit This or organization or organIzation r has since that time conduct conducted condl ct ed a credit department but has ha not un undertaken undertaken undertaken any other line of work The Tho object of the organization is to fo en enforce enforce n force the following rules rutes to wit All bills for goods sold on credit to customers doing business within wl the limits of the city of 01 Salt Lake Including IncludIng d ding ing Sugar House and Murray shall be bit considered due and payable the Mon Monday Monday Monday day next succeeding such sale and un unless unless Unless less paid before 6 n m on the sue suc succeeding Saturday the name llama of the per person p r son sen or firm owing such Buch account shall be reported at a meeting of the board of directors to be held at 8 S on each Saturday night and any person firm or corporation being delinquent shall be put on tho the cash list and bo be bosold boi besold i sold for cash only When such delin delinquent delinquent delinquent quent has paid all bills bilIg due by a fL ma majority majority majority vote of the members at any reg tog regular regular ular meeting his name must be re to removed removed tor r moved from the list of delinquents No cash discounts are to be permitted This organization has a set of ot om officers cers cern and is s actively engaged in carry carryIng carryIng carryIng Ing out the rules above mentioned From the tho evidence taken before before us have no reason to believe that at any meeting of 01 the association any matters matter have been discussed other than credit and collections above mentioned We have no reason to believe that there ex exists exists e any combination among produce men to regulate the price of or any corn com commodity c m or that there th re is an au attempt make uniform the price of any artial ar sold to aner i r Wholesalers Wh Exonerated About tn years ears ago nine n be of DC tJ Q scattered over OTer the state d the Utah Wholesale Grocers Gt cers association and this a sedation a r ward became the Salt Lake and Ogden Ogdan Traffic and association p The object of ot this association is to Ho promote more effectively the ment mont and prosperity of ot the grocery in interests by all ail moons means consistent withlaw with withlaw law and to promote honest and correct methods in trade to pursue a live JIve and l let Jet live policy The members mt At t the call can of ot their president pr Occa Occasionally Oc they have met arid aid have dIs dIscussed discussed cussed freight rates and have protest protested ed against eastern manufacturers send sending sending ing lug agents into this territory to solicit orders for goods which the local whole wholesalers salem salers are handling Retail dealers from all parts of the city have testified that they buy from different wholesalers and that they frequently get a better price from one wholesaler than from another and the retailers have been unanimous a aIn In their statement that they think there Is no combination among wholesalers alers to regulate or make male uniform the price of goods good goodsIn goodIn In considering this line of business bu ness It Itis ItIs is well wen to bear in mind the fact falt that a wholesale firm with capital sufficient V to buy in large lots Jots is bound to get gat better prices from the manufacturer r to handle h nde hIs bis goods at less cost and to be able to sell Bell to the retailer at a lower price than a firm that has but little invested and expects to make quick turns If It a firm Invests 2000 in a carload of 01 catsup it is entitled to tomake tomake tomake make a larger profit per case ease than the tho firm that buys a few cases at a time dma and the manufacturer can afford tomake to tomake tomake make a better price to such auch Bucha a buyer So that when a wholesaler complains of ot ofa ota ofa a trust that Is squeezing him out of 01 business we should riot tf t jump at con conclusions conclusIons conclusions but should look at all nh the sur stir surrounding surrounding rounding circumstances from a busi business busIness business ness point of view Retail Grocers Association The Salt Lake Retail Butchers I Grocers association Is a Utah corpor corporation c r I organized In 1903 1103 3 Since Its Us or organization orI it has Issued rl I I certificates to persons Dersons unit and fi me and at this time there are lOa 1115 of Its Ith members actively engaged In ia business in f this city the difference between b tween these two numbers to wit wH 89 represents represents the number of members s who have gone out of business or left the association The total number of butch butchers ers and grocers now doing business in itt inthis Inthis this city is about so that a large proportion of the persons now actively Continued on 01 Page 7 GRAND JURY VINDICATES F All Of THE COMBINES Continued from Page 1 engaged in business are arc not members of ot the association At tho time of its organization the charter members copied verbatim the articles or of incorporation and the by bylaws bylaws laws of ot the Denver D nVer association and arni these thesa original articles of ot incorporation and bylaws have remained without amendment up to December 2 1907 Whatever the articles may say of ot the object of ot the corporation It Is plain from the conduct of ot its affairs by b the at their meetings that the great majority of ot the members have haye endeavored to operate along legitimate lines They lave frequently discussed subjects of great interest to retail deal dealers dealers ers erg such stich as the method of ot preserving and handling a certain n commodity the methods method of ot detecting Impurities in food foodstuffs foodstuffs stuffs which they are handling and methods of handling economically per perishable perIshable perishable goods By these discussions and by lectures upon these subjects a great deal of ot good has ha been accomplished among the members of ot the as association association Tie The secretary of ot the association up to the day of November was wasa wasn a n ala officer It is his duty to con conduct conduct conduct duct the rating department to keep the books of the association and to be bl b at atthe attle Ute the office of ot the association during bus bug business iness mess to attend to whatever bus business busIness iness mess the members of the association require of him hm Th rating department has been heen a great advantage to the dealers Each member of the association association association tion is required to give the secretary a alist alist list of ot the persons who have been deal dealing dealIng dealing ing with him who have havo failed or re refused refused fused to pay their bills within a rea reasonable rt a conable time If It a customer applies for credit to the tho dealer in a particular section of the city the dealer takes the name of the applicant his former ad address address address dress in the city and the storekeeper with whom hom he has been dealing This Information is communicated to the secretary and the secretary after In reports to the dealer upon the tUe financial standing of ot the applicant Jensen Is Arraigned The secretary of ot the association Uon up to July Jub 1907 was W J 1 Donnellan Since then Lorenzo Jensen has hold held the position po These Thelia two men have hae un undertaken undertaken undertaken to meddle in matters foreign to their duties and entirely outside the scope of ot the association In several in instances instances instances stances they the have havo acted unwisely and andIn andIn andIn In a way that justifies us u In condemn condemning ing them in the strongest terms The organization has maintained a paper known as the Retail Merchant which is the official organ of ot the Re Retail Retail tail tall Merchants Association of the State of Utah This paper is pub published published in Salt Lake City in the Interest of ot dealers generally generall It Is de devoted devoted devoted voted to matters of ot Interest to retail ea ers and In Ia the paper has been maintained a department entitled Price Current which purports to be bo bea boa a list of ot retail prices current in Salt Lake City Utah From the sworn evi eI evidence en dence of ot many retailers in this city and by Investigating through persons sent to inquire at the different the price of ot different articles we e have tailed jailed to find a single dealer in this city who is conforming to this sched schedule schedule schedule ule The editor of ot the paper secures the Information for ir this department by b inquiry among the different merch merchants merchants ants anth In the city and has been assisted by b the tho secretary of ot the association Tie Tle list serves no useful purpose because each dealer del er has his own vidual problem to work out Each ono one knows what his goods cost CORt him Some buy better than others Each Jach ach one knows what his expenses are Some Somer r rent nt on Main street where rents and delivery expenses are high some own their own property some must hire all 11 help while others have most of the help necessary in their own family So In each case the per cent that must be to the cost ost of the goods to pay expenses and make a fair profit Is different This list of ot current retail prices should be discontinued ed edThe The price committee of ot the association association tion was originally used for the pur purpose pose Iose of ot keeping k ping track of wholesale prices At different times since the or organization of ot the association the price committee has ha Investigated the ad advisability advisability of ot the members of ot the asso association buying bU ng certain commodities In carload lots lot from Missouri river points and has reported to the association upon these matters I II I Retail Prices Discussed Within the last year rear and a half halt the discussion of ot retail prices has been precipitated by the report of ot this com corn committee e One instance has been brought to ur our attention where the grievance committee of the association reported I II I that a certain member of the lion tIon was cutting prices and thereby there b in with the business of other othe members of ot the tho association In the same territory The member against whom the was made was asked ii In open meeting to explain how he could afford to sell the article articie at tho price he put upon it He lIe Io explained that he wa was was meeting competition from nonmembers nonmember hers bers and that It was necessary to sell sol at his price in order to do so 50 He wa was permitted to continue This dealer deale was an established merchant carrying a stock of ot standard goods goo s He contin continued continued to sell his goods at the price |