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Show FOOD PRICES. . Commenting on a recent report of the British board of trade that the British workman buys his food 38 per cent cheaper than th American workman, work-man, the San Francisco Chroniclo explains that the difference is not caused by the tariff but by middlemen. From the article wecopy this: There ia aa apple grows is tha neighboring county of Santa t'niE the qualitiea of whieb are greatly appreciated hv British lover of fruit. Tho Senta ( run zrowa applet, after being hauled aeroea tha continent and snipped acroae the ocean to England, are eoid at retail in London more cbeeplv than in thia city. It ia a Botorioua fart that tha ronaumera of orange in the large eaetern ritiea aro able to purchase fruit raised within a couple of hundred miles of 8sa Francisco mora cheaply and of better quality than flan Kraneierana. It would he absurd to assume, all other conditions being equal, that tha apple growers of Santa Cms and the orange grnwera of tha northern citrus belt would sell the products of their orchards wore cheaply to eaatera buyers than to San Kranriecant. If thev market their fruit at a distance of 3000 miles rather than close st hand, it ia because they are compelled to do a by th inexorable law of aupply and demand, aad not because they would eooner aell to eastern people than to C'aliforniana. It is true that Loa Angeles oranges are sold in this city at about the price charged or them where they grow, though when the crop is large thou-sanda thou-sanda of busheht are permitted to rot where they grow, the trust not permitting any reduction in the home price. - In this eity we auspect the price of all kinds of food products is just about the same that it is in London thia coronation week. Half a dozen of our business men could reduce the ore one pricea from 33 to 50 per cent and make money by the operation, but none of . them seems to care enough about it to make the exertion. There is no reason why food should be more than 10 per eent higher in thia city than it was ten years ago. The change ia simply the work of some middlemen holdups. They are getting rich fast, but the poor are paying for it and the present prices are not only a robbery but black eye to the city. That food .'n.the United Statea should be 38 per cent more costly than in England ia a direct impeachment impeach-ment of the intelligence of the American people. |