COST OF LIVING Butter black market in Montreal e A “LEGAL” black market in butter is operating in Montreal. While hundreds of families look wryly at their dry toast in the morning, and while the harrassed grocer tries to explain the “shor- tage” to irate housewivés, several of the biggest packers have care- fully worked out a scheme to rook the public for ever bigger profits. It is amazingly simple. No laws are violated. Butter is still sold by the packng-houses to the cor- ner butcher at the wholesale ceil- ing price of 69% cents a pound. But, and here’s the catch, the butcher who has been paying 22% cents a pound for a carcass, now finds that he is being charg- ed three cents a pound extra for his meat. If he protests he is calmly told, “If you want butter, that’s the price you'll pay for meat.’ And, no meat, no butter. An average carcass weighs 600 pounds. Extra ‘egal profit to the packers: $18 per carcass. (Can- ada ‘Packers made 10 cents .a pound on butter.) For the grocery or dairy, that doesn’t handle meat, the packers have worked out another gim- mick, one that is not quite so legal. The grocer is sold butter, still at the 69% cent ceiling, but he is forced to pay freight char— ges from St. Boniface, Manitoba, in order to get his supply. These charges add nine cents a pound to the selling price of butter. On the lunatic fringe were the actions of one Montreal phar- macy and one jeweller, who, in the true zestful tradition of “free enterprise’ offered butter “gifts” with purchases of drugs and jewelry. One angry bellow of dis- gust from consumers and the gift sales stopped From Montreal Consumers Fe- Get a three-pound liver, about 4 cup pan, mix 1 teaspoon salt, 14 teaspoon paprika, 1 cup sour cream this over the meat. Cover, place over cook slowly 1% hours or until tender. — Serve this garnished with water cress or parsley. be arranged around the meat for se eh ‘ vegetable p and custard sauce for desert and milk for the youngsters. and % cup.water. Pour low heat or in oven and With this serve a jellied loped tomatoes with prune plus your favorite beverage Vancouver Office 501 Holden Building 16 Hast Hastings Street \ MArine 5746 ‘LIVER POT ROAST all in one piece, and rub into, it whi a STANTON & MUNRO BARRISTERS, SOLICITORS, NOTARIES 000 ee ————— ann en deration has come an angry pro- test. “Members of the federation question why it is possible for black market dealers to secure ample butter supplies if quotas are reported to be so low?” At a premium The virtual disappearance of butter from Montreal because of “legal” black market operations brought this reaction from a grocer. Sign referred to butter premiums given by a Montreal pharmacy and jewelry. store. CHILD WAR VICTIMS Labor heads UN campaign THE POWERFUL WORLD LABOR movement is emerging as the spearhead of the United Nations campaign to relieve the suffering of 230 million children left maimed, orphaned, starving by the Second World War. The UN campaign, aimed at bringing funds, food and : medical aid to néedy children —with no discrimination because of race, creed or the political their ments—was launched throughout the U.S. this month with the full backing of AFL, CIO, and in- ’ dependent unions. complexion of govern- In a number of other coun- tries the campaign is already in full swing and jn all cases a leading role has been assumed by the labor movenient. The drive—known throughout the world as the UN Appeal for Children—originated with a la- bor man. The idea is credited to Aake Ording, former Norwegian union leader who became a UN delegate from his country. The idea was to bring help to the suffering children, and, at the same time, to bring the peoples of the United Nations together in direct action to help each this in 8 tablespoons of hot ther. to baking In this country, a joint state- ment urging full cooperation has been issued by President Percy Bengough of the Trades and Labor Congress, President A. R. Mosher of the Canadian Congress of Labor and Gerard Picard of the Catholic Federa- tion of Workers. Potatoes may salad, corn bread, On a world scale, the drive is being backed by the World Fed~ eration of Trade Unions, the Latin American Federation of Labor, the Inter-American La- bor Confederation and the In- ternational Federation of Chris- ‘tian Trade Unions. Nanaimo Office Room 2, Palace Building Skinner Street 1780 LAST WEEK our little family was threatened by the “red menace” in the form of measles. Little John woke up one morning with a slight cough and was cranky and out _of sorts all forenoon. Suddenly at noon he started to scream and howl and drum his heels the way he does when he Excellent Acoustics ALWAYS MEET AT THE PENDER AUDITORIUM Renovated—Modernized—Hall Large and Small for Every Need DANCING—CONVENTIONS—MEETINGS Triple Mike P.A. System — Wired for Broadcasting HIGHEST PRICES PAID for DIAMONDS, OLD GOLD Other Valuable Jewellery : STAR LOAN CO. Ltd. EST. 1905 339 West Pender Street 719 Robson St. — MAr. 2622 really hurts, so I frantically phoned the doctor who assured me that it was likely measles and to bring him over pronto Daddy broke all speed limits and crashed red lights driving home after hearing my incoher- ~\rent account in between John’s screams. Once at the doc- tor’s office we found he had a temperature of 102, his throat _ and tonsils were very badly in- fected and we could expect him to come out in a pretty red rash any time. One week later I’m still waiting for the spots to show themselves, but evidently it was not measles but a bad cold. It just goes to show how ’'people can be fooled. * * * CAN YOU IMAGINE a .com- pany staying in business after losing $77,237? Anyway, that’s what the Swift Canadian Com- pany states it lost in ten months of 1947 in its report to the House of Commons special com- mittee on prices. In fact, the company even said that these losses had not led it to curtail its dealings in butter, but that it was trying to get all the butter it could. Perhaps the fact that Swift’s has made $235,049 in the last five months and will realize even greater profits with the price of butter up another cent, has something to do with it. When the prices of some food- stuffs soar beyond our méans we can cut them out of our daily menu, but you can't cut butter and maintain a balanced diet, unless, like J. L. Usley, you’re a cabinet minister and can subsist on a diet of turnips. Fat is an essential and house- wives simply can’t serve their families bread and lard, although most of us use butter “stretch- ers.” x x. = THE MORE we find out about the new sales tax, the more evident it becomes how big a hole it will make in the pockets of ordinary working people like ourselves. Not only will we have to pay three cents more on every dollar, but we'll also have to pay the storekeepers’ bookkeeping bills. It’s apparent that many businesses will use the tax as a-fine excuse for raising their prices generally, and as usual the heaviest burden will fall on the low income groups. Big business is already coming forward with its prepared argu- . ment that the sales tax should re- lieve it of the necessity of paying the municipal business tax which, in Vancouver, would yield $1,- 200,000. If anyone should be relieved of a tax burden because of the sales tax, it should be the small home owners who were paying 37.886 mills when the Non-Par- tisans first took office and are now paying 545 mills. Big business -has constantly evaded any business tax until this year when it was introduced tempor- arily. Both Effie Jones of the Ten- ants’ and Homeowners’ Associa- tion and Elgin Ruddell of the Civic Reform Association assured me that their organizations would be taking action on this issue immediately. I think it’s about. time we all got busy and put a stop to these back door agreée- ments at the City Hall. Send in your protest right away before any definite action has been taken. Vancouver’s budget for 1948 has been kept a deep, dark secret up till now, so make sure it doesn’t contain a neat little present of $1,200,000 for big business instead of you.—B.G. DR. W. J. CURRY 49 W.. Hastings (NVITES ALL HIS FRIENDS TO DROP IN AND SEE HIM? z THE PENDER BOWLING ALLEYS FIVE AND 10 PINS Open Noon Till Midnight — Monday to Saturday Open and League Play Invited 339 West Pender Street 68 West Cordova Street - - HIGH QUALITY LOGGERS AND WORK BOOTS HAND- JOHNSON’ MADE S BOOTS Phone MArine 7612 CLOTHES MAY 15TH. 45 EAST HASTINGS NO Before the Sales Tax — Wecarry a complete line of Men’s Furnishings — suITs, . TOP -COATS, SLACKS, SHIRTS, UNDERWEAR, WORK | — THEY'LL ALL COST YOU 3% MORE APTER Sate % * SEES VANCOUVER, B.C. om =<=—— Bas PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 16, 1948—PAGE 11