Grocers—Clean and Unclean.
In the November number, Woman's Home Companion gives these impressive figures in its campaign for clean grocery stores: "There are eighty-four million people in the United States. For their food twelve billion dollars are spent annually. "Eighty-four million stomachs to be fed this year at a cost of twelve billion dollars. Allowing as a very small average that half the marketing will be done by mail, telephone, or thru solicitors and children, forty-two million people will be fed by women who do not15know nor do not try to know their grocers; and six billion dollars' worth of food will be bought without the supervision of the woman who knows her grocer. This food, distributed by grocers, clean and unclean, includes nearly 3,000,000 tons of sugar, 834,667,023 pounds of coffee, 175,000,000 pounds of prunes, 17,854,768 bushels of rice, 84,000,000 barrels of flour, and 84,000,000 pounds of tea. "All of these commodities must be handled by various clerks and delivery men before they pass from the grocery store to your pantry. Don't you think it is about time you got acquainted with your grocer and his helpers? Are the men and boys who handle the food for your family worthy of the trust?"