The Bluffton news. [volume], December 01, 1949, Image 9

About The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current

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THURSDAY, DEC. 1, 1949
When the anti-trust lawyers from Washington filed their suit
against A&P, we told the American people, our customers, our
suppliers and our employees how this attack would affect them.
We said that this attack, if successful, would mean the end of
A&P as you know it.
We said that it would mean higher food prices for American
consumers.
We said that if they succeed in destroying A&P the way would
be cleared for the destruction of other efficient large-scale
retailers.
We thought the American people were entitled to know about
this threat to their welfare and standard of living.
The anti-trust lawyers have repeatedly stated that “the suit will not result
in the closing of a single A&P store”, and that "the purpose of the suit is
to enjoin A&P from continuing activity which has been held to violate
the law.”
The fact is that the suit is designed not only to “enjoin” A&P from alleged
illegal activities, but actually to destroy the company.
Here is what they have asked the court to do:
Break up A&P’s retail stores into seven groups, each of which must
be sold to different owners, and operated under new management.
Order us to sell A&P’s factories, which produce many of the fine foods
you find in our stores, to still other new owners.
Prevent any of the seven groups of stores from operating any of the
factories.
None of the present owners, who have made A&P what it is today,
can have anything to do with either the stores or the factories.
The first A&P store was opened 90 years ago. For the past 50 years the
The anti-trust lawyers have repeatedly stated that the suit will not increase,
but should decrease, grocery prices.
Anybody who has ever shopped in an A&P store, or has ever taken a
high-school course in economics, knows better than that.
Everyone knows that A&P’s policy has always been to keep costs and
profits at a minimum so that it can sell good food cheap.
The very heart of the anti-trust lawyers’ case is that A&P’s methods, which
they claim are illegal, have enabled the company to undersell competitors.
How can anyone possibly say that you will get lower food prices by elimi
nating the company that has done so much to bring them down?
Actually, there is no question that this suit, if successful, will mean higher
food prices for A&P customers.
Here is just one of a number of reasons:
We manufacture many of the quality foods we sell in our stores, such
as Bokar, Red Circle and Eight O’Clock coffees, Ann Page foods, White
House milk, and many others.
The anti-trust lawyers admit that we pass along these manufacturing
Savings to our customers in the form of lower prices.
The anti-trust lawyers have insisted that this suit will not affect other dis
tributors, “nor will it destroy any efficiencies of mass distribution.”
The fact is that the anti-trust lawyers ask the court to break up the com
pany, make it get rid of its admittedly legal manufacturing operations and
in general destroy many of the efficiencies which have enabled it to sell food
cheaper.
If such an attack is successful, it immediately raises the likelihood of similar
attacks on other chain stores.
The anti-trust lawyers are saying that they “do not contemplate any other
suits of this nature at this time.”
But that does not mean that they cannot undertake such suits at any future
time if they win this case.
As a matter of fact, the anti-trust lawyers made practically the same allega
tions against two of our largest competitors that they are making against us.
And it can also be used as the basis for an attack against other grocers and
merchants in other lines.
There are today literally thousands of chain stores, voluntary groups and
individual merchants operating with the same methods and in the same
pattern here under attack.
THE GREAT ATLANTIC &
Don’t Let Anybody Fool You!
These Things Will Happen
If The Anti-Trust Lawyers Have Their Way
It Will Destroy A&P
Your Food Will Cost More
Others Will Be Hurt
THE BLUFFTON NEWS, BLUFFTON, OHIO
Since that time, however, the anti-trust lawyers have been makw
ing speeches, talking over the radio, writing letters and giving
stories to the newspapers, in which they say we are all wrong.
They say that this suit will not close a single A&P store am
that instead of raising food prices it will lower them.
And they have tried to give the impression that nobody will be
hurt by this decision except the present owners of A&P.
We don’t think that the American people want to be conf useci by
these statements. We know that when they have the facts, they
will understand that this case can affect the living standards and
the way of life of every American citizen.
Here are the facts:
company has been managed by George L. Hartford and John A. Hartford.
These are the men who have pioneered the policy of low-cost, low-profit,
low-price food retailing which has won A&P the patronage of millions of
American families and given them more good food for their money.
If the anti-trust lawyers have their way, these men and other company
executives will be completely out of the picture. No one can predict what
the policies of the new owners of the various parts of A&P will be.
No one can predict that they will sell the same quality food at the samei’
low prices, or that they will keep the same employees, or give them the
same high wages, short hours, pensions and security.
Nor, despite the anti-trust lawyers’ statement, can anyone tell how many
A&P stores will remain open or will be closed.
So, while there may be a fod store where your A&P is now located, it
won’t be your A&P store.
Make no mistake about it. If the anti-trust lawyers win their suit it will
mean the end of A&P as you know it.
But, the anti-trust lawyers have asked the court to order us to get rid of
our manufacturing facilities, which would put an end to all these savings.
This means that if these A&P brands continued to be manufactured, you
would have to pay higher prices for them wherever you found them.
The anti-trust lawyers say that food prices would go down in other stores.
They claim that food manufacturers would be able to sell cheaper to other
grocers because they would not have to make up alleged losses they now
incur in selling to A&P.
This, of course, is pure nonsense. The suppliers who voluntarily seek our
business and are now rushing to our defense obviously find it profitable to
deal with A&P. Actually, their sales to this company enable them to build
up their volume, reduce their costs, and sell more cheaply to all grocers.
The elimination of A&P from the nicture would tend to increase, rather
than decrease, the wholesale cost of food and this, in turn, will be reflected
in increases in retail prices.
Make no mistake about it. If the anti-trust lawyers succeed in putting A&P
out of business you will find your food bill is higher.
If A&P is destroyed, no businessman could safely pursue an aggressive
sales policy designed to lower prices and give his customers a better deal
if by so doing he takes business away from any competitor.
Even if the anti-trust lawyers have no intention now of prosecuting other
suits, a decision against A&P will establish a precedent that could be used
by the present anti-trust lawyers, or any future anti-trust lawyers, to destroy
any efficient business that buys cheaply, sells cheaply, and grows big in
the process.
Such a decision would mean the end of the vigorous, healthy price com
petition which has given this country the highest standard of living ever
enjoyed by any people anywhere in the history of the world.
The anti-trust lawyers are trying to give a new interpretation to the anti
trust laws that, instead of preserving competition, will reduce competition.
They are trying, by court decision, to impose a new kind of economic policy
on the people of this country.
Make no mistake about it. If they succeed in destroying A&P they will be
destroying the method of distribution that has helped make the American
standard of living the envy of the world.
PACIFIC TEA COMPANY
PAGE NINE
Rockport
Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Begg were
Thanksgiving Day guests in the
home of Mr. and Mrs. David Core in
West Liberty. Mr. Core who has
been ill for some time is not Im
proving.
Miss Rose Leigh Mayberry was a
Friday night guest of Miss Judy
Stewart of Columbus Grove.
Mr. Harley Van Meter was a
Thanksgiving Day guest of Mr. and
Mrs. Edgar Begg and sons John and
William.
Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Marshall spent
Thanksgiving Day with Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Barnett and children DavM
and Jayne of Wooster.
Several from here plan to attend
the 0. E. S. installation in Columbus
Grove Wednesday evening when Mr.
and Mrs. Lawrence Begg will be in
stalled as Matron and Patron of
Grove Chapter. Mrs. W. E. Marshall
Grand Representative of Idaho is the
Installing officer and Mrs. F. C.
Marshall the pianist for the cere
monies.
Mr. and Mrs. Guy Mayberry and
daughter* Nancy and Joan, Walter
Aughe and Donald Anderson attend
ed the Ice Follies in Toledo, Sunday
evening.
Miss Belva Daum of Napoleon and
Messrs. Richard Cupp and William
Hamilton of Columbus were week
end guests of Mrs. Walter Cupp and
daughter Marjorie.
Mr. and Mrs. Lysle Cahill and
daughter Lynne of Cleveland arrived
here last Thursday and are spending
several days in the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Orlo Marshall.
Mr. Irvin Cook of Lafayette and
Charles Cook of this place spent
Tuesday and Wednesday of last week
with their brother Homer in Ash
tabula County.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Rockhill and
little daughter and Mrs. Lena Rock
hill spent Thanksgiving Day with
Alice Bodell.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Marshall and
daughter Malinda who have been
living near Louisville, Ky., where the
former was manager of the Walnut
Hill farm, moved to the Herbert
Marshall farm in this community
last Saturday.
Mrs. Edgar Begg accompanied
Rev. and Mrs. Sheidlemantle and
Walter Humphreys of Columbus
Grove to a meeting on Christian
Education sponsored by the Presby
terian Board of C. E. in Columbus
Tuesday and Wednesday of this
week.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Jones and
children Charles Ray, Sue and Jack
of Findlay, Mr. and Mrs. Roger May
berry and daughter Beverly were
Sunday dinner guests of Mr. and
Mrs. Glen Mayberry and daughter
Rose Leigh.
Mr. and Mrs. Chris Gratz of Bluff
ton and Mr. and Mrs. Cloyce Kidd
left Saturday for Orwell where they
spent a couple of days with Homer
Cook and family, then to Chardon
where they were Sunday night
guests of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Van
Meter, returning home Monday.
Due to the keenness of little seven
year old Eddie Fett, the Leroy Fett
family of this community were Din
ner Winners over WIMA Lima,
Saturday evening. Instead of saying
“Hello” Eddie greeted the caller with
the name of a food and won a big
list of groceries.
Charles and^Grace Freet who left
for Florida a few weeks ago are
nicely settled at Bradenton for the
winter.
Mr. and Mrs. William Metzger of
Lima and Mrs. Helen Badeau Risser
of Long Beach, Calif., were Sunday
evening supper guests of Mr. and
Mrs. Orlo Marshall. Mrs. Risser will
spend the week here.
Religious Film At
Church hi Jenera
A sound religious movie in color,
“A Saviour Is Born,” will be shown
at St. Paul’s Lutheran church in
Jenera at 7:30 p. m. Sunday. Rev.
E. G. Ackerman is pastor of the
church.
Let Us Replace
Discolored
°r
Dangerous
Broken Glass
In Your Automobile
GLASS FOR ALL MODELS
Steinman
Body Shop
234 North Lawn Ave.
Phone 259-Y