Information For Consumers By Ruth Moyle TRADING STAMPS The subject of Trading Stamps has become one of interest and concern f to shoppers to-day. Recenlly the Toronto Branch. Canadian Asâ€" sociation of Consumers, expressed its opposulon to the scheme * as follmvs: ' CAC. is opposed to trading stamps for the fol- lowing reasons: ‘ l. Trading stamp schemes cost money. Expert: ence in the United States has shown that this cost amounts to 2c or more of the consumer’s dollar. As more stores use stamps to hold their business, food prices increase in the‘range of 2%. 2. Trading stamp plans discriminate against buyers who do not want to collect stamps. because trading stamp costs are paid by EVERY customer. 3. Advertising is directed almost exclusively to- ward promoting trading stamps. making it prac~ tically impossible for thrifty shoppers to deter- mine where they can obtain the best prices. 4. Some buyers tend to become victims of a "stamp craze." In their eagerness to acquire premiums they become CAPTIVE CUSTOMERS of one store. Thereby they fail to shop around for lower prices. 5. Trading stamp companies are parasites on the food trade. These stamp companies con- tribute no value whatever to goods or services. In 1956 in the United States. 400 stamp companies had a sales volume of about $600.000,000, If you are oppOSed t0 Trading Slum: C.A.C. suggests the following: I. Do NOT buy from stores issuing stamps. 2. WRITE THE FOLLOWING LETTH' l R. GENT. (it) Write Hon. Davie Fulton, Minister . mt tiec. House of Commons. Ottawa. Oman. him to take action to amend the Criminal t abolish effectively the Use of trading ‘lt Canada. (b) Write your Member of Parliamem in. tawa. urging immediate action by the My my Justice to abolish effectively the use of mg. stamps in Canada. ' (c) Write Hon. Kelso Roberts. Attornr n. era]. Province of Ontario. Queen‘s Park l ;.. Advice him you are OPPOSED to [TildinL It. and ask him to co-opcrate by enforcing ' my. against them. td) Write your Provincial Member. i n! Park, Toronto. Ask his support against "r- stamps. (e) Write the presidents of food stru :-..t issue trading stamps, protesting the use i .t- stamps. it) Write the presidents of food stores tlo not issue trading stamps, commending ti on their stand. ALL LETTERS MUST BE SIGNED. Exchange Visit This summer the Women‘s Institute of Essex County had a friendly visit from some members of women’s Homemaking Clubs in Kalamazoo county. Michigan. The following brief notes from a Michigan woman's account of the day give some idea of how enjoyable such exchange visits can be and of the place they may have in inter- national relations. “We arrived in Canada by way of the tunnel under the Detroit river . . . Several ladies who came to meet us were waving to us at the toll gate. Two boarded the bus and bade as welcome and handed us envelopes well padded with circulars. maps, souvenirs and greetings from the Windsor Chamber of Commerce. They had workâ€" ed out a huge programme to entertain us for the day . . . a visit to a department store and a linen and china store . . a drive to see the waterfront, the Bobâ€"Lo Island summer resort, the salt mine region and the Maiden National Museum. We. saw the place where the runaway slave Eliza crossed the river on the ice and stones to reach Canada and freedom. Then we were served a most delightful lunch in the Wesley 20 United ChurCh in Amherstburg. “After lunch we continued on through at and Kingsville. past the Jack Miner Bil .llr- tuary where only a few weeks before li\ um- sand swans and thousands of geese hut ml sanctuary on their way to the north. ‘ wt" Padsng Plants. the largest tomato centn Ilic world, greenhouses where they raise ’mum lll'r“ for the United States, and a large peach 'mrd of thirty varieties operated by one of [it he on our reception committee. When we .th Roseland we were ushered into the V» W“ Institute Building where we were tretttc 0 _4 delicious turkey dinner. We sang the ‘V‘ NM Institute grace, after which we gave tow the Queen of England and to the President lht‘ United States. “Mrs. Wright, president of the Non. .‘M Women’s Institutes who made the arrar- :Cl’IlS for our visit spoke of their pleasure in u- ‘lzltl'l‘ ing us. and our Mrs. Ramsdeli who origin J the idea of the trip extended our thanks ‘j‘d'd that we would like to have a return \i\ mm the Essex Institutes in the near future." HOME AND CCUNTRY