Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-25
|SLUMP IN STOCKS AUDIT KITCHEN BILLS
Due to Anti Trust PROGRAM Business Men Undertake
and Protest Against Prices Probe OF Local High Prices.
DISORDER IN THE TRADING WANT TEN YEARS RECORD
Railway Securities Suffer New Chamber Of Commerce Inquiry to
York Market Dig Up Household Accounts
GRAIN AND COTTON THEN DEALERS CAN EXPLAIN
Unset ON Cost
.tled-Many Liquidation Sales of Living Here
Business Men Undertake
Probe of Local High Prices.
WANT TEN YEARS. RECORD
Chamber of Commerce Inquiry to
Dig Up Household Accounts.
THEN DEALERS CAN EXPLAIN
Navy Yard Employees Object to Pay
of Living Here.

Determined to sift to the bottom the
reasons for the continuous upward trend
In prices of meat and other foodstuffs.
the Cha of Commerce. through Its
committee on legislation, took initial steps
this morning in an investigation which
will be carried out on most comprehen-
sive lines.
Chairman A. Leftwich Sinclair OF the
on legislation appointed sub
committee TO undertake the work, as fol-
lows: A. D. Albert. jr, chairman: DIR.
Richard ID. Harlan. Charles w. Darr, A.
D. Marks Clarence Moore, Robert y.
Harper, William 7. Galliher. ]. Louis
Wilige and Henry d. Classic. This COM
mittee completed its formal organization
in meeting in the rooms of the cham
ber this morning.
Ten Years of Kitchen Accounts.
According to the program which has
been outlined for the work the investi-
gators Will seek to determine whether
any remedy for the increased cost OF
living may be secured through legislation
by Congress. To this end the committee
will seek to secure actual records in
writing of purchases made at local mar
kets by local consumers running back
ward over a period Of about ten years.
These records, of a character which
are often preserved by householders un-
doubtedly will be procured easily AS
the reports come in they Will be COM
pared with printed records Of the official
market quotations for the Same periods.
When the committee has completed
its deductions it Will invite various pro-
vision dealers to come forward and give
such explanations as the committee may
desire.
All this work will be expedited as much
as possible. SO that it may be completed
Within the period Of not more than one
month. Then ample time will remain be-
fore the adjournment of Congress to Of
fer remedial bills and to procure their
passage
Wide Range Of Inquiry.
At the preliminary meeting this morn
ing the subcommittee determined to col
lect records of prices during the past ten
years for such staple articles as salt and
fresh meats, butter, coffee. sugar, tea.
oysters and flour among the foodstuffs:
wood and coal. in the fuel list, besides
clothing, and the comparative range of
rents for houses and apartments in given
sections of the city The committee Will
hold it's next meeting Friday afternoon
at o'clock.
Concerning the status of the case which
the government is urging against the
-'beef trust" Assistant Attorney General
Wade Ellis today would make no COM
ment, save that the grand jury in Chi
cago, before whom the evidence in sup
port of an indictment against the pack
ers in general and the National Packing
Company in particular will be presented.
is now engaged in the consideration OF
other cases. 1t will be several days be-
fore the proceedings In the government S
action can be started.
The case has been discussed at con-
siderable length by the Attorney General
and Mr.. Ellis in the light of a special
report just received from United States
Attorney Sims of Chicago. Mr.. Ellis will
probably go to Chicago to assist in the
proceedings when the case is called.
Navy Yard Men Protest.
Another factor is being injected by
some employees of Uncle Sam-the
machinists at the navy yard, to be ex
plicit-into the problem of the high cost
of living in the National Capital These
workers are watching closely the prog
ress of the bill introduced last week by
Representative George A. Pearre of
Maryland, providing for an increase in
the wage rate for machinists of the four
classes at the navy yard and for the
each class.
The bill specifies that the rates of earn
ings for the four classes shall be o2,
IL A and Al cents an hour, respectively,
instead of Al, "A, Al and 49,
The wage scale for machinists at the
navy yard is regulated annually by
wage board. composed of three nava,
officers, who are required by law toutx
the rate to correspond with that paid
in private shops In this section of the
country Baltimore, Alexandria and Rich
mond were taken as standards at the
last adjustment.
The sense of the machinists' claim is
that the wages alone in these other cities
because the cost of living is much higher
in Washington. Some machinists EN-
ployed here find it advantageous. 1t is
stated, to make their homes I'm Balti-
more. even though they are compelled
to face monthly item of $l5 for rail-
road fare.
Central Labor Union in Line.
A double-acting blow at the beef trust"
vas struck last night by the Central
Labor Union when that body formally in
dorsed the National Anti-Food Trust
League and also adopted resolution
calling upon Congress to remove the duty
upon hogs and cattle. The resolution
called upon other central labor unions to
petition Congress 10 pass the law uesTeu
1t read, in full, as follows
Whereas the agitation going on at this
time all over the country against the pre-
vailing high cost of food products has for
it's object the lowering of same; and
Whereas IL any benefit comes from
such agitation. it will be only temporary
under the existing laws; and
Whereas the beef and pork packers of
the country claim that the existing high
prices OF beef and pork are due 10 scar
city of cattle and hogs; and
Whereas thousands of cattle are ship
ped abroad weekly and sold at a much
lower price than are cattle OF the same
grade in this country; and
Whereas statistics gathered by the
Agricultural Department show that the
amount Of live stock I'm the country lis
vastly greater today than year ago in
proportion to the increased population;
and
Whereas enormous dividends have
been declared on the invested cattle of
the packing industry:
BE II resolved, That the Central Labor
Union OF Washington petition Congress.
House and Senate. to at once pass law
removing the duty from cattle and hogs
until such time as the prices for same
come down to a reasonable figure: and
BE II further resolved. That a copy OF
ha n President