The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1910-02-24
sen. LODGE
ON PRICES

| Newark. ". ]. Feb. 23.-Facts, not
opinions. are to form the basis on
which the senate committee appoint
ed to inquire into the prices of com
modities and into rates of wages will
| act.
| This declaration was made tonight
by Senator Lodge of Massachusetts,
chairman OF the committee in address
before the Board of Trade here.
The speaker said further, that,
The facts will be collected and given
out without any reference to any pre-
| conceived ideas and without any re-
gard as to what or whom IL will help
OF hurt.
I'VE shall new to the line." he said,
land let the chips fall where they
will
"The Importance of this inquiry can
not be over-estimated," he continued.
1t Is the intention of the committee
to make the inquiry thorough and to
| lay its results before the country at
the earliest possible moment"
The task of the committee is going
| 10 be a difficult one, in the opinion of
Senator Lodge, who said that THE
questions involved laIre complicated
and difficult In the highest degree"
Personally he had given some
months to al investigation of these
questions and the one fact of which
he had become certain is that the
questions involved in the ilvestiga-
tion were extremely difficult and
could not be settled or remedied of
hand in FIVE minutes"
After outlining in a general way the
methods of procedure to be followed.
ne said:
That combinations to control the
rule OF certain articles have, in some
instances advanced prices artificially.
have not personally the least doubt
and IL I am correct, the facts that
will be gathered by the committee
will show evils and wrong doing in
certain particular cases that we ought
to be able to reach. An example of
such evils is to be found in the case
4 OF meat products in tae use of cold
storage to prevent a normal decline
Of prices and we do not want to jump
at conclusions or fancy that we can
settle these questions by a stroke OF
the pen.
THE committee will try to deter
mine whether the rise in prices was
sudden or has extended over a series
OF years: whether there has been an
advance in world prices or whether
| the advance is confined to the United
States. whether wages and If possi-
BILE. whether salaries, which are most
td 70 rfof 81 n
prices and to what degree IL any: /:
| whether the tariff has raised prices;
whether prices on certain cases have
heen artificially and wrongfully ad-
vanced by combinations seeking in
ordinate profits: and finally we shall
make a comparison between domestic
and foreign wages and prices"
| Whatever the facts show will be
| stated by the committee, he said,
without any attempt either to block
en-, wnitewash or to mislead."
He said ne nad received during the
last few days one letter blaming the
tariff and another blaming the trusts
as the cause OF high prices.
| "If the question were as easy of
solution" he added, las the writer's
of these two letters think. we could
deal with 1t very quickly"
AS an illustration of the difficulties
that the committee will have to deal
with, Senator Lodge took three artic
les of wide consumption-raw cotton,
refined petroleum, and sugar-and
made comparison OF their changes
in prices and of their relation to the
tariff and trust questions.
Cotton is on the free list and has
been for half a century. 1t is not
controlled by any trust. Oil has been
and is practically now ON the free
list and it's sale is almost entirely
controlled by the strongest, best OIL
ganized and most relentless Trust or
com Animation of which We nave kaowl
edge. Sugar is in the hands Of a trus.
or combination and is highly protec
ted. Neither the trust nor the tarifl
are present In the case Of cotton. The
trust Is present and the tariff absent
In the case Of oil. Both the trust and
tariff control are present In the case
of sugar.
Now let us consider the facts In
regard to the prices Of these articles
Taking 100 as the basis in 1899 the
advance In cotton has ranged from 81
to 81 points. II was So points higher
In 1908 than I'm 1899 and IL is still
higher at the present time. Petrole
um. starting with 100 as the basis In
1899. has advanced 80 points In ter
years; sugar. during the same time
has declined ten points.
II make no comment On these fact,
and offer no opinion. I leave II to 70,
to point the cause Of the movement