Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-12
u. S. WOULD LIMIT
COLD STORAGE USE
AND LOWER PRICES

WASHINGTON, April IA limit should
be put on the use of cold storage for
the purpose of maintaining or advancing
prices artifcially. in the judghl nt of the
senate cost of living committee. Chair
man Lodge today introduced in the SEN
ate a bill to meet this recommended
ton. ... .-.. ."
In presenting the bill, Senator Lodge
made the following statement:
THE committee are satisfied that some
limit ought to be put on the use of cold
storage for the purpose of maintaining
or advancing prices artificially. They are
of the opinion that this limit of time will
tend to an equalization of prices and In
some cases to a. reduction.
WOULD BENEFIT HEALTH.
1.-The investigation of this subject by
the agricultural department has proceed
ed far enough to confirm by the results
thus far obtained the view taken by the
committee. The question of the public
health is not within jurisdiction Of
your committee.
1.-THE committee has no doubt, how
ever, that limitation of the time- during
which perishable articles of food and
more especially meat products may be
retained in cold storage will be hygienic-
ally of very great value and would tend
to check many physical troubles which
are thought by those who have examined
the question to be attributable to the
practice of keeping meats, particularly.
in storage for very long time.
1.-THE committee, therefore. recommends
legislation in this direction by congress
at the earliest possible moment"
Mr.. Lodges bill would provide that
food kept in cold storage for more than
one year should be considered as adulter-
ated and that any food taken out of the
cold storage and enormously marked as
to the time it had been In storage should
be regarded as misbranded in violation
of the pure food law,
The committee asks for instructions
about continuing it's investigation, esti-
mating that four months time at s65. 900
expense would be necessary to- complete
the work according to the following plan.
which was submitted to the senate:
PLAN is OUTLINED.
Statements to be obtained from 40 buy
ers in selected localities covering the price
paid the producer on January l, February
/, March l. April l. May 1 and June OF
each year from 1900 to 1910. inclusive. fo-
all grains, livestock and other farm pro-
ducts The procuring of wholesale prices
by the bureau OF labor on 260 commodt-
ties for 1903 and the first four months OF
1910. bring to date statements already
given since 1890. The bureau of labor to
procure wholesale prices from 1897 to 1slC
on all kinds of agricultural implements.
Retail prices paid by consumers on Il
articles would be obtained covering Pc
riods identical with producers prices
This list is to cover all articles covered
by the senate investigation, excepting
rent. for which the committee says II
seems practically impossible to obtain
reliable comparative figures.
Under the head of retail prices the
committee says figures should be taken
from four establishments in each of 20
selected cities and that the stores should
be patronized by wage owners. An In
vestigation would be made of wages, sal
aries and hours of labor from pay rolls
! for a selected period in each of the two
wears, 1900 and 1870 from at least ten es-
| Establishments in as many diversified man.
ufactures plants, and in at least ten
cities covering department stores, street
railways. telegraph companies and tele-
phone companies. and in ten cities the
union scale and the non-union wage
| for building trades, compositors, dock
hands, iron moulders and machinists. II
( Is suggested that the average wage of
agricultural laborers in 1900 and 1916
should be obtained.