The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-08-25
TO PROBE
HIGH PRICES
Federal Government Will Institute
A Complete Investigation
WHO GETS THE PROFIT?
Bureau OF Commerce and Labor Starts d
thorough Inquiry That viii Consume
Nine Months Of DiIigent Work

A countrywide investigation of the
wholesale and retail prices of all foods,
which will require nine months to COM
plete and which will represent the
most thorough inquiry of its kind yet
attempted has been begun by the Bu
reau of Commerce and Labor. This
investigation will cover the years 1908,
1909, 1910 and 1911. BY comparison
with records of the Department of
Agriculture for the same period, it
will be possible to know just what
prices were paid for every commodity
now used, and from the time it left
the producer until served at the table
of the consumer.
The present investigation is the third
of it's kind attempted by the Bureau of
Commerce and Labor. Four experts
under the direction Of F. V. Croxton
are now touring the country in search
of data. Over all Of the experts is A..
w. w. Hanger, chief statistician, to
whom the records will be submitted be-
fore they are published.
Whether the date of this investiga-
ton will be made the subject of Con-
gressional inquiry into the high cost of
living or will be turn ID over to COM
mittee of experts, who will seek from
the figures at their command to evolve
the solution of the high price of foods,
will not be determined until some time
this winter, when the report will be
made public.
Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah, a men,
Der of the Senate Investigating Com
mittee, which reported on food prices
more than year ago, is in favor OF
the preparation of reports by the De-
partment of Agriculture and the Bu-
reau of Commerce and Labor 80 that
they may be used as a basis of inquiry
by some specially appointed body.
Recently Secretary Wilson's expert
furnished statistics showing what tn
farmers of the country were receiving
for their products. In this report
was shown that the agriculturist is re
ceiying less now than he did ten year
ago, and that he certainly is not bene
fitting by the high prices which the con
sumer pays. The report took up suc|
commodities as milk, eggs, corn, wheat
rye and barley. Among other things,
showed that while retail prices tiuctuat
the prices paid the producers remain o
an almost solid basis.
Where this report leaves off the re
port of the Bureau of Labor will begin
il will discuss the middle mans profit
the wholesalers profit, the jobbers pre-
fit and the retail merchants profit, wit
the relation of each to the other.
An information such as the operation
of the laws of supply and demand an
the railroads part in the food question
will be discussed in the report, but n
remedies will be suggested. 1t is be
lieyed, however, that the report wi
furnish conclusions that will be invalu
able to Congress in solving the problem
II believe the report will DE NOR
complete and will get closer to the sur
iect than any report heretofore pre-
pared," Mr.. Hanger said.
THE information published in the bu
letin will not be confined to actual pr
ces, but will take up the causes whic
create these prices. Primarily, OF cours
the effort is to learn what the working
continued on page A.