The Washington times., 1911-12-08
SECRETARY WILSON'S RE-
PORT ON GOLD STORAGE.


For several years past, tie question
Of the Government regulation Of cold
storage has been much mooted. On tho
one hand, men who have had the pub.
lilo welfare at heart, like DR.. Wiley
have urged strict regulation of the bust.
ness. On the other hand, the cold
storage interests have vigorously re.
sisted legislation, or, at least, legis.
lation of q stringent sort.
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, who
has just made his fifteenth annual re.
port, treats at length Of the cold stor.
age questions He has had experts
looking into it. II has been asserted
that cold storage il operating to in
crease the cost of living. Secretary
Wilson's report shows this 10 true.
He finds that in two ways cold storage
has raised the cost Of living Before
the advent of cold storage there was
q relative monthly consumption OF
commodities, such as the foods which
are now stored, throughout the year
which was adapted to the current sun.
ply, and that supply was more OF
less closely related in time to the pro.
duction. But Secretary Wilson finds
that cold storage has interposed to
change considerably the relative month.
ly consumption, and to make It more
even throughout the year, and also
that there has been change In rela.
tive monthly prices due to cold stor.
age.
Obviously, what was wanted in order
to get clear understanding of the
facts was to find the effect on the
mean price for the year, that is, the
effect on the average price. The de.
partment experts probed into this, and
did 1t with respect to both butter and
eggs. It was found that in the cases
of both butter and eggs the annual
price level has been raised by cold stor.
age for a reason apart from the costs.
This was also found true of some 9th.
er food commodities.
Wholesale prices of food products
are raised by the actual costs of stor.
age. Secretary Wilson says, too, that
the investigations show there has been
much speculation in some years by
the men who keep food commodities in
cold storage. From the returns made
by the warehousemen, it is inferable
that the fresh beef, mutton, pork, poul-
try, butter, eggs, and fish received into
cold storage in year amount to at
least billion pounds, and very likely
to a quarter of a billion more. 5
Secretary Wilson strongly recon.
mends publicity of the affairs of the
cold storage business. He says the
public ought to know how much goods
are in storage from month to month
and what the movements of receipts
and deliveries are.
Without doubt the Secretary is right
as far as he goes. Publicity is essen.
tial in q business of this magnitude
which comes close home to the ques.
ton of living cost for every family in
the United States. 1t is no light thing
that by the operations of a vast or.
ganized business the cost of living is
increased in this country, especially
for the people of meager income, the
poor families, to whom the matter OF
having to pay a dollar more per week
for their supplies the year round or
part Of the year is important.
The truth is the Government ought
to see to it that the cold storage bust
ness is subjected to the most careful
regulation. If it is important to reg
ulate the steel business, and the oil
business, and the tobacco business, and
SO forth, it is surely important to give
careful, systematic, and rigid regula.
tion to the cold storage business. Con-
gress has been dragging along with
this question for many needless
months. The Senate Committee OIL
Manufactures has had lengthy hear.
ings of interests opposed to strict
regulation who have had a well.paid
attorney on the job in Washington to
see that if there was any legislation
it be lenient. The question should BE-
taken up this winter, disposed of in
wise and careful fashion, with due con
sideration for the tremendous concern
of the people of the United States in
the matter, and then the regulation
provided for should be enforced by
competent administration.
THE QUALITY AND PRESSIIR z