The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-14
|NVEST|GAT|ONOF FOOD PRICES BEGUN Bureau of Commerce and Labor Will Gather Data THIRD OF ITS KIND Report of Experts Will Be More Com plete Than Any Hsretofore Cath
 ered-Will Cover Every Con-
 modity Used By Public
THIRD OF ITS KIND

Washington, August 13.--(SpeciaD =
 A country wide investigation of the whole 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 in- vestfgatio vii cover the years 1908, | 1909, 1910 and 1911. By comparison with records of the department of ag- riculture for the same period it will he possible to know just what prices were paid for every commodity now used. from the time it Jeff the producer
 until served at the table of the con-
 sumer.
 The present investigation is the third 1 of its kind attempted by the bureau Of commerce and labor. Four experts un- der the direction of F. V. Croxton are now touring the country in search of
 data. over all of the experts is A W. Hanger chief statistician. to whom the records will be first submitted De- fore they are published
 l Whether the data of this information will be made the subject of congress sional inquiry into the high cost or | living. or will be turned over to com
 mittee of experts who will seek for the high 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 Shoot of Utah, member Of +1,o cnrota ipuastipatipp committee which reported on food products more | than year ago. is in favor Of the pup | lication of reports of the department of agriculture and the bureau of com i merce and labor so that they may pc l used as basis of inquiry by some special appointed body.
 1 That this report vii be valuable IS made plain by the fact that 1t Will | furnish all figures which are lacking l in the reports of the department Of az I riculture on the same subject-the high cost of food. Recently Secretary Wli- | son furnished statistics showing what the farmers of the country were re- ceiving for their products. In this re- l port 1t was shown that the agricui- turist Is receiving less now than he did 10 years ago and that he cer- i tainly is not benefitting by the hign prices which the consumer pays The | report took up such commodities as milk, eggs. corn, wheat rice, and bar l ley. Among other things 1t showed l while retail prices fluctuate the prices paid the producer remain on an almost solid basis.
 | Where this report leaves off the re- port of the bureau of labor will begin. | It wil discuss the middlemans profit, l the wholesalers profit, the jobber's 1 profit and the retail merchants profit, l with the relation of each to the other. 1 All information such as the operation | of the laws of supply and demand and l the railroads part in the food question l will be discussed in the report but no
 rem medies will be suggested. It is be- ! lieyed, however that the report will | furnish conclusions that will be inval- uable to Congress in solving the prob 1 lem. -n
 "I believe that report will be more complete and will get closer to the subject than any report heretofore pre- pared,' Mir. Hanger said. The infor- nation published in the bulletin will not be confined to actual prices, but will take up the causes which create these prices. Primarily, of course, the
 effort is to learn what the working man has to pay for his food--how much more he pays than he did 10 years ago-and what prospects there are of change in prices. either higher or lower.
 "The principal cities in every sec l tion of the country will be visited by experts who will ascertain the whole sale and retail prices of commodities | These prices will be substantiated by absolute evidence and will cover every commodity offered for public consump- l tion.