The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-30
Democrats Lay Blame for
Trouble at Door of Com
binatiOns and Trusts
COLD STORAGE IS
CHIEF OFFENDER
Administration Eager to Get Currency
Bill Out of the Way so the
Trust Problem Can be
Handled
by C. E. STEWART

Washington. November 29.-(Special.)
The administration and Congress are gen.
uinely concerned over the continued high
cost of living, and the general complaint
all over the country that the prices of
food stuffs continue to soar notwithstand-
ing the relief that ought to take place
under the Underwood tariff bill-at least
to certain degree.
OF course it is absurd to say that the
tariff bill could revolutionize the prices of
foodstuff in so brief a time, contend the
democrats, nevertheless the republicans
are quick to take political advantage of
the prevailing conditions and are vocifer-
ously demanding to know of the party in
power where the promised relief to the
ultimate consumer comes in.
1.-THE combinations that control the
prices of perishable foodstuffs in this
country must be broken up" declare the
democrats, before relief can be OBJ
tanned" To this end at least four resolu-
tions have been introduced In the House
of Representative calling for investiga-
ton of the cold storage conoerns-the beef
corner-and other food supplying combi-
nations in the United States.
1t is charged that the price of beef has
become almost "prohibitve" and that an
effort is being made by the beef trust TO
corner the Argentine and Australian mar
kets.
1t will be recalled that the government
has inaugurated one unsuccessful suit
against the beef trust, under ex-Attorney
General Wickersham, and an investiga-
tion U the alleged beef combination was
begun, though never completed, just be-
fore the close of the Sixty-second Con-
gress.
Cold Storage Problem
It is alleged that the cold storage con-
Germs are one of the principal contributing
factors to the high cost of living. Cold
storage, it is declared, has proved to be
a great conservation force in trade, so
far as those articles of foodstuffs are con-
cerned that would become stale and use
less without this artificial means of pres
ervation; at the same time it has placed
in the hands of the cold storage combine
a powerful weapon with which to keep up
prices.
Now the retail dealer withdraws his
perishable vegetables, eggs, poultry and
other such goods from the cold storage in
limited supplies, and he can afford to
maintain a price upon them that will yield
a good profit without running the risk OF
a loss. If his customers believe his prices
too high they can leave them alone, he Is
not forced to sell for fear of a large stock
of such goods decaying on his hands.
1t is believed by many, and borne out by
statistics, that while of course there are
combinations that are in control of many
of our articles of food, such conditions
have been made possible by the fact that
the tendency for the past 20 to 80 years
has been away from the farm, and that
the ratio of our population engaged in
farming as against other occupations has
steadily decreased during that time No
permanent remedy, therefore, can be had
until the drift begins back to the farm u
On the other hand, our lawmakers de-
clare that this is one of the chief objec-
tions, and that If the farmers were get
ting the prices that they ought for the
produce they raise-that is, a price in
keeping with the price paid by the pur-
chaser, there would be no trouble to show
the people the profits that could be made
in farming. but the charge is that the
farmer is not getting anything like his