New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-30
Jail Threat for "COld
Storage Barons' in
Measure.
LIMITS TIME FOR
HOLDING FOODS
Introduced in House After Sew.
eral Conferences with At.
torney General.


Washington, Nov. CATER several con-
ferences with the Attorney General ana
the Secretary OF Agriculture, Represent
ative Mcclellan. Tennessee Democrat
introduced in the House to-day bill
proposing drastic measures to thwart the
cold storage trust" and TO prevent the.
manipulation OF the prices OF foodstuns-
The bill is another forerunner or the IN
yestigation House Democrats will order
70 place responsibility for the high cost
OF living
The Mcclellan bill would prohibit the
holding i'm storage Of food products be-
yond certain length of time and for the
purpose of manipulating prices OF the
necessaries of life. Fine and imprison-
ment are proposed for "cold storage
barons" who attempt to corner the
market in any commodity and to hold
up the consumer. 1t is also PROVIDED
that cold storage goods shall be tagged,
that the purchaser may know the age OF
the product he is buying.
The bill, which is more drastic than
the original Mcclellan bill applying only
to eggs fixes time limit for the storing
of meats, fish, butter and eggs Goods
held In storage beyond the limit named
are to be deemed as adulterated and mis-
branded under the law. The storage pc
RODS provided are:
Beef or its manufactures and products.
seven months.
Veal or its products, two months
Pork and pork products, four months.
Sheep or goats, four months.
Lamb or kids, three months.
Poultry and game, three months.
Fish, two months.
Butter, three months.
The limit on eggs is placed ct three
months, with the proviso that eggs
may be held in storage six months with
out being classed adulterated III
found to be sound and wholesome upon
INSPECTION, and If they are then stamped
or labelled second period cold storage
eggs" on the container from which the
eggs are sold and in plain view or the
purchaser.
Drastic provision is made to prevent
goods being held in cold storage FOR,
speculative purposes This provision
makes ii compulsory that all articles
Of food which have been held in cold
storage must bear a label giving the
date of production, killing, packing. man
ufacturing and the time which the article
has been held in cold storage.
ANY agreement, expressed or inn
piled. verbal or written" says the bill.
between persons or firms engaged IN
buying or selling cold storage products
or in the cold storage business. by
which articles of food are to be stored
for longer or shorter period, or are
TO be sold or withheld from sale Tor
the purpose of affecting the purchase
price or selling price" is prohibited. The
penalty for violation of this clause Is
fine of from $1,000 to $4,000 and I'M
prisonment of from one to ten years.
Provisions as drastic are included 10
prevent the fixing of the purchasing
price or selling price of cold storage
products. "or in any manner Interior
ing with the ordinary rules of compeu-
ton"
Trade agreements whereby any ter
ritory in the United States is to be
divided up" between interests dealing
in food, are expressly prohibited The
penalty for violation Of these two Sec
lions is the same as for the first with
a maximum fine of $4,000 and I'M
prlsonment Of ten years.