The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-15
PACKERS OFFER
AID IN WAR ON
HIGH PRICES
Agents Here Tell Whitman
Aid They'll Give Him
Full Information.
GRAND JURY INQUIRY
To BEGIN IN BRONX
Mayors Committee Names
Executive Body to Press
City Investigation.

REPRESENTATIVES in this city VI the great
meat packing concerns went to District
ATTORNEY Whitmans of1co Yesterday and
told william " DE Ford. TIE Assistant
District Attorney who ~ In charge of
tho investigation into the high prices Of
all foodstuffs. that they viii come forward
willingly and testify under oath In any pro-
ce,ding which may he instituted. chief
Magistrate McAdoo Informed the District
Attorney yesterday that he will he ready
10 preside over the inquiry by Wednesday
or Thursday OF next week.
The District Attorney has filed with
ahe chief Magistrate no Information that
ahe unusual rise in the price Of foods
is the result Of colluSve agreement
such as would constitute crime under
the statutes Of this state In other words
the proposed investigation is not John
Doe proceeding Those who testify will
do so willingly. Whether or not IL be-
comes John Doe proceeding. for which
subpTnas will have the full force of
Grand Jury process depends upon what
develops at the preliminary hearings.
Those who conferred with MIR. he Ford
yesterday were G. j. Hggin OF Morris
& Co \ G. Dean and r. G. Sullivan
OF Swift & CO.. and f. W. Lyman and
Lamar Hardy Of Armour & Co.
All Promise TO Aid Inquiry.
Mr.. DE Ford Informed them that an
inquiry would he made as to whether
or not the advance in the price OF meats
had been uniform and II so. whether or
not this uniformity was due to an agree
ment among packers, wholesalers or re-
tailers He said he desired information
and had called them In to learn what
their attitude would be toward the in
Nestigation. without dissenting voice
they told him they would come willingly
whenever he wanted and that they would
put at the disposal Of the District At
torney their experts in any particular
branch of the trade to the end that the
fullest disclosure may be made OF any
information bearing upon the general
subject of meat prices.
Cudahy Rros. and Su'zberger Sons
communicated with Mr. De Ford by tele-
nhone and their representatives will meet
him to-day.
James Ward Warner. president OF the
Produce Exchange also promised to give
al, information In possession OF his or
ganization He said that he would ap-
near personally and that. the District At
torney might have the services OF the
statisticians Of the exchange and OF such
other officials as he may desire to ques-
ton. Their testimony will bear upon
conditions in the -four and grain markets
Subpnnas were issued last night for
twenty -four brokers who will he asked
about the local -four market They will
he asked to go to the District Attorneys
orfice on Monday. Similar subpoenas will
no issued later for the wholesale and re-
tail butchers.
N t.hp I'm,
teriay Mr. De Ford's intention is to find
out what the packers charge the whole
salers. what the wholesalers charge the
retailers and then to check up this in
formation in order to learn what II any
discrepancies exist in the prices which
the several classes of dealers say they
pay to or receive from one another,
Grand Jury Inquiry In Bronx.
District Attorney Francis Martin OF
The Bronx announced last night that
wholesale and retail butchers and produce
dealers would be called before the Grand
Jury next Tuesday and questioned as to
the cause of the swift rise in the price OF
foods during the past two weeks. He
said that he had been making inquiries
among wholesale dealers and that they
had blamed the retailers. lie said he
would subpoena both classes TO learn the
truth and to determine whether or not
Indictments can be found,
There promises to be n food OF sta
tlstics by the end OF next week. While
District Attorney Whitman's assistants
are getting figures from meat and flour
dealers, at least Ave other organizations
will be collecting data on there and
other subjects and not the least OF these
is the Department Of Agriculture, Word
came from Washington yesterday that
the 1850 investigators of the Department
In this city would put themselves under
the direction of acting United States At
torney Roger - wood. who received
orders from the Attorney General on
Thursday to begin an investigation OF
high prices Of all foodstuffs.
William NJ OfHev. superintendent OF
the Department Of Justice here. sent out
his special agents Yesterday to cover n
territory extending from New York %
Albany These special agents and tho
inspectors of the Department Of Agri-
culture. all skilled In this sort OF work
will begin with the retailers and trace
prices back TO their source.
VIII Compare Prices.
Comparisons of to-days prices with
those OF thirty days ago will be made
Books and records Of wholesalers will he
dclved into with the hope OF showing the
causes Of prevailing prices, Methods OF
distribution will be studied Mr. Wood
pr, misses the most exhaustive inquiry eve.
mHd' ln 'h's locality along these lines
Meanwhile the committee appointed nv
Mavor Mitchell under the chairmanshir
o. George w. Perkins has organized An
executive committee was named yester-
dan when this committee meets or
Monday Mr.. Perkins will have ready a
Isl OF hv" suh-c"mmttees, to which will
h delegated various details Of the In.
uNiTA Commissioner Harfipap nf U,,