The Newport plain talk. (Newport, Tenn.) 1909-1939, 1914-01-15
FOOD PRICES STIR
WHOLE COUNTRY
Federal Probe Is Aimed at Colo
Storage Operators.
TO PLACE RESPONSIBILITY.

Housewives League Urges General
Boycott Until Eggs Are cheaper--A
Proposed investigation by Congress
of an Alleged Egg Trust.
Retail prices of the principal articles
of food used in the workingmans home
were higher Aug. 10, 1913, than at any
time in the twenty-three years and
seven months preceding, according to
figures made public by the bureau of
labor statistics. Washington is among
the forty principal cities used as ba-
sis for the statistics. The increase in
prices over the same date of last year
IL 8 per cent. the bulletin states.
OF the eighteen articles included in
the statistics fifteen showed an in
crease and three-sugar, -four and corn
meal-indicated decline in price.
Now federal investigation of the
alleged cold storage combine has been
formally ordered by Attorney General
McReynolds. He has instructed EN-
ployees Of the bureau of investigation
and district attorneys throughout the
country to get complete figures on the
allegations that cold storage men are
Withholding eggs and other products
from the market in an effort to boost
prices.
The inquiry will cover every large
city in the United States. and If evi
dence proves the statements already
made to the attorney general he will
bring prosecutions both under the
criminal provisions of the pure food
law and the Interstate commerce law.
Particular attention will be paid to
the situation in Philadelphia. New
York and certain other large cities.
The department will try to ascertain
whether there has been any conspiracy
among cold storage plants to raise
prices of eggs and similar food articles
or SO to regulate the flow Of products
from cold storage plants AS to force
prices to higher level by creating ar
tifcial shortages. Attorney General
McReynolds is understood to have been
seriously impressed with statements
that have come into his possession
showing a remarkable increased price
Of eggs and other food products.
The Boycott on Eggs.
At present the high price of eggs Is
agitating the public mind to such an
extent that the national executive COM
mittee Of the Housewives league, of
which Mrs. Julian Heath Of New York
city is national president, has called
nation wide boycott on eggs. This nc
ton was decided upon at recent
meeting of the executive committee at
Mrs. Heath's home.
kilograms were sent to several hun
dred heads Of local organiza tons
throughout the country asking coop
GRAFTON in the boycott This is the tele-
gram to the local leagues:
The situation in the egg market is acute
and chaotic The consumer is being ex-
plotted. After careful elaboration the ma
tional executive committee of the House
the consumers in the United States to
protest against the present manipulation
by ceasing to use eggs until conditions
change Notify all members. Report to
national executive committee. Give wide
publicity Watch daily papers.
The national organization of the
Housewives league claims some 70O.-
600 members
Representative Kenneth d. Mcclellan
Of Tennessee declares that there is an
egg trust and that carloads of eggs are
smashed to raise the prices, and he has
announced his intention of asking an
immediate investigation by congress Of
the cold storage interests. He claims
to have information to show that man
ipulation of markets by cold storage
interests has caused the present high
prices for food products.
"Food Gamblers"
A part of the information which the
Tennessee representative has obtained
is now in possessiono the department
of justice.
Mr.. Mcclellan says that he has been
informed that one concern had actually
destroyed eggs by the carload after its
warehouses had become taxed to their
capacity, rather than allow the eggs to
60 ON sale at retail and thereby curtail
the plan of "cornering" the egg mar
ket.
81 believe the federal government
can, by simple law" said Represent
ative Mcclellan in a recent interview.
largely do away with this unjust use
of cold storage. The scheme is simply
to prohibit interstate shipments of all
kinds Of fresh meats, fish, butter. eggs
and the like that have been kept in
cold storage for a longer period than
three months. with fine or imprison-
ment or both for violation. Food gam
bling cannot be excused on any
ground.
~ find that there are now stored In
cold storage warehouses in one state
100000 dozens of eggs and that 80
per cent of these have been in storage
since April 1. This is probably rela-
lively the case in every state in the
Union, and the cold storage men seem
to be simply manipulating the market
by creating an artificial scarcity. What
is true of the egg situation is also true
of fish, meat and butter"