Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-26
j. S, PROBE CAUSES
FOOD PRICE DROP
Flour and Sugar Decrease in
Local Market Following
Grand Jury Query.
McREYNOLDS RECEIVES
MANIPULATION PROOFS
Continued Investigations Are Ex-
pected to Land Some Of the
Malefactors in Jail.

On the eve of the recovering of the
District of Columbia grand jury, when
has been inquiring into the inflated 1000
prices which were blamed on the Euro
pean hostilities,- sugar has taken a drop
at a great number of the stores in this
city, but handlers of large amounts OF
this product declared today that they
did not know whether there would be
further reductions. AS in the District,
prices of sugar in various parts of the
country have fallen, and the officials
of the department say that the reports
of the next few days also will indicate
further drops.
Flour. the first commodity to fall in
price after the big jump, and then fol-
lowed a week later by drop In sugar,
is taken to indicate that the investiga-
tors. started on their work by direst
word from President Wilson are making
those who manipulate the prices of
foodstuffs feel the pressure of the In
vestigation, and in vain attempt 10
escape the punishment which is likely
to be melted out to them, are hurrfedly
reducing prices. But the government is
declared to be in the possession of evil
dence Of manipulation which Is likely
to land some of the persons in Jail,
where they will have time to repent for
making the ultimate consumer suffer.
While the detailed reports of the in
vestigations are continuing to pour into
evidence on which some of the grand
juries will be asked to return indictments.
the officials there who are directing the
Investigations about the country are zeal
refusing to give any details. They are
now watchfully waiting for the grand
juries to uphold the attacks on the high
prices by indicting those whom it is
proven to them are responsible.
Facts Leak Out.
A United States attorney for state
In the middle west. the exact location
of which the department refuses to
divulge, this morning sent in a detailed
report of his investigation Of the high
cost of food in his district. He stated
that he had evidence tending to show
the use of improper methods by the
beet sugar interests in his state in an
effort to advance prices on that COM
modify. He reports that while his state
produces substantially seven times the
amount of sugar that 1T consumes.
nevertheless the people are compelled
TO pay the highest price for sugar asked
in the United States.
The United States attorney in Atlanta
reports that the commodities upon
which prices had advanced most notably
in his state were sugar. flour and meal
and that these advances were due to
dictation Of prices by jobbers and whole-
salers.
From Michigan comes report from a
voluntary correspondent. who declared
that he had conducted an investigation
into high prices in his country. Stating
his belief that the advances We're from
artificial causes. he says that last week
| in Paris meats were selling at the lowest
| price in twenty years and vegetables
were cheap and abundant; that in Liver
| pool last week wheat closed at small
| decline. while the same day it advanced
| Az cents in Chicago, Notwithstanding the
! tremendous wheat crop. He charges that
| the advance in the price OF these COM
| modities is largely due to the manipula-
| tons of the Chicago Board OF Trade and
| the Minneapolis Chamber Of commerce.
Evidence Given Here.
| The increase IN food prices here since
| the opening Of the European war, which