Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-03-07
ASK FOR FOOD
 SUPPLY DEPOTS Petition Bearing 100000 Names Presented to Pres ident and Congress. CURE SPECULATORS National Committee of Socialist Party Urges Radical Action tO Re-
 dacp the High Cost
 of Living.
CURB SPECULATORS
(By Sidney Epsey)


 Washington, March Gone nun dred thousand persons throughout the United States have just signed petition, now on file in the house or representatives, ulging the national government to establish food supply deDost which shall protect the wage workers against the wartime ln- crease .n the cost of the necessities of life.
 The petition reads:
 gro President Wilson and to the congress of the United States: "Whereas, the sceculators are arbitrarily and unnecessarily raising the price of the necessaries of life; and
 "Whereas, the United States gov crnment should conserve and pro tect the interests of producers and consumers as against these specula- tors who are robbing the people, many of whom already are in dirc need therefore,
 eve hereby petition the president and ,he congress of the United States to establish in the strategic indus trial and agricultural centers of the nation food-supply deposit and such
 other facilities as are necessary to
 maintain just market for the pro-
 ducers and for the purchase Of food l prnducts and for the sala Of these necessities of life direct to the peo- ple."
 The big package of petitions bear l ing 100,001 names was presented m
 the house on Feb. 17 by Representa-
 tive Kent Independent of California.
 He stated that the signatures had
 been secured through the national committee of the Socialist party which had asked him to get the mat
 ter on record
 Full publicity should be given the
 well-founded complaint of these
 thoughtful people," remarked Kent "We all know that the abuse exists and that profits derived from specu- ,l lation. and all costs incident te speculate represent parasitisssn!( q asf' sl net production. sasss- "1t is no new thing for municipali 1 ties to establish markets where pro-
 ducar and consumer meet. The con tention of these many petitioners that l the federal government should aid ir , eliminating the profits of speculation , from being a cha 'ct or he r"ople , tthus earrest,, urged, certainly de : serves the consider; ation 0. our gov , ernment.'
 ,I The petition was referred to th } house committee on interstate ant
 foreign commerce.
 . Three elements brought about tn : agitation for this food-depot schem The first was the recent publicatio' : of figures from the confidential price : lists of the army and navy subsist I ence stores here, showing that tn : officers families, who alone may bu : from Uncle sam, are getting grocer
 ies at from 40 to 75 per cent savin n from the ordinary retail pricis. Tes t coffee, flour, baking powder, pre- n pared sauces, canned fruit and vege s tables-all of the table supplies tha n could be purchased in large quantit X and distributed without great los | from spelling were included. e The second reason for the deman j. was the success of the governmer y comrnissary system on the Panam y Canal zone, where meat, butte e bread and all other food items wer ,- to be had cheaper than in the Unite c States. Former employees on u canal construction are now scattere
 throughout the country. and fro l. time to time they start petitions k, congress on some phase of the cos t. of-living problem. suggesting rem y dies that were tried in the can o. zone administration.
 1t Still another factor was the seizu s t fssa 2,