Evening star., 1916-11-21
FOOD INQUIRY IS ON
IN NEW YORK CITY
Wicks Committee to Take Up
Poultry, Dairy and Other
Farm Products.
DIRECT SELLING PROPOSED
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK. November 21.-fhe
Wicks legislative committee, which has
has been investigating milk conditions
throughout the state and which re-
sumed its hearings here today, is ex-
pected to extend it's inquiry to include
poultry, eggs, butter and other farm
products. The hearing may last two
weeks or more. AS the committee about
exhausted the subject of milk at its
up state hearings, it is considered
probable that the greater part of its
time here will be devoted to studying
the high cost of other food products.
| Among expedients suggested today to
bring down the cost of living are a
direct market between the farmer and
retailer. the Australian system of
state and municipal regulation of food
commodities and the use of New York's
Seeks Lists of Farmers.
Joseph Hartigan. New York commits
sioner of weights and measures. stat
ed that he had written the commits
sioners of agriculture in every state tc
send him lists of farmers and produc-
ers who wished to sell below the mar
ket, and already had a list of nearly
100 large producers who will sell to
| the retailers at 30 per cent lower than
the wholesale prices prevailing in New
| York city.
| The Australian system, as described
| by P. +. Quinn, commissioner repre-
| senting the government of New South
Wales in this city. recognizes that the
J only way to prevent the undue increase
! of food prices is adequate legislation
and to that end has adopted state ano
municipal regulation of all food com
| modities.
although our commonwealth is pass
| ing through an abnormal period of wal
| stress said Mr.. Quinn, the people o1
Australia were getting their food sta
| pies much cheaper than the inha abitants
| of New York.
| In favor of the use of the subways
during the slack hours of the might
and early morning to transport supplies
| from the outlying districts to the mar
! ket and retail stores. it was urged thai
| such use is being made of the subway:
| in London and Berlin. Under the pres
| ent system the produce is brought intt
Manhattan almost exclusively by wag
ons and automobile trucks.
| Advances in prices of turkeys, butter
| and eggs were announced today. Ir
| butter and eggs the increase was slight
| and was chiefly felt in the wholesal.
| market. Turkeys however. showed ar
advance of :; cents a pound, bringing
| the the average retail price to 30 cents
Before Federal Grand Jury.
| CHICAGO, November 21-Two hun.
dred commission merchants, storage
| house managers and retail grocers are
to be summoned as witnesses before
| the federal grand jury sodrn in here
yesterday to fix the responsibility FOL
| soaring food prices. it was learned to
! day.
| Department of Justice agents ant
| United States District Attorney Clyne
who is conducting the inquiry, are ex
( pected to submit evidence showing tina
| while merchants of this section com
plain of the shortage of food products
cold storage plants are so crowded tina
| eastern shippers who recently attempt
! ed to enter the Chicago market witt
| surplus food stocks were told there
| was no space to store their shipments