The sun., 1916-12-21
STATE BOARD URGED
FOR FOOD CONTROL
Wicks Committee Plans Su-
pcrvisiOn and Regulation
Of Marketing. |
DILLON OPPOSES SCHEME
Calls 1t Political MOve-BOy-
colt Of Butter Begun
Eggs Drop.
OPPOSES SCHEME

The wicks legislative committee. In
vestigating the production and distribu-
ton Of dairy products and other food
stuffs. will recommend to the Legislature
the creation of q new department Of
State government, to be known, perhaps,
M the Department OF Foods. with au-
,hority 10 study. supervise and regulate
the marketing Of foodstufSs.
According to a preliminary statement
Of the work OF the committee. made last
night by Senator Charles w. Wicks, the
chairman. the department. a. suggested.
s to have as Its executive officer a
single commissioner. Also there will be
a council to control the policy Of the
department. subject to the Legislature
and TO enact . code relative 70 details
Of administration.
The dill. It Is said, will provide for
the doing away with the present State
Department Of Foods and Markets, Of
which John J. Dillon In the Commits
sioner. II was largely u 10 the act,vi-
ties OF Mr.. Dillon that the Wicks COM
mittee came n existence. Commits
sioner Dillon has furnished the commit
tee with much Information.
Dillon Doesn't Like II.
After senator wicks's statement was
read to MIR. Dillon last night the Com
missioner said:
There il nothing In the proposed
legislation that In not already covered
by the laws. In fact. our department
has authority to do more than the
Senator proposes. I have known for
some time that such . thing was COM
Ing. What they want 10 do In to tie
up things 70 that nothing will be done.
They var to create a department that
will be in politics. They might just a.
well create another Department Of
Banking.
~ don't believe the people Of the State
Of New York will take kindly to the idea.
They want TO keep this great matter OF
the supervision and regulation OF food
production and distribution out OF poll
tics"
Senator wicks pointed u in his state
ment that through time there have crown
up various abuses In tho marketing Of
milk and other foodstufYs.
THE growth in power OF retail dis
tributers Of milk In the large cities and
certain other factors" he said, has
given an undue advantage to the buyers
Of this product. 10 that the price has
been fixed without reference to the cost
Of production or the decreasing relative
supply. The publlshed quotations Of
prices Of farm products and foodstuffa
are gathered by a loose and %irresponsi-
be system and are, We believe. manipu-
lated.'
FnrmeSs' "Trust" to 60.
Senator wicks said that farmers CO.
operative buying and selling agencies are
threatened with dissolution under the
Donnelly act. which 10 intended to do
In the state practically what the Sher-
man law was intended to do In the ma
ton. lie added that these agencies ARE
justly demanding upon the ground Of
economic necessity that laws be passed
"S"mpting their economic cooperative
endeavors from It's operation"
Describing the functions OF the pro-
posed new Department OF Foods. with a
Commissioner and a Council. the Sena-
tor said
The department will include a bureau
for gathering and publishing accurate
and reliable statistics as IN the ,;''"nti-
ties and prices OF food products which
are produced. stored and sold in the
STATE and will also provide for a bureau
~ distribution In New York. with a. Of
nee IN that city.
1T will he proposed that the council
shall have power to permit combinations
OF producers or distributors to take place
under restrictions to he imposed by the
state. with heavy penalties for abuse OF
the privileges. Such a statute will leave
the field open TO competition.
Under such II will he possible for
producers or distributors to combine and
for collective bargaining 10 take place,
thus TO restore the free play Of the law
of supply and demend. which has un-
doubtedly been interfered with.
These practices will preserve the
benefit 81 all present and future eco
Monies n place the smallest and weak
est producer on an even plane with cor
porntiors"
Other matters to he dealt with by the
Wicks committee in it's recommendations
will he AS follows. the chairman SAYS
|, Regulation Of the operation Of s,or-
age and cold storage warehouses;. grain
elevators, SC.
., The colorinE Of ice cream and other
food products by artificial dyes.
3. The protection OF sheep by Imposing
an effective check on stray dogs.
4. Tho age at which veal calves can he
.. Permitting The sale Of skim milk in
New York city.
6. Licensing Of commission men with
penalty for IA liccnsee trading at the same
time on his own account
I, Supervision OF country milk sta.
tons - as TO insure fair and accurate
butter fat tests, and TO prevent unjust
determinations In price between differ.
cnt localities and individuals.
Deputy Attorney-t;eneral Edgar Brom.
berger made an application before Jus,
tee Blur yesterday FOR an order to show
cause why an injunction should not b,
issued against James Butler. Inc, re,
straIning that concern from offering o,
exposing for sale. exchanging or deliver
ing refrigerator eggs. after they Ieay
their original packages, without stamp
ing on the shells the words "cold stor
age"
The application was based on af,davit,
filed by Commissioner Dillon and J.. .
Foy. one OF his inspectors. Justice Blu
granted a temporary Injunction pendinI
final argument and fixed the return da,
as December 26 In Special Term. Part I.
Frank A. X. Roland Of the law Arm
Of Campbell 4 Boland, acting for w. II
Mapes, n member Of the New York Mer
cantil" Exchange. applied to Justic,
tireenbaum for an order directing Com
missioner Dillon to show cause on De
cember 20 why he should not he e~nJolne,