New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-01
Approve Summers Bill Pro-
viding Agricultural
Preparedness
Aims at High Cost
of Living Problem
Marketmen and Producers
of Three States Confer
with Congressman

An important step toward solving the
problems Of agricultural preparedness
and the high cost of living was taken
yesterday when Congressman Hatton
". Summers. of Texas, held y confer
ence at the Hotel McAlpin with food
and market experts marketmen and
producers of New York, New Jersey
and Massachusetts.
Among those at the conference
in addition 70 Mr.. Summers were
John J. Dillon, State Commission
Of Food and Markets; Joseph
Hartigan. Commissioner of Weights
and Measures, and Secretary Of
the Mayors Food Supply Com
mittee; Ava Agee, Secretary Of Agri-
culture Of New Jersey; Alexander f..
Gomez. Of the Massachusetts State
College OF Agriculture, and Edward
Leeds Goodsell, director of the Fruit
Auction Company.
"The influx Of population from the
country to the city is one OF the Things
at the root Of thc trouble. Something
must be done TO keep more people on
the farms-and the only way 1t can be
accomplished is TO give the farmer a
greater financial reward for his efforts
than he has been getting. Through the
elimination Of the enormous waste and
! inefficiency that now exist. this can be
/ done and the price of food TO the con-
sumner lowered at the same time.
"The central information bureau
which my bill provides for would fur
/ nish farmers with accurate information
/ from day to day as TO where shortages
| of certain food products existed.
Prices Would Drop
Farmers could then ship to those
points, the shortage would be relieved,
retail prices would drop, and the farm
ers would get more than If they had
sent their produce TO some point where
there was already an oversupply Of that
particular food"
The most important provisions Of
the new measure is that establishing
central information bureau, or clearing
house, in Washington, for the purpose
of keeping producers in constant touch
with conditions in consuming centres
and vice versa. This would eliminate
the waste of millions of dollars worth
of perishable food products which are
now lost as the result of the ignorance
of thousands of growers as to the best
markets for their produce from time to
time.
Another important provision is the
Standardization of all farm products
into certain fixed grades, with govern
ment inspectors in every producing ter
ritory, to see that all produce shipped
comes up TO standard.
"The psychological moment has come
for some definite action by Congress
on the food question:" declared Mr..
Summers in opening the conference.
"Unless some constructive measures
are quickly adopted in this country the
United States will soon be facing the
same food situation that exists to-day
in Germany. Our population has been
increasing at rate twenty times the
increase in our grain supply.
At the close of the conference Mr.
Summers announced that he would in
troduce at the coming special session
Of Congress a bill providing for radi-
cal extension of the powers OF the De-
partment Of Agriculture Of the United
States. The measure, he believes, VIII
solve the food problem by doing away
with scarcity of labor on the farms, IN
surfing agriculturists fair prott, pre-
venting speculation and reducing prices
to the consumer through the elimina'
ton of waste.
Experts Approve Bill
MIR. Summers outlined the provisions
of his bill to the food and market ex-
perts and it met with their unanimous
approval Plans we're Immediately out
lined for a series of meetings through
out the East, at which Mr.. Summers will
explain his measure to the public. All
the officials present agreed to give the
bill their active support
The bill provides for the active SUI
pervision of traffic in food products by
the United States government. II gives
the Secretary of Agriculture wide pow
ers. by the exercise of which speculs-
ton in food could be done away with.
It also provides for rigid and accu-
rate census of all the food supplies in
the country, both present and future.
1t is probably the most rigid and com
prehensive Federal food measure that
has ever been drawn.
The bill provides that the Secretary
of Agriculture ascertain the amount of
all reserve food supplies in the coun-
try and make il public and gives the