The Washington times., 1917-02-20
new YORK WOMEN
In RIOT FOR BREAD
Three Hundred Storm Mayors
Office Crying Out Against
High Prices.
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the street and especially to do moth.
ing that would give the police an ex.
cuse to arrest them. With this the
crowd quieted and Sweet Marie" and
Mrs. Harris were admitted to the
building as Representatives Of the pro-
testing women.
A serious outbreak was threatened
when Marie CAM was arrested after
the main body OF women had been
dispersed The crowd in City Hall
Park by this time numbered thou
sands.
sweet Marie" has been identified
with agitators here, and the police
quickly sought to separate her from
the women demanding food. She was
hurried into the police precinct sta
tion In city hall and then into a
patrol wagon.
Women Demand Release.
Sighting her in the wagon, the
women made q rush for It, yelling,
screaming, and demanding her re-
lease. A line of police was quickly
formed to stop the on-rushing women,
and the patrol whisked away.
Mrs. Harris declared she did no,
represent any political organization
of any kind.
II represent no one but mothers, .
she said. MY husband Is q watch
maker. I have three children, and
we just manage to get along. But
other mothers who can't get along
come TO me with tears In their eyes
and ask me what to do.
"We were promised q public school
In which to hold q protest meeting
next Tuesday. By that time, though,
hundreds would be straving, SO we
determined to march down here to
see him."
Mrs. Harris was told that the mayor
was not in his office, but was prom
ised that he would meet them later
today or tomorrow.
Three Feed Riots.
There were food riots In three Of
New York's congested tenement dis
tricts yesterday. Push carts were
stripped, overturned, and burned by
frantic women.
In the williamsburg section in
Brooklyn the open air market was
wrecked Nand dealers hid behind
barred and locked doors. Police re-
riot followed q sudden jump In the
price of onions and potatoes.
In the Brownsville section and on
the east side of Manhattan there were
food riots almost as serious.
The trouble was started in Will
iamsburg when q woman, unable to
pay the price demanded for onions,
put her shoulder to the pushcart and
tipped IL over. In O moment hundreds
of women were on their knees scram-
bling for the potatoes and onions.
The contagion of the fight for food
spread and soon other carts were in
the street and the peddlers fleeing.
kerosene was thrown/on some Of the
carts and in some instances they
were set afiire.
Mass Meeting Held.
Later 1000 residents of one district
assembled in mass meeting to hear
the peddlers' side OF the case. One
man declared he made but 20 cents
on q barrel of potatoes that cost him
SO.
The dealers said they were allowed
to purchase at one time from only
two cars OF potatoes, when eleven
were on the tracks.
districts will agree to buy no more
onions or potatoes until the price
goes down, and in which the dealers
will agree not to purchase any more,
seems probable.
Commissioner of Weights and
Measures Hartigan planned today to
send to state departments of food and
markets, or other state officials
the Union a letter urg-
ing that fiod shipments to this city
be increased. His letter asks for par
ticulars regarding producers, griwers,
dairy products, canneries, shippers.
and handlers OF food and manufactur-
ed products.
Tremendous Advances.
Prices of foods not only in the push
cart, but in every section of the city.
have advanced tremendously. The
in the prices of some veg
etables Is shown in the following:
1917. 1916.
String beans SOC pound zoe to 40c