The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-10-26

$4,000
and It's allies show no disposition to
yield to the pleas of the s~o-called neu.
trail nations that have been supplying
Germany with food and other mate.
rails. According to reports received In
Washington, the food situation In Ger
many Is growing acute. The weekly
ration there amounts approximately
to four and a half pounds of bread,
a half peck of potatoes, q cupful OF
beans, peas, or oatmeal; a half pound
of meat, twelve cubes of sugar, six
Individual patties of butter and an
equal amount of other fats. The caloric
value OF these foods In the aggregate,
is less than half the amount estimated
by the American food administration
as sufficient for a person In a sedentary
occupation.
Coal Strike Makes Trouble.
The coal situation, especially in Dli-
nois, caused the administration a great
deal of trouble. Strikes, unauthorized
by the union, stopped production and
the operators declared they could not
pay the wages demanded unless they
were allowed to charge the general
public so cents more a ton. Coal Adj
minlstrator Garfield was swamped with
appeals and protests, and sent out a
message to the effect that unless min
ing was resumed the federal govern
ment would seize the mines. The whole
affair has the appearance of greed fos-
tered by u~nderhanded pro-German In
fluences.
Food Administrator Hoover has
been brought to a realization of the
fact that the retail grocers of the coun-
try are robbing the ultimate consum-
ers, and he proposes to go MS far as his
powers permit in stopping the extor-
ton. In a statement issued Thursday
MIR. Hoover said that though neither
the food administration nor the gov
eminent has authority to regulate the
retailer as 1t does the wholesaler, he
would, beginning November 1, expose
the former each week by publishing
the wholesale prices Of all commodities
In every section. Thus the purchaser
will know how much the retailer is
paying and how much undue profit he
Is exacting. Mr.. Hoover cites particu-
larly the retail price of flour, which is
out of all proportion to the wholesale
price fixed by the government, and al
SO the recent unwarranted advances
In the retail price Of sugar.
Unless the retailer grocer behaves,
the food administrator hints, congress
may be asked for legislation giving the
government power to regulate him. Mr..
Hoover asserts that the corner has
been turned in high prices and that If
the farmer and retailer cooperate with
him, the essential commodities one aft
ter another should continue to show re-
auctions between now and the end Of
the year,
The war department issued orders
Thursday for the entrainment Of the
final quotas of the first draft from the
northwest states and the entire mobili-
zation of the 6S7,0O0 men of the first
army Is expected to be complete by
the middle of November. The call for
the second draft Is not expected be-
fore the first of the year, but arrange
ments for II are under way and it may
be that the remaining 100000 eligi-
bles will be examined in advance so as
to establish a waiting list. Prepare
lions for the winter In the training
camps are being made rapidly anC
there is reason to believe that there
will be no shortage OF warm clothing
arms and all other necessary supplies
The Liberty bond campaign went
with a rush last week, despite the dis
loyal opposition displayed In some 10
calities. The government has takel
steps 10 punish the pro-German work
ers who have fostered this hostile sen
timent, and Secretary McAdoo has ask
ed banks to report the names of thos,
who have sought to lntlmidate bank
ers hy threats TO withdraw their de
posits,
The senatorial committee investigat
Ing Senator La Follette's loyalty hel,
several sessions but was temporaril
foiled by the willy fellows demand tina
he be given the opportunity TO cross
examine those who had %contradicte
his assertion regarding Bryan's state
ment to President Wilson anent th
/ Lusltanla. AS the committee canno
wen summon the president or Nj
Bryan, 1t adjourned to think the cas-
over.
Former Senator pettigrew of Sout
Dakota Is emulatIng the record OF L
Toilette and defylng the goyernmer
! to have him indicted. His utterance
are II anything more reprehensibl
than those of The Wisconsin man, bt
he himself Is much more negligibl
= II all their readers and hearers wei
I persons OF sound sense. neither or
would he worth the powder II woul
5 take 10 blow him over to Germany.