The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1917-10-24
DEATH KNELL is RUNG
FOR BIG FOOD GAMBLER
HOOVER NOW HOLDS KEY TO
SUPPLY AND WHIP OVER
SPECULAToRS

) Washington, Oct. 22.--The presi
dents license order affecting every
big food handler in the country rings
the death knell on food gambling done
in large way.
BY compelling food handlers, man
ufacturers, distributors and ware
houses to take out goverrfhent licen
SEES the food administration is placed
in absolute control of them. Their
books and plants must be kept open
fer inspectation. Their charges, pro
fits and methods Of doing business
are subject to change whenever Hooo-
yer considers them unfair. The very
! doors Of their warehouses and cold
storage plants must swing open to let
out food when Hoover says so,
Hoover now holds the food supply
in thu hollow of his hand.
If the food barons refuse to do his
bidding, they can be punished fined
up to $4,000 or sent to prison for two
years or both, and their place Of bust
ness can be shut up!
They have to be good,
The need for food control of the
most watchful type is greater now
and through the winter than at any
other time.
Large canning concerns are stock
ing up with fruits and vegetables
bought at the lowest prices of the
year. By. keening strong hand up
on the outflow the Gamers are able
to maintain high prices. In winters
past this outflow was little affected
by supply. II the supply was too
great canned goods were held over
a whole year, or dumped.
Potatoes were contracted for as
early as last seeding time. Potato
spectators seldom buy in an open
market They buy while the tubers
are yet in the ground and when the
growers price is beaten down by re-
ports of bumper crops In northern
Minnesota and southern Manitoba,
alongthe Canadian Pacific railroad,
farmers sold their potatoes under con
tract at from go to so cents bushel
last August-all to spud gamblers.
These potatoes often never reach the
city market. II it pays the gambler
more to let them rot in the fields, or
in pits, or storage warehouse he
will do that. e. -. 80. -. -. -. !.
Egg gamblers buy the product OF
the great American hen on million
farms in spring and summer. Usual
ly theypay from ID Ito 30 cents a. .ioz
en- ON the farm, and sell to the city
housewife next winter at 40 to SO
cents. The cost of transportation
breakage, storage is less than 5 cents
dozen. Figure out the profit.
This year they hoped to do better
They expected dollar-a-dozen eggs by
Christmas. To prove this you only
have to look at the October egg stor
age chart. On that day 240,00o,00C
more eggs were in storage than al
the same time last year; export de
mands were hundreds of thousands OF
cases less for the year, and prices
were cents dozen higher. More
eggs, less demand, higher prices! II
is true that egg gamblers paid higher
farm prices last spring and summer
averaging from Is to- 80 cents doz
en-. Add to that cents for cost OF
storing, etc, and see what the profit
would be on dollar eggs. And dollar
eggs would have come if the president
hadn't stepped in!
Every year hundreds of millions Of
eggs have been held in storage unit
they were unfit for table use, held
because holding meant higher prices
for what were released.
Food gamblrs never win when the
supply is permitted to meet the de
mand., They reap millions when a
portion of the product is held off The
market, in warehouses or dumped as
waste
II was to prevent this more thar
anything else that the president
clamped the license lid on food hand
lers. He hopes to enforce the unwrit
ten of supply and demand. While
this will prevent price manipulation
to large extent and will end hoard
ing waste, it will not make food cheap
er than it now is, But it will keer
prices from soaring higher than is
justified There is a shortage of food
That means increased prices. Killing
oc food gamblers helps much; con
serving food in kitchens and at the
table will help. To keen food prices