Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-23
His Mistake

Mr.. Griffin explains that he now finds
that the car supply order which he
was led to belle We emanated from Com
missioner McChord. really came from
the Car Service Commission of the
American Railway Association
In his telegram Of yesterday, acting
on this misconception, Mr.. Griffin ac-
cused the Interstate Commerce Com
mission Of utter failure III the emer-
Gency. He and his traffic committee
conferred on the question of going into
the courts or of appealing to Congress.
With the understanding cleared up
todaN'S conference was based on the
assumption that relief might still be
expected from the Interstate Com
merce Commission, and the second tel
eeram was said to be a final plea on
behalf of the Board Of Trade and in a.
general way on behalf of the farmers
and country grain elevators of the
Mississippi and Missouri valleys.
MIR. Griffin reiterated that the grain
trade Of this section is IN desperate
way. Forty million bushels Of grain
are held up in local elevators seven
million bushels additional are in cars.
some Of which should have been shin
ped three months ago. He also said
that many food product factories in
Chicago are running only % per cent
of capacity because they cannot shin
their products .out.
Today's telegram again directs the
commissions attention to the fact that
while 500 cars a week are being pro
vided to Minneapolis Chicago is "vir-
tuaIly a closed market to the farmers
of the West" Discussing the telegram
Mr.. Griffin admitted that the Ninneapo-
lis cars were being used to ship -four
east instead Of grain
500 or 600 Cars Day
What we want" said Mr.. Griffin. "is
200 eastern cars and the free use of
western cars which would give us five
or six hundred cars a day. The holding
up OF grain and grain products is what
largely is sending food prices soaring
IN the East and causing demonstrations
such as that made in New York City"
Chicago representatives of eastern
railroads admitted that the situation
was the worst in the country's history.
nut declined to concur in Mr. Griffin's
prediction of yesterday that if rene
dy is not found there will be rioting
and anarchy within so days. The rail-
road men said that with improved
weather. preference in the shipment of
foodstuffs as in the case of MINNEAPOLIS
Hour and other measures adopted by the
railroads, the situation should clear up
Meanwhile food prices in Chicago
showed no sign of decline. Wholesalers
generally predicted still higher prices
before new crops are harvested They
exhibited government reports as to con
d1tions. These showed that although
the 1916 crop of potatoes was $4,000. 600
short. 100000 bushels of white yarie-
~ were exported and the price jumped
from 81 cents in December 1915. to S1.57
II months later. This was the whole
sale price on immense quantities. Since
these figures were compiled the price
has jumped more than a dollar. The sta
tlstlcs do not include an immense
amount of potatoes used in canned stews
used by the allied armies. In its lat
est contracts the British government
specifications omitted potatoes because
of the price. but the Belgian Relief
Commission is said to have purchased
millions of pounds Of these stews. in
Guiding the tubers.