Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-30
WASHINGTON. oct. 30.


The Government will take its first bin
smash at retail food prices when II as
sumes absolute control of twenty basic food
products Thursday.
This control will take tine form of n
licensing system under the food admins
tration. Food Administrator Hoover ex-
poets to effect material reductions in the
retail prices OF the foods involved by the
first of the year He hopes to do this by
eliminating waste and excess profits in the
import, manufacture, storage and distribu-
tion of the twenty products.
His plan is to see that these foods reach
the small retailer at reasonable prices tell
the public what the dealers paid for the
goods and depend on the public to prevent
retailers charging more than a fair profit.
The retailer charging excessive profits will
find himself unable to buy from the whole
salers.
the smallest retailer has been solved The
wholesaler and warehouse man under Ii
cense will be ordered to sell nothing 70
any retailer found profteering
This, the food administration points out
today Is the only way the problem can be
met. as the food control law does not give
| the Government jurisdiction over retailers
doing less than 100000 worth of business
annually.
Retailers doing that much business will
| be licensed and controlled All big meat
| packers, cold-storage men, mllers, Gamers,
| grain dealers will have to get a Govern
| ment license between now and Thursday
or quit business.
The food administration will see that
| all producers have a free outlet and a
ready market for their products; that all
manipulation and speculation in these foods
| are stopped at once that there is no no lrd-
ing Of supplies that there are no unfair or
| unreasonable profits anywhere along the
! line. Wholesale grocers. in conference
! here last week, agreed to aid Hoover.
Licensed men or firms caught conspir-
! ing to prevent enforcement of the food
| control law will be subject to $4,000 fine
| or Imprisonment for two years, or both
| Licensed men or firms caught manipulate
| ing the market specializing, boarding OF
profteering will be subject to $4,000 fine OF
| two years in prison. or both.
\ special legal department has been or
| ganized by the food administration to make
| these measures effective. Those licensed
| must make reports to the Government on
| certain forms regularly, telling just VIII II
they have been doing. If the facts dc
not tally with their reports they will be
called on to explain
The commodities affected include:
! Wheat, barley, oats, corn, rye, rice and
| all their by-products: beans, peas. cotton
!
ucts oeOmargaTine and all dairy products
! eggs, fish, fresh fruits, vegetables, canned
and dried products of all kinds meats su.
| gar and syrups
| Hoover's regulations promulgated today
provide that poultry eggs, butter and fresh
| Or frozen fish, which have been in storage
! for thirty days or more cannot be repre-
| sented or advertised as fresh and must not
be offered for sale without being marked
| clearly with a placard bearing the words
| "cold storage goods"
Laws providing this are in effect already
| in some States, but the sweeping rules
| made by Hoover now cover the whole coun
| try. 1t will not be possible for warehouses
| to store any food products which are dis
| eased or otherwise unfit for human con
| sumption. All fresh meat and fresh meal
products, fresh fish, game, poultry, eggs and
butter must be plainly marked with the date
on which they are placed in storage anc
the date of release from storage
A further rule requires that warehouses
must be classified as public" or private
| and that a warehouse which not only re
| reiyes goods TO be stored for others bu
| stores goods on its own account must bt
licensed as a dealer in order that its trans
actions in foods may be regulated by the
food administration.