The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-11-01
Licensing of Big Distribu-
tors Throughout Country
Shows Quick Effects
MEAT AND EGGS
ARE MUCH CHEAPER
Federal, State and City Officials, Armed
with Full Power, See End of Profiteer-
ing - Complaints Bureau Has Been
Established.

NEW YORK, Nov. 1.-Prices in sew
eral foodstuffs dropped yesterday and
the day before, and it is predicted by
men in the trade that there will be
further decreases within the next few
days. This downward price tendency
is reflection of the national food adj
ministration. which will today require
that every firm i'll the country engaged
in handling foodstuffs and doing a pusi-
ness of over 100000 a year be licensed
One object of this government super
vision is to see that the supplies of
the country maintain normal low
from producers to consumers.
Indications were that not {; single
firm in this city will have received the
government license, although snmn Of
them made application weeks ago. These
applications have been coming into
| Washington at the rate of 5000 a dav
and the blanks have been filled out AZ
| fast as Mr.. Hoover s force, working
overtime, could do the work. The rood
administrator is sending out notice
of instructions to accompany the IL
censes, and the printing of these has
overtaxed the government s printing
facilities. 1t will be perhaps more than
week before these instructions arr
printed. They will be sent out accom-
panving the license cards. Until they
arrive every firm will be to all inients
and purposes under government super
vision and subject to all the regula-
lions of the food administration that
become effective today
To make more effective the govern
mcnt regulation of foods the milling di-
vision of the food administration. Of
which James \. Bell is the head, ar
nounced that ii had taken over the SIT
| pervision of every flour mil in the
country. Since Sept. $, when the Tour
| milling supervision was created, the
milling division through the voluntary
agreement of the operators of all the
large mills, has exercised control over
| their wheat supplies, operation, ana rate
| of profit. This control was extended
to all mills with daily capacity OF
| loo or more barrels of flour. Under
the new order this control is extended
and even the very small mills must row
|
their operations and profits.
Under the licensing system the gov
eminent viii have knowledge OF the
food business, for its supervision VIII
not only extend to the supplies received
and sold but books will be open nj the
request of government experts and :ae
| secrets of storage warehouses Will be
secrets no longer. Large business viii
have to set their prices accordingly
and these prices will be reflected IN
| the small stores outside of the admin
istration control. Stores that attempr
to sell for high prices will have their
supplies cut off. Carl w. Kimball.
chairman of the New York Food Dis
tributers association said that the
members of the association represent
ing $4,000 handlers of foodstuffs, were
in entire accord with the government
and they were pledged to only pre- var
profits.
| Arthur Williams, New York city food
administrator, said that word had
reached him that some of the fish ard
poultry men are not playing fair, and
that there was plan on foot to raise
prices. Mr.. Williams says he is going
10 halt any such attempt "The poul.
try men who are boarding in cold stor-
age had better unload. If thev do
not, he said, ''they will not get as
much when they do as they could get
now
The food administrator will endeavol
to have the poultry men give pledge
that they will not extract any greater
profits than they did before the war
He said that he intended to have sur
vev made of the places where. he has
been informed, price increases are con
templated
Another task to which Mr.. William.
IS to give his attention is that of pre-
venting the raising of food prices dur
ing the holidays. The gauging of III,
public at holiday time for turkeys ha,
been guided more by what the publ,
would stand rather than by the Law
of supply and demand.
Fifteen complaints of dealers VIII,
overcharged have been received at Mr.
Williams 5 headquarters, l24 East Eff
teenth street, and are being investi
gated. The bureau for receiving com
plants which was advocated by tn
New York food distributors, has beer
established by City Market Commission
or Henry MoSkowitz. 1t is in the Nh
nicipal Building, and the commissions
will cooperate with the federal author
tiles and the state food commission.
The program of food conservation
places fish on the list of foods that ca
be consumed to save meats and fats
Since this announcement was made Nj
Williams has received word that som
of the fish dealers are king advantag
OF the advice to eat more fish to boos
their prices. He has asked several ifs
dealers to meet him and talk over tn
situation.
The decline in prices is shown notabl
: III the egg market, according to p. {
Foy, price expert, who has made care
full study of the market Good storap
eggs can be had now at wholesale fC
from 33 to 331a cents dozen. Mr.. Fo
IS authority for the statement that on
of the large chain stores, controllin