The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-06-12
AGREE ON
FOOD BILL
The House Committee Votes
for Control Meas
ure
AUTHORIZES
REPORT TO HOUSE
Passage Is Due in Less Than
Two Weeks-Price-Fi Fix.
ing Is Dropped

Washington, June 1.-THE second ad-
ministration food control bill, granting
broad powers to the president, was agreed
to by the House agricultural committee
yesterday by vote of IL to 3, and i'm
mediate report to the House was au-
thorized.
Chairman Lever expects it to pass with
less than two weeks debate. The first
bill now pending, ia to stimulate produc-
ton OF food; the second is TO control
distribution and price.
The bill provides guaranteed mini
mum price to producers OF non .perishable
agricultural products under regulations
to be prescribed by the president. The
committee dropped the plan for maxi
mum price fixing on the ground that it
was unnecessary. A good deal of opposi
ton was expressed to it.
The bill authorizes the limiting, regu
lating or prohibiting of the use of foods,
feeds or feed material for both alcoholic
and non-alcoholic liquors. 1t appropri-
ates S2,500,00o for purely administrative
expenses and Sl50,000,000 more for carry
ing out its other purposes, which would
include guarantee OF minimum prices,
operation of factories, mines or other
plants and, if necessary, the handling of
wheat supplies by the government.
The bill is entitled: ITO provide fur
Their for the national security and defense
by encouraging agriculture and regulat-
ing the marketing and distribution OF
foods and other neeessaries OF life" II
includes fuel as well as food. 1t does
not designate any particular agency Of
authority, but vests all authority in the
president to use any agency in his dis
erection. to enter into any requisite ar
engagements or agreements, TO create an
agency or agencies to accept services OF
any person without compensation, and
to coordinate government activities.
Any such agency win have the power to
carry out the authority given the presi-
dent as to production, manufacture,
storage, distribution, sale, marketing and
other services in connection with food
control.
1t has previously become known that
President Wilson intends to vest the au.
thority in food control board OF which
Herbert c. Hoover is to be food admins
TRAITOR.
The bill will make ii unlawful to de-
stroy necessaries of life. TO hoard or mo.
nopolize them or to do other acts de.
signed to increase prices by discrimina-
tory or wasteful methods to limit the
facilities for transporting food or fuel,
restrict the supply, prevent or lessen the
manufacture or production of them, or to
combine to exact excessive prices.
The president is authorized to license
the Importation, expectation, manufac-
ture, storage or distribution of any nee
essaries, including fuel, and to regulate
the business of the licensees. Anyone
who boards food supplies will be pun
ished, but farmers and others actually
engaged in cultivation OF foods or feeds
are exempted from the provision. The
president is authorized to requisition and
take over for the use or operation of the
government, if he deems it necessary,
any factory, mine or other plant utilized
for the necessaries of life, but railroads
are specifically exempted from the requ-
provision.
Another broad power conferred by the
bill upon the president is to regulate ex-
changes of all descriptions that deal with
necessaries and, if necessary, to prohibit
their operation