Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-09
ALLIES TO GET BENEFIT
OF GOVERNMENT PRICES
New War Industries Board Defines
Policy With Regard to Pur-
Chases in This Country.
PUBLIC TO BE sAFEGUARDED
Arrangement, However, Will BE Lin
tied to War Materials, and Must
BE Reciprocal-To Allow Reason
able Profit, but Deny Extortion.

WASHINGTON. August Sin a
statement of It's policy. the new War
Industries Board tonight announced
that Americas allies. on purchases
made in this country. would be given
the bcnent OF the prices obtained by
every effort would be made TO main
tain the same level Of prices to the
general public.
1t is the purpose OF the War In
dusir!cs Board to carry out the policy
recently announced by the President,
and with which the members OF the
board are in complete accord, that in
the purchase Of war materials in this
country, our allies shall be charged
with no more than our own govern
ment has To pay. Guns and ammuni-
tion employed against our enemies are
Tor our beneht as much when used by
our allies a. when used by our men:
and il is obviously unjust TO require our
allies when fighting our battle TO pay
our own people more than our own
government pays for the materials nee
essary TO carry on the war
IMPORTANT LIMITATIONS
TO POLICY SET FORTH
'But this policy has Two important
limitations: tlrst, IT is/to he reciprocal.
The allies must hcnceforth apply the
samt principle In dealing with their
own producers and in selling to US
ana In selling to each other. Second,
the arrangement must be limited TO
war materials. in order TO protect our
own industry We must not allow raw
materials sold by our producers or
prices patriotically conceded to our
government and its allies for war pur-
poses to be diverted to industry and
trade abroad which may come in COM
petition with our own manufacturers
and producers. Measures will be
taken by the board for the best pos
sible assurance that materials sold at
n concession in prices for war purposes
shall be applied only to war purposes
I'm fixing the prices to be paid by the
government. we shall allow reason
able profit but shall deny the extor-
tion now exacted for many commodi-
ties OF prime necessity. We shall pay
the just price SO admirably defined by
the President in his public statement
OF July -. as follows:
by just price / mean a price
which will sustain the industries con-
cerned in high state Of efficiency
provide living for those who conduc,
hem. enable them to pay good wages
and make possible expansions Of their
enterprises which will from time 20
time become necessary as the stupen-
dous undertakings CT this great war
develop
PRESIDENTS REFERENCE
TO PRICES TO PUBLIC
The War Industries Board has not
yet had. and may not have. occasion
to deal with the question OF prices to
be charged the public, but IL seems
proper in this connection to direct at
tention again to the following from
the statement Of the President on the
subject:
I'VE must make the prices to the
public the same as the prices to the
government. Prices mean the same
thing everywhere now; they mean the
efficiency Of the nation. whether 1t Is
the government that pays them or not.
They mean victory or defeat"