The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-08-08
WILSON PRODS
PRICE FIXERS
Is Determined to Prevent
"Gouging" of the United
States or Allies
THE PRESIDENT
URGES HASTE
He Breaks into Trade Board
Meeting-Visits Attorney
General Gregory

Washington, Aug s.-Following tn,
organization of the war industries boarc
for the purchase of war supplies, th'
president yesterday began an active prod
ding of the government agencies con
cerned with inquiries into cost prices
and price fixing,
Unheralded it broke in upon meeting
of the federal trade commission and re.
Iquested to be informed how much longer
that body would take in its work of in.
vestigating cost figures of the various in.
dustries supplying materials to the gov.
eminent. The commission assured him
of its intention TO have its report on cop.
per costs ready for him inside of two
hours.
The field reports, the president was
told, are now coming in rapidly and the
commission hopes to have all of them
summed up soon.
| Following his call on the commission
the president went to the office of Attor.
ney General Gregory, where, it is said, he
discussed with Mr.. Gregory the question
of steel prices
To both the trade commission and to
the attorney general the president is said
to have explained that until the subject
of price fixing has been adjusted the
whole process of supplying the price fix
ing of the United States and of the al.
lies is more or less tied up
Before the war industries board can
properly coordinate the purchases for
the war, he said, some policy of price ar
rangement has to be arranged, and such
policy, he indicated, cannot be reached
until the government is in possession of
all data as to cost prices. Only with
such material, he asserted, can the gov
eminent measure the prices asked by the
contractors and ascertain whether there
is any gouging going on.
The United States, the president in.
formed the trade commissioners, has
guaranteed the allies that they shall be |
allowed the same prices as those OBJ |
tanned by the American government in |
their purchases in this country.
II is understood that the president re- |
quested the attorney general to have all |
the data in possession Of the department
of justice relative to the methods of the
steel corporation in fixing prices avail
able for the cabinet at its meeting before
last night.
The war industries board met yester-
day morning and went over the field
which its work is to cover. No an
of policy was forthcoming,
however, and the impression prevailed
that this board, like the president, is
awaiting the outcome of the cost in
luiries OF the trade commission
The inquiries of this board were
by the action of Secretary
Daniels in refusing to accept prices quot.
ID to him by the copper, steel, oil and
,oal producers. Awaiting himself of the
sections of the national
defense Act, Mr.. Daniels ordered the :
heads of these industries to furnish him !,
With the supplies the navy needs, the
prices to be adjusted upon the basis of
cost investigations by the trade commits :
zion.
As this does not care for the immedi-
tie needs of the allies, however, the pres
dent is anxious for definite prices to be
liked.
When the activities were in progress
'ther agencies of the government were
aking steps dictated by necessity rest.
ng alike on the United States and the
lilies to conserve the available supplies
t war material for the supreme needs of
he war.
The export trade council, which is
assing on the hands of applications for
censes under the embargo restrictions,
tarted special inquiry yesterday to de-
ermine whether some of the would be
censees anticipating stricter measures
the future are not seeking permission
D ship out more of the prescribed COM
oddities than their present needs de-
land Prof. A. A. Young of Cornell uni
ersity was chosen as the head of a new
bureau, the sole function of
hich will be to investigate this phase of
lie applications.