Middletown transcript., 1917-10-27


and industry Of the United States,
President Wilson started off the week
by setting in motion machinery to stop
trade with the enemy and transmission
Of information valuable to him, to con-
troll enemy aliens and enemy property
and to check the activities in America
of German sympathizers. BY execu-
tive decree the president created war
trade board with Vance Mccormick as
chairman, supplanting the exports. .ad-
ministrative board, and war trade
council to advise the board on ques-
tions of policy; gave the secretary OF
the treasury power to regulate the ex.
port OF gold, silver and currency, trans
fers of credit, transactions in foreign
exchange, and enemy insurance COM
panies, and authority to prevent the
transmission Of written or Photographic
information from this country except
through the mails; created a censor
ship board to prevent the transmission
| of intelligence to the enemy by any
means: gave the trade commission full
authority over enemy patents; gave
the postmaster general power to regu-
late the publication Of wax matter by
foreign language papers, and in other
ways took control Of enemy interests
in the United States.
The provisions of this sweeping de-
cree when put into full force should
help a lot in the process Of bOttlins up
the German empire The United States
and it's allies show no disposition to
yield to the pleas of the so-called neu-
trail nations that have been supplying
Germany with food and other mate
rails. According to reports received in
Washington, the food situation in Ger
many is growing acute. The weekly
ration there amounts approximately
to four and half pounds of bread,
a half peck Of potatoes, a curful OF
beans, peas or oatmeal half pound
of meat, twelve cubes Of sugar, six
individual patties Of butter and an
equal amount Of other fats. The caloric
!. value of these foods in the aggregate,
is less than half the amount estimated
by the American food administration
as sufficient for a person in Il sedentary
occupation.
Coal Strike Makes Trouble.
The coal situation especially in Hi
nois, caused the administration a great
, deal of trouble. Strikes unauthorized
/ by the union, stopped production ant
) the operators declared they could moi
! pay the wages demanded unless they
: were allowed to charge the genera
: public SO cents more a ton. Coal Al
) ministrator Garfield was swamped wit.
! appeals and protests, and sent out
S message to the effect that unless min
, ing was resumed the federal govern
{ ment would seize the mines. The whole
a affair has the appearance Of greed fos
$ tered by under handed pro-German in
t f1uences.
o Food Administrator Hoover has
q been brought 10 realization OF tht
:. fact that the retail grocers Of the coun
s try are robb.ny the ultimate consum
a ers, and he proposes to go as far as hi
powers permit in stopping the eXtor
ton. In atatement issued Thursdf.
y Mr.. Hoover said that though neithe
l. the food administration nor the gov
e ernment has authority to regulate tn
l. retailer as 1t does the wholesaler, h
e would, beginning November /, expos
e the former each week by publishing
e the wholesale prices of all commodltie
l. in every section. Thus the purchase
E. will know how much the retailer
n paying and how much undue profit h
i: is exactifi:;. Mr. Hoover cites partiCt
"a larlv the retail price of flour, which /
IS out of all proportion to the wholcsai
is price fixc1 by the government, and !"
IN so the recent unwarranted advance
in in the re'ail price Of sugar.
n Unless the retailer grocer behaves
the food administrator hints, congress
~ may be ssked for legislation giving tn
ar government power to regulate him. Nj
Mt Hoover asserts that the corner ha
r. been turned in high prices and that
n the farmer and retailer cooperate Wit
H. him. the essential commodities one 4
as ter another should continue to show r,
s. ductiOnr between now and the end {
II the yeaf.
he The war department issued order
Thursday for the entrainment of. th
Sc final quotas Of the first draft from tn
s. northwest states and the entire mo5il
he zation OF, the 6S7, 600 men of the fir:
at army is expected to be complete b
IN the middle of November.
ne The Liberty bond campaign wer
ge with rush last week, despite the di
Id loyal opposition displayed in some L
IN calities. The government has take
it steps to punish the. ro-German worl
1T ers who have fostered this hostile Sc
in timent, and Secretary McAdoo has asl
ed banks to report the names of tho:
who have sought to intimidate ban
al ers by threats u withdraw their d
de posits.
1t- so to 60 dead to 500, q non-Italian a
le- thority in Turin giving the latter nul
lp- Der.
Another matter that may force