New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-26
Half Of City Goes Hungry,
Food investigators Are Told
MANY Remedies for High Cost of Living Offered Legislators
at City Hall-Power to Sell Necessaries at Cost
Suggested for Head of Markets

Widely divergent remedies for the
high cost Of living of varying degrees
of practicability continued to be pre-
sented yesterday before the joint legis-
lative committee sitting in the City
Hall to hear suggestions for legislation
to lower food prices.
Consumer, producer and distributor
WED with one another 10 gain the at
tention of the committee. which was
supplied, with so many descriptions Of
suffering and so little constructive ad-
vice that Senator Elon r. Brown, the
chairman, had TO appeal to the audi
ence not TO give its views unless it had
useful suggestions TO offer.
THE chair must get more light if it
is to hold the committee here" he an
nounced at noon. "The committee is
not deaf to the voice of misery, but 1t
cannot devote its time to hearing that
misery detailed. It is cognizant of
that misery; it wants suggestion for its
relief"
Former Senator William VI. Bennett
had proposed as a remedy for existing
evils that an amendment be passed
permitting foodstuffs to be sold at auc-
ton before sunrise instead of after
sunrise. as the law now requires. Ben
jamin c. Marsh, single-tax advocate,
had suggested that the Federal govern
mcnt seize foodstuffs and distribute
them TO the states and that speculative
land monopolics be broken by increas-
ing the tax, rate on unimproved land.
Wants Middleman Abolished
Miss Dorothy Zeman, of the New
York Food Aid Committee. wanted the
middleman abolished Immediately. She
suggested state food control plan
similar TO one adopted in Germany and
Indignantly squelched an objection TO
anything made in Germany raised by
Senator George Slater.
William Fletcher of the Morris Park
Citizens Association, found existing
evils 10 be due entirely 10 the high
perfection Of cold storage plants and
their misuse.
The Rev. J. VI. Siebert, Of st. Marks
Chanel. on the lower East Side. thought
beneficial results would follow the
passage of a law making the sale of
any fish except live fish illegal.
Cornelius NJ. Sheehan asked the COM
mittee If il realized that "one-half Of
the pcople of New York" do not get
enough to eat, and the committee re-
spouded with renewed requests for
practical suggestions.
Free Port Suggested
What was regarded as the first one
Of the day came from Mrs. j. wells
Wentworth. chairman of the food COM
mittee OF the Woman Suffrage party OF
the 10Th Congressional District, VINO
presented a list Of suggestions which
won the applause of the audience and
the consideration Of the committee. She
proposed that the City Commissioner
of Markets be empowered to sell food
stufTs at cost when he believed the
measure necessary to control prices;
that the city be provided with more
and better terminal and transportation
facilities, that the State Food Depart
ment be empowered TO establish demon
stration dehydration plants and that
inc STATE + tNtidl anu llbNlNlptAl 80
ernments cooperate in providing New
York with a free port TO relieve the
congestion of domestic trade and faclli-
tate the handling of foreign trade.
With the resumption OF the hearing
in the afternoon Sylvan L. Silk, presl-
dent of the New York Wholesale
Grocers' Association, took the stand in
the interest. ne said, OF $4,000 whole
sale and retail distributors Of food
stufTs Of all kinds, who receive 1000
cars Of food products weekly and dis
tribute them in greater New York. He
desired 20 impress upon the committee.
he said, that the distributors we're not
represented for "any selfish interest"
1--WE wholesale groccrs, for instance"
he declared, have spent thousands OF
dollars advocating the planning Of war
gardens and home canning, ,hus help
ing create competition for the products
we sell"
Says Leave II TO Hoover"
In reply 10 questions. Mr. Silk said
the distributors were opposed 10 any