New Britain herald., 1917-08-03
ROOSEVELT HEADS
 STATE FOOD BOARD
He and Two Others to Have
 Sweeping Authority

Albany, N. Y, Aug. 3.-Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, James w. Wads- worth. ST., and Morgan J. O'Brien are named as state food commissioners in bill presented and advanced to third reading to the legislature last night. Upon them are to be conferred most drastic powers. They will receive no salary. They will be empowered to organize a large force for the ade- quate regulation of the problems of the State, and a million dollars will be provided for the work of the state commission.
 Messrs. Roosevelt, Wadsworth and O'Brien have not been asked officially if they will serve. The opinion of many of the lawmakers Is that they will decline to do so. Particularly is that true concerning Colonel Roosevelt. However, the three promi- nent citizens are mentioned in the bill which has been prepared after long conferences
 If they decline Governor Whitman will name others for the highly inn portant positions All that is, of course, contingent upon the passage of the food bill. Many of the differ ences between the Governor and the
 
 out, and it is assumed here that a bill practically identical with the one drafted by the War Committee and introduced last night by Senator Elon R. Brown, will be passed with little delay, and that the Empire state will be in a position to take intelligent and effective hold of the food situation, driving out of business such "male- factors as have been described in the reports about produce being wanton1y destroyed in order to raise prices.
 In the estimation of Senator Brown the bill will clothe the state commis- sion with all the power necessary to keep the price of necessaries within the limits, and will be able to stamp out many of the practices which are said to have enriched the speculator while tmpoverishing the consumer and giving the farmer only a meagre return for his products.
 The measure deals entirely with the necessaries of life which are describ- ed as floods, feeds and fuel, includ- ing gasoline and kerosene" The com- mission may make ice amenable to its regulations also. In fact, the whole measure is quite as sweeping as the federal bill, and from all that can be gathered from it's present form it should wipe out many present food evils and go a long way toward re- ducing the high cost of living.
 What Senator Brown and others interested in the drafting of the bill regard as the most vital provision reads as follows:
 Will Run Out Speculators.
 If the commission becomes satis- fled that there is any unfair practice of trade detrimental to the public in- terests in dealing by wholesalers or re- tallers in the necessaries of life which interfere with the distribution or the sale of such necessaries or any of them at a reasonable price, the commission may enact and publish such a rule or rules as in its Judgment will correct such unfair practices. The commis- sion may in it's discretion appoint an advisory committee or committees to aid it in the formulation of such rules in which case one or more members of such committee shall be taken from the line of trade in which such unfair practice prevails.
 Such rule of rules shall be pub- Ished in at least two newspapers in the county in which such practice or practices prevail, and any person who thereafter violates any such rule shall be deemed guilty of a violation of this act, and if such practice or practices are continued by such person, after having received notice from the con- mission to discontinue the same, the commission may serve 9 notice upon such person forbidding him to con- tinue in such line of trade, and may in the name of the state bring suit bo off nd join his continuance in such trade, provided that any such person shall be permitted to sell his stock on hand at public auction to be continued until l he has disposed of the whole thereof, including any contracts for the de- livery to him of merchandise in such l trade.'''
 The commission will have power to l compel persons to take out licenses for l the following:
 Elevators for the storage Of wheat Cold storage warehouses. 1 Packing houses.
 l Factories producing farm inlple-
 ments. l Fertilizers.
 A statement issued by the war com
 mittee says, in part:
 | 'In framing the bill the committee l followed the terms of the federal bill 1 now pending in congress by exempting l farmers and farmers cooperative as- 1 sociations from interference with their l production by the commission. The ] committee also avoided the incorpora- 1 tion of any provision in the bill which l will tend to hinder or reduce produc- <, ton. l Tt followed the terms of the federal 1 bill in defining the necessaries of life. | so that the action of the state and l federal governments may be CO., | ordinated.
 l 'vrha committee fa1t fhat in oop