The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-13
Murdoch of Trade Commits
sion Promises That No
Quarter Shall Be Shown
CALLS ON CITIZENS
GENERALLY TO AID
Declares That He Intends to Use a
Club Instead of a Feather Buster in
Enforcing the Law-Searching In
quiry to Be Made.

quiry to Be Made.
WASHINGTON, Dee. I3.--The United
States food administration has begun
a fight against dishonest food specu
lators through the agency Of the feder
al trade commission, and announcement
is made that n searching inquiry would
be made without delay. Profteers
who have violated the regulations laid
down under the provisions of the food
control bill will be prosecuted in the
federal courts and Jail sentences will
be demanded Investigators left here
tonight for various parts of the country
TO begin the inquiry.
The investigation was requested by
II. c. Hoover. and the trade commission
was asked to use all of its broad pow
erS. Mr.. Hoover s request, the comms-
sion announced, carried with IT charges
that some dishonest wholesale and re-
tail merchants and food brokers have
been criminally responsible in no small
measure for shortage in many food
stutIs, especially perishablcs and also
for mounting prices. Typical eases
were cited.
Victor Murdoch. former congressman
| from Kansas, recently appointed to
the trade commission, will have charge
Of the investigation, and promises that
1 there shall be no, quarter shown.
$50 far as ! am concerned he
| said. 81 do not think proftecring of
| this character can Toe bcttcrcd by use
\ Of feather dustcr-it requires club.
/ In this investigation ] would like cv-
| cry citizen of the country to consider
himself specifically delegated by me to
! furnish any information which might
| he helpful in running down the type
| OF food proftccrS we are after.
" Acting for the whole commission on
thi. matter, I am going to prosecute
this investigation 10 the limit and
bring any violators to the stcrncst pay
mcnt OF Justice. II is hard 10 find
words 70 describe proitcerS who are do.
ing business along such lines at this
tinte " tcn - ~m1hv -rIeri are. giving mp
their lives for their country.
"Such pernicious business must DE
stamped out at tie start, and kept
stamped out. | am going to give my
entire time TO this Job ii il il ueees-
sary to get results, and put some OF
these ympatriotic "camp followers
and war lcechcs behind bars, where they
rightly belong.
II is understood that in n number OF
instances reports which the food al
miuistratiou requested from som,
branches of the food industry under Ii
cenee 10y presidential proclamation
have not been presented, aud that some
Of the reports presented have been I'M
satisfactory TO the experts.
The investigation win come in tn,
nature of a ''show down, and n de
maud will be made, where there is
suspicion of wrongdoing, that oil of tn,
books OF the concerns involved b,
turned over to the investigators Al
complaints entered by consumers o
wholesalers and other licensees vii,
have cndcayored to follow the spiri
Of the law and found others violatin.
the law and obtaining an unfair ad
vantage viii bc taken under considera
ton.
: The only request made by the foo,
administration is calling upon the fed
: cral trade commission to use its pow
crs Of investigation was that no cffor
be spared and the extreme penalty dc
mandcd unless there was some unan
sWcrablc reason for leniency.