The Washington times., 1918-05-23
DEALERS
SELL At.
FAIR PRICES OR.
Be RULED OUT.
BY BILL PRICE


! Shutting off supplies OF meat
/ dealers found to be charging -eKces-
/ sive profits for meats in Tne District
is the drastic step that may be taken
/ by Clarence r. Wilson. local food ad-
ministrator. as a remedy fer con-
stantly increasing prices.
And Mr.. Wilson is not disposed to
| refrain from the use OF this power IL
| his Investigations into District meat
prices. shortly to begin reveal
/ that there is a tendency to profiteer
way.
Mr Wilson was today thinking
strongly OF applying this step to
dealers in all sorts Of commodities
who are defiant Of his authority and
who persist in charging prices con-
siderably above what Mr. Wilson and
his staff OF inspectors deem fair He
has three or four dealers under OBJ
servstion at this time and he will let
them run until there is no doubt in
his mind that they should be stopped
from selling the public by notifica-
tion TO all wholesale dealers that
their licenses will be revoked IL they
sell goods to those under the ban.
As a whole Mr. Wilson finds that
the Washington storekeeper IL try
ing to play fair with the public and
the Food Administration, but there
are a number who have been found
charging prices for sugar and other
staples that are above what they
should be. These men are among
those who deliver orders and have a
line Of credit customers -
Meat Prices AIaEnLAE.
Mr.. Wilson has been watching the
meat situation for some time. Wash
ington people have been complaining
bitterly as to the steadily increasing
prices. Almost the same conditions
exist elsewhere, and the Investigation
TO be made here is part OF a nation
wide affair being conducted under
Food Administrator Hoover. Mr.. Will
son will select his committee OF in
vestigation IN q day or so, and will
ask the committee 10 begin its work
promptly thai he may have the facts
before him Gt the earliest possible
moment
The attack upon Washington prices
has also begun in Congress, Repre-
sentative Young Of North Dakota
having secured the adoption OF an
amendment to the food production
bill for the publication by the bureau
OF markets Of a Washington market
news service.
''ScandaIous." is the term Mr..
Young applies to meat prices here
Twice as high here for some meats
as elsewhere" he AYERS.
WhO Gets the ProatHF
The investigation Of meat prices
throughout the country, including
Washington. is expected TO settle DEF.
nitely who is getting the profts aud
whether they are eXorbitant. The
packers are spending thousands of
dollars in advertising the claim that
the packer nets not over one-fourth
cent per pound on a steer. The re
taller 10 perfectly willing for the
public to continue TO believe that all
the money goes to the packer.
The public knows that II is being
ground between the millstones some
where and IL is getting impatient for
the exact facts from an official source
that can be believed. It then wants
protection by some method. II there
are no existing laws affording this
protection then the laws ought to be
made. That view is the one heard
everywhere in the homes Of Washing
ton and the country at large.
There is a closed season for shoot
ing rabbits declared a washington
ian today, but the season for potting
the public is always open"
MIR. Wilson would have added fresh
meats TO his list OF published "falr !
prices" long ago. but for the confus- |
ing number OF grades and cuts OF !
meats which make il difficult TO speci- I
~ what is fair" as 70 a particular c1t .
OF meat This grading Of meats opens 1
a great field for camouflaging the 1
public. permitting the wide range OF |
retail prices that are quoted in this /
city.
Reef. for instance. is rated as ]
choice, good. medium and common. |
The rating is by no means infaIlible. 1
What one expert might call choice /
another might term good or medium. 4
Mr.. Wilson had lain before him some \
time ago FIVE specimens Of the same
cut OF steak. sold all the way from
choice TO poor. The man who
brought them in. himself a meat deal
e.. willingly admitted that so far as
appearance went they all looked alike
and that he doubted il the taste
would be different when cooked One
might contain more fat, but that did
not necessarily mean 1t tasted better.
In England, II is stated, beef is no
longer OF many grades. All OF II is
beef and the cuts are required to
ot o4 StanudFu hln0, so as 10 pre-
vent cRmouhaging in that direction.
Mutton is mutton there, too.
May Ask For Sales SLIPS.
Mr.. Wilson's office IL thinking SER
oUsly OF calling on Washington
10 submit TO him their
sales slips when they think they are
being overchsrged for meats or COM
noditIes OF any kind. He may also
sall upon the wholesaler 10 supply
him with sales slips issued to Gus
Omers 50 that the cost and selling
prices OF foods may be determined.
his being the best evidence Of either
air prices or eItortiOn
Complaints 10 MT. Wilson are that
many meat dealers are freauentlT
making close to 100 per cent on their
4les- This would be regarded bv
i'm as 50 excessive he would un-
uestIonably call a dealer before him
~ explanation and warning. He
az lately calIed IN good many
callers m other lines. and given them
.arning as 10 what may be expected
rom MIN. The warning that supplies
hay be cut on 10 usually effective