The Washington times., 1918-02-15

ton of the urgent deficiency bill,
reported to the House by Chairman
Swagar Shirley of the Appropria-
tions Committee. 1t was accompa-
MED by a report and 1900 pages Of
testimony, intended to prove the
urgent need Of the money asked
for.
AS the report Of the committee
showed, the total amount "of direct
appropriations and authorizations
recommended is $1,107 ,220, 0s2. "
This is half a billion dollars less
than the total amount asked for as
urgent" to meet the need due to
war conditions. OF the total recon-
mended, over half, or 1856, 000, 600,
is for War Department, military
establishment, and Notifications"
The House will give the bill imme-
diate consideration, and pass it..
There will be nothing more than
minor amendments, and practically
no dispute except for record-mak-
ing purposes.
If any one can actually think in
thousands Of millions, he may think
from these figures of mere urgent
deficiency" what the war basis
means in inflated values, extending
from the activities of the Govern
ment to everything in life. This
will connect with the "profteering
bill" the House began discussing as
it was called up by Mr.. Johnson of
Kentucky, chairman Of the District
of Columbia Committee, who was
opposed chiefly by Mr.. Tinkham of
Boston, a member Of the same COM
mittee. The American word for the
British word "profteering" is
graft"
Mr.. Tinkham had all the facts
Of wholesale grating against him
in his opposition to the bill. He
could do nothing more than urge
the general and extensive nature of
such grating as practiced in the
name of patriotism. He proposed
against it a penal law, which might
not be enforcible. The johnson bill,
taxing as excess profits the total
Of all extortionate revenues from
real estate and buildings in the
District of Columbia, after allowing
10 per cent for war expansion, is
certainly enforcible. It was shown
that the excess profits" ran any
where from fifty to five hundred
per cent above the same basis, with
no limit at all in exceptional cases.
The general imitation, however, due
to automatic habits of robbery in
war, is certainly much beyond 10
per cent The bill went over.
There was no change of subject
when from the House the issue
shifted to the Senate end Of the
Capitol, where the Senate Commit
tee on Agriculture, Mr.. Gore, chair
man, began hearings on price fixing.
As shown in the Gore bill, wheat
growers demand graft, or an in
crease in the price of wheat from
$500 to $3.50, or las the increase is
named in the McCumber bilD from
$500 to $2.75. 1t intended to be
compulsory in both bills. These are
inflated war prices which the Gov
eminent is asked to make compul-
sorry on all who must use bread.
Before the Agricultural Commit
tee, Mr.. A. Sykes, president of the
Corn Belt Meat Producers Associa-
ton, deposed on compulsory prices
with energy and eloquence. He de-
MED vigorously that he was in
favor of them, but he asserted that
when the Government began to
make prices compulsory, it must
not be done Gin spots"
If the Government is going to Ak
prices, gentlemen" he said, 1t must
regulate all prices. There must be
symmetrical regulation. It must nc;
jump in here and there" He thought
the methods OF jumping in here and
there" ruinous.
According to his information, the
Government is now trying to fix
ratio" for pork prices, so that there
will be allowed on every 100 pounds
of live hogs the price of thirteen
bushels Of corn, which are supposed
to produce the hundredwelght OF
pork. The witness insisted that the
present Government prices of meat
belong to this ratio only with corn
at a dollar a bushel. OF course, the
pork producers want more profits.
Before the Senate Committee on
Finance, with the same subject in an
other form contained, valuable tes-
timony was given by BENJAMIN.
Strong, governor Of the Federal Re
serve Bank Of New York. He eX-
planned the general situation in
which the McAdoo bill, with a revolv-
ing fund of half billion dollars for
the relief and control OF business, is
supposed to be necessary. One eX-
PLANTATION Of the situation was that
most OF the money of the country is
! being swept into the Governments
Golfers by war loans, and another
the general uncertainty which re-
suits in the public mind when the
future cannot be calculated on. He
thought that the Government. seek
ing to finance its war contracts,
should take the risk itself. and not
force II on the banks.
A cause of embarrassment was
disclosed when banks were asked
"to make loans they ought not to
make" This is explained by evil
dence before the Senate that some
, nroanf,,.r a.