Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-05
Cabinet Officers Hold
Meeting With Other
u. S. Officials.
PRESIDENT TO HEAR
OF PROGRESS MADE
White House Believes Any Labor
Disturbance Would Produce
Harder Conditions.

Every agency Oh the executive ue
partment Of the federal government
has been set in motion by President
Wilson to work out some solution OF
the high cost of living. and 1t was
positively stated at the White House
today that until some relief for pres
emit conditions ia found the President
would devote his entire time to this
work.
Grain Corporation Represented.
Even while this announcement was
being made conference of four cab
met officers and other officials, includ-
ing Julius H. Barnes, president Of the
United states Grain Corporation, was
being held at the office of Attorney
General A. Mitchell Palmer. Follow
ing the regular cabinet meeting this
afternoon, Mr.. Palmer will make re-
port to the President of the progress
% far made by this committee, which
President will also have personal
consultation with Mr.. Barnes late to-
day.
Chief Topic for Cabinet.
It was evident before the cabinet
meeting, which began at 2:30, o ciock
this afternoon, that the question OF
unparalleled cost Of necessities and
an almost universal demand for In
creased wages to meet these demands
around the long table where the
President sits with his Official family.
Inferenee that the War Department
might be appealed to In some capacity
to help the situation was gathered
from the fact that Secretary Glass OF
tss Essssry asnsR ss ssa ,s SER &
Agriculture had IN appointment with
: the Secfetary of War at Elf o'clock
this Afterup0n. The appointment1WA1
made while the Ireasury and Aeft-
cultural ofIicials wsrs IN the confef-
ence at the Department of Justice.
living and us p0ssfblex remedies with
the Attorney General today were
Secretaries Glass, Houston and VIE
. son; r. G. LenhngwelL assistant sec.
fiseaI bureaus; ". B: colyer. Chair
man Of the Federal Trade Commits
sion, and Walker D. Hfnes. director
GENERAL Of the railroad administra-
ton. Secretary Redfield OF the De-
81 the committee. but was not pres
emit today.
Report This Afternoon.
Messrs. Lsfangwen, Cover and Hines
Nrefe last week named as subcommit-
tee to tabuiate all suggestions 50 far
received for solution of increased costs,
and they made preliminary report to-
day. which was not made public. The
aist Of this report win be laid before
President Wilson by Mr.. Palmer late
WhetRer the President expects to go
bsfore Congress. with a message on the
discrepancy between wages and food
House today, and his decision on the
matter hinges largely on the result Of
his talk with the cabinet and the COM
ference with Mr.. Palmer this afternoon.
1t 10 known that President Wilson
feels that any strikes or labor disturb
ances at the present time, far from bet
tering conditions in the food market.
will only serve to aggravate them and
send prices stff further skyward by
diminishing the supply or hampering
transportation facilities.
Price Of Wheat.
Advisers of the President have also
pointed out to him that In some Of
the grain markets wheat is selling
above the minimum price fixed by the
government to make good their guar
antee Of $2.26 a bushel to the farmers.
10 that the removal Of the govern
ment's arbitrary price would have no
immediate effect in lowering the price
Of bread. It is true, also, that by
tation Of wheat has been temporarily
prohibited, but there 10 little or no
wheat now availab1e for import into
this country, the laws OF Canada for
bidding the shipment of grain from
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