Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-08
FOOD MEETINGS
FIXED FOR TODAY
Fair Price List and Buying
Campaign to Be
Discussed.

endar today in Westinghouse to
boost cooperative buying and the
other to devise means for preventing
profteerlng.
The fair price committee organized
by Clarence r. Wilson. former food
administrator. will meet with Mr..
Wilson this afternoon further to con-
slider the issuance of q fair price list.
Questionnaires to Dealers. \
Today's mails are carrying ques-
tionnaires to about 1000 food dealers
in the capital seeking information as
to the prices they pay and charge for
foods. These data will be checked up
and made the basis of any fair price
list that may be issued later. 1t is
not likely such a list will make an
appearance under a week or ten days.
The executive committee of the Citi-
Zens' Buying and Distributing Lea que
meets tonight Plans for organizing
units of the league and conducting a
membership and financial campaign
are expected to receive finishing
touches at the meeting, which will be
held at 1923 New York avenue.
Army Food Offered.
E. D. Atkinson, a member of the
executive committee, today again
called attention to the fact that there
are 100 cases Of canned roast beef,
$500 pounds of flour and a consider
able quantity Of yellow corn meal in
storage at the fish market, on water
street, which citizens may buy at
reasonable prices. This is all Army
food and said to be of the best quail
ity. Orders for the food should Be
sent to Mr.. Atkinson, at the Post Of
flee Department.
Manufacturers must agree at least
to drop in prices cotemporaneously
serts Secretary Houston of the De-
partment of Agriculture today, in a
statement vigorously dissenting from
the view that there must be a drop
in prices before there is a drop in
wages, and it would seem that the
farmer is the man who is going to be
first hit"
This theory has been advanced by
number of manufacturers said
Secretary Houston.
1T Is clearly an unjust contention"
he continued. ut manifestly would
not do to ask farmers to produce,
buying everything that they have to
buy from manufacturers at high
prices, with the assurance to them
that their products will fall in price
ana tn2t then manufacturers Will
consider what they will do with ref
erence to their own prices. Obvious
Iy, manufacturers must be willing to
make at least a cotemporaneous de-
crease in their prices. 1t might even
be contended that they should make
a prior decrease in their prices, since
the farmers operations involve a
year and he could not recoup for
twelve months. or could not recoup
at all, because, on the theory put
forth, his products would fall in price.
ut seems to me that business men
must be brought to realize that If we
are to get back to the normal they
must set about Immediately to do
their part, and unquestionably prof.
teering in manufactured products
must be eliminated.
"Of course, everything possible will
be done to enable the farmer to pro-
duce more economically, so that If
prices do fall he will not sustain a
loss. or SO great a loss. All the efforts
of the Department of Agriculture and
Of the Immigrant colleges have this
aim. They are trying to bring about
better methods Of cultivation, better
financing, better marketing, the elimi-
nation of plant and animal diseases
and insect pests, and the better utili-
zation of labor. Much has been done
in this direction, and more will be
done as time passes"