Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-09

quite practicable for the govern
ment, through the agencies I have
mentioned, to supply the public with
full information as to the prices at
which retailers buy and as to the
costs of transportation they pay, in
order that it may be known just
what margin of profit they are de-
handing. Opinion and concerted
action on the part of purchasers can
probably do the rest.
That is, these agencies may per-
form this indispensable service pro-
vided the congress will supply them
with the necessary funds to prose-
cute their inquiries and keep their
price lists up to date. Hitherto the
appropriation committees of the
houses have not always, I fear, seen
the full value of these inquiries, and
the departments and commissions
have been very much straitened,
for means to render this service.
That adequate funds be provided by
appropriation for this purpose, and
provided as promptly as possible, is
one of the means of greatly anchor
ating the present distressing condi-
tons of livelihood that I have come
to urge, in this attempt to concert
with you the best ways to serve the
country in this emergency. 1t is
one of the absolutely necessary
means, underlying many others, and
can be supplied at once.
Many Other Ways.
There are many other ways. Ex-
isting law is inadequate. There are
many perfectly legitimate methods
| by which the government can exer-
else restraint and guidance.
Let me urge, in the first place, that
the present food control act should
be extended both as to the period
of time during which it shall remain
in operation and as to the commodi-
ties to which it shall apply. Its
provisions against boarding should
be made to apply not only to food,
but also to foodstuffs. to fuel, to
clothing and to many other COM
modlties which are indisputably
recessaries of life. AS it stands now
| it is limited in operation to the
period of the war and becomes in
operative upon the formal proclama-
ton of peace. But l should judge
that it was clearly within the consti-
tutional power of the congress to
make similar permanent provisions
and regulations with regard to all
goods destined for interstate COM
nerce and to exclude them from in
terstate shipment if the require
ments of the law are not complied
with. Some such regulation is i'm
peratively necessary. The abuses
that have grown up in the manipu-
lation of prices by the Withholding
of foodstuffs and other necessaries
of life cannot otherwise be effective
ly prevented. There can be no doubt
of either the necessity or the legit-
macy of such measures. May I not
call attention to the fact, also that,
although the present act prohibits
profteering, the prohibition is &C
companied by mo penalty. 1t is
clearly in the public interest that
penalty should be provided that will
be persuasive.
Would Regulate Cold Storage.
To the same end I earnestly
recommend, in the second place,
that the congress pass law regu-
lating cold storage as it is regulated,
for example, by the laws of the state
If New Jersey, which limit the time
during which goods may be kept in
storage. prescribe the methods of
disposing of them if kept beyond
the permitted period and require
that goods released from storage
shall in all cases bear the date of
their receipt. 1t would materially
add to the serviceability of the law,
for the purpose we now have in
view, if it were also prescribed that
all goods released from storage for
interstate shipment should have
plainly marked upon each package
the selling or market price at which
they went \into storage. By this
means the purchaser would always
be able to learn what profits stood
between him and the producer or the
whole sale dealer.
1t would serve as a useful example
to the other communities of this
country, as we'll as greatly relieve
local distress, if the congress were
to regulate all such matters very
fully for the District of Columbia,
where its legislative authority is
without limit.
I would also recommend that it
be required that all goods destined
for interstate commerce should in
every case where their form or pack
age makes it possible be plainly
marked with the price at which
they left the hands of the producer
Such requirement would bear close
analogy to certain provisions of the
pure food act, by which it is required
that certain detailed information be
given on the labels of packages of
food and drugs.
Need Not Hesitate.
And it does not seem to me that
we can conhne ourselves to detailed
measures of this kind, if it is indeed
our purpose to assume national con-
troll of the processes of distribution.
l take it for granted that that is
our purpose and our duty. Nothing
less will suffice. We need not hest
tate to handle a national question
in a national way. We should go
beyond, the measures l have sug-
gested. We should formulate law
requiring a federal license of all
corporations engaged in interstate
commerce and embodying in the
license, or in the conditions under
which it is to be issued, specific reg
ulations designed to secure COM
petitive selling and prevent uncon-
scionable profits in the methods of