The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-18
WAR Is STARTED
ON PRICE FIXING
Continued from First Page.

the men on the Produce Exchange that
Il Is the patriotic duty OF all to work
hard and earnestly to bring about
lower level OF prices In order that sanity
may be established in business and that
tn. grea; body Of consumers may be
rendered more content and happy.
See bread Line Looming.
some OF the more pessimistic predict
that unless prices are brought down by
the removal Of Government restrictions
there Is grave danger Of the establish
ment of bread lines within q few
months. Conditions now arc almost
intolerable, they declare. and something
must be done soon to remedy them.
The Chicago BOARD Of Trade mon took
action to stir UP the Attorney-General
because January 20 is set for the date
or which a hog price is to DO estab-
lished for the month Of February.
This is the petition they are circu-
lating n copy Of which was received
Yesterday by w. J. Brainard OF the W.
]. Brainard Commission Company:
I'VE respectfully call to your alton
tion the fact that for some months past
the price Of hogs and consequently the
price Of pork products have been ar
bitrarily fxed by the so-called hog
price fixing committee during the pc
Rod Of hostilities. Ali citizens bowed
loyalty and willingly TO the acts Of the
Governmental bureaus without any con-
sideration as to the legality of any OF
said acts. Now that the armistice 10
signed and the war virtually over to us
II Is uncomfortable that this commit
tee. representing every element of inter-
est excepting the most important. to wit.
the consumer should be permitted TO
arbitrarily Ak the price OF hogs at the
prevailing exorbitant level.
The chairman of this committee,
Everett c. Brown. in an interview given
cut last week. stated in substance that
we're It not for the activities OF his COM
mittee hogs would be selling at from
20 to IL cents per pound, against IN
cents. the price fixed by this committee.
we are told by the President and
Food Administration that Europe n
rtarving and needs our help. The Exc
cutive further advises that there must
be n bountiful supply of food TO prevent
spread of Belshevisrl. 1t must be ap-
price OF hog products at approximately
so per cent. above the value warranted
ty supply and demand Is in effect rob-
bling starving Europe, to say nothing Of
encouraging Bolshevism at home.
This price fixing committee Is to
meet on January % to establish the hog
price for the month OF February. The
undersigned respectfully requests that
YOU. as Attorney-General OF tho United
States, by appropriate action take i'm
mediate steps to prevent recurrence
OF this immoral and illegal price fixing.
which is working such great hardship to
tho working man of this country as well
as upon the starving hordes OF Europe"
Greatest Hog Crop in History.
II was explained here yesterday that
the cause for the high prices ruling for
hogs Is a gentlernen's agreement between
the representatives OF the packers and
the meat division OF the Food Admins
traiion. whereby II was agreed that tho
packers would pay a minimum price OF
TN cents pound for hogs And to-
day there are more hogs in the United
the country. The estimates run from S0.-
900 900 to 10000. 900, whereas fair
normal crop is said to DO In the neigh
borhood OF 100000.
Since the war started pork has sold
as low as sl46 SIS and as high as 1895.
the normal price for this commodity
being about $3.50. The market for pork
| closed last night at S46.25.
Since the beginning Of the war lard
has sold as low as 1925 in Chicago.
The pre-war normal price was about $40.
Lard closed last night at s23.76.
There were 59,s6+,766 pounds OF frozen
pork reported IN storage January I. 1919,
| as compared with 3o,1s2103 pounds,
| January 1. 1913. an increase OF 1869
$50 pounds. Counting 2.o2o,3o1 pounds
! not reported. the increase January l.
| 1919. over the stocks OF pork on January
l. 1918. amounted TO sl.ss2,9s3 pounds.
| or an increase OF 100 per cent
Dry salt pork stocks, January /. 1919,
over the amount on hand January !.
1918. showed an increase of lls.792.7S9
| pounds. or a so per cent increase.