The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-08-25
FOOD MEASURES
CHIEF TOPIC IN
THE LOWE R HOUSE
Storage Act and Appropriations
Being Considered
s4,OOO,OOO is REQUESTED
Money Wanted by Various Depart.
ments for Use in Combating
High Prices

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Senate accepts the House bill, ex.
tending the Food Control act to in.
clude wearing apparel and other ne
cessaries, with fine of $4,000 or two
years Imprisonment. for profteering,
the chief remedy proposed by Presi-
dent Wilson against high living costs
will not be available to the Govern
men,.
For the effective carrying out of
the Administrations program against
profiteering and exorbitant prices, ac-
cording to Attorney General Palmer.
authority is necessary to proceed
against those retailers who are
shown by the Department of Justices s
inquiry to be keeping prices beyond
the normal postwar figures.
The passage OF the House bin last
week was the first legislative step in
the anti-profiteering crusade and it
will be followed in the House this
week by other steps which, in the on.
inion of House leaders, will give the
Department OF Justice and other gov
ernmental agencies all the power
necessary to. break down retail food
profiteering.
There is sharp disagreement be
tween the House and the Senate on
the need for the legislation already
passed by the House and other bills
scheduled for passage by the lower
body. Republicans as well as Demo.
Gratis In the Senate are opposed TO
continuing war powers, their chief
contention being that war powers
should be lifted as quickly as pos sible
and the country allowed to return to
normal conditions Some House lead.
ers assert that opposition in the Sen
ate is founded on personal and self
ish reasons and therefore will disap.
pear under strong public demand.
In the House this week the Com
mittee on Agriculture will consider
and report the second of the bills
recommended by President Wilson
dealing with the storage situation
modelled after the New Jersey Stor.
age act This would not permit stor
age for longer than ten months and
would require the articles stored TO
be labeled so as to show the time it
was placed in storage as well as the
time it was Withdrawn. Articles NAV
be stored for longer period than
ten months when the Secretary of AZ
riculture grants permission.
Products which have been stored
for longer period than ten months
and which do not comply with other
provisions of the proposed Federal
storage law would be prohibited from
interstate commerce Opposition to
the bill, introduced by Representative
Hutchinson of New Jersey, exists
among storage interests.
After the House passes thas Storage
act it will consider the $4,000 900 in
appropriations asked by various de-
partments for use in combating high
prices. Sdications are that not more
than half this amount will be grant
ed. Members of the Appropriations
committee express the opinion that
the Departments of Agriculture Com
merce, and Labor have sufficient
funds with which to carry out their
plan and that the allowance of more
money would create additional offices
and aid very little in reducing living
cost,
Accepting the suggestion of Presi.
dent Wilson and Attorney General
Palmer, the House leaders are deter
mined to give the Administration the
necessary legislation and money to
fight retail and other profteers. hut
are not disposed to grant the powers
and money requested by other execu-
tive departments.