Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-31
PRESIDENT MOVES
TO REDUCE H. c. |.
White House Statement Says
All U. S. Forces Who Might
Aid Are at Work.
GETS STORY OF UNREST

President Wilson Is giving deep
and very thoughtful consideration" to
the high cost OF living. it was an
nounced today at the White House.
and all branches of the government
that might aid in solving the prob
lem are at work.
The President is understood to have
been deeply impressed by the stase-
ment presented to him yesterday by
Warren 8. Stone, chief of the Brother
hood of Railroad Trainmen. describ-
ing the unrest over the country be-
cause Of the decreased purchasing
power Of the dollar.
Army Food to Go on Sale.
First steps in the governments eff
forts to reduce the high cost Of iiv-
ing were taken today with the inaslg-
uration Of plan for the sale OF
stocks direct to the people. with every
postmaster and mail carrier over the
country acting az a salesman.
Distribution of the surplus food in
this manner was requested by the,
House of Representatives. and details
tween Secretary Baker, Postmaster
General Burleson and Representative
Kelly of Pennsylvania, author OF the
House resolution.
In this connection. 1t became known
that the Order of Railroad Trainmen
had presented to the railroad adj
ministration statement similar to
that of the engineers. setting forth
that the trainmen must have increas-
ed wages unless imm ediate steps were
taken to reduce living costs.
Arraigns Big Interests.
The statement from the Brother
hood of Trainmen presented to the
President declared that "consctence-
less profiteering by the great inter-
ests who have secured control OF all
about such conditions that the train
men felt they must demand increased
wages unless living expenses speedily
were reduced.
At the Department Of Justice In
vestigation into causes OF increasing
living costs were under way with
particular attention being given to
the question of whether producers
or dealers had combined In violation
Of law to raise prices Of necessities.
Meantime there was pending In the
Feasa Trade nvest ae
gate rising costs of coffee. sugar,
shoes and clothing.
Trainmen to Wait Until October J.
William G. Lee. president Of the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen.
announced today that unless the
railroad administration had taken
action by October on the demands
of the brotherhood that wages of the
trainmen either be increased or the
cost of living reduced. steps looking
to the enforcement of the demands
would be taken.
Mr.. Lee said a resolution containing
this declaration, which had been
adopted last night by the special COM
mittee Of sixteen appointeA at the re-
cent convention of the trainmen at
Columbus, Ohio, would be sent to the
railroad administration. The resolu-
ton provided that in the absence of
action by October the committee
would reconvene to consider the
lures of the brotherhood"
Demands of the trainmen were pre-
scented to the railroad administrator
last week and they Immediately were
taken up by the board of railway
wages and working conditions.
Declares Upheaval Near.
Mr.. Lee made public an abstract OF
the report of hearings recently held
the trainmen's demands. at which. he
declared. an "upheaval" was nearer
in this country today than ever De-
fore, due to the unrest arising from
mounting living costs.
The railroads and government de-
partments had better be assisting ito
crush profiteering' by the packers
and other industries" he said, than
shouting across the table at each
other" at hearings to consider still
further increases. SEA
"All of US are to blame" he said,
because we are exerting every eff
fort to get more money for ourselves
and better conditions. Every day we
must realize that the profiteers are
taking double from from the worlingmen
with the people on the hill (CapitoD,
with us and with every corporation
and with everybody is that we are
while the working man is merely ex-
listing and while he profiteer is pilling
up millions.
~ will admit to you gentlemen that
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