New-York tribune., 1919-12-19
Court of Appeals Judge Fa-
yors Revision of Laws and
Control Of Transportation
as Aid to Lower Prices
Columbia Invites Views
Open Conferences Held OH
Reducing Cost of Living;
Copeland Talks on Milk

Columbia University held open house
yesterday for the suggestion Of schemes
= roduce the cost of living, especially
he cost Of food Under the direction
e the Department Of Agriculture two
,nest;ngs were held in Havemeyer Hall
,nd Horace Mann Auditorium, at which
CONSERVATIVES Of the farmer, the mid
dleman, the consumer and the public
,acial discussed what they agreed was
"a pretty had situation.'
Subway freight lines, heated ter
ninal buildings, country-to-city bus
ines and regulating and price fixing
bureaus. we're suggested. President
Nicholas Murray Butler. of Columbia
University. pointed out that while New
York Civ has spent hundreds of mil
lions i'm the past ten or fifteen years
FOR passenger terminal accommoda-
ions very little has been done for
freight business, IN spite OF the m
-rcasc of population.
Columbia TO Have New Department
President Butler announced that Co.
',,n,hia expects TO establish a depart
ment of Investigation of supply and
distribution in connection with the
new business school at the university
In the afternoon session Seth }. L.
tush. secretary of the New York State
federation Of Agriculture, said the
armers were not getting the benefit of
the high prices now and blamed some
shirl party for unnecessarily high
0rices OF food.
F. L. Goodsell Of the Fruit Auction
company. said transportation facilities,
ar inferior TO those in use III foreign
Countries. were TO blame.
Professor O. S Morgan said Colum-
sia University merely offered it's facil
lies to the public with the hope of
ringing about satisfactory solution
n the food problem, without officially
ndorsing any plan,
Retain Bureaus, Says Judge Elkus
Judge Abram l. Elkus said most high
prices were due to evils inherent in
the system Of distribution, while some
result from the action of the individual
producer and distributor. The in
herent faults. he said, were due to
waste and malpractice, inadequate or
slow trans portation. lack of grading
and proper Standardization and lack of
control over the supply and the means
Of establishing the daily market price.
leaus established by the government,
revision of food laws, more adequate
inspections, control of transportation
to standardize the supply and the adop-
ton Of standard grades.
Mrs. II. d. Hitchcock pleaded for the
establishment of state, national and
city agencies to handle the entire food
question.
Mrs. Elmer Blair. ex-president Of
the New York State Federation OF
Women's Clubs, gave detailed figures
showing the harmful effects on child
lie Of the present inadequate systems
OF food distribution. Six million chill
aren in the United States are under
weight. she said, and 216,000 in the New
York public schools are undernourishcd
DR.. Copeland recently said a survey in
Aicated there were 100000, and this es--
innate was then attacked from several
sources.
Society must recognize some method
Of fixing the price of milk" said Dr.
Royal s. Copeland. Commissioner of
Health. at the evening meeting. The
present method as used by the officials
Of the Dairymen's League and the dis
rributors represented by the New York
Mix Conference Board, is illegal. II Is
said by able attorneys 70 be in violation
OF the sherman law But whether it is
egal or Illegal. it has the flavor of dis
elimination by the interested parties in
the price of m4k against the consumer
There should be some official and
ogally constituted agency to pass upon
the fairness and justice of the estab-
lished price, he said.
W. II. Jordan, director of the State
Agricultural Experiment Station al
Geneva; suggested an arbitration com
mission to which disputes would be re
fnrrod md ahnsas ha ted