New-York tribune., 1919-08-21
Aid Of Honest Dealers
Sought in Food Crisis
Plan Of Cooperation TO Prerent
abuses Is Being Worked Out
by Federal administration

Using the honest dealers of the city
to assure consumers of fair dealings
and low prices is the plan being
worked out by Arthur Williams,
Federal food administrator, and other
public officials engaged in the war on
the cost of living
Mr. Williams announced yesterday
that he is calling meetings of or
CARNATIONS of retail butchers grocers
and bakers, with a view to obtaining
their views on the food situation. A
little later, Mr.. Williams said, he will
pursue similar tactics with clothing
and shoe dealers.
Sixteen representatives of various
butchers organizations in the metro
politan district will confer with Mr..
Williams at his Office, 1870 East Fif-
teenth Street to-day.
Honest Dealers Helpful
AS an illustration of the willingness
of fair minded dcalrs to cooperate.
Mr.. Williams cited a letter received
from W. II. Hornridge, secretary of
the East Side branch of the Master
butchers Association. In his letter
Mr.. Hornridge declared that although
he is i'll with bronchitis he will at
tend the meeting He added that "the
perfect fair mindedness OF yourself
and the several members of your staff
has placed YOU in the hearts and
minds Of the honest members of our
trade on a high PEDESTAL
unmistakable recognition of Mr..
Wliliams's authority, which he admits
Is based on moral suasion and the use
OF pubnclty alone, was given yester-
day by the readiness of two firms to
remedy unfair practices and by the
appeal of the Jewish Master Bakers
to arbitrate price increase.
The National Licorice Company, of
106 John Street, Brooklyn, complained
charged l3 cents a pound for 10000
pounds Of sugar. Mr.. Williams imme-
diately assigned investigators, who
learned that the sugar had been
bought from the S. b. Thompson Com
pany, 100 Wall Street, at the price al
legged by the National Licorice Com
pany. The Thompson Company claimed
1T got the sugar from Hasse & Koehl,
1898 Cambridge Avenue, Jersey City.
Government Price Met
Mr.. Williams communicated with
the last named firm and Informed the
members that 9.35 was the govern
ment's price for sugar sold by whole
salers. The Iasse < Koehl Company
promptly noufled the Federal Food
Administrator that it was prepared to
refund the OVercharges to the Thomp-
son Company. The latter company
National Licorice Company, with the
result that check for $500 will be
pasSed along to-day.
This is the third instance of the re
fund of overcharges for sugar made
at the behest of Mr. Williams since he
was asked by the Attorney General to
form fair price committee in the
hight on the growing living cost.
Window Sign a Delusion
Mr.. Williams's other move yesterday
against dealer came when one Of his
inspectors noticed that the prices asked
by the Washington Beef Company. at
S92 Third Avenue. were suspiciously
low. A woman investigator was de-
tailed to make survey after the in
spector reported that the company
was asking 25 cents for chucks, 80
cents for ribs, 32 cents for chops,
20 cents for stew lamb, 35 cents for
rib roast, 32 cents for bottom round
and 38 cents for sirloin steak. The
Fair Price Committees quotations on
these commodities are 81 cents for
chuck, IS cents for ribs, AZ cents for
chops, 70 cents for lamb stew, 40 cents
ioi iID roast, 0U cents for bottom
round and AZ cents for sirloin steak.
The woman visited the store. She
ordered some chops and was charged
DO cents pound instead of 32 The
butcher wanted 40 cents for ribs. 10
cents more than advertised in his win
dow.
The Investigator guided the CONVEX
satIon to the prices on the window.
Just Summer Decorations"
"Oh, them," she reports the butcher
as saying, they're just little summer
decorations. Business is bad in the
summer, you know, so we have to do
something. We couldn't sell at those
prices"
When Mr.. Williams received this re-
port, he telephoned to the store but
says he received short and snappy
answers. He assigned an inspector to
explain to the proprietor that the fair
| price committee would not tolerate the
use OF low price bait to attract Gus
toners The food admins rator re-