The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-21
FAIR PRICE BOARD
MAKES REPORT ON
HIGH LIVING COST
After Investigation Finds
No Evidence of boarding
Here-EcOnomic Situa-
ticn Explained

After dihgent investigation into the
high cost OF living. the fair price board.
which was created several weeks ago by
department of justice under orders of A.
Mitchell Palmer, attorney general. has
issued statement regarding its find
mgs' This board is composed of men,
bers of the Jefferson county food board
and in addition a representative of pro-
ducers, representative of organized
labor, one representative of woman's
clubs, three representatives of the public
at large, dealer in retail shoes, one re-
tail clothing dealer and dry goods
dealer
This body asked the cooperation o.
the merchants in conducting the investl-
cation and has been ably assisted by
them. Although very few complaints
have been received by Secretary Franz
NJ Dixon of the board a thorough inves-
tigation has been made of those pre-
scented and everyone having a complain.
is requested to send it to MIR. Dixon or
the 18th floor of the Jefferson County
Bank building. The statement issued by
the board is in part as follows:
The board has invited from time to
tiine representatives OF the public al
large to como before it for the purpose of
assisti>S the board in its work. We have
diligently sought to ascertain what are
the facts in Jefferson county, and have
sought to do justice to every one in
volved. In addition to this we have
studied from every source available to us
the facts and statistics relating to the
present situation obtaining Throughout
the country. II is obvious to us all that
we are living in the most abnormal con
ditions. We are all aware that the aver
age retail price of foodstuffs, according
to the United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics shows an inc~ease of 70 per
cent over the corresponding prices OF
1914, We all know that the prices now
obtaining are approximately 10 per cent
higher than corresponding prices of 1918
CAUSES OF HIGH PRICES
This board is constrained to believe,
as the result of it's investigation. that the
present scale of high prices has been
brought about by the operation of the
following causes: ~
20 The abnormal demand created by
the enormous destruction of property dur
ing the war. 1t is said that this destruc-
ton amounted to approximately 165 bill
lions of dollars. 1t is not generally
known to the public but is fact never
theless, that the British and French buy
ers have come into american markets
and offered prices ranging as high as y.
per cent more than the prevailing market
price for certain classes of foodstuffs
which were not obtainable in those coun-
tries during the war A similar exceed
ing great demand for dry goods and
clothing and shoes has had tendency
to further increase the price of these
commodities in this country
seq The depreciation in the value of our
money owing to the enormous increase ir
the amount of currency and the excessive
amount of gold in the United States. 1t
has been variously estimated that there
is in the United States from one-third to
one-half of the worlds supply of gold,
and it has been said that sc billions of
dollars in money has come from the print
ing presses of the countries at war, thus
increasing the currency in these countries
from Is billion dollars in 1918 to over 40
billion dollars in 1918.
NO BOARDING HERE
"(3) Hoarding. This committee has
found no evidence Of boarding in Bir-
mingham. But it has been said that
stocks of foodstuffs and other necessities
have been stored in other parts of the
country in anticipation of the demands
from Europe when navigation should be
free. There Is hope to be derived from
the recent statement from Mr.. Herbert
Hoover upon his return from Europe that
these anticipations have been overrated
and that as a consequence large quantf-
ties of foodstuffs must be sold in this
country within the next few months;
thereby having a tendency to bring down
the prices of food
40 Profteering This committee has
assumed as a fact the existence of profit
eering, but has been under great diff
Guilty to find any specific instances there
Of. We are still DESTROYS of obtaining
from any citizen any light upon the ques-
ton, and will welcome any complaints
from any person whatsoever
90 Wages of labor. Everyone has
viewed with qualification the growing ap'
probation throughout the world of the
value of the labor of men. We must ad-
nit however, that the heavy increase in
labor cost has played it's part in the pres
ent cost of commodities: for it is a fact
which we all recognize that the price
of all things is fixed. regulated. raised
or lowered to a great extent by the aV-
erage compensation received for one
hours work by every man and every
worsari, and the amount of efficient work