The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-08-05
up" Mr.. Lee said.

W ""SS '"'SS paSeu oH present IOOu
prices, if the price level should de-
cline materially, Mr.. Lee said he did
not feel justified in going into the
question, but asked to be allowed to
tell of his experiences in the recent
strike at Winnipeg, where he said he
found conservative home owners,
members of his organization throwing
away all they had gained in 25 years
of membership and joining the gem
eral strike because they were told
Ito hell with all this; we can not
stand it any mo 'e. Come with us and
we will correc, it,"
Mr.. Lee said they could not make
contracts for the future. not knowing
what tomorrow would bring forth
He declared he could not justify the
fact that wheat is $2.26 in this coun-
try and flour perhaps $1i barrel,
when -four made from the same grade
of grain sells in England for s6.11.
Il want, if possible, to see some
plan devised here that will permit
somebody to say that beef, pork and
commodities of that kind can not go
above certain per cent" Mr. Lee
said.
Mr.. Lee also expressed emphatic
disapproval of "cost plus" war con-
tracts by which he said owners of in
ferior factories had obtained fine
plants and the First Presbyterians
plants and big profits at the expense
of the taxpayers. 1t was such things,
he declared, that caused the railroad
employees, faced by growing ex-
penses, to be willing to follow "red
flag or anything that comes along"
AS step toward breaking the high
prices, plans are being made by Sec
retary Baker, Postmaster Ge .ral
Burleson and Representative Kelly of
Pennsylvania to sell through the par
eel post surplus army food stocks
valued at S124,0OO,OOO.
Officials who attended the attorney
generals conference declined to dis.
cuss what took place.
Mr.. Palmer said the conference was
called chiefly for the purpose of MAX
ing survey Of the situation, devel-
oping any information on which the
head of the nations law enforcement
might apt to curb prof
iteering.
No Direct Law.
1T seems to be a universal pastime.
this thing up to tn eattor-
ney general" Mr.. Palmer said smil-
ingly. Even the governors have TAX
en- to blaming this department for ex-
sting price levels"
In response to questions Mr. Pail
mer admitted that there was no law
by which prices could be lowered di-
rectly but he declined to say whether
new legislation was needed to enable
The department to punish men who
may be guilty of profteering
There is a great deal of good law
On the statute books" the attorney
general declared
When a course of action is decided
upon. the federal trade commission
IS understood TO be ready to supply
the most extensive collection of in
1ustrial information ever gathered by
any government. Production cost fig
ures have been obtained by the COM
m ic MI
$50, 900, 100000 worth of capital as
the result of its activities during the
war in advising the government what
prices to pay for the millions OF dol
lars of purchases made by it. For this
reason, ii is believed the commission
Is ready to urge that further investi-
cations which seem to be foreshad-
owed by resolutions pending in con-
gress would only muddle the situa-
ton, causing the loss of valuable time
and the waste of the money involved
The commissions Investigations
during the war, all of which dealt
only with the most authoritative in
formation derived from the books of
involved. are said to have
shown that profiteering was at min
imum in the retail trades. most of the
eXorbitant profits which are being
made are going to the manufacturers
and wholesalers. AS a remedy the
commission generally is understood
n a