The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-09-05


IN Wheat Grades-COlyer Gives
More Testimony Against Packing
Trust-Congressman Kelly Shows
Power of Market Controllers
Trade Commission Asked for Facts
on Labor Costs.
Washington, D. C.-Passage by
+no house of the extended Lever food
control act, altered by Attorney Gen.
eral Palmer SO as to provide IAN eff
fective law against profiteers,' is the
first step taken by congress to meet
the cost-of-iving problem. 1t is the
one concrete act which the national
legislators have taken in this all-im
Doltanc matter in the more than two
weeks since "war to the death" was
declared on profiteering.
The amended food control act is
pretty small step at that, for it will
automatically cease to be- effective
soon after the treaty of peace is
ratified. Moreover, it has yet to face
shadp opposition in the senate, where
powerful group of reactionaries has
banded together to oppose it on the
ground that any action by the govern
rent to interfere with private pro-
fits is "socialistic." 1t will probably
90 through next week, however, for
a majority in the upper body are far
sigted enough to realize that even if
such action is "socialistic" something
must be done to curtail the present
unrestricted profteering.
FEATURES OF CONTROL BILL
AS passed by the house, the first
anti-profiteering measures makes it
unlawful to hoard, monopolize or re-
strict distribution of foods, feeds,
wearing apparel, food containers, fer
tiiizers, agricultural implements and
fuel, conviction for violation being
punishable by fine up to $4,000, or
Imprisonment not exceeding two
years. 1t is regarded as highly I'M
likely that any officers of the big
combinations, who have always es-
capped the antitrust laws, will be
convicted by this new law in the short
space Of time it has to run.
Largely through the enterprise OF
J. D. Miller, vice president of the
dairymen's league of New York, and
backed by the National Board of
Farm Organizations and other farm
Ell bodies, the house agriculture COM
mittee gave specific exemption to CO.
operative associations of farmers,
dairymen and other, producers with
respect to farm products raised by
association members A determined
effort by a small group of farmer
haters to make collective bargaining
by farmers illegal was frustrated on
the floor of the house and the ex-
emption stands. The recent sum-
mary arrest and disgraceful treat
ment melted out to the organized
dairymen near Cleveland, Ohio, by
the city authorities there shows the
necessity of this specific exemption.
MORE PROFITEER PROTECTION
That congress is less than halt
serious in all it's rawlings about get
ting the profteers" was shown by the
fate of two amendments to the en-
large food control act which were
summarily defeated on the floor OF
the house on the grounds that they
were too drastic.
One of these, introduced by Repre-
sentative Huddleston of Alabama,
provided that rent profteers should
be subject to the penalties OF the
bill. The other, introduced by Rep
resentative Kelly of Pennsylvania
demanded that the two-year lmprls-
onment be made obligatory upon con-
viction Of profteering, refusing the
option of fine.
Both were defeated, and to the
shame of the Republican party 1t was
the majority, acting under virtual
orders from Floor Leader sMondell,
that insured the death of both amend
ments.
WHY CLOTHES AR HIGH
With approximately 1,250,OOO more
sheep in the country than there were
a year ago some figures obtalneo
from the department of agriculture
shed a little light as to why an all
wool suit of clothes can hardly Dc
purchased in any city now for less
than $50.
These figures show that on june
3 50, 1919, manufacturers and dealers
were holding more wool in storage
than at any time since quarter!