The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-14
RETAIL GROCER IS GIVEN $500 FINE
 FOR CHARGING 15
 CENTS FOR SUGAR
Palmer Urges Amendment to Food Control Act, Ex- tending Provision to
 Clothing and Provid-
 ing Heavy Penalty
Rx A,rneIatra Pres

By Assoestes Pres
 Washington, August l3--lm- portant new developments In the governments fight to re- duce the high cost of living came today.
 One of the most interesting was
 the announcement by Attorney
 General Palmer that the first fed
 crat conviction for profitccrinS
 had becn obtained. District At-
 torncy Luccy tcicgraphed from
 Binghnmton, \. l., that retail
 grocer had been fined S50O for
 selling sugar at i5 cents pound.
 No details were given and the law
 under which the ease was brought
 was not known hcrc.a "A few good cases of profiteerins IT. each state will settle that trouo'e. MT. Palmer remarked. In order to bring to book persons guilty Of raising prices extraordinarily or of boarding food 10 advance prices, Mir Palmer submitted to tho agricul- ture committee of Congress the draft of ain amendment 10 the food control act extending it's provisions to cloth- !
 
 and providing a penalty of 5000 fins or two years imprisonment, or both. for violation of the law. Chairman Haugen of the House committee an- nounced that the amendment would be considered immediately by sub committee and a report might be made tomorrow.
 ] It is Mr. Palmer's idea that this amendment should be considered be- I fore taking up other amendments suG- gested by President Wilson to eNtenl the effective life of the food control act beyond the war period.
 SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS
 Three cabinet officers asked special appropriations from Congress for the campaign against inflated prices. Sec retary Redfied requested si10,000 for the work of the bureau of standards in assuring full weight and measure and of the bureau of fisheries jn in- troducing new fish foods. Secretary Wilson asked for s4I5,ooo fer the employment of.sspecial agehts and others and MT Palmer requested sl, GOO 0o0 for the bureau of investsga- ton and for the expenses of state food administrators assisting the Depart I ment of Justice. Another $60O,000 was asked for anti trust suits, especially that against the five big packing companies. The At llOTEEy tfentTdl alSD WdntH PoVutVVV ic' other work of the department, not di- rect1y connected with the living prob l lem. such as the enforcement of war time prohibition. prosecution of ap- peals and hiring of special assistants. Asked today If he had any ports indicating sufficient food
 held in storage to affect priceS
 materially if released. MT. Palmer
 revealed that number of gov
 ernors had appealed to him to
 cur "red tape' in forcing on the market "nmnxing quantities." of
 foedstuffs now i'm storage. In
 some cases, 1t was snid, the food
 has been held longer than per-
 mitted by stnte laws. hut techni-
 caiities regarding interstate com-
 mercc had prevented the governors
 from undertaking seizure or prose
 cufjon. Mfr. Palmer ordered all
 district attorneysi to assist the
 governors.
 EXCESSIVE STOCKS HELD
 Reports of excessive stocks of food held in storage have been received from at least six states, the Attorney General said. He declined to be more specific. but it was Indicated that Ntw Jersey was one of the states.
 storage conditions also are engaging lthe attention of the state food ad- ' ministrators several of whom have asked if they were authorized to pup lfish the facts where it appeared that more food was being, held from tl,s public than the reasonable requirs- ments of q dealer demanded.
 CT told them to go right ahead
 and to use the names" Mir. Palmer
 announced decisiveiy.
 ssI am interested in getting as
 much information this subject
 to the ultimate consumer as I pos sibiy can."
 Reports to the department showed that organization of fair price conn mittees in counties was proceeding rapidly.
 The effect of the governments can : paign was indicated in the revision pv the War Department of prices to he ! charged for surplus army food. Re- , ductions were made "to meet competi- ' tion by retailers"
 Authority asked yesterday by Sec retary Glass to use the treasury secret ! service in the fight against h.sh prices was based the use of the , service in food investigations durine the war.
 The cost of living continued to,ccl,r { rnush of the debate in Congress to- day.
 E MILLION EGGS SEIZED