New-York tribune., 1919-12-23
Palmer Expects
Drop i'm Prices
Before March I
Attorney General Reviews
Efforts to Reduce Cost
OF Living and Calls On
the Public to Cooperate
NetO York Tribune
IH,l

Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON. Dec. 22.-After near
ly tive months of endeavor to bring
down the high cost of living. the Admin
lstratlon tonight advised the American
people through a statement by At
torney General Palmer that down.
ward trend in prices may be expected
between January ! and March l. The
statement says the high cost is already
under control" 1t does not attempt
to show how marked siich a decline
may be, but is devoted largely to an
explanation of why the high cost has
not tumbled despite government activi-
ties and to some rather indirect criti-
clsm of Congress for delay in arming
the hands of the Department of Justice
against hoarders and profiteers. 1t
goes into some detail in showing how
the Department of Justice has dealt
with law breakers and closes with the
following appeal:
"'Primarily the notable factors in
volved in the cost of living are the
needed increase in production. the
elimination of extravagant buying and
the determined hunting down of prof
teers Of all classes. l believe that the
time has come when the organization
OF the country has been completed to
the point whore real results can be
shown. The cost Of living, already
under control, can be reduced if every
one who produces will produce to his
utmost, If those who buy and con-
sumo viii save and eliminate extrava-
gance and if all honest people will
join with the Department of Justice
IN stamping ou- profteering and
hoarding.'
Labor Bureau Not Included
AS preface the department an
nounced that its statement had been
authorized at a meeting Saturday of
the representatives of "the various de-
partments which have had to do with
the campaign against the high cost of
living from its beginning" This pref
ace goes on to name as present at that
meeting Secretary Of Commerce Alex
ander, Victor Murdock, of the Federal
Trade Commissions; Walker d. Hines,
Director General of Railroads, and sew
eral others, but does not include any
representative of the Department Of
Labor, parent of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, which is collecting data on
the high cost of living and which has
out an announcement showing costs on
twenty-five staple articles increased 9
per cent in November, as compared
with October
Whether this was merely a little lack
of team work or whether the Bureau of
Statistics was excluded by design was
not disclosed tonight, but it is said
representatives Of the Department of
Labor have figured in some of the past
conferences on the subject.
The railroad shopmen, who were
promised months ago that the cost Of
living was going down, apparently have
been satisfied by Mr.. Hines that it will
do so, for last week the Director Gen
eral put out brief statement saying
he had conferred with the shopmen and
that they had agreed not to press THEN
old demands for increased wages for
the present.
Text of Palmer Statement
The statement Of the Attorney Cen
eral follows:
"ln August, in connection with de-
mands for increased wages by rail
road shopmen based on the increased
cost of living, the President announced
to the public the view that the cost of
living would be lowered as soon as
there were settled conditions of produc-
tion and of commerce, as soon as the
treaty of peace was ratified, and as
soon as merchants, manufacturers
farmers and miners had certain basis
of calculation. In statement to the
shopmen themselves the President de-
clared that the primary step was to
increase production and facilitate
transportation, so as to make up for
the destruction wrought by the war
and the terrible scarcities it created
The President added that the govern
ment had taken up with all possible
vigor the task of bringing the profiteer
to book. making the stores of neces-
saries in the country available at lower
prices, stimulating production and ia
cilitating distribution.
Previous Action Reviewed
"The movement inauguratetd at that
time to gain control over the cost Of
,s Continued ON pdQe ten