Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-28
PRICE REGULATION
ENVEL0PEO BY FOG.
0overnment's War on Profiteers
ls Founded Chiefly on Vision
and Hope
LEGAL PROCESSES USELESS
BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN
Gam Correspondent of the Evening rubli
Iedger


Washington. Nov. 27.--H. u. Figg.
special assistant United States dis
trict attorney, is cndcavoring TO reor-
sanize the old food administration.
The effort will be based on the tech
sical fact that we are still at war, that
the present attempt to reach profiteers
ard halt the sky rocketing of prices Is
. war measure.
A close study has been made Of the
presidential proclamation calling into
existence the food administration, with
Herbert Hoover at its head. which fol
lowed the passage Of the Lever act On
August 10, 1917.
In the meantime the appointment OF
federal food administrator for Penn
sylyania by Governor Srroul still
hangs fire. The difficulty is in secur-
ing a man OF sufficient prominence who
VIZ undertake the work and who will
ha,0 sufficient wealth to finance the
job. Once he is appointed, his prin-
cipal duty will be the organization Of
fair price committees to act under di-
rection of county food administrator,
VIZ Will ut udlut4 Nv IllI.
How 1t Worked During War
During the war the fair price conf
mittees were composed of representa-
tives Of the leading wholesale and retail
grocery merchants and other dealers In
food commodities. They. were repre-
sentative bodies of men. They were
specially qualified by training and expe-
rience to" arrive at fair average Of
the price of food.
1t is not possible that under present
circumstances committee Of this kind
can be organized in any county in the
state. In Philadelphia, the committee
was composed of presidents. secretaries
and general managers Of leading grocery
corporations, chain stores compaaics
and grocery firms.
The committee performed it's work in
a thoroughly satisfactory manner AM
with disintereSted patriotism.
The necessity for winning the war
was the inspiration. Now thar the war
Is ended aud the crisis past, these
men, / fancy, cannot be induced 10
undertake d similar work
Heavy Expense Invsved
One exceedingly important fact has
been overlooked by Washington in the
matter of these fair price committees
the publicity Civ en- to their lists. With
out publicity, even though the commit
tees were backed by legal authority
which they are not, Attorney General
Palmer's remedy would fail.
The newspaper press of philadelphia.
for example. by measured estimates,
donated in the interest of food cOnserva
tion more than $500 900 of space to
food administration news, fair price
lists, decisions, rulings and food mat
tiers during the war. This was in addi-
ffions to tens of thousands ~ A0''"~s in
I w. S's ..'.jn. of ueC t'7. War
as-tet y. r.r sa. a.n Ht.. yes.
f2h uilst Ha .r aral
,F4& 5iitch ~ frl'Hr. f.'.- , the
nc e9apzy' cu.'' 7s-s u. viii.
day arrer day in times of peace. when
newspaper space is more valuable than
perhaps it has ever been, donate it
gratutiously to this purpose?
II it is proposed that the so o-called
fair price list established by volunteer
committees shall be printed in poster or
circular form and distributed to re-
tailers willing to accept these prices,
the question of expense must be con
stdered. One concern alone in PhilaCel-
phia would require about 1900 posters
The franking privilege might be granted
Tor mailing purposes, but there arises
that other important question of eX
pense for clerks and stenographers. Who
is to foot the bill?
Legal Process Useless
Presupposing that all difficulties,
such as enumerated above, had been
overcome, what would be the status of
the retailer who would decline to recog-
nize the committee $ fair price list?
There is no power to compel him TO
accept 1t, or even if he did nOminallE +,
he could increase his prices to any
amount and plead justification because
Of unusual overhead expenses. Inyesti-
cation Of the truth of his statements
would have to be verified by examina
tion of his books.
The entire situation is envelopeG in
perplexity. The law is imperative and
legal processes are virtually useless.
II Special Assistant District Attorney
Figg can succeed in terminating any
section of the old food administration.
predict that it's members will prove
Indifferent and indisposed to act, as is
already the case with a large number Of
them who have boen appealed to di-
rectly by Attorney General Palmer.
While remedial measures of some
Kind may ultimately be discovered they
could be successfully operate only in
the large cities. The country districts
and smaller towns would still continue
TO suffer from the rural prohteer.