New-York tribune., 1919-08-23
Thousands of Pounds of
Stored Supplies Put
Into Circulation, Say
F e d eral Prosecutors
Womcn's Aid Enlisted
Organization Of $4,000
Feminine Buyers VIII
Keep Eyes OH Prices

A complete organization of $4,000
women to fight profteers is being
moulded, Mrs. c. c. Rumsey, chairman
of the subcommittee on field activities
of the local fair price committee, an
nounced yesterday
Announcement by Earl D. Barnes
and Ben A. Matthews, Assistant United
States Attorneys, that thousands OF
pounds of foodstuffs are being forced
cution under the Lever act was an
other important development in the
local war on the high living cost
The $4,000 women workers, Mrs
Rumsey said, will not spy on retail
dealers, but will attempt to ascertain
if the dealer is abiding by the prices
fixed by the fair price committee On
Labor Day $4,000 cards will be mailed
by the subcommittee on field activi-
ties to the workers, informing them of
prices considered fair and reasonable
by the committee appointed by Arthur
Williams. Federal Food Administrator
To Carry Price Cards
"The women will take these cards
with them when they do their shop
ping Mrs. Rumsey said. "They will
mark down the prices they pay beside
those named by the fair price commit
tee As the women will be organized d
according TO the present system of or
ganlzation of the community councils
they Will make their report to a COM
mittec Of the district council
"The district council heads will sift
out the cards showing flagrant over
charges, which will be forwarded to a
committee at the head Of the borough.
This committee will make further elmi-
nations and forward Their Io.:.a ing card :
to the fair price committee, which will
have It's office in the Federal Building.
The dealers charging extremely exces-
sive prices will be Immediately investi-
gated, and action will be taken against
them il bad practices arc disclosed
Practically every retail foodstufFs
dealer in the city will be visited by the
women workers. This verifcation sys-
TEN should not be called spying, as the
mission. We LOOK forward to the speedy
elimination or punishment of re-
calcitrant Dealers
Mrs Rumsey Names Aids
Mrs. Rumsey has named the follow
ing to ac. with her on the sub-com-
mittec: Mrs. Henry Mo <owitz, Mrs.
" '-ilIHl hdlUUl pm IlcdISl. MTS. sara
Conboy, Hugh Frayne and Dr.. Jonathan
G. Day. There viii be eighty two dis
trict committees and committee for
each borough, Mrs. Rumsey said. Plans
are being made to enlist other organi-
cations Of women, including the New
York Consumers League, Housewives
League aud other bodies.
a sweeping campaign of education
viii be instituted early next month, Ad-
ministrator Williams said yesterday.
The sub-c committee on field activities
plans to carry its work into the schools,
partly because the children do the
shopping in many instances, and paltly
because the little ones of foreign born
parents can carry the messages of the
committee to their parents The chill
dren will be educated to tho prices to
pay and to the proper method of max
ing purchahes, including the selection Of
stores and the foodstuffs of lowest
price and highest nutritive value.
Mrs. Moskowitz to Aid
Mrs. Moskowitz will play an impor-
tant part in spreading the "shopping
educatlon' through the schools Mrs.
MosAowitz said that she could talk with
authority on shopping, as, notwith-
standing her interest in public affairs,
she purchases the supplies for her
family herself each day.
Mrs. Rumsey and Mrs. Moskowitz
urged that complaints against unfair
dealers be sent to the headouarters Of
the Community Councils, room 2o05
Municipal Building