The daily banner., 1919-08-01
ACTS TO LOWER
COST OF LIVING
Attorney General snd Cabinet
chiefs Confer.
PRESIDENT TAKES A HAND
Army Food Surplus to Be Disposed
of by Postmasters With Mail Car
riers as Statesmen.

Washington, Aug. 1.-AttOrney GEN
arai Isaimer summoned the heads or
i,ut,,r,ant government departments to
c>hsrr with him Immediately ON the
H. .!i cost OF living and TO consider
aDpropriale measures to reduce prices
to the average citizen.
Those Ii Quesled to meet in the at
torney generals Office were Secre-
fairies, titass. treasury; Houston, agri-
culture Re dtield, commerce, and VIII
sou, labor; Director General Hines, OF
the railroad administration Assist
AMI Secretary Of the Treasury Letflng-
well, and Nj. Murdock, chairman, ana
w. g. Colver, of the federal tfade
commission.
Ii WAS said that the attorney gene
ral called tile conference on MS own
initiative ard not at the suggestion or
President Wilson, with whom, it was
learned. he conferred following pre-
sentation of request for governmental
action by the Brotherhood of Looomo-
tive Engineers.
The president himself is giving
"deep and very thoughtful consldera-
ton to the high cost of living. Thls
was announced at the White House.
The president is understood to have
been deeply impressed by the state
ment presented 10 him by Warren S.
Stone. chief of the Brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers, describing the
unrest over the country because or
the decreased purchasing power OF
the dollar.
In this connection it became known
that the Brotherhood of hallway
Trainmen had presented to the rail-
road administration a similar STATE
ment, setting forth that the tralnmen
must have increased wages unless I'M
mediate steps were taken to reduce
living costs
First steps in the governments at
tempt to reduce the problem were
taken with plan for the sale OF Sl2o,-
OOO,OO worth of army food stocks Oil
rec to the people with every postmast-
er and mail carrier over the country
acting as a saleman.
Ol Ii1C oui pIeAo AOO~ 49,
this manner was requested by the
house of representatives and details
were worked out at conferences De-
tween Secretary of War Baker, POST
master General Burleson and Repre-
sentative Kelly, Pennsylvania, author
/ of the house resolution.
At the department of Justice in
yestigations into causes Of increasing
living costs were under way with par
ticular attention being given to. the
question of whether producers or deal
ers had combined in violation Of law
to raise prices of necessities.
Meantime there was pending in the
house a resolution proposing that the
federal trade commission investigate
rising costs of coffee, sugar, shoes
and clothing.
Through the postmasters and car
riers the war department will offer
direct to consumers it's available sup
ply of surplus foodstuffs, amounting
to approximately 341,O00,0O0 pounds.
While the amount of foodstuffs in
each class has, not been estimated,
hearings before a house war investi-
CATION committee recently showed the
value of the surplus available July 8
to be approximately as follows:
Canned vegetables, $23,00O,OOO;
corned beef, $24,OOO,OOO; bacon, $685.
100000; hashed corned beef, $10,0OO,-
900; roast beef, $2O,500,00O, and fresh
frnzen meats and poultry, $20,0O0,O00.