Arizona republican., 1919-08-11
PRICES II
 BEPUBL|SHED|N IN
 H. [. 1T 1. FIGHT
Attorney General Palmer Directs All Former State Food Directors to Reap point Committee to Give Public Correct Quotations on Foodstuffs

tee operated under him while he
 was state food administrator was
 expressed tonight by T. A. Rior-
 dan of FiaessaH. A long telegram
 from A. Mitchell Palmer, attorney
 general of the United States, re-
 ceived tonight, requested Mr. Rior-
 dan to undertake this and other
 work looking to lowering of the
 high cost of living.
 "it is undecided Mhesher l can
 undertake the work,p Mir. Riordan
 skid. "I prefer rot 50 do so, and
 hope some other resident of Ari-
 zons mas se found to undertake
 
 WAsEISGToss, Aug. 1o.- Attorney General T,slmer started today to as- certain h6w much of She high cost of living is due to excessive profits by retailers.
 In a telegram to all state food admin istrators who worked with administra- tor Hoover during the war, the attor- ney general requested appointment of fair price committee in each county to investigate what is being charged for retail necessities, and if in excess of what the committee leaders think just, to publish list of fair prices for guidance of thepublic.
 This is the "extra legal' means of reaching profiteering which MT Pal mer recently indicated was under con- sideration. He has frankly admitted from the start that there was no means to prosecute directly man guilty of extortiou in prices. Retailers gouging the ultimate consumer will have to be disciplined by public sentiment which officials have no doubt is sufficiently alert to act vigorously in clear-cut cases.
 Plenty of. Laws for Hoarders
 Hoarders, on the other hand, can be reached through the war time food laws or the Sherman act, and Mir. Palmer requested the state food ad- to transmit to hirn any evidence of hoarding or other violations of the law which they might encounter in their work, with the promise that the governments law enforcement ma- chinery would act promptly.
 There is a pressing necessity for restoration of normal conditions" MT Palmerss telegram said, requesting the men who did such effective work dur ing the war to take up the burden 4 out compensation, the attorney general believing that the public service to be performed now is as important as when the country was engaged in hostilities, and that no patriotic citizen would re- fuse the call.
 The attorney generals telegram fol- lows:
 Tn order to secure accurate infor- nation relative to charges of profiteer- ing by dealers in necessary commodi- ties it is the desire of the government to ascertain whether or not such deal CTS are making more than fair mar gin of profit. Will you assist in your state by requesting those persons who have been county food administrators under your jurisdiction to appoint fair price committees, including one re- taller of groceries, one of dry goods, a representative Of the producers, of organized labor, of housewives, two or three representatives of the public gen. erally, also wholesaler, when prac- ticable?
 Follow Wartime Plan
 Please request them to pursue ap- proximately the same inquiry with ref erence to food products and in the or dinary necessities in dry goods and clothing that were pursued by your fair price committees under the food ad act. This committee will be an extra legal body, without power to summon witnesses or fix prices. It is requested, however, to ascertain the
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