Arizona republican., 1919-04-12
FIXING OF PRICES
 IN STATUS QUO FUR
 PRESIDENTS ADVICE
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

WASHINGTON, April 1.-The gov- ernments attempt to stabilize prices and stimulate industry through the in- dustrial board of the department of commerce now waits on word from President Wilson.
 Secretary Redfield, after two confer ences today with Chairman Peek of the board, Assistant Secretary Sweet and Solicitor Thurman, cabled the president statement of the situation arising from the refusal of the railroad administration to accept new steel prices arranged by the board, on the ground that they were too high. The secretary asked the president to indi- cate whether the board should disband at once or continue in existence until the president returns from Paris and a policy can be formulated.
 DirectOr-General Hines also is un- derstood to have cabled the president a statement of his attitude in the dis pute, and in statement, said the mat ter had come to the question of wheth- CT the railroad administration should recognize prices believed to be excess sive-a question which he had decided in the negative.
 No request was made by Secretary
 
 ences between MT. Peek and Mir Hines The secretary emphatically said it was not and never had been the purpose of | the board to force any government pur- ! chasing agency to accept the prices arranged by it.
 1 Until the president replies, the board will remain quiescent. No conferences will be held with representatives of in- dustry and no new prices on lumber brick, cement and other commodities which have been under consideration will be announced.
 Policy Not Intended
 Charging that the industrial board had initiated an industrial policy whicl was not set up by the government, Di rector-General Hines, in his statemen tonight, not only criticised the board' "insistence that the railroad admins tration buy at the agreed prices below which the general public ought not t expect to buy during the rest of thi calendar year."
 MT. Peek says that the governmen ''has set up an industrial policy wit one hand and torn it down with th other," said Mir. Hines. "The fact is however, that the industrial polio !, which has been interefered with is on | NhANh "eS iAOI oSb dP ny bAAC SONCIl II ment, but appears through some mis conception to have been initiated b } the industrial board itself The polio which was authorized was the estab ) fishing of committee which would en deavor to bring government purchas , ing agencies and producers of certai commodities together, by voluntary ac tion, on reduced prices, at which tn government purchasing agencies woul , be justified in buying freely. Mir. Peek, instead of attempting t carry out this specific policy entered despite the railroad administration notification that it would not agree t : buy at the prices proposed, upon yer , different policy of fixing prices wit 3 virtual insistence that the railroa administration must buy at these price ? regardless of it's judgment" r The director general said that NJ f Peek'S alarm that the steel interests ( the country might be subjected to tt e monopolistic buying power of the rail road administration was unwarrante,