New-York tribune., 1919-08-18
City to Try to Get Dried
Apples, Apricots and
Other Fruits in Addition
70 Meats, Says O'Malley
Sales Volunteers Ready
Attorney General Palmer
to Address Fair Price
Committee Here Tonight

INC SAFE OF surplus army tOodstuffS s
in New York City will commence
on Wednesday morning, Edwin J.
OMalley, Deputy Commissioner of
Public Markets, announced Yesterday.
He said that in addition to the a.
164,2O0 pounds Of commodities already
ordered for immediate delivery, the
CITY Will endeaVor to get large con-
signments of raisns, dried apples.
apricots. peaches and prunes The
rapid rise in the prices of these dried
fruits has practically placed them out
OF the reach of the poorer people, Mr..
OMalley said. The city will place it's
order as soon as these foodstuffs are
declared surplus by the War Depart
ment.
The city intends to market about
10000 of the blankets held bv the
army, MIR. OMalley announced He said
ne is negotiating for the purchase of
these blankets on consignment but
mat up to the present he has been
offered but 10000.
Sees Benefit In Delay
The public has been benefited by
the two postponements of the sale Of
army supplies here, MIR. OMalley de-
clared
Merchants have been nervously
awaiting the opening of our sale" he
declared, "and the long wait has made
some of them almost panicky | feel
tnat the week and one half Of extra
publicity has done much to discourage
those dealers who have been steadily
protiteering, and who intended to keep
1t up. But when the public saw the
prices we intend to ask for the army
food 1T wanted to know from dealers
why they were charging so much
more
He said that one Chicago dealer ap-
preached him with an offer Of 3 800 600
pounds of bacon at 3s cents pound.
He refused the offer. but was again APP
preached by the same dealer, who was
Wiling to dispose of the bacon for Sc
cents. Because of the necessity of
storing the army bacon in warehouses
pending its distribution. another cent
has been added to the city's price.
bringing IT up TO "a cents pound to
consumers. The same quality Of bacon
Is beng sold in retail stores for be
tween % and 60 cents. he said
Sales Volunteers Ready
Because of the |. r. T. strike only
fifty policemen viii be available for
assignment to the schools. City en-
ployes Will be sent TO take charge The
each borough is practically completed
Mrs. Elizabeth Doyle, in charge of
Queens workers, has called p mass
meeting at the County Court House in
Long Island City for tonight. A com
ple.e organization will be formed. The
Bronl volunteers have been organized.
while Brooklyn women in the twenty
three Assembly districts mobill1ed
their selling machine yesterday
The sale viii positively commence
on " Wednesday. Mr.. O'Malley said as
tn local army authorities have com
pleted their shipments Of supplies held
trlct army warehouses held more than
90 per cent of the total army food.
stutis when the armistice was signed
Assistant United States Attorney
Henry A. Cutler said last night that
indications point 70 the existence here
of combinations controlling the ira ffic
in various commodities Mr.. Cutler
has been selected by United States Az
torney Francis G. Caffrey to investl-
gate the food situation, with a view Of
disclosing violations of the Sherman
antitrust act and Section 9 of the
food control act. which also prohibits
restraint of trade. Mr.. Cutler is de-
voting all his time to this angle of the
lood investigation.
BIames Dealers Associations
Owe have made no concrete disclos-
ures as yet" Mr. Cutler said last
night, "but we have unearthed some
indications which promise real dcvel-
opments. We are looking into some
of the associations of food dealers, as
we have reasons to believe that some
of them are responsible in a measure
for the present situation"
The drive Of the State Department
of Farms and Markets to gain juris-
diction over private as we'll as public
storage warehouses will begin this
week, according to H. II. Jones, direc-
tor of the local division of food and
markets of the department.
Mr.. Jones pointed out that under the
present system of licensing only pub
lie warehouses the numerous private
warehouses can store goods for any
length of time.
"The public cold storage warehouses
are required to report each month on
their holdings" MIR. Jones said, "and
they are subject to inspection. They
are required to label all goods. stating
the time they entered and left the
warehouses.
Would License Private Plants
III tllt case VI pliNdlo Wal cliou9Co
with no Licensing and labelling, goods
can be released and sold as fresh.
While experienced dealers are seldom
fooled, large quantities Of supplies are
often falsely palmed off on new and
less experienced Dealers
Mr.. Jones said that there are 100
private and only nineteen public ware
houses in the city. The licensing of
private warehouses would aid material
ly in relieving the present situation,
Mr.. Jones said.
The presence of Attorney General
Palmer in his city tonight is looked
upon by local officials conducting the
fight against the high cost of living
as tho opening OF intensive and unre-
lenting war on the present schedule Of
costs.
Mr.. Palmer will address and confer
with the members of the Fair Price
Committee, appointed by Arthur Will
Jams, Federal Food Administrator. The
meeting will be held at the Biltmore
at $50.
The first complete fair price list is
expected to be made public before Fri
day. AS soon as it is issued the Fed
eral authorities will comb the city for
dealers charging more than the stipu-
lated prices.
Schools at the following addresses
will be used as sales depots for army
food supplies:
Manhattan
Sixtv-eight Pearl Street az Roose-