The Tomahawk., 1919-08-21

Iinterwoven with those Of other nations
and peoples-most intimately of all
with the nations and peoples upon
whom the chief burden and confusion
of the war fell and who are now de-
pendent upon the cooperative action
Of the world. .-..
Says All Depends on Peace.
We are Just now shipping more
goods out of our ports to foreign ports
than we ever shipped before-not food
stuffs merely. but stuffs and materials
of every sort. But this is no index Of
what our foreign sales will continue to
be or of the effect the volume Of our
exports will have on supplies and
prices. It is impossible yet to predict
how far or how long foreign purchas-
ers will be able to find the money or
credit to pay or sustain such purchases
on such a scale, how soon or to what
extent foreign manufacturers can re"
sumo their former production. foreign
farmers get their accustomed crops
from their own fields, foreign mines
resume their former output, foreign
merchants set up again their old ma
chinery, of trade with the ends of the
earth.
All these things must remain un-
certain until peace Is established and
the nations of the world have concert
ed the methods by which normal life
and industry. are to be restored.
Remedy Only Temporary.
All that we shall do in the meantime
to restrain profiteering and put the
life of our people upon a tolerable
footing, will be makeshift and provi-
sional.
There can be no settled conditions
here or elsewhere until the treaty of
peace is out of the way and the work
of liquidating the war has become the
chief concern of our government and
of the other governments of the world.
Wheat 10 to Be Controlled.
But what we can do we should do.
and should do at once. And there is
q great deal that we can do, provision
al though it be.
Wheat shipments and credits to
facilitate the purchase of our wheat
can and will be limited and con-
trolled In such q way as not to raise,
but rather to lower the price of -four
here. The government has the power,
within certain limits. to regulate that.
Hoardlno to Be Checked.
By way Of immediate relief, surplus
stocks of both food and clothing in the
hands of the government will be sold,
and of course sold at prices at which
there is no profit, and by way of a
more permanent correction of prices,
surplus stocks in private hands will be
drawn out Of storage and put upon the
market.
Fortunately, under the terms of the
food coptrol act, the boarding of food
stuffs can be checked and prevented,
and they will be, with the greatest
energy. Foodstuffs can be drawn out
of storage and sold by legal action
which the department of justice will
institute wherever necessary; but so
soon as the situation is systematically
dealt with, it is not likely the courts
will often have to be resorted to.
Would Put Price on Packages.
It would serve az a useful example
to the other communities of this !coun-
try, as well as greatly relieve local
distress If the congress we're to regu-
late all such matters very fully for
the District Of Columbia, where its
legislative authority IL without limit.
also would recommend that it be
required that all goods destined for
Interstate commerce should in every
case where their form or package
makes it possible be plainly marked
with the price at which they left the
hands of the producer.
Such requirement would bear a
close analogy to certain provisions of
the pure food act, by which it is re-
Quired that certain detailed informa.
tion be given on the labels of packages
Of food and drugs.
For Control Of Distribution.
And It does not seem to me that We
can confine ourselves to detailed meas
ures Of this kind, IL it is indeed our
purpose to assume national control of
the processes of distribution. take it
for granted that that is our purpose
and our duty. Nothing less will suf-
fice. We need not hesitate to handle
. national question in . national way.
We should 60 beyond the measures
I have suggested. We should formu-
late law requiring a federal license
of all corporations engaged in inter-
state commerce and embodying in the
license or In the conditions under
which It is to be issued, specific regu-
lations designed to secure competitive
selling and prevent unconscionable
profits in the method of marketing.
Such law would afford a welcome op-
portunity to effect other much needed
reforms in the business Of interstate
shipment and in the methods Of cor
porations which are engaged In 1t. But
for the moment I conflne my recon-