Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-08-14

but not available because of boarding,
and with regard to the methods of price
fixing which are being used by dealers
in certain foodstuffs and other neces-
saries. There can be little doubt that
retailers are In part-sometmes in
large part--responslble for exorpitant
prices and 1t is quite practicable for
the government through the agencies
have mentioned, to supply the public
with full information as to the prices
at which retailers buy and as to the
costs of transportation they pay. in
order that 1t may be known just what
margin of profit they are demanding.
Opinion and concerted action on the
part of the purchasers can probably do
the rest.
That Is, these agencies may perform this
Indispensable service provided the Con-
gress will supply them with the necessary
funds to prosecute their inquiries and keen
their price lists, up to date. Hitherto the
appropriation committees of the houses
have not always I fear, seen the full
value Of these inquiries and the depart
ments and commissions have been very
much straitened for means to render this
service. That adequate funds be provided
by appropriating for this purpose and
provided as promptly as possible, is one
of the means of greatly amelioratng the
present distressing conditions of livelihood
that / have come to urge in this attempt
to concert with you the best ways to serve
the country in this emergency. It Is one
of the absolutely necessary means, under
lying many others, and can be supplied
at once
There are many other ways. Existing
law is inadequate. There are many per
fectly legitimate methods by which the
government can exercise restraint ant
guidance.
Let me urge, in the first place, that the
present food control act should be ex
tended both as to the period of time dur
ing which it shall remain on operation
and as to the commodities to which Il
shall apply. Its provisions against hoard
ing should be made to apply not only tc
| food but also to feedstuffs, to fuel, tC
| clothing, and to many other commoditie!
which are indisputably necessaries o.
' life. AS it stands now it is limited II
operation to the period of the war ant
becomes imperative upon the forma
proclamation of peace. But l should judge
that 1t was clearly within the constitu
! tional power of the Congress to max,
similar permanent provisions and reg"Ila
| tons with regard to all goods destined
| for Interstate commerce and to eXclud,
them from interstate shipment if tn,
! requirements of the law are not com
piled with. Some such regulation is i'm
/ peratively necessary The abuses tina
have grown up in the manipulation ot
prices by the Withholding of foodstuff.
and other necessares of life cannot other
wise be effectively prevented. There car
be no doubt of either the necessity or the
! &c ~
call attention to the fact also, that, al
though the present act prohibits profiteer
ing. the prohibition is accompanied by
no penalty. 1t is clearly in the public in.
terest that penalty should be provided
which will be persuasive.
| To the same end, l earnestly recon.
! mend in the second place. that the
Congress pass a law regulating colo
storage as it Is regulated, for example
! for the laws of the State of New Jer
sey, which limit the time during which
goods may be kept in storage, prescribe
the method of disposing of them if KEEP
beyond the permitted period. and requir,
that goods released from storage shall
! in all cases bear the date of their re
cetpt 1t would materially-add to thu
service ability of the law and for tn,
purpose we now have in view If il wer,
also prescribed that all goods released
| from storage for interstate shipmen
should have plainly marked upon eacl
package the selling or market price a
which they went into storage. BY thi
means the purchaser would always b,
able to learn what profits stood between
him and the producer or the wholesal,
dealer.
| 1t would serve as useful example
to the other communities of the coun
try. as well as greatly relieve local dis
tress If the Congress were to regulate
all such matters very fully for the Dis
trict of Columbia, where it's Legislative
authority is without limit.
/ would also recommend that 1t he re
quired that all goods destined for inter
STATE commerce should in every cas-
where their form or package makes /
possible be plainly marked with the pric
at which they left the hands of the pro
Queer. Such requirement would bea
a close analogy TO certain provisions o
the pure food act by which it is re
quired that certain detailed information
be given on the labels of packages o
food and drugs
And it does not seem to me that W.
can confine ourselves to detailed measure
of this kind, If it is indeed our pur
pose to assume national control of tn
processes of distribution. l take it TO
granted that that is our purpose and gu
duty. Nothing less will suffice. w
need not hesitate to handle a nationa
question in a national way. We SHOULD
go beyond the measures l have sug
gested. We should formulate law re
quiring a federal license of all corpora
tons engaged in interstate commerce
and embodyng in the license, or in tn
conditions under which 1t is to be issued
specific regulations designed to secur
competitive selling and prevent uncon
scionable profits in the method of mar
keting. Such a law would afford
welcome opportunity to effect other mucl
needed reforms in the business of inter
state shipment and in the methods o
corporations which are engaged in il
but for the moment l confine my recon
in hand which is to lower the cost o
living.
May not add that there is a bill nov
pending before the Congress, which,
passed would do much to stop specula
ton and TO prevent the fraudulent meth
DDS of promotion by which our people ar
annually hceced of many millions of har
, earned money. l refer to the measur
/, proposed by the capital issues committe
. for the control of security issues. 1t is
measure formulated by men who know
the actual conditions of business and it
, adoption would serve a great and bench