The Washington times., 1919-10-21
PROF|TEER|NG
CRY REFUTED
BY FAIR LIST
Food Administrators Price
Chart Denies Charges Made
BY Senate Subcommittee.

The nndinxs of the Senate District
subcommittee which Investigated the
high cost Of living in Washington
cad which submitted a report yester-
day claiming that local food dealers
reap an excessive profit from the sale
OF commodities in the Capital are not
in accord with the findings OF the
local fair price conni.tse, OF which
Clarence r. Wilson, Federol Food nd
ninistrator,-i is chairman
Washingtons fair prise association,
an organizotion OF dealers and con-
sumers, equally represented, has IS
sued, after exhaustive study OF local
market conditions, a series OF fair
price lists by which the dealer in
food Is allotted what Is considered
q fair and square margin Of proit.
Since Its first publication, more than
q month ago. there have been but few
Instances reported by. Washington
housewives of gouging by the local
merchants And when these reports
have been Investigated by officials OF
the Department OF Justice, the result
grounds for pro6teering charges were
Denses Proateerfnx.
The wilAn gness of Washingtons
food naerehants. to abide by the fair
price list on. certain commodities is
sued by Mr.. Wilson, has led him and
other members of the fair price COM
Fnittee. to make the statement in the
past that as class. Washington food
merchants do not engage in prohteer-
ing
When asked this morning to com
ment upon the Senate subcommittee's
report regarding the probable authen-
ticity of the grounds for profteering
charges 4&sinst Washington's mer-
chants. Ma Wilson was unable TO do
so because ne had not read the report
In addition. he said he did not feel
called upon to comment upon the
committee's report -
When told. however, that newspaper
reports Of the Senate subcommittee's
findings were to the effect that deal
ers here were engaged in pronteerins,
Mr.. Wilson pofnted TO the fact that
there have always been isolated cases
Of e<tortionate profits by some mer-
chants -
Although. this has been known by
Mr.. Wilson for some time, he recent
ly made the statement that he would
not prefer the charge or profteering
against Washington merchants as a
Ni4eSs ana more tnan once has re-
itersted his statement that local deal
ers were abiding by the fair margin
Of profit list.
Claim Cases Isolated.
Mr.. Wilson declined to comment
upon the report of the subcommittee
that frequently retail prices are from
200 to 800 per cent in excess of the
wholesale prices.
Ii has been pointed out that the
senate's subcommittee based its re-
port upon testimony taken from
many witnesses who probably based
their statements upon isolated cases
OF prohteering In Washington. In
addition. the prices In Washington, 1t
- said, are similar to high prices in
other cities, and the blame fer local
merchants Is perhaps not merited.
The Fair Price Committee is the
only official organ thus created to
deal with the local high cost of living
problem Its scope has been confined
to dealing with food products, al
though 1t has been intimated that II
may be broadened to include wearing
apparel later.
The need for legislation to enforce
such regulations as may be laid down
by the Fair Price Committee has been
felt, il is said. since its creation