The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-08-12
CONTROL ALL FOOD
PRICES IN ENGLAND
Has Not Secured Cheap
! Food, but Prevents ?
Profteering " $Ff,
FURTHER ADVANCES
ARE EXPECTED
Food Controller Says This is Due to
Increased Cost of Production-Gov-
eminent Ownership of Food the Most
Satisfactory.

LONDON. Aug. 12-The statement
made before the select committee of the
house of commons on profteering by the
food controller, G. II. Roberts, constitut-
ed a concise and complete summary of
the system of food control exercised in
the United Kingdom during the war and
up to the present time. Dealing first of
all with the scope of that control, Mr.
Roberts said that the prices of practically
all foods had been controlled. In fact
when control was most complete, it was
estimated that 81 per cent of all the food
consumed in the country was subject to
maximum prices. Nothing of Importance
was omitted except green vegetables and
some fruits
Early in 1919, he sad, the government S
policy was to demobilize the food min
istry, with other wartime departments,
as rapidly as possible and certain foods,
the most important of which were bacon,
hams, lard, margarine, fresh fish, tea and
condensed milk, were partly freed from
control This action is now being recon
sidered, however, in view of the decision
to continue the food ministry another
| year at least.
In general, despite this partial control
| of food, prices remain at nearly the same
| level as before, and, except within very
| limited field of uncontrolled or incom-
pIetely controlled foods, anything in the
| nature of proiteering is excluded Tn
| doubtedy. under the system of control,
| the people of the United Kingdom have
| enjoyed relatively favorable conditions re-
garding food prices, as compared with the
prices of most other essential articles
here and with food prices in other coun-
| tries
| The method and degree of control the
| food minister continued have naturally
varied with different foods In all i'm
portant cases, however, the control has
| been complete, that is the ministry has
itself owned supplies fixed prices and
margins at all stages and directly or in
ftlisectly regulated distribution The mar
gins allowed to different classes of deal
ers in these cases have been determined
after an investigation of the profits made
| in normal times and fixed so as to allow
no more than a reasonable profit.
! When full control has been taken, pro-
| titeering has been excluded without caus.
| ing any breakdown of supply or distribu
ton The following points. however, have
| to be noted: First, complete control with
| fixed prices practically aboEshes or ignores
distinctions of quality; and second, the
determination Of a proper margin Is very
| difficult. Nevertheless there is no doubt
in view of the minstry's experience, that
control is apt to be successful, in proper
ton to its completeness. and that, in the
face of a serious shortage, partial contro
is useless and dangerous.
In some cases indeed the ministry has
fixed prices at all stages but has not &C
tually owned supplies and the scheme has
worked out reasonably well. The fixine
Of the retail price alone without fixing
prices at the earlier stages has almost
invariably led to serious trouble. The
small retailer gets squeezed, bigger anc
more efficient shops or caterers Absorb
supplies and distribution is upset
In respect of certain foods, notably
green vegetables, there has been no con
troll of prices and in respect of others
notably fish, control could not be made
exact enough to exclude all forms of ex
cessive profit. This has been due to thu
special difficulties connected with deal
ing with these articles.
Food control in any country, the minis
ter continued, is only of value in check
ing the rise of prices due to scarcity ant
consequent prohteering.
High prices in the United Kingdom nov
are not mainly or largely due to scarcit
but are due either to the increased cost