Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-08-14
VAST HoARDs OF FOOD.
Palmer Turns Spotlight on Chicago
aad Other Trade Ccntcrs.


and Other Trade Centcrs.
Washington, Aug. 14.-While the
administration was pressing congress
for the appropriation Of nearly s3.-
000, 900 with which to fight the high
er moved to expose the alleged hoard
ing Of foods on vast scale by the
packers and spectators in the great
cold storage warehouses OF Chicago
and other distributing centers.
The attorney gerAral telegraphed in
stpuctions to the federal bureau of in
vestigation In Chicago and other cities
to furnish to the newspapers the facts
concerning quantities of foods held IN
storage in excess or the amounts nor
mally required for future supply, or
held for moro than q reasonable Pc
Rod.
Mr.. Palmer's instructions were to
make public the names Of the persons
or concerns responsible for sucn
boarding and the amount of each
commodity unreasonably stored.
Vast Stores in Chicago.
The attorney general in this quest
has his vision focused particularly on
Chicago, because that city Is the great
est food storage center In the world,
and because he has been Informed, he
Gays, that there are vast stores OF the
necessities Of life being held there by
SPECTATORS aiming to reap golden
harvest on a higher market.
There will be prosecutions of such
spectators. Mr.. Palmer said today, and
the publicity given the boarding, he
thinks, will result in speedy release
Of the excessive amounts Of food being
withheld from public consumption. He
will be greatly surprised II the result
is not an almost immediate decline In
the prices Of meats. eggs, canned foods.
and other commodities.
"Of course it is necessary to store
large amounts OF food for future sup
ply" Mr.. Palmer said, '.and we are not
storage and other warehouses. But
we are informed that the stores are
excessive for this period Of the year,
and we are striking at the excess
which clearly represents boarding"
i Food Held Beyond Legal Period.
Reports to the department Of justice.
the attorney general said, disclose
amazing quantities Of food held in
storage, even beyond the maximum
periods fixed by the laws Of many
states.
Because Jurisdiction over large pro-
portions Of such stores had been ques-
toned in the case Of foods awaiting
interstate shipment, the individual
states have been unable to reach the
hoarders.
Mr. Palmer said he had offered fed
eral assistance in the effort to get at
Offenders claiming the immunity Of
the twilight zone" between state and
federal Jurisdiction.
The attorney general admitted that
New Jersey is one Of the states in
which excessive stocks Of food have
been reported in storage. It was his
own state Of New Jersey that Presi-
dent Wilson held up TO congress as
model Of the regulation Of cold storage
under one Of the "seven sisters" laws
enacted while Mr.. Wilson vas gov
ernor.
The president thought congress
could do no better than to extend the
New Jersey scheme Of regulation to
the entire country. The revelation
that New Jersey is prime offender in
boarding foods proved a shock to
the administration. Mr.. Palmer would
not undertake to say whether the New
Jersey law had proved a failure or had
not been efficiently enforced.