The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-08-12

no promises. Since the people Of
Wheeling are dcfraying the expenses o.
the Investigation figures are obviously
rho peoples property.
Further qur,t."u!nE brought froIL
Riley tn" slHtrmrul that There S ~
price fixing among English speaking
dealers at til" audI'vrIun." lie con,
tlnucd. If I can buy At less than he
other fellow and sill at the SAM p:!cc
II" charges. that's my business and my
advantage"
Argument Cegins.
Witness WAS asked If the percentage
Of uruCIt tins year is more than during
1914 and did not answer. He was asked
| the basis for excessive prices and sad:
The country man sees tho union wages
If the city man and demands similar
wages and our rNpcnS"S 20 w"
Solicitor O'Bricn debated this by tell
INK that tho Nj. d" Chantal FERNS sold
fine corn in Wheeling Saturday at 2'c
per dozen while other dealers demanded
80. 35 and 30 cents for "nubblns.'
More producers md less consumers
will solve the problem" said Riley.
Kill The Consumer
Then, according to your way Of
thinking. we ought To kill Il few con-
/
NO. but we ought tc have more pro-
duccrs' explained Riley.
/ Rcrt Meade. OF the Trades Assembly
| took up the questioning. He asked III"
witness. Riley. how much he knew about
union wages and after considerable
time Riley explained that what he
meant by his remarks was that farm
hands had gone to tho coal mines Of
Ohio where they arc earning more than
farmers can pay them. Mr. Meade cN-
planned that he is n carpenter and that
, the carpenters refused 10 ask increased
wages. in tho hope that the cost OF liv-
| my will come down.
At tho conclusion Of tho Riley tcsti-
mony William Caravasios. restaurant
proprietor. submitted 10 tho committee
! statements Of his income tax. cash reg
! lister slips and bank books. lie laid all
Of his books and records before the
| committee.
Harry Martin and John Roller, two
| other stand operators. asked the com
mittcc TO excuse them. SO that they
could get away his morning for a two
weeks auto tour. They were excused
subject &c call. upon their return TO tn"
city.
Although City Solicitor O'BrIcn and
Captain McCamic are able attorneys and
do most 81 the questioning. other NOM
hcrs OF III" committee civ" valuable aid
in conducting examinations. This H.
particularly true Of y. T.. GlriCh, Of the
". +. Bchr"nS company. who represents;
tn" Chamber Of Commerce with Captain
MCClmiC. Mr.. Ulrich conducted tho ~.
animation Of several witnesses Yesterday
and proved an ahl" examiner. II" knows
the business we'll. and being familiar with
cast prices. docs not allow anything "a
slip by.
Bert Meade, of the Trades Assembly.
is on his toes all OF the time ana yes
tcrday caused considerable amusement
whcn he insisted that n witness "Xplln
shortage of pruncS and raisins to prove
that workinEmcn arc not boarding thcrn
to make "hooZC"
Arch Wilson keeps tab on the rnarcial
end Of the situation and QQulCkly helps
figure out how many times a day some
OF the dealers turn over their Money. In
fact, every member OF the coTmittee
chimes in now and then with some
searching questions.
At tn" conclusion Of the afternoons
probe City Solicitor 0E"icn mad" known
that he intends going thoroughly int"
the auditorium business. in the hurc that
he may throw out all middlcmCn AID put
producers in control Of their stands.
Mr.. OEricn said: The market audi
torium stands were installed for liz pro-
duccr, not for middlcmcn TO gouge tn"
public. and We intend stopping 'h"m.'
John Il. Wilson. federal agent Of the
department Of justice. took copiUIs potcs
of all testimony.
MoE1ng Session.
II n I,nln II. frr,i
and produce dealer was the first witness
yesterday morning when the inquiry
opened in the Criminal court room.
Mr.. McCluSkcy told the committe"
that the produce dealers were making
less profit on their sales today than any
other business in the city. lie testified
to the fact that the retailers in tn"
Market auditorium were not protltecr
lng saying that it was necessary for
those men to make at least a profit IF
80 per cent in order to make any money
Attorney Charles McCamic while
questioning Mr.. McCluskcy attempted
- show that on small capital invest
cd the produce dealers were making
profit Of 100 10 $50 per cent. Mr.. Nc
CluskCy in answering these charges
told the committee that If any such
profits were made they were made
through the personal efforts Of III"
heads Of business and not from protitCer-
ing.
With the records Of his business be-
fore him he gave the committee tho
figures on his business since the Corp"-
ration was effected and they showed
that he had turned his capital over
about seventeen times Il year. lie sad
that the reason for the large business
came from the fact that the men inter.
rsted worked diligently 10 handle Thu
immense business and make tho profits.
He said that they aimed TO max" "n!r
10 p"r cent profit and showed by his
records that the declaring Of dirldcpd"
was possible only because no chances
,vcrc rSscd Z, hnnllr all tho business