New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
Market Experts Fear More
Complications If Revival
of Food Control Board
Is Finally Agreed o77
War Profits High, Charge
Fixing Standard Prices for
New York Is Impossible,
Says One of Committee

Wholesale and retail food dealers
and food market exports expressed
disappointment yesterday over the
With few exceptions they declared
that his uggestons, even if carried
out and vigorously enforced, would not
relieve the situation. bu. might tend
to add to the complications.
The interest of local dealers and ex-
perts centred around the President 5
recommendation to make permanent
the Lever wartime food control bill.
This was objected to for the following
rcasonS:
/. The wide RANGE of varieties of the
same commodities sold in New York
City make it practically imposs bic to
fix standard price and charge all
those demanding more with protitcs'- :
ing. Louis Straus, head Of l.. Open
helmer Company and member of the.
price determining committee of the
Federal food board said that this diff
iiculty was clearly brought out during
the war.
.. Under government control deal
ers' profits were moro liberal than
with competition alone fixing prices,
because the tendency of the food ad
ministration was to promote conserva
ton and higher prices were thought to
aid. Emil Joseph, a Washington mar
ket butcher, declared that many deal
ers made double profits during the ten
ancy Of the Federal food board.
Not Conducive to Growth
3. Governmental control in peace
time would not be conducive to the
natural growth Of enterprises.
The Presidents plan Of licensing cor
pOratons engaged in Interstate COM
mcrce was criticised almost as severely
as his extension Of wartime food con-
troll suggestion. Wholesale and COM
mission merchants pointed out that
they would suffer, while hastily formed
inconsequential organizations would
thrive
"The system of placing commission
out at present by the state" one dealer
Of thirty years standing declared
Firms doing an Illicit business adver
tise for shippers consumption that
they are bonded by the state They
receive supplies and perhaps defraud
the shippers out Of thousands OF dol
lars before they are caught. ] know OF
one instance of a firm which made
$4,000 on Illicit transactions. It's
$1,000 bond was forfeited But the
concern was winner by $1,000. The
NiOuDiC Will ctltiSll lltcHolllS is ludC
it does not place a premium on proved
reliability. Before the eyes Of the
shipper one bonded or licensing firm
seems as good as another and this is
unfair. Before licenses can be revoked
the evidence must be conclusive, en-
abling clever dealers to escape for
long time and to make every moment
of their operations profitable"
Favors Beef Importation
Two butchers thought it was re
markable that the President made no
reference to the importation OF Argen-
tine and Australian beef.
The cost of living would have
rocketlike descent if the President
would have fleet of ships assigned to
the importation Of Australian or Ar
gentine beef one said. "At present in
Australia there are 400,O00,000 pounds
of beef, mutton and lamb, as well as
huge stores of hides. The Australian
freezers are packed to capacity and no
live stock can be slaughtered except
for current domestic consumption.
"The few boats belonging to the ship
ping board which are now Transporting