Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-14
The COMMISSIONER Bill.

A bill for the prevention of profteer-
ing and boarding of the necessities to
life in the District of Columbia has
been forwarded from the District
building to the Capitol. Following
generally along the lines advocated by
. the President in his recent address to
4 Congress, this measure proposes the
establishment of a fair-price admins
TRAITOR, who shall direct investigations
as to boarding human food, fuel or
clothing; instigate prosecutions of
those guilty of this practice; set far
maximum price upon the commodities;
: and prohibit sales at prices in excess
of those SO set. The price fixing, I'M
der the bill, would apply to both whole
sale and retail dealers, and a stipula-
tion tantamount to the licensing of
all persons, firms or corporations deal
ing in the commodities under consid-
Grafton supplies the means of retri-
button, in the form of license revoea-
tion, for profteering.
There are phases of the bill as drawn
which will require careful congress
sional study. The clause providing a
penalty for those who continue to do
. business subsequent to license reyoca-
. fion imposes a fine of 800 per day
to be levied against the offender.
While such penalty might serve to
control small firms guilty Of profteer-
ing, it is doubtful if it would prove
effective against concerns doing a
large business. The 800, to be sub
traeted from the daily. profit of such
q firm, if such exists, might we'll be
paid with smile while the prices were
lacked bit higher to cover the loss.
If licensing plan, involving license
';revocation for .profiteering. is to be
adopted as means of controlling this
evil it should be made effective against
all. The alternative Of a prison SEN
.tenee would render it so.
The establishing of fair maximum
price in the indicated commodities is
. problem entailing multiplex diff
culties. The price at which a given
srticle can be proitably sold by the
firm with small overhead, economical
servicssands no delivery might involve
q material loss to the firm with large
overhead, % expensive service and
prompt delivery. Whether a single
maximum price can be established for
both without working a hardship to
one. or permitting undue profit to the
other is dubious. Congress must pass
upon the question of whether a fair
maximum price for all would solve
the problem as effectively as general
supervision of the prices posted by the
individual dealer.
These and other phases of the pro-
posed measure will be stndied care
fully by Congress in considering the
bill. 4Gs.
a The passage Of some such measure
would Individually have a salutary ef-
feet, not only in the District, but
throughout the country at large. The
prices charged here would be closely
studied in. other comparable commu-
mites and the dealers in those COM
munities required to show cause when
their charges were more. Price con-
trolling and prohibition Of boarding
In Washington would serve as an OBJ
ject lesson to the nation and act as
drag upon the ballooning proclivities
of prices elsewhere. The bill thus as
9sumes more than local importance,
and should receive the prompt and
CAREFUL consideration Of the commit
tees.
81