Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-08-13
LITTLE ACCOMPLISHED IN IOWA
TO DATE AND ReTAIL PRICES
'tcbNTINue HIGH.
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL
MERCHANTS uNplsTuRsEp
Proceeding With Business Regardless
Of Agitation and Threats--6arnsy A.
Head Of Marketing Bureau Orders
Investigation Of Cold Storage Plants
and Inventory Of Stocks on Hand.
Special to Times Republican.

| Harding's crusade against profiteering
which was born nearly fortnight ago.
has not created ripple in retail prices
up to date If conditions In Des Moines
1 reflect those In other Iowa cities. =
| Prices in almost all departments re-
main las usual" Wholesalers and re-
tailers are proceeding calmly along
their usual courses. Inquiry today re-
vealed that the cost of living in Des
Moines hasn't gone down a dime.
There Is only one small indication
of a break: There was a decidedly
bearish tendency in corn, tomatoes and
other truck at the city market today.
This was mostly among individual
farmers. however, and did not extend
to the hucksters. who sell products
purchased from the commission hous-
| es.
Restaurant men have registered on
the other side Of the price scale. In
many cafeterias today the price Of
coffee-a nickel since the memory of
man runneth not to the contrary-had
been boosted to dime.
| Progress of the states campaign to
date, includes:
| Establishment of every county at
torney in Iowa in an investigation and
prosecution Of alleged illegal combi-
nations. (No results, in the way Of
grand jury investigations, have been
reported.)
Reorganization Of state marketing
| bureau which will collect price and
| supply information in all parts Of the
state. as we'll as information of price
fixing combinations. and pass on the
information to the people in the shape
of a daily bulletin thru the newspa-
pers.
food now in cold storage in Iowa ord
cred TODAY by W. B. Barney. head Of
the marketing bureau.
| 4-Governor Harding calls into con-
ference with him tomorrow ]. W. Gov
erdale, head of the county agents of
Iowa. with a view to enlisting the
county agents and home demonstration
agents in a drive for increased produc-
ton and elimination Of waste.
To Probe Cold Storage Houses.
| A special Investigation Of every cold
| storage house in the state was ordered
today by State Food and Dairy Com
missioner w. B. Barney.
! j. w. Coverdale, head Of the county
lagents, was summoned to a confer
ence with Governor Harding Wednes-
day morning. '"
! These are the two latest moves in
the states war on high prices.
The state food Investigators were
ordered to make a survey Of the con-
tents of every storage house in the
state to see whether boarding Of food
| stuffs for more than the three months
| lawful period is being carried on.
Houses Too Small.
1--WE do not expect to find many Of
tenders in the state" said Mr.. Bar
ney today. Eggs, butter and chick
ems may be exceeding the limit, but
the storage houses Of the state as a
| general rule. are not large enough to
| admit Of much boarding." ..
The calling of Coverdale by Gov
ernor Harding presages action by the
| ninety county agents and about twen-
ty-five home demonstration agents.
| No conference OF the county agents
but Mr.. Coverdale will be asked to
/ 5SS tt.S Guilty ~o~.t'6 va Iii- I'''' i'''
medately.
Market Bureau Busy.
| The county agents will be expected
| not only to secure information on
profiteering, but also to reinaugurate
some Of the wartime conservation
measures.
| The marketing. bureau established
Saturday by Governor Harding will
be running in full blast by the middle
Of next week. W.. B. barney, head Of
the bureau, said today.
The eighteen food Investigators Of
the state food and dairy commission
| will be notified to center all Of their
| activikies in securing evidences OF
| food profiteering and filling out the
questionnaircs which will be mailed to
them late this week.
Newspapers to Aid.
Newspapers will be enlisted to dis
seminate the information secured by
the questionnaires. The commission
has list Of about 500 county news
papers in addition toN;he daily news
papers Of the larger towns and cities.
They will be asked to devote con-
siderable space to marketing news, and
in that way to get the information
before the people.
A news letter will be issued each
week from the office Of the marketing
bureau, carrying the data which is
collected by the food investigators as
to kind and prices Of foodstuffs
available.