Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-11-17
GOVERNMENT GRAPHING WITH
PROBLEM OF HIGH AND uN.
y JUSTIFIED PRICES
MORE THAN 1000 ARRESTS
AND MANY CONVICTIONS
Fines Asareeatins $4,000 Assessed
Against offenders-Sir Eric 6eddes
Definition Of q profteer Generally
Accepted. by Local courts-systsm
of Investi cation Is Complete
TBy Associated Press.l

rBy Associated Press.l
London, Dot 2S.-Great Britain
stupendous effort to grapple with pro-
riteering Is just disclosed by tho work
Of 1900 tribunals which have prose-
cuted 1850 offenders and secured l.s.'
convictions. with fines asgregaune
sS5,000.
Besides setting up these local trib
unals to which complaints again .
dealers are submitted, appeal trib, nails
have been established in specific
areas OF England, Scotland and Wales
In addition central committees also
have been formed to investigate sup.
posed trusts or monopolies which may
be manipulating wholesale prices. This
has been done under the profiteerine
act.
Apart from the prosecution OF COM
plants, the board Of trade, which Is
charged with the administration OF the
anti proflteering law, is independently
investigating prices, costs and profits
OF a large number of articles In COM
mon use. 1t has formed a costings
committee, composed OF distinguished
accountants, which Is assisting the
central committee in it's task. A sub
committee on trusts has been empow-
cred to obtain whatever technical and
expert assistance may be required.
In scope, the act applies to amy ar
ticle or class Of articles which Is one
OF a kind in common use by the pub
lie" or to any material. machinery or
accessories used in the production OF
such articles" The act does not apply
to CONTROLLED" articles. such as but
ter. sugar, beer, flour. Hquors-com-
modities for which maximum prices
were fixed by wartime legislation.
A clear-cut definition Of the term
"profiteering" has been q point which
has given local tribunals much diff
Guilty in the prosecution Of their tasks.
So far. the definition laid down by Cir
Auckland Geddes, president Of the
board of trade, has been accepted as
a basis for prosecution. It follows:
The making of an unreasonably large
profit, all the circumstances being
known. by the sale to ones fellow cit
liens Of an article which Is one. or one
Of q kind, in common USE"
On the moot question Of what con-
stitutes an unreasonable profit" c.
A. McCurdy. parliamentary secretary
to the ministry Of food. recently de-
clared. "One Of the causes Of prof.
teering Is the fact that the public
seems to have lost all sense OF what
is a reasonable profit. A good prin-
ciple for tribunals to work upon is moi
| to ask themselves whether the prof,
Is higher than someone else Is charg-
ing, but is the profit arrived at on any
reasonable business principles or is II
merely dictated by avarfce and greed p
Mr.. McCurdy has characterized the
! profiteering act as AN abnormal rem.
edy for an abnormal state Of public
feelirg-an act not intended to harass
British trade, but to help it restore 1,
to normal and healthy conditions"
| Critics of the governments anti pro
fiteering machinery point to officia
figures just published in the board O.
trades Labor Gazette showing that
despite efforts to beat down living
costs, the general level Of retail price!
on Oct. was about 12O per cent above
pre-war figures, or an increase Of
per cent as compared with the level o
Sept. last when the local tribunal!
were ySt.sL getting unueE way. DuL IL !
not contended, even by these fault
finders, that the increase would no
have been larger had the government
made no effort to bring the prof.
teers to book.
Against such objections may be Be
such testimonials as that of the Var
mouth profiteering committee whicl
claims that q reduction In wholesale
prices by as much as IS per cent ha!
been noticeable in that locality.
Membership Of the local tribunals 4
fixed at from seven to twenty-five
two of whom must be women. All com
plants are heard In public except II
special cases when under authority o
the board Of trade. proceedings may
be In private. Books or documents
produced at private hearings are to b.
treated as, confidential II tho perso,
producing them 80 desires. Labor /
represented on the local tribunals ant
ON the central committee, among th
members Of the. committee being J. II
Thomas. executive head Of the rail
way men during the recent strike an
G. Fl. Stuart Burning, president Of tn
British Trades Union Congress.
Local tribunals have been empower
ed to investigate all claims brOu oh