New-York tribune., 1919-08-07


the meaning of the act, and to ascer
tain if in any other respect these
provisions of the food control act
have been violated in your district.
Please proceed with promptness and
diligence to make a thoroughgoing
Investigation of conditions in your
district with respect to possible vio-
lations of this law Id of the anti
trust laws. and, when the evidence
warrants, see that arrests are made
without further instructions.
This is business of prime impor-
tance, which demands your mmedi-
ate personal attention. Conditions
require countrywide campaign
against hoarders and profiteers, and
] desire the Department of Justice
TO use every legal means available to
put an end to their activities
One of the suggestions put up
to President Wilson for submission to
Congress is that price tax" system
be provided as means of checking
retail profiteering. The proposal was
made by Postmaster General Burleson,
but is understood to have found little
favor with the President.
Under this plan price tag would be
attached to the container Of every
food product, showing the price at
which it was bought from the manu-
facturer or producer and the success
sive increases in price added by the
various middlemen until it reaches
the hands of the consumer. Postmaster
General Burleson said this system
would have tendency to check fla
grant profiteering by middlemen, and
where it did not the price tags would
furnish evidence that could be used in
prosecutions.
| Congress to Retain Free Hand
Congress will welcome all the sug-
gestions the President has to make for
legislation to reduce the cost of living.
Chairman Gronna Of the Agricultural
Committee said, however, his commit
tee would not blindly follow every
recommendation.
Eve will listen respectfully" he
said. "We will take what is good and
reject what is bad. If any. system of
price-fxing is recommended it will al
most certainly be rejected. Price Y
ing was the ruin of eery nation that
attempted it in the ancient days. and
it would be the ruin of this nation if
we tried it now"
Senator Gronna believed that little
rrelef from high prices would be af-
forded by legislation. The only solu
ton he saw was for "everv one pro-
ducing necessities of life to get on the
job and work fourteen hours a day"
~ heat is commanding So a bushel
to-day" he explained. '"rhe grain cor
poration can pay only $3.50. Where is
it to get wheat at that price? 1t can't
ANY suggestion to the contrary Us ri
diculous. There is q world shortage of
wheat. / learn to-day that North Da-
kota, instead of producing 1O0,O0O,OoO
bushels, as it did last year. will pro
duce only 50,00O,000 bushels. ! have
predicted that the wheat crop would
not be over S50,0O0,O0 bushels. I say
now that it would not amount to more
than 800000,000 bushels"
Packer Complains of Injustice
Mr.. Wilson, the packer, in his testi-
mony before the Senate investigation
committee protested against the meth
DDS of the Federal Trade Commission
in its inquiry into the meat packing
business. To get correct analysis
of the situation, he said it was neces-
sary to consider the producer, the re-
taller and the consumer instead of
the packer alone.
"As an example Of the Federal Trade
Commissions inaccuracy," said Mr..
Wilson, II will cite a statement given
out by the commission that the packers
are getting more for their tanned hides
than the private or smaller dealer gets
for the so-called native hides. This is
not true, for to-day the native hides
are bringing more than the best type
of dried leather hides put out by the
packers.
"The Federal Trade Commission has
had all the facts of our business in its
hands. For the last year or so an ac-
countant from that commission has
been right on our books. These have
also been open to the food administra
:, 1I1,
to you Senators any time you care to
see them. -~.'~
Denies Profits Are Growing
$50 far as control is concerned | will
venture the prediction that the packers
for this year, with the food administra-
ton control off, than they did when the
food adm inistratiOn limited their ac-
tivites.
"You will never legslate and get
lower prices. The whole world is on
holiday. Until people everywhere -
Europe and America settle down and
stop spending money like drunken sail
ors,' if you will pardon the EXPRESSION
can't conhne this investigation to the
District OF Columbia. 1t is world
wide condition. have Just returned
from a. trip through all parts of Eu-
rope. find the same conditions there
Everybody spending money and taking
no thought of the future. Only the
people themselves can change condi-
tons.
81 do not like to pass judgment on
the retailer. He has to cater to the de-
mands for telephone service for orders,
to quick deliveries, to special deliver
les and to bookkeeping to suit his GUS
toners. He has to charge wide mar
gin to cover in these expenses. But you
gentlemen can find out exactly about
the retailer, and ] think it is within
your province to do So"
Isidor j. kresel who has been des-
ignated by Attorney General Palmer to
prosecute the meat packers, was an AS
sstant District Attorney of New York
County under William T. Jerome. He
I took an active part in the traction and
insurance Investigations. Mr. Kresel
was also employed to aid Attorney Gem
eral Palmer while Mr.. Palmer was Alien
Property Custodian.
Britain Plans LalU