The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-21
PROTEST GROWS ON
HOG PRICE FIXING
$50 Produce Exchange Men,
bcrs Sign Petition to
Gregory.
OTHER PROTESTS MADE
Demand for Resumption of
Old Supply and Demand
Method Is Made.

Tho petition to Thomas w. Gregory.
Attorney-General of the United States
TO do something to prevent any further
arbitrary price fixing OF hogs by 30
called hog price fixing committee. had
been signed by about $50 members OF
the New York Produce Exchange at the
close OF trading yesterday. That the
members are tremendously in earnest
over their contribution to the nationwide
protest against a continuance of the
Governmental price fixing programme
was borne out by the eagerness with
which the great majority of them signed.
Men stood about in groups all day dis
cussing the agitation in favor OF Fed
eral action that will help to bring down
the sky high costs OF living, and APP
parently all were agreed that something
should be done as soon as possible TO
get artificial prices Off the books and let
the law of supply and demand do It's
work.
Another call came from a Stock Ex-
change member yesterday for Il copy of
the petition so It could be circulated on
that exchange for the signatures OF the
brokers' The Produce Exchange men
who have had the petition In hand de-
cided that II was matter that con-
oerned foodstuffs alone, and agreed 10
limit their particular activities TO the
men who are engaged solely In the
handling of the products OF agriculture.
No official copy of the petition, there
fore, was sent over. 1t was argued that
IL the Stock Exchange men wished TO
forward a petition Of their own 1t was
up to them to do so.
Mapv prodnca EYcbapge houses
ceived kilograms yesterday from Chi
cago and elsewhere urging those work.
ing to restore old supply and demand to
their former places in the scheme or
things. to keep up their agitation until
something Is accomplished that Will
help American business get back to
normal The gst OF many Of the mes
sages was to the effect that artiticially
high prices cannot be maintained long
In the face OF the general agitation
throughout the country.
II Is known that some bankers who
have advanced firms loans on their
holdings Of -four have opposed the propo-
eition that anything be done about Uncle
SANS strong hold on the wheat situa-
ton until after the 1919 wheat crop has
been disposed Of at the Government g
guaranteed price OF seas per bushel.
Their argument, which IS admitted
by many to be a perfectly natu-
raj one, is that II the artificial. or
fixed price is abandoned and that wheat
be sold at world market prices the price
Of -four will drop and the value OF the
original flour holdings TO which they
have made loans up TO 30 per cent.
would shrink The men who have sug-
gested that Uncle Sam should pocket
the loss between the guaranteed prize
and the price at which wheat would
sell under normal conditions at COM
ret!tivc trading. say that scheme
should be worked out whereby nobody
should suffer financially excepting Uncle
Sam himself Inasmuch as he must
and will keep his promise TO pay the
farmer S2.26 for wheat. they say, he
should be glad for the sake Of 10 per
cent. Of the country's population. maxi
ing I'D the consumer class 70 Compen-
site everybody who would lose by the
transaction in order that the costs of
roodstuffs may be reduced and period
Of public oontentment be inausurated.