The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-12
$2,s7s,sS2 VOTED
TO HUNT PROFIYEER
House Committee Reports
Large Sum to Finance
Prosecutions.
SECRET SERVICE TO AID
Federal Trade Commission
Gets $4,000 to Inventory
Basis Commodities.
Special DespatcA to The Sun.


WASHINGTON, Sept. 11.--Large appro-
priations TO enable the Government Wig
orously to prosecute profiteers and
hoarders and otherwise to fight high
prices were agreed upon by the House
Appropriations Committee to-day and re-
ported to the House as part Of the first
deficiency appropriation bill of the pres
ent fiscal year.
The significant feature Of the appro-
priations decided on Is that practically
all the money allotted to the high cost
of living campaign Is for wholesale
prosecution Of those responsible for the
present high prices Attorney General
Palmer gets practically all of the ST.
100000 he asked for the Department OF
Justice and much of this will be used to
provide special attorneys, agents and
other officials needed in an effort ito get
rough with the profiteers."
Provision also is made for additional
marshals and clerks for the Federal
courta The total appropriation for the
Department is s2,37s,3S25s. Mr.. Pal
mer Informed the committee he desired
to spend $4,000 a day to lower prices.
Secret Service Made Available.
The bill also carries the authority the
President asked to enable him to employ
the Secret Service in ferreting out
hoarders OF commodities and appropri-
ates $50, 900 for this work. The Secret
Service agents will work in cooperation
with the Department of Justice opera
tives.
The Federal Trade Commission re-
ceives $4,000 to make an immediate
inventory into six basic commodities
with a view to determining the amounts
being held for higher prices and other
market manipulations. These commodi-
ties are steel and iron, fuel. lumber, tex
tiles, leather. meat and cereals.
The high cost of living appropriations
were granted in face of what is proba-
bly, the record reduction of departmental
estimates for additional funds. The bill
carries total of $14.1S4,70467, while
the amounts requested were more thar
three times that amount, or $47,752,-
4S1.94.
Efforts OF the several Government de-
partments to set up elaborate machinery
tor the compilation of the mass of sta
tistics, and the issuance of long reports
by which II was claimed the cost of liv-
ing could be reduced. suffered most In
the Republican economy programme.
The committee believed the only way
TO stop profiteering Is through proeecu-
tons In all parts OF the country by the
Department of Justice, and consequently
refused to allow appropriations for the
other expenditures which have been the
pet theories" of several department
heads for many yeaps. Chairman Good
said.
The requests of this class refused
were:
Department of Agriculture. $500, o0(
for investigation of the warehouse sit
uation and weekly reports OF the amount
OF foods In storage.
Department OF Commerce, S4S5.000 fol
gathering statistics and explaining tC
the public how to cook fish cheaply.
Department of Labor, s475,000 fol
gathering statistics on retail trade anc
reports on labor conditions.
The largest direct appropriation wal
Sc, 046,4 71.l1 for the War Risk Insurance
Bureau, a reduction of more than $40,
000, 900. In response to the request Of
the Navy Department for S1S.o00,000 foI
repairs to ships, the committee author
lied, exclusive Of the appropriations, the
expenditure of 100000 for this wori
from unexpended balances. The Depart
ment OF Agriculture was allowed 81,
SOC, 900 TO fight forest fires.