Evening star., 1919-01-19
FOOD CHAOS FEARED
IF CONTROL LAPSES
Experts Look for Era of Wild Speculation
Unless Congress Acts to Protect
Americas Stores.

other functions Of food adnInIstrat,oo
must continue. Some organization
must he continued or some organtza.
tloh must he net ap 10 guide our dis,
! irlpnfion Or food abroad, " 1t shail
.hott heeessitons. This implied q
large knowledge of Eurcpsan ana
.bfNisn conditions. and can only be
| iouhdfh on continued expansive
DtRhhi|atlnn, The vast purchases for
| sknoTt are NOW nil In tho hands Of
governments. many ef them acting I'm
common. and thejr powers IN, buyfnH
| could, IT fnisnaed. ruin our producers.
| Or hlfsrnativ"iy. DO infinite harm 10
! our consumers. An utter chaos Of
| Hp"euiatton and profiteerlng would
reign II these buyers were not co..
0fdlnated and controlled
| Softte On" rteat coordinate tina
| INTERNAL transportation OF these large
exports with our domestic distrfbp-
| ton III VIC are not TO entan1Is atr
J domestic supplies and arc 10 have ef.
| 'scitYe handling In our ports Horns
! one must cooperate with the shin
ping board Ia the provision of oysr-
| fess tonnage, Some one must organ
re our own needed imports Of sugar.
| eoHeE ana vegetable oijr gome 0nA
! must stimulate and guide our people
| ia their desire 10 help In this war
against famine. I. Ia in these dffac.
! ti1ne that the future OF some Kind Of
| food administration lies"
Control in Divers WAYS.
control by the food administrator
| over prices has been accom- plishsd In
dIvsfs ways II has had absolute con.
troll over whea. and wheat products
| ana can issue liz mandates with the
authority Of 10 " bshinG them ffs cops
tf9t over sugar ir almost equally abss~
| 'bfss tbin government. In c1nnsciton
| with the allied governments Of Euraps.
| having contracted for the entire Cuban
sugar crop. With this government
controlling the raw sugar supply. tt
WAS Ia position 10 make sdvantA~
, se"as terms With the refinsrs. The
avrfass prs."ar profits Of the rs.
nnsfa had been sis4 Der hundred
pounds. They agrsed that they cosBl
10 business with refining profit of
slzb hundred pounds and with this
| az q basis the distributing profits eE
| whpiesaiers and retailers were hxe6s
| Ey license restrictions, by limiting
profits To fair" and normal: by prcs
visions against The accumulation ~
deniers OF stocks beyond the nsesaHI-
! tiss Of their trade. by insisting thne
selling price shall hs based on cONe
aHd MOI on replacement values; by for.
! bidding sales within the trade wtteb
did not advance progress Of the conn
modify from prodncer to consumsfs
ard by other sttpuiations-~-soms man.
dntory under the licensing power aA1
others bY voluntary agreamert--the
food administration since isa orgaAts
zation has kept prices ~ an approzts
mate level, despite the constantly IN.
ereasing cost Of production. II has
beef done by squeezing out the pro0fo
of the mtddteman and reducing tn
cost Of distribution.
| Sensational Price Advances.
Every one remembers The saass-
tt0naf advance In the price Of all GoAd-
stuffn during April and May. 1917. fots
lowing entry of the United States tnto
the waf. The index number Of The
Anuaiis," 1T this beginning of Apstts
/ 1917, stood At $50 representing tho
price Of twenty-five principal food
commodities. Ey the spd OF this fol-
| lowing May IL stood ~ zss. an advance
Of foety-figs points.
| Sir. Hoover WIS sps 9intGd food sd
rnsntstrator IN May and began h1e
fight against speculation BY July The
index number was down 70 ze5, Ainee
then prices have been held in y yaffA~
bic btss fairly level line, never Eofn{
/ higher than The 2gD Of May. 1917. ana
never agsfrt quite down 80 the zs6 81
| .iss folio wing j8Iy, Far sfss nrst week
! 81 the present month TIE index ktS00
/ az Zs5s just two points below the
I 5fgh~watsf mark The sigrf6chacs ~
This achievement fs that tho prspog~
s5os. af the final selling prizes rhacD
| the yreaacer received hss steadily bH-
] creased. thus stimulating pfceactiSns
sf}E cost 50 l!as consumer SsiBK hstA
esa~n sy eslnsSpat tiofs st Intermediary
profits,
Story Of Whest and Ylour.
EestsY than inaex figures, The story
~ wheai and EoSr VIII eopysT ~
she avsys1e ssa.ef what garssfrtcfel
speculation az soosstBrs nssAns. ~
sixty dags IN tas spring OF 1917, ap~
sasssssasY preceding and following she
declaration of war. whsat 30sShca1
trstss s. ~ - :; 80 b1Shsi, THIS ~Ae
. purely speculative 9frannss bsssS
,ga et5ft s,<stit.s@ bDyanF faf foreign ss-
5ossbt aoS tts general impulse -.
higher gtines Fes9ii5ea from war
There was lrs u 70 besest 20 tsss pf~-
Gsrss. for t8e farmer aftss1y had sS&0
bas @nsas AZ q Dt5ss Averaging ssee
tAaa s. - a bsashs!. During sbf ssxne
period Gass aasabn@G ffDra ss,is .
barrel ausll on nay II ~ sold for VT.
an increase .sst sSaSsr iss per esnI
Tbts was .ss:s speculative Drcntssf-
ing wa,a9es a.9 sfs9sSE,sE 3ssIScs~
siass,
sfse. ,bs fosG zstuisss1szgtsn cssnA
saso exlssenes size speculative fSeTssss
II. tsss price ot sseess &ss gradually
eg$ts3gs&fsG sgd tite .,fEc4 vi .sgs vas
isrSsSxhs esaB - So syssags u Sfs.ke
q sgsFrst : ~ zsrla - IS bzsfsA
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KS ss.ssts.4 ssee rs r3Asrs} VIA bSy~
ysss!nf ~ iEs fSsk esa2 Gsaesr .
.-Gce a2&r&tsts<, ard ssss xp&<eDss1
F8fss 20 ne crap - As harvested thto
gear s:Qt s&&s SH~s res assxa stzAe
s&Sye magtsS Ss 80 Dc2ssssyJax 10
~ issHs s2sesss.ssetS esss sss f1>sS admin
ss9ss2gsss AZ pass os. ri sziscsne~ WIN
e 49, z2s
LAST teo.4ta a5e sgzs.>ry iSas hsS .
stt3E5ag 0.ss&s lesson "a irss sssyscs>
progseers gstfT ea ges. a
g'ae t99s stss1sakssrsssop. Iesxzax -
sse s4taS aaszs y Ggs}e cease -
fsssez52a aria ssrH&6sax .Ss cf2sS~
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eatszss - experiment - az 81 .sse ssAss1
s. ssas At = fsts$. f]1a eaS-sZss-s7 Der 81 ~
sars5sysse Etss sa-y@s sssssseS&1ss -
ssfa. NF@ E9SEsaass- ~ a+esg T., ~
n tssas -sssss5sgY ~ w;gsS}l sssk Ssss 80 -.
tso-s&sese Ss feesSs sst sassy 1xss5s,
.e cay Eass stGs~ 1es arr WAS .sssgyeI
5sza ss-s ses3sax 9 szs.tz S sen AZ Eae
sssSa-r TAO %@S.sS ssF-es fsAS ~ tslx1
sss 70 sSg & 800 GAGsts=gs % Dsces5~
bs- g 1ss sssaaaz 81 s1s - = tSa.
T@s ws@ks 2Ssss tos ssaSs r&S -
81 s4ss4