Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-11-06


Smith. Philadelphia Babcock, Pitts
brrgh; Cornell. Scranton, and others.
District Attorneys Rotan. Philadel-
phia. Rowand, Allegheny. and others.
Mayor D. l.. Kiester, City solicitor
Jchh E. Fox and other Harrisburgers
and Burgess I. 4. McEntee. of steel
ton, were also present.
The Governor said that it was most
important that officers should have
behind them Public sentiment and
that the State and Federal Govern
ments were planning to work togeth-
er to bring down the expenses of liv-
Ing. The Governor presented the At
torney General with a tribute to the
work he had been doing toward solv-
ing the great problem.
People say this campaign to reduce
living costs can't succeed. 1 don't care.
I'm going ahead with it and you can
and very materially in your commun-
tiles" said Mr.. Palmer. Il know some
body is going to get hurt but even if
some one does get hurt this work has
got to go on"
The attorney general said that there
were some "gougers" in business and
that it was the object to protect the
honest merchants as we'll as the public.
Hoverter Is Present
Mayor-elect George A. Hoverter. Dis
trict Attorney NJ. l.. Stroup, District
Attorney-elect Philip S. Meyer, and
other Harrisburg and county officials
were present
Lieutenant-G L. T.. Beidle-
man, Director Frank b. McClain, of the
Welfare Commission. all the deputies,
attorney general and Director of Foods
James Foust were present.
Mr.. Palmer said:
In anticipation of the enactment
of legislation which would enable
the department to deal more effec-
lively with profiteering and other
causes responsible for the high cost
of living, the department, in August
of this year, commenced to plan an
organization so that there might be
as little delay as possible in getting
the work under way after the neces-
sary amendments to the food con-
troll act were passed. The natural
nucleus of this organization was the
former Federal food administrators,
and accordingly they were asked to
undertake the direction of the fair
price work in their respective states
and to reorganize the former county
fair price committees to work in
connection with the Federal agen-
cies in the several states. There was
splendid response to this call to
render gratuitous public service and
approximately seventy per cent. of
the administrators accepted. The
Governors of the states were asked
to recommend some one to serve as
fair price commissioners in the
states where the former adminis-
traitors declined to serve. There is
now fair price commissioner for
practically all states. Approximate
ly fifty per cent. of the former
county fair price committees have
been reorganiZed. Through these
committees the department is able
to keep in close touch with the
prices throughout the country.
I'm every campaign of this char
acter, time is required to perfect
the organization. The work is all
ready beginning to show results and
now that the movement is well
started it will doubtless gain mo-
mentum rapidly.
How List Works
"I wish to call attention to two
or three very interesting facts that
have developed in the fair price
work, taking for example the first
fair price list published in Boston,
which had "a tendency to increase
prices on certain commodities. The
second fair price list published one
week later reduced all prices eX-
cept on one commodity, five per
cent from the previous week. The
third fair price list published one
week later made a further reduc-
ton of four per cent. on all COM
modities except two. butter and eggs
having increased some. Nearly as
good results have been accomplish
ed in a shorter period in Baltimore.
Practically all committees have
made a very substantial reduction
on n large percentage of the COM
modities affected.
Through very unique plan un-
der the direction of the United States
attorneys, the fair price committe of
Denver has been able to reduce meat
price more than % per cent by estab-
fishing certain days that are known
as days when the less desirable cuts
of meat are offered for sale in large
quantities at very much reduced
price. This plan has educated the
people of Denver to realize that some
or the cuts OF meat that have been
considered rather undesirable have as
much food val ueasthe csmfwyu
much food value as the more desir-
better cuts as the demand for this
class of meats increased. This plan
is being put into operation in a great
many of the adjoining states. and
has been suggested to the district at
torneys of all other states.
Immediately upon the removal Of
the restraining influence of the food
administration upon dealers in food
products. the prices of approximately
everything in the line commenced to
advance by leaps and bounds, and IL
became the duty of this department
to undertake to deal with the situa-
tion to such extent as might be prac-
ticable under existing laws.
PrOhteering Responsible
"Profiteering and boarding are re-
sponsib1e for a considerable part of
the prevailing high prices. The Lew
Ell food control act, under which the
food administration operated. and
through the enforcement OF which act
the department is now trying to re-
duce high prices, unfortunately did
not provide a penalty for acts there
in declared to be unlawful. The de-
partment was unable to effectively
deal with many cases of profiteering
which came to its attention. The
President realized the gravity of the
mounting prices of the necessaries of
life, and appeared before Congress
August 8. this year. and urged an i'm
mediate amendment to the food con-
troll act to extend it's scope to all the
necessaries of life; to provide PEN
atty for violations of Section 4 of this
act which made profiteering unlawful