The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-08-05
REMEDY SOUGHT
FC2 HIGH PRICES
Conference Held in Washington
EJh;Ie Question is Discussed in
House and Senate.

House and Senate.
Washington, July 31.-Govern-
mental machinery was set in motion
today in response to demands from
She public that some official action
be taken to relieve the high cost of
living
Prices as they affect the average
consumer, assumed first place in in
-terest in the capital. At the White
House President Wilson was said to
he given "deep and very Thoughtful
consideration, to problems pres
scented to him and the railroad ad-
-ministration by members of the rail
road brotherhoods, who represented
that prices would have to come down
or wages go up, if social unrest was
not to develop into upheaval. In the
senate and house the situation gave
rise to several resolutions to investi-
gate the cause of existing price lev
els, another to reduce the volume of
currency in circulation as means of
refliating prices, one to request the
attorney general to stop speculation
in zoo, CT exchanges, and another
to sell this years wheat crop at mar
ket prices instead of at the govern
ment guarantee, the difference to be
made up by the government.
Late today Attorney General Pal
mer met eight high government offi~
cials whom he had summoned to his
office for discussion of high costs
and the best methods to pursue to ef
feet reduction. After talk last
ing nearly three hours, the confer
sence disbanded to meet again prob
ably next week, for further counsel
based on additional information to be
collected in the meantime. Those
attending the conference included
Secretaries Glass, Houston, Redfeld
.;and Wilson, Director General Hines,
Chairman Murdock of the federal
trade commission; Assistant Secre-
tary of the Treasury Leffinwell and
w. B. Colver of the federal trade
commission.
Lee Speaks Out.
It developed today that demands
for more wages were pending before
the railroad administration from sew
eral hundred thousand employees.
Perhaps the frankest talk govern
ment officials have heard in long
time came in this connection, in the
statement of W. G. Lee, president of
the trainmen, before the wage ad-
.justment board.
Mr.. Lee told the board that an in
crease in wages was not the proper
solution of the present econmic hard
ships under which working men are
aaboring because they would be fol-
lowed by the new increases in the
cost of everything which would more
than absorb the additional pay. Until
;an classes get together to stop profit
aeering, heasafd, the only thing for
every one tas Go is to get all the
wages he can, course, he declared,
would result eventually in precipitat-
ing the s..upheaval'' now staring the
country in the face.
Mr.. Lee made public an abstract of
the report of hearings recently held
by the board of railroad wages on the
trainmen's demands, at which he de-
.clared an unheaval twas nearer in
this country today than ever before
due to the unrest arising from
mounting living costs. The railroads
=and government departments had
better be assisting ''to crush profit
~eering" by the packers and other in
dustries," he said, than shouting
across the table at each other at
hearings to consider still furter in
>creases. ,-
cali of US are to blame," he said,
because we are exerting every ef-
fort to get more money for ourselves
and better conditions. Every day we
:-1umt realize that the profiteers are
stteesain4g double from the working men
what rs given them; and the trouble
afath The people on the hill (Capitol)
with us ;and with every corporation
and with everybody, is that we are
exerting ourselves to get the dollar,
while the working man is merely ex-
listing and while the profiteering is
piling up millions.
s*s~r Going Wrong Way.
81 will admit to you gentlemen