Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-08-15
FOOD STOCKS IN SEVERAL CITIES
 C0NF|SCATED Large Seizures by Federal Off, cers in Chicago, St. Louis
 and Birmingham. PALMER TO PROSECUTE ALL "UNFAIR" DEALERS Attorney General Says $5,000 Fine and Imprisonment Measure is
 Necessary to Effective
 Campaign.

Washington, Aug. Manifestations of the real punch behind the gov ernment's campaign to reduce the high cost of living were given today in unmistakable fashio min many cities.
 While Attorney General Palmer was telling the senate agriculture committee that he intended to prose- cute every dealer guilty of selling at higher prices than those listed by county, word came from Chicago, St. Louis and Birmingham of seizures of great quantities of foodstuffs by federal officials who recently were instructed to proceed under the food control act to stop hoarding.
 In Chicago, 1,282 tubs of butter, worth $50,0O0 was seized, in St.. Louis, 284,180 pounds of coffee, which had been showing rapid advances, in prices, and in Birmingham 100 barrels of sugar.
 Palmer told the senate committee he believed the great majority of farmers and food dealers were not profiteering, but that the suggested amendment to the food control act extending to clothing and providing a criminal penalty of $5,000 fine or two years Imprisonment or both, was necessary to make effective the cam paign against those who are dis honestly gouging the public. There was a division of opinion among the senators as to advisabilitv of the legislation, several declaring that the amendment gave the depart ment of justice too drastic powers on commerce while others questioned the constitutionalitv of extending the life of the food control act beyond the declaration of peace, as has been suppested.
 "Given this nena1ty. we can break the backbonesof this profiteering in so days" MT. Palmer retorted crispv, "and then you wont have to worry about the const;tutiona'itv,"
 $6OO,OO0 for Fight. The house agriculture committee proceeded with cold storage legisla- tions today and announced that to- morrow. the food control act would be taken up> with Assistant Attorney General Ames discussing the need for it in the campaign to reduce prices. ] Absent house members were order ed tonight to return to Washington at once. When it became apparent that the agriculture committee would report out the new legislation this week. Rerublican Leader Mondell and Minority Leader Clark declared they were determined to have a quorum present Monday.
 While the more drastic method o1 prosecutions will be used bv the de- nartment of justice to punish anc stop fragrant cases of nrofiteerin~ it was made clear today that the still effective licensing provisions of tht food control act would be invoked te reach dealers apainst whom no in. |dictment could be found in fedora courts. Officials of the food admin Iistration notified the department that II cents mound was fair price fol suoar and this information was trans mitted to district attorneys. with tht sienificant statement that were higher rrices were beino charged there evidently was profiteering.
 The denartment of agriculture to- day asked $4OOO0 from congress fol establishing information centers i, various cities. which would collect an, disseminate information concerning nricoc