The sun., 1919-09-03
FLOUR TRADESMEN
DENY PROFITEERING
Members of Produce Exchange
Say They Have Been False
ly Accused.
MAY START LIBEL ACTION
Point to Artificial Wheat
Price as Real Cause OF
Dissatisfaction.
MAY START LIBEL ACTION

Twenty-flye men of the -four trade
All chambers of the New York Produce
Exchanre. had an Indignation meet
ing at the Exchange yesterday Ihey
said they were weary of being accused
OF profiteering in breadstuffs ana Oh
price manipulation. A..
They held assertions OF this SOFT 70
be cruelty unfair, and were supporteo
by B. H. Wunder, a member OF .ne
fair nrice committee appointed by Ar
.bur Williams, Federal Food Admin
istrator for New York. He said the
-four merchants had played fair all the
wav through" and that they ought 70
assemble and publish the facts winch
would prove that liars are liars.
suggestion that a libel suit De
s,arted against an evening newspaper
because of an article especially irritat-
ing 10 the merchants was rsferreo 70
the counsel of the Produce Excnapee
for his advice. ,,,,.-
A statement prepared by commit,
tee, of which Edward f. Sihey,
Beave street, Is chairman, was hearo
with approval.
'Sro-dey." the committee said, we
are presumably at peace, but as yet
there has been no complete reauJusl
ment of values to the conditions OF
peace markets. so far as Hour is con-
| cerned the law which guarantees 10
the wheat producer an upset price py
agreeing to make good any difference
between s226 per bushel for wheat ana
a lower figure which he might conceiv-
| ably be compelled to accept tends 10
postpone the operation of the economic
| law az long as the Act Of Congress re-
mains IN force
"yyhefher. without the act. flour
| would be higher or lower Is q futile
| speculation, the farmer might refuse
TO sell his grain for less, and, again
the consumer might refuse 10 pay &C
much.
1.-THE one thing we. members OF thu
New York Produce Exchange. have u
consider is this: During the perio'
when the economic law Is PRACTICAL!
in allowance are we playing. fair will
the public and furnishing Its stapl'
article of food at prices which represen
it's actual cost including such reasonabl
| returns as the risks and lapor OIL uls
tribution warrant?
"Repeated statements in the press ant
nv public men are in effect charges tina
we do not play fair. To those we hav
listened for some time with ever grow
ing lmpatience and irritation. So lon
as these statements were based o
, ignorance we have felt only an amuse
, contempt for their authors. Ut mas nc
seemed possible that responsible editor
would continue the publication OF stu
which any one of them could easily hav
, learned to be misleading. unwarrante
by the facts and in many case
r mallciously false But the da
, for bearing all this with a patient shru
Z i is past.
Now we co not conceive that 1t
Z entirely becoming to tell the story
our part in the. war to meet such az
cusations. The stars on our service fla
tell part of IL f; broken and disorganize
business tell more. and depleted ban
accounts might complete what to man
Pof us is a mournful story"
The committee ended by demandin
that the evening newspaper In ques
, ton -fepudiate its charges, which wer
characterized as IAN outrageous an
cowardly lie"
The members of the committee whic
drew up the protest are, in addition
n Mr.. Siney. w. c. Robertson, c. +. Shirl
4 p. H. Holt and Walter Quackenbusi
D H. Myers Bogert was chairman Of yes
: terdays meeting.