The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-08-29

r,ss Lets Week Pass Without
w. .'St;on-Departments Ask Big Sums
-, Observation-Disclosures for Pro-
sIaerinc OppOsed-Farmers De-
nand That Cooperation Be Made
Iauf,,I-Drouth Aid Increased 1919
Cuons-British Plan Great Farm
nayplopment in MesOpotamla-
Daylieht Saving Law Repealed
Over Wilson'S Veto.
Washington, D. C.-Althongh more
d., week has passed since the
..-;dont made his emergency ad-
5rass TO congress recommending leg
:-lo+ion to stop profteering-and the
nrof+eering itself had been going on
worry long time before the president
bos+irred himself to speak about it
!, concrete results Of the campaign
- for are pretty slim. A few retail
..rocors have been arrested and fined
for charging extovrtionate prices and
number of seizures of storage sup
rips have been made which may re-
sr,I+ IN condemnation and public sale.
The high cost of investigating the
bioh cost OF living is preliminary
rarv much to the fore right now.
however. Already special approprl-
atoms totaling nearly $4,0OO,O0O have
heer asked OF congress by various
government bureaus anxious to make
capital out CT the general public SEN
timpnt that something must be
done" Of all these requests there
would appear to be only one-a re-
ouet for 100000 from the federal
trade commission-that has any dl-
rect bearing on the regulation of food
monopolists, which is recognized as
the only real solution of the profiteer-
ing problem. Investigation" is
again to be a method of sidetracking
the issue.
READY TO INVESTIGATE
Thus the department of commerce
demands $4,000 to adequately mobi-
lie itself for the high cost Of living
campaign. Just how helpful it would
be is seen in the admission that g
large percentage of this sum woulc
be used in demonstrating to pack
ers" how certain new species Of fish
can be made a profitable venture fo1
the market. In other words, while
one arm of the government is prose
cutting the packers for violation of the
antitrust laws another arm seeks t.
appropriate money to teach them how
to make greater profits.
Secretary CT Agriculture Houston
who mas 2 better record at securing
appropriations than in making tn
money secured at all helpful to tn
farmers, says he will be content witt
an emergency gift of 100000. This
it is said, would be expended in get
ting out reports.
The department of justice onl,
wants $1,5O0,00O. This sum is $500,
0OO less than the 100000 given Al
toney General Palmer q few month
ago to track down" bomb plotter
and anarchists. Not one anarchist
so lar as known, has been arreste
as the result of this gift, although
number OF innocent citizens hav
been arrested, held in Jail, and late
released without apologies.
Ever the treasury departmer
wants to dip its fingers in the ger
eral Outpouring of gold. Secretar
Glass says that for $4,000 he ca
redlsguise his secret service force 5
that they will be as successful now
running down profteers as they WEI
IN running down "pro-Germans" dul
ing the war.
Judging by the expense necessar
10 outfit the crusade against the PIX
hteerS it ought to be a pretty lmpo
ing affair, once it gets under way.
PROFITEERS DEFENDED
Congress has got to prove with
the next few weeks whether or n
It IS sincere in the question of eiir
mating profteering. So far the inc
cations are that the Sixty-SiXth co
greSs, like most of its predecessor
IS far more interested in defendil
the citadel Of big business than
smelling out the respectable thiev
who hide within.
Southern Democrats on the sena
agriculture committee, for instane
headed by Senator Ellison D. Smi
OF South Carolina, have already ST
ceeded in blocking the request of A
torney General Palmer that a dras