Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-01-07

TASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 3.-The ne
| wv cessity of continuing the powers OF
w the food administration in some form
or other is a question that is receiving much
discussion at present in the national capital.
Many views are expressed. Some believe that
these powers should be transferred to the
department of agriculture; some think that
the department of labor should inherit them,
and the Federal Trade commission is also
mentioned. The food administration itself,
in the absence of Mr. Hoover, has nothing
to say on the subject.
Congress also is silen, on this important
question, although congress will eventually
decide it. Unless the necessary legislation
is passed before the president declares that
| the war is over, the food administration
will simply cease to be. It will die a natural
death. And the consumers will be the chief
mOurners. Thousands of letters now
pouring into the headquarters of the food
administration here, complaining that prices
have suddenly jumped in many localities
subsequent to the signing of the armistice,
and expressing the hope that at least the
fair price lists will not be discontinued With
the declaration of peace.
These consumers, it appears, have not been
mistaken. AS soon as it became apparent
that Germany was beaten, retailers all over
the country started raising their prices, and
when rebuked by their customers they de-
clared that the war was over and they could
do as they pleased. Not all retailers did this,
of course, and due credit must be given to
those who have continued to follow the fair
price lists, but the general rise in prices was
sufficiently alarming to cause the food ad-
ministration Immediately to resume its pres
sure toward bringing them down.
Moreover in several cases where the ad-
ministration had purposely relaxed it's Wig
lance, believing it no longer to be neces-
sary, the results were unfortunate that 1t
was again compelled to exercise control. For
example, when it removed all restrictions re-
garding mill feeds, the price of mill feeds
in a middle western city jumped in one day
from less than $27 to $46. The increase
in the prices of other food commodities has
been CORRESPONDENCE large.
Experience has shown that prices are
usually higher in the period Immediately
following a war than they are during the
war itself. Thus, statistics show that food
prices were considerably higher in the pc
riod from 1866 to 1870 than they were
during the fOu- years of the civil war. There
was no worldwide shortage of food then
| such as that which exists today, and the
only reason for the exorbitant prices charged
was speculation. Prices scared without re-
striction.
Today the scarcity of food am the higher
costs of production make high prices inevi-
table 1t is only when they reach an unreal
sonable altitude that the government at
tempts to regulate them. And so success
fully has this been done that comparison
! of price lists of the two periOds-1866 and
t1918-shows these of 1918 to be much low
| er. But will this remarkable comparison
hold when the food administration goes out
of existence? Most people fear that 1t Will
not. They look forward to period of food
speculation equally as disastrous as that fol-
lowing the civil war, which, in view OF the
scarcity of food will be extremely dangerous
| to the nation. For if the people at home
will not pay. the prices demanded by the
spectators, agents from Europe will, and II
no check is placed upon the shipment OF
| food out of the country, Americans will face
famine such as has never occurred before.
The following instance is cited as an illus
tration of what may happen when the gov
eminent releases its control of the food mar
kets: At one stage during the past year
there was a great shortage of wheat in this
country-sO great, in fact, that the 1nforma-
/ ton was carefully kept from the people. Only
the food administration knew that there was
only a ten-day supply on hand. If there had
| been no system of government control, 1t
would have been possible for any man to
corner the nations entire wheat supply and
sell it bushel by bushel at his own figure.
That there must be some central authority