New-York tribune., 1919-08-22
Fine and Prison
For Projiteering
.NeiU York Tribuno
ITdel,tr0tOn Buren1I

.Neiu York Tribune
Wdshtr1tOn Bureau
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2l. - Passage
tomorrow by the House Of Attorney
General Palmers amendments to the
food control act that will enable him
to begin his drive upon food profitee
particularly small retailers, was abso-
lutely promised tonight by Republican
Leader Mdndcll following the reporting
to the House by the Agricultural Com
mittee of bill complying with virtu-
ally all of Mr.. Palmcr's requests. The
only exception is that farmers will be
exempted.
The bill reported by the committee
provides for amendment of the first
paragraph of the Food Control Act to
include therein wearing apparel and
containers primarily designed or in
tended for containing food, feed or
fertilizers as nccessaries.
Section q, the penal provision of the
law, is amended so any person violat-
ing il by knowingly committing waste.
wiltully permitting deterioration,
boarding, monopolizing or through any
other methods limiting the supply, or
Illegally enhancing the price, of neces-
saries, shall be fined not exceeding
$4,000 or be imprisoned for not more
than two years, or both fined and i'm
prisoned.
Farmer Is Exempted
1t is provided, however, that this
punishment shall not apply to any
farmer, gardener, horticuturist, vine
yardist, planter, ranchman, dairyman,
stockman, or other agriculturist, with
respect to the products produced or
raised upon land owned, leased or cul-
tivated by him.
Adoption of the amended section
will bring under control of the De-
partment of Justice retailers regard
less OF the amount of their annual
business. In the food control act as it
now stands retailers doing a business
of less than 100000 year are exempt
A comprehensive bill for identifying
cold storage food and limiting to ten
months its retention in storage was in
troduced by Representative Hutchinson
of New Jersey.
with view to enabling the Secre-
tary of Agriculture to prevent decep-
ton with respect to cold storage goods
and to regulate the storage and ship
ment of cold storage foods in inter.
state commerce. the resolution WoulC
provide as follows:
|. The storage food should not be
shlpped unless marked so as to show
that it is cold storage food, the date
1t was placed in storage and the
location of the storage plant. The
penalty for violation of this provi-
SION, as of others, is q maximum
hnc OF $1,000 or year in jail. or
both.
?. That no food may be stored
more than ten months except by spe-
ciaI permission from the Secretary
OF Agriculture
5. Tint complete records be kept
Of all cold storage food and quar-
tcrly report be made to the Secre-
tary Of Agriculture stating the
amount and condition OF food in
storage.
4. That the Secretary Of Agri-
culture may authorize the search
and inspection of storage plants.
j. That food held in violation Of
this resolution may be seized and
sold by the courts
Labor Cost Challenged
The assertion that labor costs repre-
sent the chief item in the increased
cost Of living was challenged to-day
By the National Federation of Fedora
Employees, when Representative Carss
of Minnesota introduced in the House
resolution requiring the Pres dent tc
furnish the House with any informa
tion in the hands of the Federal Trade
Commission relating to the proportion
that labor costs play in the total cost
of production OF COAL Steel copper, oil
cement, lumber paper, cotton textiles
-four, meat, canned goods and other
important commodities.
"Thc answer to this resolution" sale
Representative Carss, will put us ir
better position to deal effectively with
! r = ~. L
because it will help people to protect
ent anybody's statement about the cost
of labor can get by because the sub
jcct has not been studied
There is always something moro
than labor costs behind the fact tina
prices always rise before wages rise
and always rise far higher in proper
tion than wages"
According to Luther G. Steward
president Of the National Federation Of
Federal Employees, 424 per cent of tn,
cost OF producing sugar III 1918, as
shown by the tariff commission, wen
to labor. Giving the Department O
Commerce as his authority Mr. Stew
ard said the labor cost of making
mems shirts and collars was 25 to 81
per cent. On mems factory-made cloth
ing tuS laDof coSt is . co 40 per cent
on knit goods 20 per cent and on WON
ems muslin underwear % to 25 pc
cent.
The report of the Federal Trade Com
mission on the leather and shoe in.
dustries, showing there has been ex
cessive profteering in shoes since 1914
was filed to-day with the House Inter
state and Foreign Commerce Commit
tee.
representa- tive MacCrate, of New
York, issued statement attacking tn
President, the Secretary OF Agriculture
and the Attorney Generals Office 70
not applying months ago the existin,
laws and large appropriations to re
duce the high cost of living
The people are sick OF publicity an,
PROMISES was his conclusion. "Prisol
and not publicity is the cure for prof
tanrincr r -