Evening star., 1920-01-20
4OOW0MEN ENLIST
TO AID j. s. FIGHT
ON LIVING COSTS
Plans of Housewives ALI
ance Outlined at Meeting
in D. C. Today.

Four hundred housewives OF the
National Capital took the first prelim-
mary step in fighting the high cost
of living at a meeting of the House.
keepers Alliance in the Willard Ho-
tel today. A motion authorizing the
appointment of a committee to confer
and assist the Department of JUS
tice in its campain against high
prices was passed unanimously.
The committee personnel will be an
nOunced later.
An address on the budget system OF
household expenses and the domestic
problem was delivered by Mrs. H. S
Patterson. She told of domestic book
keeping and the intensive work sys-
tenn for servants, whereby they may
have forty-four- week and
work regular hours in the household
Three servants would be needed and
three shifts would be used.
Alliance Plans Outlined.
Miss Strauss of the Department Of
housewives alliances are organizing
throughout the country. in an effort
to bring down prices. She declared
that since women did nine-tenths of
the buying, a woman'S organization OF
buyers of household foOdstuffs and
the greatest single factors in combat
ing the present high prices. She call
ed upon the women to cooperate with
the Department of Justice and to
study values before buying.
Representative NJ. Clyde Kelly of
appoint a committee to go before the
Senate post office and post roads COM
mittee in a fight to retain the three
hundred-th dollar appropriation
fer system of foodstuffS direct from
farmer to consumer in the fight
against the high cost of living. He de-
clared that the provision had been
stricken from the present bill on a
point of order in the House that it
was new legislation. although the ma
jority of senators and representatives
in Congress were favorable to the
project.
Would Lower Prices.
If included in the bill in the Senate.
he predicted, the community center
work and the parcel post transfer of
foodstuffs in the area directly sur
rounding Washington which was
made the experimental ground of the
system. prices on potatoes would be
brought down to 1914 prices for those
who took advantage of the system
He pointed out Park View Commu-
nifty Center and the Petworth Com
lnuulIy CeHter as examples Oh the Ell
fciency of the system.
1T is a fact that distribution is al
most as great an expense as produc-
tion." he declared. ''The farm-to-
home movement with the motor truck
medium is the ideal solution Of the
problem. We have scores Of motor
trucks idle Put them in use"
1t is expected that action and pas
sage of resolutions following up the
suggestion of Congressman Kelly will
be taken late this afternoon.
Urges Use OF Army Trucks.
A motion authorizing steps to be
taken by the alliance to replace in
the post office and post roads appro-
priation bill the 100000 appropria-
tion for use Of government Army
trucks in transportation Of food be-
tween community centers and farms
as referred to by Representative
Kelly, was passed during the after
noon.
Mrs. Patterson, who delivered the
address on domestic problems, is
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Archibald
Hopkins of this city. She is making
a touI of the country lecturing on
this subject before women's organiza-
tionS.