Americus times-recorder., 1920-04-30
MANCET INDICTS
ATLANTANSFO
4CSUCAR PROFIT
Federal Grand Jury Acts
District Attorney Is
sues Statement

ATLANTA, April 30.-The Ogles-
by Grocery company, wholesale gro
GERS, and w. A. Albright, president,
were indicted Thursday at a special
session of the Federal Grand Jury,
on charges Of profteering in sugar.
Both the Indictment against the Iirm
and the one against Albright, as an
individual contained number OF
counts.
A demurrer to the indictment has
been filed in the federal court by
Edgar Watkins, attorney for the
Oglesby Grocery company, and for
the Southern Wholesale Grocers As
sociation, and it is likely that the
validity of the law involved may
become on issue in the legal battle.
In his charge to the jury, Judge
Sibley called attention to the laws
governing the prices of foodstutfs,
and directed the jurors to thorough
ly investigate any instance of alleged
proflteering IN Atlanta that they had
been able to discover.
The indictments charge that the
company sold sugar at prices in ex-
cess of the one and half cent mar
gin Of profit allowed by the Fulton
county fair price commission. 1t
is alleged that the company purchas-
ed sugar from the Savannah refinery
at 16 cents per pound +. o. b. Sa-
vannah, and sold it to Atlanta re-
tailers at 20 cents per pound.
The indictments were obtained as
the result of investigations conduct
ed by the district attorney, upon
complaint of John A. Manget, State
fair price commissioner. Mr.. Man
get was one of the principal wit
nesses for the government at the
grand jury investigation. The law
under which the charges are made
provides for penalty of either
fine or prison sentence, or both.
Sugar Dealers Warmed.
Another phase of the fight by fed
eral authorities against prohteerlng
in sugar was warning Thursday by
Hooper Alexander, United States dis
trict attorney, to merchants who per
sist in defying the government by
charging excessive prices.
Profteers in sugar who MAINTAIN
their attitude on advice of attorneys
have really no legal basis for their
stand. he said, and will be prosecut-
ed under the license requirements OF
the food control act, which still is In
force.
Said Mr.. Alexander in his COM
munication:
ssIn view of recent developments
in Atlanta, indicating that it is the
nurpose of certain houses to exact
excessive prices for sugar sold at
wholesale. and to challenge the au-
thority Of the government to pro-
tect the people, I will thank YOU to
diract attention to the fact that the
license requirements OF the 1000
control act are still of force, and
that all sugar dealers and dlstrlDu-
tors, including retailers, who DO
business exceeding 100000 per an
mum, are still subject to license.
Persons operating without license
are doing so in violation OF Section
S of the food control act, and the
license regulations. All persons vlo-
lating the regulations and exactlng
excessive prices will be prosecuted,
and their licenses are subject TO
revocation. ! viii thank you tar
ther to call attention to the fact
that re-sales which tend to result IN
higher prices to the consumer, ana
which are without reasonable justin
= cation. also constitute a violation OF
the food control act and the license
regulations.
made known to the public that this
Office is in possession of informa-
tion tending to show that certain 4
dealers in sugar in Atlanta are seek
mo ia bring pressure to bear upon
otber dealers to persudae> or coerca
tban, into exacting unreasonable
nr;cae This office is in possession
pf ;nfo,nation indicating, if cor
rect that one house selling sugar
at less than eighteen cents a pound
~ wholesale has been earnestly
nrassed to cooperate with other
bonses in demanding thirty cents.
1.-THE idea has apparently obtained,
and some sanction has been given 1t
hv legal advice, that the laws in
tsnded to control prices can not be
enforced. The tendency In the d.
ractson of profiteering in the mat
a.. If sugar is marked, and indicates
tha+ moral standards are held by
sn,,o merchants to which the gov
arnn,ent will not willingly assent.
vantnre to express the very earnest
hone that those merchants who have
resolved to defy the government, and
~ taLa advantage Of the necessities
of ~ @ fbe moor, will change their atti-
tade II which I do not believe can be
Is@allv | sustained and which is NOR
allv sbhorrent to every right-think-
@ ;ng man. The rich and the pros,
nerous will not be permitted to grind
fba faces of the poor, if there is any
power in the law to stop it.