The New York herald., 1921-09-29
SLASHING OF PRICES
URGED AS FORMULA
TOEDBUYERS' WAR
Manufacturers Committee
on Unemployment Confer
ence Adopts New Policy
to Restore Trade.
COME DOWN TO NORMAL
Scheme Is for Producers
and Retailers Alike to
Reduce Goods to Rea-
sOnable Base.
TO MOVE AGAINST DRIVES
Gouging Of Public by Unau-
thorized Committees and
Charity Workers Will
Be Stopped.
TO MOVE AGAINST DRIVES

Special Despatch to THE VIEW YORK HmALp.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Sept. IS.
The bold policy OF restoring busi-
ness conditions to normal by slash
ing prices of all commodities to q
present day replacement basis so
that would be purchasers may re.
gain confidence in the market and
the buyers strike" be broken, was
taking form tonight among men,
bers of the manufacturers commit
tee of the unemployment conference.
The scheme, in a sense, provides
that producers and retailers alike.
ty taking loss on goods acquired
at high prices. get back as quickly
as possible to more reasonable
basis. The way will be paved then
for the necessary reductions in the
cost Of labor.
The consideration of this policy
during prolonged but sincere ses.
sions of the manufacturers commit
tee stood out as the most important
of a series Of developments OF the
conference.
or secondary interest was the fact
that the delegates are making much
better headway than they had ex-
pected in the belief that the delibera-
tions, or az least a portion OF them,
VIII be ended this week. At the out
set 1t had been expected that the
committee would require until
Wednesday, October 5, to complete
its work.
Ready for Operation.
The machinery for putting the recon-
mendation Of the conference into force
was effected to-day. For the most part
local communities will be called on to
work out their own problems along
the lines mapped out by the confer
ence. Mayors will be asked to desig-
nate representative committees, COM
posed of members of Chambers Of
Commerce, rotary clubs and other or
ganizations.
Incidentally drive will be begun to
put stop to the gouging OF the public
by unauthorized committees and
charity workers" who present them
selves as agents of the unemployed. 1t
is estimated that not less than ST.
100000 week is being paid out
through such activities. a considerable
portion of which Is put into the
pockets OF the collectors. A campaign
will be waged against begging. The
public will be asked not to help the un-
employed except through established
and approved channels.
Secretary Hoover, as chairman of the
conference, announced that full meet
Ing OF the delegates would be called for
Friday. when not less than FIVE OF the
nine committees would be ready to re-
port. These include the committees on
relief measures by manufacturers. on
unemployment statistics. on employment
agencies and registration. on emergency
While all these committees have re-
.icf mea sures in sight. interest contin-
ued TO centre in the work OF the com
mittee on emergency measures by man.
ufacturcrs the membership OF which in
cludes some Of the foremost men attend
ing the conference, like Samuel Com
pers and Charles NJ. Schwab.
For Rotation of Jobs.
This committee. having already de-
cided on rotation Of hours. so that
more jobs would be available for work
crs in factories. struggled all day to
find a plan that would stimulate indus
try and assist in Its return to normal
The members. representing various lines
OF thought, avoided so far as possible
the question of forcing labor to reduce
wages. this being accepted as one that
would cause endless dispute and develop
no much Ill feeling that the possibility
OF any successful outcome might be de-
stroyed.
The manufacturers problem, there
fore, was tackled from anoths sr point
that OF the possibility Of creating more
OF demand for manufactured products
II was admitted that the buyers strike
which started months ago about the
time OF the overall demonstrations N
different parts OF the country. stiIi was
going on. and that prospective purchas-
ers were holding of as much as they
could simply because OF the uncertainty
OF prices.
To solve this difficulty and to get the
public to buying more freely again, It
was proposed that the manufacturers
or the country be urged by the con-
ference to make a substantial cut In
the prices of their products. recasting
them In consideration OF replacement
values and not tho cost of original pro-
duction. In other words. II was argued
that manufacturers take into considera-
tion the present day price OF raw ma
ierIals and the present day price or
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