Norwich bulletin., 1921-12-23
INVESTIGATING PRICES
 CHARGED FOR NECESSITIES

Washington, Dec. 22.-Federal investi- gation of retail prfc as charged in Var.ous parts of the country for food, fuei, shoes and clothing was initiated today by At torney General Daugherty. He gave or ders to Director Burns of the bureau of investigation of the justice departm ant to assign a force of men at once to the duty of obtaining data on retail prices in different localities.
 Mir Daugherty declared that prices of necessary commodities were too high anu that in some instances the pronts or re- tailers were ''unconscionable. It would never be possible, he asserted to get prlcea down to thu pre-war level but with wages lowered and the costs of foodstuffs reduc- ed, he was determined to learn whether the present badly proportioned' retail prices should be maintain ad.
 MT. Burns was instructed to put hi men to work simultaneously to obtain the variations in various localities in ths retail prices of general foo6stuffs, such as meats, provisions, beansf bread and l butter, fuel, shoes and clothing and to make sch odGles of the comparative prices. Reports will also be gathered on I the wholesale prices of wheat, beef and meats of all kinds in order, MT. Daugh- | erty explained, that comparisons might 1 be mada of the costs of these commodi- | ties with the prices charged by the butch CTS and grocerS The depSrtmentis agents are to be instructed to do thei1 work carefully but as rapidly as possible l Action to rem ady price conditions, MT Daughterty declared, would be talleT through several channels. In the main l he said, the situation was a local one and the states would be asked to do as | much as they could to solve 1t with fad | eraI cooperation. Secretary Hoover he added would be invited to join with the | justice department in it's effort to lowel
 prices while it was believed that the pUFo l lication of the comparative wholesale anC
 retail prices would do much to remed1 | high prices by conveying to the house
 wives of the country accurate knowledge l of actual conditions.
 Organizations of retailers In differen parts of the country were blamed by MT Daugherty for high prices. These asso citations, he declared, were formed ID.
 smart men who sold a scheme to defe. organization for fixing prices which con cealed it's real purpose under a declara tion of a, desire to help competition.
 The department, he stated, intends t
 'tget these smart fellows while at tn same time recognizing that many innocen
 merchants had been imposed upon b
 them. MT. Daugherty declared himsel
 as unualifiedly in favor of trade organ
 izations which confined their operation
 to improving their services to the publi,
 but he asserted they would not be 3
 lowed to fix prices or apportlon terri
 tory among their members, thus stihltn i competition.
 Trade associations generally, he saiS
 were showing a co1nmendaib1e willingnes to conffne their activities to the line
 suggested by the justice department a
 in conformity with the law, but where tn
 departments advice had been disregard ed, it had been necessary to institute prt
 ceeding under the Sherman antitrust ac The decision of the supreme court la!
 Monday in the Hardwood case which q, fined the general scope Of activities f trade associations, he added, would (
 much to remove uncertainty as to tf
 exact application of the law to the acti' ities of trade associations and would CT i, able accurate definitions of what pra. , tices were legal and which were illegal In conn cotton with the Hardwood d.
 cision, Secretary Hoover said today tn: the supreme courts ruling would n
 interfere with the commerce department plan for the publication of trade stati :, tics gathered by associations within il : various industries According to the q partments information, he said, the P were only 150 associations operated ( lines similar to the Hardwood Lumber a I sociation, out of some 17e0 trade a | sociations in the country