Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-08
|C|V|C BODY VOTES
| FOOD PRICE PROBE
Federation Committee to Go
Exclusively Into Reason.
ableneSS of Costs Here.

The Federation Of Citizens Associa-
tons last night directed its Committee
on Public Welfare to make an exhaus-
tive investigation into the reasonable
ness Of food prices In Washington.
Action was taken on motion Of VIII
liam A. Roberts, who declared that
while there has been a general re-
cession in many commodity prices,
others appeared to be excessive in view
of existing market conditions. Beef
and bread prices were the chief tar
gets of his attack.
Despite the decline in the prices of
many commodities" Roberts said, 1.-The
cost to the consumer of meat and bread
has not dropped. This condition eX-
lists, although live stock prices in Chi
cago are lower than they have been In
many years, and the farmers can
hardly get anything for their wheat"
Clayton Is Criticized.
Considerable time was spent by a
small group of the federation delegates
criticizing William NICK. Clayton, vet
eran chairman of the Public Utilities
Committee, who was absent. Shafts
of criticism were directed at him for
failure to call frequent meetings of his
committee, and also for his alleged
neglect to represent the federation at
the recent negotiations over the electric
rate consent decree.
Harry N. Stull declared that impor-
tant developments were taking place In
public utility affairs. and Clayton had
not called a meeting Of the committee
for some time. Its high time" he
said, 'for the committee to show some
activity"
In response to this attack, M. M Nc
Lean, vice chairman of the committee,
announced that If clayton did not call
meeting in the near future, he would
do so.
Stulrs criticism inspired George Z.
Sullivan to remark that he had not
seen any record of the federation hav-
ing been represented in the recent elec-
trio rate consent decree proceedings,
which he regarded as of utmost i'm
portance. Subsequently he moved that
the federation appoint special COM
mittee of five to consider electric rates,
taking the matter entirely out of the
Jurisdiction of the Utilities Committee.
Sullivan later Withdrew his motion after
George R. Wales admonished those who
criticized Clayton to remember what
they had said and repeat their remarks
at a meeting when Clayton Is present.
BicentenniaI Fund Endorsed.
The Senate bill authorizing an appro-
priation of 100000 of the Districts
surplus revenues for the use Of the
District commission for the George
Washington Bicentennial celebration
was Endorsed by the federation. The
federation approved series OF reports,
submitted jointly by the Committees on
City Planning and Highways, Parks and
Waterways.
These reports favored the remaining
of B street from the Capitol to the
Lincoln Memorial Constitution avenue,
and the naming of the new diagonal
street to be cut through from the Union
Station to Pennsylvania avenue, Ma
! tional avenue; approved the widening
of Thirteenth street from Monroe street
| to Spring road on condition that abut-
ting property is not assessed; Endorsed
the bill prohibiting the erection OF
wharveS, docks or bulkheads along the
Potomac within the District without the
approval of the Commissioners and the
director of public buildings and public
parks, and approved in principle the
billboard bill.
The federation also adopted a minor
amendment to its constitution provid-
ing that committee reports shall be sub
mitted in writing This amendment
will affect particularly Chairman Clay
ton of the Utilities Committee, who
usually makes his reports verbally.
DR.. George G. Havenner, president Of
the federation, and James G. Yaden,
chairman of the Committee on Edu-
cation, pointed out the various public
Improvements provided in the District
appropriation bin for the 1892 fiscal
year as it passed the House. Yaden
described the bill as the best" ap-
preparation measure passed by the
House in his long activity in civic work.