RVflTHJ " ,S' t
..
The Commoner
32
i
1 President Demands
Drastic Laws
(Continued from page 2.)
than In Europe, and can, with proper
. management, bo kept so.
SURPLUS STOCKS SOLD
i By way of immediato relief, our
! plus stocks of both food and cloth
I Jng In the hands of the government
will bo sold, and, of course, sold at
prices at which there is no profit.
And by way of a more permanent
; correction of prices, surplus stocks
In private hands will bo drawn out
of storage and put upon the market.
Fortunately, under the terms of the
food control act, the hoarding of
foodstuffs can be checked and pre
: vented; and thoy will be, with the
greatest energy. Foodstuffs can bo
drawn out of storage and told by
; legal action which the Department
of Justlco will institute wherever
necessary; but as eoon as the situa
tion is systematically dealt with it
is not likoly that the courts will
often have to bo resortod to. Much
of the accumulating of stocks has no
doubt boon duo to tho sort of specu
lation which always results from un
certainty. Great surpluses wore ac
cumulated because it was impossible
to foresee what the market would
disclose and dealers were deter
mined to be ready for whatevor
might happen, as well as eager to
reap tho full advantage of rising
, prices. Thoy will now see the dis
advantage, as well as tho danger, of
. holding off from tho new process of
distribution.
SIGNIFICANT FACTS DISCLOSED
Some very interesting and sig
nificant facta with regard to stocks
on hand and the rise of prices in
the face of abundance have boon dia-
tlve means have been found to nre
vent the normal operation of the
Army Raincoats
i I
r ! I
fW 1
50
Tho official modol
designod for military
duty; the ono typo of
raincoat both water
proof and sani
tary; every gar
ment strictly to
Government specl-
f 1 o a 1 1 n n k. NO
WET HAM nw.'V
r THROUGH - her
metically cemented;
Internttlnpr lly front
(trlplo protection),
adjustable fastonlngs
around -wrists, storm
collar with storm tab,
pockets with Interior
silt to reach Inside
clothing without
opening coat: vontll
atlon holes In back
concealed by extra
yoke tp afford escape
for moisturo from
tho body.
End of war permits
of supplying civil
ians. Direct from
Qovornment contrac
tors at far bolow ac
tual value. Fill In
coupon and mall with
$7.50.
TO THE PEERLESS CO.fffiT)
10. Box No.387,NISWAIlIC,N.J.
Sato 19 .i
Ploaso send- .Army Hln coat by Insured
I'Rrcoi roat rrqpaiu 10
Nftmo
Adrcss.
fclicst mensuroment. lnche.
Vor which find $7.50 monoy ortlor enclool.
If not entirely satisfactory inonoy istobore
Amdodonrolurnorcoat, Dopt. 1081c.
Officers' ?h Inverted pioat down ,,ack m(
ii-rouim oeu wuu oucltlo; convor
tlblocollaV; patch pockotswliunops;
wrist fastening with buckloa; horn
buttons. Disposal price, Us. stato
chest measiirmont.
Modles
nlnaaA Vitr 41m tnnnlrlna rf tlm Tin- fnfnrmntfnn rofrnrrltnrr iVta nnftiol
partmont of Agriculture, tho Depart- supply of particular commodities
inent of Labor .and the federal trade that Is in existence and available,
commission, mey seem to justify wun regara to supplies wnicn are in
til p fltntnment fhnf in thn rnRn of AxlRrnnrn hnf. Tint nvnllnhln hooanaa
many necessary commodities effec- of hoarding, and with regard to tho
law Of SUDDly and demand. Disre- fltliffn nnrl rtfhnr nnoannrfna T.,.rt
w wm va- vaaw u VVVWMM 1VU JkUvlU
BaiuiuK um uurjjiuH tou. m iuu can no little doubt tnat retailers are
hands of tho government, there was
a greater supply of foodstuffs in this
country on June 1 of this year than and it is quite practicable for the
at the same date last year. In tho
combined total of a number of tho
most Important foods in "dry and
cold storage tho excess is quite 19
per cent. And yet prices have risen.
The supply of fresh eees on hand In
June of this year, for example, was
groater by nearly 10 per cent than
the supply on hand at the same time
last year and yet the wholesale price
was 40 cents a dozen, as against 30
conts a year ago. The stock of frozen
fowls had increased more than 298
per cent, and yet the price had"rlsen
also, from 34 cents per pound to
37 cents. The supply of creamery
butter had increased 129 per cent,
and the price from 41 cents to 53
cents per pound. The supply of salt
beef had been augmented 1 per cent
and the price had gone up from $34
a barrel to $30 a barrel. Canned
corn had increased in stock nearly
92 por cent and had remained sub
stantially tho same in price. In a
rew foodstuffs the prjpes had de
clined, but in nothing like the pro
portion in which the supply had in
creased. For example, the stock of
canned tomatoes had increased 102
per cent, and yet the price had de
clined 25 cents per dozen cans. In
some cases there had been the usual
result of an increase of price follow
ing a decrease' of supply, but in al
most every instance the increase of
price had been disproportionate to
the decrease in stock.
COMBINATIONS FORMED
Tho attorney general has been
making a careful study of the situa
tion as a whole and of the laws that
can bo applied to better it, and is
convinced that under the stimulation
and temptation of exceptional clr
cumstancoo combinations of pro
ducers and combinations of traders
have been formod for the control of
supplies and of prices which are
clearly restraint of trade, arid
against tlmae prosecutions will be
promptly instituted and actively
pushed Avhich will in all likelihood
have a prompt corrective effect.
There is reason to believe that the
prices of leather, of coal, of Mumber
and of textiles have been materially
effected by forms of concert and Co
operation among tho producers and
marketers of these and ntim i
versally necessary commodities which
methods of price fixing which are be
ing used by dealers In certain food-
ln part sometimes in largo part
responsible for exorbitant pricos;
government, through tho agencies I
have mentioned, to supply the nubile
with full Information as to the prices
at which retailers buy and as to the
costs of transportation they pay, in
order that it ""may be known just
what margin of profit they are der
mandingr Opinion and concerted
action on the part of purchasers can
probably do the rest.
That is, these agencies may per
form this indispensable service pro
vided the congress will supply them
with tlio necessary funds to prose
cute their Inquiries and keop their
price lists up to "date. Hitherto the
appropriation committees of the
houses have not always, I fear, seen
the full value of these inquiries, and
the departments and commissions
have been very much straitened.,
for means to render this service. That
adequate fnnds be provided by ap
propriation for this purpose, and
provided as-promptlv as possible, is
one of the means of creatlv amelior
ating the present dlstrertsing condi
tions or. nvemiooci tnat I have come
to urge, in this attempt to conenrt
with you tho best ways to serve the
country in this emergency. It is one
of the absolutely necessary means,
underlying many others, and can bo
supplied at once.
MANY OTHER WAYS
There are many other ways. Ex
isting law is adequate. There are
many perfectly legitimate methods
by which the government can exer
cise restraint and guidance.
Let me urge, in the first place,
that the present food control act
should be extended both as to tho
period of time during which it shall
remain in operation and as to the
commodities to which, it shall apply.
Its provisions against hoarding
should be made to apply not only to
food, but also to foodstuffs, to fuel,
to clothing and to many other com
modities which are indisputably nee-"
essaries of life. As it stands now-
it is limited in operation to the
period of the war and becomes in
operative upon the formal proclama
t on of peace. Qut I should judge
that it was clearly within the consti
tut onal power of the congress to
make Similar permanent tivavIbIoc
y-mi regulations with regard to all
it will be possible tq redress. No sobds destined for interstate com
merce ana to exclude them from
Interstate shipment if the require
ments of the law are not complied
with. Some such regulation is im
peratively necessary. The abuses
that have grown up in tho manipu
lation of prices by tho withholding
of foodstuffs and other necessarie
of life cannot otherwise be effective
ly prevented. There can bo no doubt
of either tho necessity or the leclt
imnCy0f UCh measures. May I not
StLRttSnti,011 10 thG fact- also' at
although the present act prohibits
profiteering, the iirnhihi?iJ?,bJ?
companied by no penalty. it is
2SSf il tu wMte-lnterSt that a
penalty should ha nrmrj,i,i i.Jl...
he persuasive. " uu "".
watchful or ehereetin offnvr win i
spared to accomplish this necessary
result. I trust that there will not be
many cases in which prosecution will
be necessary. Public action will no
doubt cause many wio have, per
haps, unwittingly adopted illegal
methods to abandon them promotlv
and of their own motion. ,
PUBLICITY CAN ACCOMPLISH ,
MUCH . '
And Publicity can accomplish a
peat deal. The purchaser can often
take care of hlmtmif it i, i. "u
the facts and influences he is dealing
with; and purchasers are not disin
clined to do anything, either singly
or collectively, that may be neces
sary for their Hft1f-nrntnn4l m,.-
Department of Commerce, the De
partment of Agriculture, tho tw
ment of Labor, and the federal trade
vuiuuuaaiuu can ao a groat deal to
ward supplying tho public, system
atically and at uhort intervals, with
permitted Wind l.,eplbe?ond the
goods released from storage 2.1 n
all cases boar the date of tf ,n
ceipt. It would materially ad III!?
serviceability of the law ?for tl,inthe
pose we now have in view If f PUr
also prescribed that all ' l00??
leased from atnr'r - ???"
shipment should w ,ni?f !
marked upon each package thVSff
ing price or marirt ,t V.8 ?e!1
they wont into arnrV . ch
IM fiSf1.. ws
between him an f tJ6
wholesale dealer. l 0Tm
in Jtfi!?Ul? 80rv a3 a useful examph
to the other communities of th
country as well as greatly reliere
local distress, if the congress wen
to regulate all sunh mnttn .....
fully for the District of Columbia
where its legislative authority is
nnuuui limit.
I would also recnmmfuiii fw u
be required that all goods destined
for interstate commerce should in
every case where their form nr nnr-v.
ago makes it possible be plainly
marKea wun tue price at which they
left the hands of the producer. Such
requirements would bear a close
analogy to certain provisions of tho
pure food act, by which it is required
that certain, detailed information ha
given on tho labels of packages of
food and drugs.
NEED NOT HESITATE
And it does not seem to me that
we can confine ourselves to detailed
measures of this kind, if it is indeed
our purposo to assume national con-
Don't Wear A Truss!
After Thirty Years' Experience Wo
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. AVE SEND IT ON TRIAL
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WOULD REGULATE COLD
STORAGE
To the same end t on1.nnnn.. .
commona, m. a,o sicond pace, toat"
the concress nnn n i, x "7. ..
cold storage as if 7 5 "iM
The Afcove h CL E. Brook, Inrentor of theAppItute. Mr.Bwb
Cured Hirasflf of Rupture 0r 30 Yean Aw md TW
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Brooks Appllncii Company .
103 O. State St., Mnwhnll, Wic".
Please send me by mail, In P,a'S
wrapper, your Illustrated boolc ana
full Information about your Appnance
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Nam,
Address.. .....
example, by the lawsTfTh7'8ta?e
City.
..:siafefaA;&ik1fc''j
