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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 1919)
fHE BEE; OMAHA; TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23.; 1919. MAYOR AND URE ARE OPPOSED TO RINGER POLICY Composite Police . "Commis sioner" Has First Dis agfeemnt Over Authori ty of Pattullo. Mayor Smith and Commissioners Ure and Ringer, the new composite r.olice commission, had their first . disagreement in city council yes terday; when the mayor and Mr. 1're expressed opinions adverse to r.e wishes of Mr. Kinder. Last week Mr. Ringer tacitly agreed to fall in line with the mayor :ind Mr. Ure on police department policies, in an effort to bring order out of the chaotic condition of the , police department and to yield to the insistent demands of business men who have been saying some plain Jiings to the city commissioners. The Fight Is On. The duties and rank of the new police inspector, Andrew Pattullo, who was appointed last Saturday night by Chief of Police Eberstein, precipitated a near-riot in the city council chamber, in connection with a new police department salary ordinance which was recommended for passage. , . Police Commissioner Ringer stated that in an ordinance he is preparing, he will make it plain that he wants the inspector to be the ranking of ficer next to chief of police so that when the chief is absent, there will be no question as to authority. Mayor Smith and Commissioner lire insisted that there should be no interference with the chief of the detective's department. 1 Commissioner Zimman suggested 'that . Mr.. Ringer should go on an other two weeks' trip to determine ust what the duties of tne inspec tor should be. Mr. Ringer explained that while the inspector will be in charge of the uniform men and the i-hief of detectives will direct the de tective department, he wanted it un derstood that the inspector should rank next to the chief of police. Opposes Any Interference. "The chief of detectives should have absolutely a free hand." the mayor said, "and if I hear that the chief or anybody else is interfering with the work of the chief of detec . thes, I will oppose such interfer ence. : ' ... When Mr. Ringer asserted, In the absence of the chief of police the inspector would be in charge of the police department," Commis sioner Ure replied: "Not a bit of ifr; the police and detective departments should be separate and distinct. I don't think thV inspector should be over the chief of detectives. The superin tendent of police woul-l be in charge in the absence of the chief of police." ... ' "I defy you to name a city where the chief of police is not in absolute charge," said Commissioner -Zimman, whereupon Mr. Ringer charged Mr. Zimman with talking beside the question. 1 Mayor Assails Zimman. . Then the mayor reached over to the councilmanic Christmas tree and pulled this one 6ff for the benefit of Mr. Zimman: "You have not offered one con structive suggestion since you have been in this council., I have listened to this 'for a year and a half and I won't listen to it for another year and a half. I will not attend the council meetings if I have to listen to it any longer." , .'; Commissioneri Falconer' insisted that the inspector should rank next to the chief of police. Provisions of Ordinance. The police department salary or ' dinaice, which was the basis of the discussion, contained an item that the salary of the inspector of police should be $200 per month, the same as the chief of detectives. The or dinance as recommended for pas sage contained the following salary " t Patrolmen, $125 per month forj six months probationary period, $125 for second six months, $130 for third six months and $140 thereafter. .Detectives, $150 for first six months and $165 thereafter; ser geants, $160; lieutenants, $170; cap tains, $185. Mr.' Ure recommended starting pojicemen at $115 per month, but the mayor insisted the city needed men who are worth $125 per mdnth to start with. Leaders in Confab On New Peace Moves r ( Continued From rag Om.) could, not be ratified without reser vations. The whole subject of reservations seemed tonight to have been opened Wine wun ddui amca yiuisaiinj willingness to enter wholeheartedly into an energetic give-and-take ef fort at compromise. .Predictions of early action on the treaty multiplied, many senators declaring action was likely before the end of January. Some of the more optimistic pressed confidence that the ratifica tion would come Detore January 16. thus formallv establishing peace and permitting the president to lift prohibition for a brief wet spell be fore the constitutional prohibition amendment becomeseffective on that date. ' There were other senators, how ever, who took less stock in the compromise measure, predicting that m due time it would collapse like an its forerunners. It was pointed out that President Wilson might again intercede if reservations adapted by members of his party in tne senate did not meet. with Ins approval. EXPECTS FOOD PRICES TO DROP AFTER JANUARY 1 H. C. L. Already Under Con trol, Says Attorney . Gen eral Urges Elimination of Extravagance. Irish Denied Right Oi Separation From The British Empire -i r . (Continued From Fare One.) certain mistiness as to how the boundaries of northeastern Ireland would be settled for legislative pur poses. The premier rejected several pr'oposals-first, that the whole of ... . ' - t Ulster snouia iorm a unu; sctunu, county option; third, that the six northeastern counties should form single unit all on the same ground; that solid sections of the population would be left under a government they disliked. Sir Ed ward Carson, the Ulster unionist leader, in the subseauent debate, de clined to believe that the bill would prove a success or for the good of Ireland but he would not give a pronounced opinion until he had seen it in print. He feared that the Sinn Fein would capture the parlia ment and proclaim a republic and asked what the government would do to set matters right. Battle of Paris Was Nothing Compared to Omaha's Candy Scrap The carload of candy obtained by Col. G. S. Bingham for sale at the army store in the Auditorium yesterday, drew customers like molasses draws flies in the summer time. Counters were broken in the mad rush of hundreds of Omahans, men, women and children, in their endeavor to obtain Christmas sweets at the low price asked by the store. ; After the first mad rush the dotrs were locked and customers were ad mitted in small groups that could be accommodated by the clerks. Fre quently army officers weri forced to address the crowd and urge them to be patient. It was estimated that the supply would last two days, but by midaft ernoon the stock was so depleted it was impossible to tell how long it would last. The candy sold for I from 2 1-2 cents a package to 25 1 cents a pound. . j Clairmont Inn Clerk Fined $100 After Raid E. J. Kelly, clerk at the Clairmont Inn, Seventeenth and Jackson streets, was fined $100 in Central po lice court today charged with being the keeper of a disorderly house. The hotel was raided early Sunday morning and nine women and six men were arrested charged with be ing inmates of the house. AJI of the inmates forfeited cash bonds by iailure to appear in court. Bonds for the women were $100 and for the men $50. . Successful tests of railway signal liner hv a new svstem hasprf on yradio telegraphy, . recently were You Are Not ' too Late1 Select the . CHRISTMAS PIANO NOW ..From our great stock of Weber, Knrtzman, Cablet Hstidorff, Clar endon, Wellington, etc and it will be delivered Christmas Eve, or on Christmas morning If you choose. $10 Per month pays for a good dependa ble piand at the "One priceNo Commission" Store 1807 Farnam St. OMAHA, KEB. D 0 Updike Lumber. & Goal Go. Pennsylvania Hard Coal All Sizes J -Prompt Delivery . V V CO A L (Continued From Far One.) culation. In 'i statement ' to th shopmen themselves, the president delayed that the primary step was to increase production and facilitate transportation, so as to make up for the destruction wrought by the war and the tefitble scarcities it created The president added that the govern ment had taken up with all possible vigor the task of bringing the pro fiteer to book, making the stocks of necessities in the country avail able at lower prices, stimulating i i : i : . . r i - . i pruuucuon ana iatuiiaung QisiriDU tion. The movement inaugurated at that time to gain control over -the cost of living has been largely in the hands of the Department of Tus- tice. It should be helpful to point out what has already been accom plished and whkt further steps are in contemplation, lo assess the sir- uation it is necessary td look back and ascertain what the trend of prices has been in past years. Trend of Prices Upward. "Taking retail food prices as a oasis, tne index numbers otthe United States Bureau1 of Labor sta tistics from 1911 to 1919 indicate that up to 1919 there has been a no ticeable trend upward in such prices in the, fall of the year whereas since August his year such retail prices have been kept practically station ary. By way of illustration, during the period August to .November, in elusive. 19161 there was an advance in retail food prices, as indicated by the bureau of labor statistics of 13 points, in 1917 18 points and in 1918 16 points, as compared with no in crease whatsoever in the correspond ing period of 1919. Considering the four years from 1911 to 1915 inclu sive, retail prices show a slight up ward trend from September 1 to Oc tober 1, a greater upward trend from October 1 to November 1, and re mained practically 'stationary from November 1 to December 1. Dur ing the four years from 1915 to 1918, inclusive, retail food prices show a decided upward trend from August 1 to September 1 and to October l, and a slightly lessened but decided upward 'rend to November 1 and to December 1. This year during sep tember and October an actual re duction m the general level of retail prices was effected as compared with August, while the figure for Novem ber, alhough slightly above that of October, shows no increase above the August returns. In other words, the 6ffi:ial data clearly show the sig' nificant fact that the, cost of living as indicated by retail prices was no greater in November of this year than it was in Aueust. while during former years, extending back to 1911, the returns' for November show a considerable increase over the Au gust returns. Expect Slump by March. ."'The' history 'of retail food prices indicates that a decided downward trend ordinarily may be expected in the part of the vear between Jan uary 1 and March 1 and if is to be hoped that this trend will be accel erated this vear bv the campaign initiated by the government which is just now getting well underway. No Penalty Provided. "The Lever food control act, un der which the food administration operated and through the enforce ment of which the Department of Justice is now trying to reduce high prices,' unfortunately did not pro vide a penalty for certain acts de clared to be unlawful, and therefore, the Department of Justice was un able to effectively deal with many cases of profiteering which came to its attention. Realizing) the gravity of this situation, the president ap peared before the congress on Au gust 8 and urged an immediate amendment of the food control act to extend its scope to all the neces sities of life, and to provide a pen alty for violation of the section four of this act, which made profiteering unlawful and to extend the life of the act into peace time. The attor ney general appeared before the sen ate agricultural committee in August and urged that amendments asked by the president be passed. Not until October 22, however,' cid these amendments become a law, and only since that time has it been possible to deal effectively with all cases of profiteering and hoarding. Officials Active. "While waiting the enactment of additional legislation, however, the Department of Justice did not re main inactive. Section 6 of the act provided a penalty for hoarding and section 7 authorized the seizure and sale of hoarded necessities. Since the Lever act was amended to pro vide a penalty for profiteering, 179 prosecutions have been instituted. Under provisions of that act and in all cases brought to trial thus far convictions have been obtained. There have been 99 cases of actual seizures under section 7 of the act and in many of these caSes prosecu tions are also contemplated under section 6.' In addition. 22 cases of alleged hoarding have been called to the attention of Unites Mates at torneys for investigation, for seiz ures' and for prosecutions, if the facts warrant k . S Commodities Seized. "These siezures and prosecutions have covered 18 states and the com modities seized have included eggs, butter, cheese, pork, poultry, lard, fish, sugar, potatoes, coffee, flour and canned goods. Fifty-three of the above cases have been disposed of by releasing the goods under bond . of - agreement to dispose of same within a specified time and at a reasonable price under the direc tion of the United States attorneys. In no case has the market been flood ed by the wholesale disposal of such goods. In three cases involving hoarding:, fines and iail sentences have been imposed. In one case a tine of $100 was imposed; in an other a' fine of $250 and three months in jail, and in a third case, a fine of $5,000 and five months in jail. This latter case has been appealed. Results of investigations are now being laid before a grand jury in several districts and reports of large numbers of indictments are expected in the near future. Where ever possible, a determined effort will be . made to obtain jail sen tences. - Very Solemn Duty. "A very solemn duty to assist in reducing the cost of living and par ticularly to eliminate profiteering, rests upon honest and responsible business men of all classes. To bring about co-operation in this di rection the national organizations reoresentinar the different trade in terests have been approached. Very helpful co-operation has been ob tained which has had a marked tend ency not only to stop the upward trencr-of prices, but n some in stances to decrease prices. "The National Retail Clothing Dealers association has recently established their prewar margins of profit as being fair and have so ad vised their entire membership, rep resenting approximately 90 per cent cf the retail clothing dealers of America. They have also appointed a diligence committee, to hunt up profiteers within their membership and report to the United States at torney in their respective districts violations of margins of profits as set im bv their organization. These profits -.how from 5 to 50 per cent reduction over prevailing profits of past few months. t "The National Retail Shoe Deal- rc' association has aooointed an executive committee to confer for the purpose of re-establishing a sim ilar rnlf within their organization The National Retail Drygoods as sociation, representing some u.uuu .mrai in the I tilted tate9. IS CU- rafinr with the Department of Justice in establishing prominently economy departments aurwg Janu ary and February. Several of the larger manufacturers' associations, as wen as wnoicc " merchants' associations, have ap pointed committees to confer with agents of the Department of Justice and are putting tneir enure uianmr tl-. HUnosal of the depart ment to carry out programs to the n.mhersh d. Such ettorts win dc extended to other like organizations to co-ooerate toward reduced profits. Rnnl this the Department of Justice has instituted a thorough- going and nationwiae campaign, ya. ticipated in by thousands of men and women, bringing about regulations in the cost of living through edu cation and through moral suasion. In 44 states this campaign is pro artivMv. The work in all of them is directed from Washing ton, is being done by fair price com missioners or United States attor neys. Very soon organizations of the remaining states will be com pleted. Three states have passed laws creating commissions or other machinery for the protectionot their citizens against profiteers. The women of the country, in whose hands rests the power to largely control the cost of living through nnrrhase. have been organized to carry certain educational facts to the consuming and buying public as well as to determine fair prices in local .nmmitnitiV and to hunt out the profiteers and report violations of the Lever act. Wdmen Do Good Work. "Th? women's organizations of the country isve already, done splen aa wort in this direction and are expected to co-operate still further. It has been thought advisable "to. work through organizations already set un and functioning in tne on- ferent states, rather than to set up separate " organization soieiy lor this purpose. Primarily, the notably tactors in volved in the ,cost of living are the needed increase in production, the elimination of extravaganct buying and the determined hunting down of protiteers ot an classes. I believe that the time now has come when the organization of the country has been completed to the point where real results can De shown, lhe cost ot living, aireaay under control, can be reduced if everyone who produces will produce his utmost, if those who buy and consume will save and eliminate extravagance, and if all honest peO n1 will inin the Department of Justice in stamping out profiteering and hoarding." The officials attending the confer ence, at which tne statement was authorized and who, it is under- tood. are prepared to make the statement the basis for solution of any problems within their jurisdic tion involving the cost of living, in addition to Attorney General Pal mer, were Secretaries Daniels. and Alexander, Chapman Murdock and Commissioner Colver of the federal Trade commission, Assistant Secre tary of the ; Treasury Leffingweli, Assistant Attorney General Ames, Director General Hines and .. Spe cial Assistant to the Attorney Gen eral Figg. ":To Hl a Cugh Tito HATZff SUUMQ HO.NIT. IM Xt tetU Secret Deal Charged By Senator in Coal Strike Settlement (Continued From Tat One.) this morning at the order of United States District Judge A. B. Ander son. He was under bond of v$10,000 provided in the. form -of a check on a Kansas bank. Judge Anderson dis approved of this form of bond and immediately after the afternoon ses sion of court began remanded the mine union official to jail until he reaches a decision as to the amount and kind of bond Vhich will be ac ceptable. judge Anderson denounced Howat for his attitude in connection with the court's injunction against the strike and declared: "Either I have to vindicate the law or abdicate in favor of Howat" The hearing began with a response by Henry Warrum, chief counsel, for he United Mine Workers of Amer ica, in which the position was taken that Howat, in keeping in force a local strike of 1,000 miners in the Kansas district, which was cal'ed last July, did not violate the injunc tion against furtherance of the gen eral strike but complied with in structions of the miners' general committee, in that operation of min ing in Kansas was resumed on the same basis as was obtained. Supreme Court Recess Washington,' Dec. 22. The su preme court today recessed until January 5 without handing down an opinion of the constitutionality sec- . tions of the Volstead prohibition en forcement act affecting the alcoholic content of beerj " . ' . j OMAHA WOMEN MAY FORGE EGG PRICES LOWER Boycott is Suggested as a Means of Getting Same Results Obtained in Lincoln. Eggs are selling for 55 cents a dozen in Lincoln. The same kind of eggs are selling in Omaha for from 85 to 90 cents a dozen, and are-steadily climbing to the $1 mark. The reason for the difference in price is women. A week ago, the price of eggs in Lincoln had reached $1 a dozen. Two thousand members of the Woman's club got together and de cided that the high price must come down. It did. They refused to buy eggs at that price. In fact, they boycotted $1 Now the women claim the credit And most of the business men in Lincoln concede the credit for the sudden drop in price to them. A few of the leading members of the, Omaha Woman's club were called on concerning the relative dif ference price in Omaha and tin coin. ! Mrs.-John Haarman, a prominent member of the Omaha Woman's club, said: ( "Most decidedly we could bring down prices here as they did in LJn cobn. Whatever can be done any where else, can be done a little bit better in Omaha. There is no rea son why- we couldn't stop buying eggs, or anything, and force prices down. The subject can be brought before our club at the first meeting after the holidays." Mrs. Mary I. Creigh, leader of the current topics department of the Woman's club, said: "From 90 cents a dozen to 55 cents for eggs is a considerable have the same effect it had in Lin coln." Mrs. O. Y. Kring, leader of the public speaking department of the Omaha Woman's club, said: "The Omaha Woman's club has done many things along the line taken up by the Lincoln Woman's club. 1 am sure we could ac complish something here if the club were to takefthe matter up. I would not be surprised if the matter comes up at our next meeting." Must Work Together. Mrs. J. T. Maxwell, of the hoaie economics department of the Asso ciation of Collegiate Alumnae, says that a boycott on high-priced goods has worked in other places and she sees no reason why it would not be effective here. "We have not discussed high prices very much, but the subject will probably come up after the holi days when we take up 'diet' ,in our study. I believe the Association of Collegiate Alumnae would be will ing to join in any concerted action that would reduce high prices. Act ing as individuals, we can do little." Lincoln Women Plan to Keep Up Fight Against High Costs Lincoln,. Neb., Dec. 22. Women of Nebraska are being called upon by the Lincoln Woman's club to wae an active campaign against the high cost of living. This was announced here today by Mrs. N. E. Hildreth, head of the civics department of the club, who declared that through a boycott on eggs the women .of this city- had forced prices from 85 to 55 cents a dozen in approximately two weeksf lime. The ban on eggs has now been lifted. Efforts to induce all women of th state to enlist in the fight on high prices, Mrs. Hildreth said, are be ing made though correspondence with all Nebraska women's clubs, which have a membership pf about 12,000, and other articles would be boycotted. - "Our fight," she said, "will not be confined to club women alone. All women are invited to join the movement. We have to do it.in self defense to counteract the cam paign from trade centers that prices are going to be higher in the spring. "We were disgusted with high cost of living investigations," slit added. "They all 'fell flat.' " Speaking of the boycott here on eggs, Mrs. Hildreth said the women had learned that "the grocers all paid the same price, while the sale price in some places was 65 cents and in others as high as 85 and 9Q cents. ' - "We knew it wasn't right," she declared, "so we started in to boy cott them." Bee Want-Ads Produce Results; THOMPSON - BELDEN & CO. Just Two More Days for Shopping Two happy, busy days when gift lists will be all checked off. Two days when Thompson-Belden selections will prove helpful, indeed because of their comprehen sive assortments of worthy things. i From Nine ' Until Six We will, be ready to serve you in a most satisfying manner. nstmosBk ..i A Merchahdise Certificate Simplifies your shop ping troubles merely send the certificate for the amount you wish to spend and allow the re cipient to select some thing they really want. Credit OfficeThird Floor Tie-on, slip-on and Cossack blouses, the present fashion dictates. As yet they've not outworn their welcome, since' their popularity ' is based on beauty and becomingness. 1 So she who seeks variety may choose the sometimes collarless, short of sleeve, but always gracefully simple blouse of Georgette in navy, taupe, bisque, gray, brown, flesh color or white. All the Finest Models . i have been reduced , Th Store for Blouses Third Floor For Sheer Comfort A Becoming Negligee An ideal gift, you know, is something the giftee would like but is not likely to buy for herself and a frilly negligee, is ever welcome to the feminine heart. Even the most strictly tailored woman longs for something frivolous, whether it be a fragile affair of Georgette or chiffon, or a satin or taffeta breakfast coat, arid it is sure to be developed in colors that are flattering. ' Negligees are priced from $10.95 to $29.50 Then there are the robes of blanket cloth or of wide wale corduroy attractive, service able, and of utmost comfort, for $5 to $25 each. Third Floor The Practical Side of Glove Silk ' Is almost as alluring as its surface . beauty. When carefully laundered, as silk lingerie deserves to be its wearing quality is super ior to nainsooks and mus lins. There are some beautiful camisoles of glove silk, flesh-colored, with fine lace and ribbon trimming. Priced $5.50. And a flesh-colored Teddy bear with a, fascinating little edging that looks like tatting, used . quite lavishly, is $12.50. A very heavy, beautifully soft pair of bloomers are ?7.50 a pair. Second Floor Silk Hosiery ! , . . for Children! : v . Misses' fine silk hose," not- ribbed, shaped to fit beau tifully, are to be -had" in white, seal brown, and black, with tops and soles of -lisle, priced $2.50 a" pair. Fine ribbed, pure thread silk hose in black, white, pink, light blue, and seal brown are $2.50 and $3 a pair. Silk-plaited hose,, silk on top, lisle underneath, fine ' ribbed, with double knees and soles, are extremely ; practical. They come in black or white for $1.50 in the small sizes, and $1.75 in the large.. Trefousse Gloves IT All the favored shades in smart street gloves, one and two-clasp, pique sewn, are priced from $3.75-to $5 a pair. . U Gauntlet gloves with or without straps at the wrist are priced from $3.75 to $6 a pair. Glove certificates solve the problem of color, size and style redeemable at any time. Linen Scarfs Lace Trimmed If In designs that should proe, attractive to holiday shoppers. If A 20x36-inch scarf, regu larly priced $2.25, is of fered for $1.75. If A 20x45-inch scarf, regu larly $2.75, is priced for Tuesday, $2.25. A 20x54-inch one, regu larly $5.50, is priced for Tuesday, $4.50. ! ' .' Linen Section , For Last Minute Shopping Handkerchief S Of , dainty freshness, plain, initialed, hand-em-b r o i d e rve d or lace trimmed we have them all, and a varied assort ment of each kind. Plain linen 'kerchiefs, hand-hemstiched, p 1 a i n or initialed, 25c to $1.25. Fine Madeira embroider ed ones with the tiniest of scallops and corner de signs, 60c to $3 each. French and Spanish em broidered handkerchiefs with wreaths and flowers and butterflies, beauti fully . hand-embroidered, 9.5c to $15r Of lace, Carick ma Cross of shadowy beauty, used as a border, $8 to $25 each. A Little Girl's Hair Ribbon Is a source of joy to her, the confident feel- ing that a perky bow. of satin, moire, or taf- feta may give is beyond the conception of we grownups. The flowered Dresden, and brocaded rib bons for dress-up wear the plaids, checks, . polka dots and plain shades for everyday . are all to be found here in varying widths . 1 and a wide range of shades.' - ; Dainty Gifts and Calendars Reduced Such a host of things fash ioned from gold lace, bro caded silks, cream-colored .. lace, and . tiny French flowers such things as powder boxes, hair receiv ers, telephone screens, in dexed telephone pads, candy boxes, waste-baskets, and all reduced. Calendars of all descrip tions cross-stitch, sam plers, landscapes, decora tive panels by Maxfield Parish, all reduced. - 'Art Dpt. Socond Floor. Toilet Articles of Fine Ivory Mirrors in graceful shapes with a ring for the hand or . a handle, long or short, - are $8. '..". : . Brushes with durability; added to their attractive ness, for the bristles are"; of the best, are priced:, from . $3.25 to $8 each. -i Combs of various sizes and descriptions are priced from $4 to $15 each . . Notion Section IV