February 22, 1917
FOOD WILL REACH NEW YORK TODAY; WILL PRICE DROP?
Retailers Declare There Is Plenty Stored in East But Prices Prohibitive.
SPECULATORS MAY BE FORCED TO DISGORGE
If Blockade Continues It May Help to Force Price Down, Is Claim.
NEW YORK, Feb. 22.—Five Hundred cars of foodstuffs from the
west are expected to reach New York today. The cars contain meats, poultry and
potatoes mostly.
Railroad men declare congestion in railroad yards in
gradually being broken up and that food shortage soon will be dispelled. In the
meantime Mayor Mitchel will start the city machinery working in an
investigation of food prices on the east side.
Representative Borland of Missouri, is author of the letter.
The other signers are Representatives Kend, California; Doolitte, Kansas; Anderson,
Minnesota; Nelson, Wisconsin; Liver, South Carolina; Lenroot, Wisconsin;
Mondell, Wyoming; Gerner, Texas, and Stephens, Nebraska.
The letter follows:
"Dear Colleagues:
"In response to the request of the president the
federal trade commission placed before the appropriation committee an estimate and
request for $400,000 [2013 CPI = $7,279,812]. Thereafter, the commission was heard and the scope of the
inquiry described inasmuch as the information to be secured would lose value if
not obtained within a reasonable length of time and especially as information
from various scenes of investigation piled simultaneously, it is obvious should
be compared and ???? that a large force will be necessary to make the research
serviceable and available.
"The benefits accruing from the investigation by the
trade commission into the news print paper situation show the value and
necessity of such work as the commission is empowered and enabled to do.
"The appropriation committee failed to recommend any
appropriation for the purpose outlined in the president's letter. Without any
specific appropriation it is impossible for the committee to take up the work
with any possibility of satisfactory results.
"It would appear to us that the estimates of the
commission should be put in the sundry civil bill when it comes up for passage in
the house either at the end of this week or at the beginning of next week.
"We, the undersigned, who have taken a special interest in
the procuring of such action by the federal trade commission, earnestly and
respectfully submit to our colleagues in the house the facts of the situation
to the end that they may, in realization of the importance of the matter, be on
hand to vote for such an amendment."
At the same time Borland’s letter was circulated, it became
known that the appropriations committee is unchanged if not strengthened in its
opposition to the $400,000 appropriation. They gave further color to reports
that there is friction between congress and the federal trade commission.
As the Borland letter was being read, Representative Bailey,
Pennsylvania, introduced a resolution for an immediate embargo on foodstuffs and
other necessities. An investigation, he said, would be necessary.
Frank Jamison of the New York and New Jersey Retailers ?????
in a statement delivered ????? ??...
(Continued on page Two.)
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(Continued From Page One)
…plenty of food and that with the advent of the half
thousand cars prices should be forced down immediately. He declared meat prices
should be the first to tumble. Word from packers, he said, is all that is
required.
It has been found, according to official reports that
100,000 pounds of meats have been sent into cold storage within the last ten
days.
Many tons of onions and potatoes are lying at snipping
piers to await shipments to foreign countries and an appeal to the interstate
commerce commission to enforce a law which limits the time they may be so held is
contemplated.
The New York health department has started the issuance of
daily food bulletins showing how foods that have increased greatly in price may
be eliminated from daily diet. Rice is urged as a substitute for potatoes and
instructions for cooking in order to get the greatest food value are given.
May "Dump" Potatoes.
DENVER, Feb. 22—With potatoes selling at five cents [2013 CPI = $0.91] a pound
on the local market Colorado potato growers in the Greeley districts are said to
be holding nine hundred carloads of potatoes for still higher prices. However,
reports that producers in Wisconsin and Minnesota are showing uneasiness over
the freight congestion and would "dump" their present holdings on the
market has caused some alarm among the farmers in Colorado and a more liberal movement
of potatoes to market is expected.
Denver housewives have followed a policy of restricted
consumption of potatoes since prices reached the present high levels but there
has been no organized effort to boycott the spud.
Blockade May Help?
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 22.—Germany's submarine blockade may be the
means of reducing the high cost of living m the United States in the opinion of
F. B. Connolly, secretary of the National Retail Grocers' association expressed
today.
The retail grocers’ association recently asked President
Wilson to place an embargo on the exportation of wheat, flour, sugar, canned
milks and canned tomatoes.
"The German submarine blockade may accomplish for the people
of the United States just what we have been trying to do," said Connolly. "Exportations
of food stuffs have decreased materially since the submarine blockade order
took effect."
"A slight decrease in prices may be expected at any time if
Atlantic ships continue to refuse to brave the blockade," said Connolly. "The
New York docks will become so congested with foodstuffs that speculators will
be forced to place them on the American markets," he said.
Plants May Close.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22.—Government officials today declared
that threatened suspension of light, heat, and power plants in the middle west
because of inability of many towns and cities to obtain coal, is second in
seriousness only to the food shortage.
The American railroads association announcement that
hold-ups and delays in coal and coke transportation has reached a critical stage
named the following cities as being affected:
Chicago, Oak park, Evanston, Blue Island, Kankakee,
Bloomington, Dekalb, [Mok]ena, Rockford and Springfield, Illinois; Detroit, Indianapolis,
Burlington, Ia., Cadillac, Cold Water, Monroe, Mich.; Toledo and Wakesha, Wis.
Some of these towns it is said have gone deeply into their
surplus of coal supplies and cannot continue to keep up their heat, lighting
and power plants, unless there is more coal rushed immediately from the
Pennsylvania, Youghiogheny fields, and Fairmont, Kanawha, Pocahontas and the
smaller field in West Virginia and Kentucky.
Riot In Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 22.—The whole section of Philadelphia in
the vicinity of the Franklin Sugar Refining company was under heavy police
guard today following a riot that amounted to practically a pitched battle last
night. One man was, killed several others so severely injured that they may die
and many were hurt.
Mrs. Florence Sholde, 32, was arrested and is held under
$1,500 bail on the charge of inciting a riot.
The section of the city were the fighting occurred is
guarded today by reserve police and mounted police from all parts of the city
are concentrated to prevent further outbreaks.
Trouble was anticipated when the negro strike breakers in
the sugar refinery returned to work today.
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