ARBITRARY PRICES in expectancy of a railroad strike the middlemen and retailers in large cities especially arbitrarily raised prices of foodstuffs long before the date set for the strike in new york city they advanced prices 20 to 30 per cent in other cities a little less thereby compelling consumers unable to lay in supplies because of lack of storage room to pay prices which were warranted neither by supply nor demand nor by other market conditions mayor mitchell of newyork New York is right when he says that such arbitrary increase in in prices is nothing short of robbery and deserves to be punished behind these arbitrary prices there was no speculation no actual scarcity no immediate shortage prices were advanced by men who saw no opportunity under prospective abnormal conditions to make greater profit than they could under normal conditions they took advantage of the anxiety and excitement of the people fixing prices which they could not sustain after wants had been supplied as events subsequently proved their crime may be only normal because there is no law defining and punishing it but one of the first things that congress and the legislatures of the several states should do is to enact laws legally defining the crime and providing adequate punishment