Show A 11 Cause of High PliC Prices S JOSEPH HARTIGAN commissioner of or oft JOSEPH t J weights and measures of or New York City believes that the cause of the high prices of or food products is the underestimation of or their crops b by the farmers farmers This misconception miscon miscon- of or the available supply auppl Mr Ir Hartigan Hart Hart- Hartl- Hartl gan thinks causes an exaggerated fear of scarcity and arid consequent high bidding for food It I Is harl hardly probable that this un underestimate underestimate under under- er- er estimate has been deliberately promoted through a concerted movement on the part par of ot the farmers Inducing agriculturists to act joint Jointly on a given i question queston Is a difficult task as the promoters of ot t alliance alance movements and operative co-operative eo agricultural associations have learned to their profound disgust disgust The probabilities are that the middie middle middle mid mid- dle die men and operators in produce markets have ha had more to do with the panicky buy ing than the farmers The he circulation of or rumors of oi scarcity Is not difficult cult as the bull bul traders in the grain grin market have repeatedly proven Possession of or the facts about crop conditions conditions con eon Is the most simple and the most ef effective eC- eC heck in food food- wa way to peculation stuffs The he t federal deral government has in operation an elaborate system for the collection collection col co- col- col lection lecton and collation colaton of or crop reports that is supposed to work accurately at all al times Ures The chief difficulty seems to be that the trailers traders are e suspIcious suspicions of or the effectiveness of ot the government method and habitual habitually discount dis dis- dis count it |