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Show TWO DIVISIONS HE OF PHE OF HipiCES One Centering in Chicago Will Be Concerned With Activities of Various Speculators. OTHER TO CONSIDER UNDERLYING CAUSES Apparent Coal Shortage Also to Be Investigated Under Supervision of Federal Officials. ! By International News Service. WASHINGTON, Dec. 7. It was indi- ! cated today that widespread search by the department of justice for criminal j combinations as to the cause of high prices will fall generally into two dl-j dl-j visions. i One, in whichNhe investigations probably prob-ably will center in or about Chicago as the first assembling point of the nation's i food supply, will be concei ncd with the ; price of foodstuffs and the activities of 1 packers, commission men, producers, merchants, brokers and miscellaneous speculators. The other, to have its seat in the east, will consider principally the causes underlying under-lying the high prices and apparent shortage of coal. Effect of Coal Shortage. It is understood that in the opinion oi George II. Anderson, special attorney general in chargo of the investigation, the coal situation and the effect of Insufficient In-sufficient and expensive fuel upon manufacturing manu-facturing is one of the principal causes of prevailing high prices. It is also believed that Mr, Anderson's investigations have developed strong indications of undue coal speculation by certain agencies. The special spe-cial prosecutor visited members of the interstate commerce commission today and received from them the promise of information on the production and disposition dis-position of coal and on car shortage and its apparent relation to high prices. Activities of the federal grand jury at Chicago, which, working under general instructions fiom the department of jus-lice, jus-lice, has summoned packers, brokers and d ealers in f oodstu ffs for ex haust i ve in- quiry, were regarded here today as one of ! the most significant features of the gen- j eral investigation and as evidence that ; the principal analysis of food prices will be made in the middle west. ! Milk Situation. Charles H. Durant, chief of the office of markets of the department of agriculture, agri-culture, is to furnish G. Carroll Todd, assistant attorney general, with information informa-tion of food prices asked by the producer pro-ducer of the distributor and on the milk situation. The Sherman anti-trust law is prac-' ticallv the only weapon at the disposal of the department of justice In its fight against high prices and it is admitted by officials of the department that unless evidence of unlawful combinations to boost food prices is found they are powerless. power-less. For this reason it is expected that the department will lend its aid to the development de-velopment of legislation making available other means to fight exorbitant prices. The department of agriculture Is making a special inquiry into the cost of producing pro-ducing milk and has evidence to the effect that a nation-wide trust designed to monopolize the distribution of milk is in process of formation. Mr. Anderson today to-day was placed in possession of figures compiled, by the bureau of labor statistics showing that the retail price of food as a whole advanced 3 per cent from September Sep-tember 15 to October 15. The same tables showed that the average increase in the price of ail foodstuffs from October 15, 1015, to October 15, 1916, was 16 per cent. Bread, butter, sugar, egss and potatoes showed the largest increases. ; EVERY AGENCY OF GOVERNMENT USED IN LIVING PROBE WASHINGTON, Pec. 7. Virtually every agency of investigation at the government's gov-ernment's command was called upon today to-day lo co-operate in the na t-ion-wide inquiry in-quiry into the high cost of living. Besides Be-sides the federal trade commission and the department of justice, whose field forces oi investigators are gathering Information, In-formation, the departments of agriculture, commerce and labor were asked for data. United States Attorney Anderson of Boston, in charge of the inciuiry. spent a busy day conferring with officials. lie also conferred with Chairman Meyer of the interstate commerce commission on shipments of coal. Reports are expected to disclose whether any considerable a moon t of I he output has been kept out of the market to force prices upward. From the agricultural department, Mr. Anderson experts to obtain data on the crop yield of food staples to determine how far the rise in prices was due to supply and Ie ma nd. The department of commerce will give statistics on export and domestic trade. Information of waae advances and other factors whirl) would enable workers to meet the higher prices will be obtained from the drynrtment of la:or. At the attorney general's office it was s:iid that Hi1 investicn ;imi was progressing progres-sing and would be expedited as rapidly as possible. To Question Bankers. CHICAGO, rw. 7 Federal orfi. ia!? investigating in-vestigating Increases in food prices were prepared todav to continue their examination exam-ination of Chicago banker-. A prelimt-narv prelimt-narv investigation revealing that one bank had loaned more than f l..it".Hj0 on v .(Continued on pag9 TwoJl DUE FOOD PROBE P TOO SECTIONS (Continued from Page One.) warehouse' receipts will result in an effort ef-fort to determine just how much money is advanced for the purpose of aiding commission com-mission brokers in holding foods from the m;i rker. Complaints have been made to Charles V. dyne. United States district attorney, th:.ii. if it were not for the money loaned the f to rase men could not keep food products prod-ucts in storage Ions: enough for a scarcity to he created. Uepresentativos of the packing; firms at the Cnio:i Stock vards also have been subpoenaed and will he questioned probably prob-ably tot! a j. To Provide Hatcheries. WAST-IIXGTOX. Dee. 7. Twenty fish hatcheries in as many states would be provided at a cost of about 31,000,000 by a bill which today passed the house. They Georgia, South or North Carolina. Maryland Mary-land or Virginia. Oregon or Washington, Texas. Oklahoma. Illinois. Washington, Arizona. Xtw Mexico, Michigan, Idaho, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Delaware or Xew Jersey, Minnesota and California. The bill now goes to the senate. Foodstuffs Boycotted. SPOKANE, Dec. 7. The Spokane Federation Fed-eration of Woman's organizations, representing repre-senting i" 0 i 0 housewives, voted today to boycott eggs, butter and other necessary foodstuffs until the prices are reduced.-' Prices Are Lowered. PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 7. Retail prices uf eggs, butler and other foodstuffs, food-stuffs, against which a housewives' boycott boy-cott has been in effect all week, dropped today in Portland public markets, and some grocery stores. I .caders of a local campaign against the high cost of commodities com-modities said the boycott caused the reduction re-duction and would remain in force until all pi'iees were lowered.. Kggs, winch sold at tfi and 70 cents a dozen Monday, today retailed for o0 cents, and farmers' butter droeped from yesterday's yes-terday's price of 45 cents a pound to ;io cents. To Boycott Packers. SAX FliAXClSCO. Dec. 7. Frank B. Connolly, secret; -ry of the California FCe-tail FCe-tail Groyers' association, left here, today for Chicago, where, on December 11, he will recommend, he said, to the executive hoard of the National Uetail Grocers' association, as-sociation, a national boycott against food packeis who raise prices "unreasonably." Con noil v said he won id also recommend investigation of increased prices by a committee of experts. Later, he will seek audieri'-e with President Wilson to urge a foodstuffs embargo. |