OCR Text |
Show IMS EMBXHED OB EXPORTATION OFFOQDSTOFFS Chairman Fitzgerald of the House Appropriations Committee Does Not Favor Inquiries. MORE EMPTY CARS RUSHED WESTWARD San Francisco Commission Man Declares There Are iThou8ands of Tons of Foodstuffs on Coast. WASHIXGTOX, Feb. 24. Continued improTment in the- ear shortage situation, situa-tion, the dispatch west of many trains of box tars for the transportation of foodstuffs to eastern cities, proposals In congress looking toward the use of various remedies, including an export embargo on food, and continued activity at the department of justice, were along today's developments in the federal fed-eral government's consideration of the Etion-vfid rise in the prices of necessaries. neces-saries. The interstate commerce commission issued a statement expressing confidence confi-dence in the car service of the Amer-' ican Railway association, representing all the railroads of the country, and saving the organization was doing much "excellent work in the interest of the general public" The car service commission repeated its declaration that the roads are not to blame through car shortage or congestion con-gestion for the rise in prices, and announced an-nounced that no embargo whatever had been placed bv the carriers upon the movement of food for human or animal consumption. All carriers, the statement state-ment added, had been directed to give special attention to the prompt movement move-ment of food supplies. Grand Juries at Work. JSderal grand juries at New York, Qncago and Boston were urged to con-sider con-sider with painstaking- care all evi- dence relating to possible conspiracies io advance prices. In congress, Kepre-. Kepre-. 3etive Fitzgerald of Xew York, chaJfman of the appropriations committee, commit-tee, advocated the imposition of an embargo em-bargo on foodstuffs. He said he opposed op-posed the appropriation of $400,000 urged by the president for a nationwide nation-wide investigation of the high cost of liTing, as the investigation would take at least six months, and at its end the country would only know whv it could not "buy food at 'Cheaper prices "six months ago." Addressing the house in opposition to an amendment which would put into the sundry civil appropriation Dill the $400,000 item for the trade commission investigation, Bepresentative Fitzgerald declared that the food situation had shown the incapacity of coDgress to deal with "the most vital problem affecting the American people today." Refers to Riots. "The riots that have taken place," he said, "are not the riots of the thriftless and the worthless. It is the outraged and iDdignant protest of the thrifty, the industrious and the frugal who cannot meet the demands foT prices of food that now exist. "What is onr remedy f What is proposed pro-posed wher people are rioting and struggling for food? When I suggested last jCovembur that we put an embargo on foodstuffs the president directed tno attorney general to conduct an investigation investi-gation "through the department of justice jus-tice into the situation. The United States distriet attorney at lioston was put in control of the investigation. Within a few weeks that investigation was concluded. A report was made that there was no evidence that the laws had been violated. "And now, when the people are compelled com-pelled to struggle and fight and bo-coma bo-coma disorderly for food, it is suggested sug-gested that we spend $100,000 and take eight months' timo in order t-o find out what the trouble is and why they are hungry. Can there be any greater indication of the incapacity of a government gov-ernment than that when the people are dying for food wo should give thoni an investigation?" Supports Amendment. Representative Borland of Missouri, supporting the amendment, said much I attention should be paid to the packing interests, because they controlled not only the meat supply, but, in a large measure, all cold storago products. Representative Sherley of Kentucky vigorously opposed any sort of embargo and Representative London, Socialist, of New York, insisted that his plan of appropriating ap-propriating $0,000,000 for opening public pub-lic markets would offer the best solution. solu-tion. An unusual incident in connection with the situation was a prayer for relief re-lief of the food situation delivered in the house by Chaplain Couden, who asked that the authorities in state and nation might find ways to bring prices within reach of the needy. A virtual food dictatorship in the capital was proposed pro-posed by Representative Bennett of New York in a joint resolution which would empower the District of Columbia Colum-bia health department to limit the amount of food consumed at "public dinners" or served to any person in the district within twenty-four hours. The measure was referred to a committee. |