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Show Government Campaign Against Hoarding and Profiteering Is in Full Swing Everywhere. Congress Expected to Deal With Matter This Week; Optimistic View Shown in Washington. By Universal Service. WASHINGTON, Aug. 17. The government's govern-ment's campaign to reduce tho high cost of living, which has met with energetic response from governors, mayors, food administrators and district attorneys working under the department of justice throughout the nation, is expected to reach a climax this week. In the United States senate the committee com-mittee on agriculture will begin at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning the investigation investi-gation of the packers and the monopolies gained by them In hundreds of- by-products and foodstuffs, as shown by the federal fed-eral trade commission's findings. This investigation promises to be one of the most important and far-reaching probes ever conducted in congress. Several Sev-eral hundred witnesses will appear, among them Chairman W. B. Colver of the fed-1 eral trade commission. The investigation will revolve about the bill introduced by Senator Kenyon of Iowa to license packers, stockyards and persons engaged in manufacturing dairy products and preparing poultry products whose business exceeds $500,000 a year. As a result of investigations conducted by agents of the department of justice and by operatives working under United S-tates district attorneys at the direction of the attorney general, numerous seiz- I ures of hoards of foodstuffs in various parts of the country are to be made during dur-ing the week. PUBLIC TO HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO BUY. As rapidly as these libel proceedings are confirmed by court action in favor of the government, the condemned goods will be stored and the consumer be given i opportunity to buy the foodstuffs at prices much reduced from current market mar-ket quotations. U is estimated that $10,-000,000 $10,-000,000 of butter, eggs and other foods have already been seized in different cities of the country, which await court condemnation before they can be thrown on the market to reduce the high cost of living. In determining what constitutes the storase of food in violation of the food control act. the fair price committees appointed ap-pointed tli rough the instrumentality of state food administrators at the request of Attorney (Jeneral Palmer will play an important part. These committees, according ac-cording to word received by the attorney general, have already been organized in i many of the larger cities, and they are proceeding to publish lists of the "fair prices" which food may command. (Continued on Page 2, Column 5.) l.v a voto that was almost unanimous. T-i' Kerr. -on lii'.l embodies a laclUal and far-'-oH. -bin's chance in the .tovernment's ie-ist-illve pohiv in dealins with indus-trv indus-trv where tlie "tendency is to monopolize Tfli'iif of competition Hnd maintenance of hiK'i prices One of the items of the bill is to separate the packing industry proper from -.he stockyards. The bill nrcvides that both packers and tockvards shall he licensed, as well as pe-soiis en.Sancd in inanufacttirlnir dairy products or of prepanpr poultry products or poultry for sale, where the. business exceeds jr.OO.ooo a year. The execution of the act is placed with a commissioner of foodstuffs appointed bv the president with the consent of the senate and actins under the supervision of the secretary of agriculture. The commissioner of foodstuffs Is Kiven full authority to Investigate matters rc-1 rc-1 a ; . 1 1 cr to supply and demand, costs and prices," ownership, production, storage and operation of stockyards. dairy products, poultry and poultry products concerns l'rovisions are made for hearings hear-ings before the secretary of agriculture on chaises of violations of the act ami a penal clause is carried in the act. The senate committee on agriculture, of which Senator lironna of North I lakola Is chairman, will conduct Its Investigations of the his five packers alonff the lines of j the reports made by the federal trade commission. The inquiry will tro beyond the imckinsr Industry proper into the charsrs that the packers' have gained monopoly in hundreds hun-dreds of other foodstuffs, aa well as their manipulation of rcfl isolator cars, ownership owner-ship of hotels, and their growing control of necessities of life. CLIIIHli FIGHT 01 TIE HIGH PIES . , ! j (Continued from Page One.) Attorney General Palmer has signified his intention of co-opera ling with these -fair price committees so far as he is personally per-sonally able. PALMER PLANS SERIES OF FOOD CONFERENCES. He will meet with the New York City fair price committee Monday night. Later in the week he will confer with the committees com-mittees in the District of Columbia which are endeavoring to cope with the high cost of living, which is inordinately high in the nation's capital. The subject of rents is also to he considered by tho District of Columbia committee. Congress is expected to take rapid action ac-tion in accordanco with Attorney General Palmer's request that "teeth" be given the food control act by adding a penal clause to make effective prosecutions of profiteers. The amended bill which the attorney general so urgently recommends adds a penal clause which provides for a maximum maxi-mum fine of $000 or a sentence of two years, or both, for profiteers found guilty of violating the food control act. Attorney General Palmer also recommends recom-mends that the act be extended to include in-clude clothing. It is expected that the amended bill will be reported out favorably fav-orably by the committee so a prompt vote may be taken. WAR DEPARTMENT TO BEGIN SALES TODAY. The sale of 580,000.000 of surplus food held by tlie war department by means of parcel post will hegln tomorrow. Officials Of-ficials of the war and of the postoffice departments will begin collecting orders for the delivery of foods from the surplus sur-plus stores. Lists of foods available and their prices have been published and a system of order blanks arranged. Postmasters Post-masters have been directed to collect postage for only one pace post zone and to disregard rates from other zones. Mayors from twenty of the leading cities 01" Xew Jersey will arrive in Washington Wash-ington tomorrow morning to appear lie-fore lie-fore the house com mi ttoe on agriculture to discuss the cost of living and the prices food products are carrying. Suits against the big five packers for combinations in '-esrnint of trade in violation vio-lation of the Slier man antitrust act will be filed shortly. These suits -will constitute con-stitute the biggest ant; trust prosecution that has been had in recent years and will bear directly on the high cost of living. 1 JUSTICE DEPARTMENT BUSY WITH INQUIRY. Other Investigations along various lines I affecting cost of living and the famiiy i budget are now in progress in the depart- ! ment of justice. Wi.ile the nature of! the.-e investigations hn s not been re- j vealed. it is understood that clothing, sucar and coal are matters which are re- I ceiving the attention of department of justice p.gen-ts. Reports cf destruction of food in order to maintain high prices are also being investigated. Since the introduction of 'he hill by Senator Kenyon of Iowa providing for the licensing of the packers, the members of both houses o: congress havo been swamped with hundred.-; of telegrams and congratulations pro and con. Many of the.e telegrn ms are dun to the packers' activities. When the bill v.-a a first introduced, in-troduced, a-'tits were called in from their operating territories a nd insinirted to round up customers and to sec that telegrams tele-grams wre sent to t heir senators and representatives In congress. On tho other hand, h iindr-rds of telegrams tele-grams ha ve been rr-cclvrd favoring the biil. The.-e come from farmers, from labor la-bor organisations and from consumers. The lisla lure of Montana indorsed the |