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Show GOVERNMENT MACHINERY SET IN MOTION TO BRING RELIEF FR0iV: EXCESSIVE PRICES Attorney General Calls Heads of Government Departments; President Concerned at Situation. Problem of Soaring Prices Taken Up in Congress ; Rail Brotherhood Broth-erhood Head Warns, V " A S H I N G TON , July 31. Government machinery was set in motion today, in response to demands from tho public that some official action be taken to relieve re-lieve the high cost of living. Prices, as they affect the average citizen, citi-zen, assumed first place in interest in tho capital. At the White house President :ilson was said to be giving "deep and very thoughtful consideration" to problems prob-lems presented to him and the railroad administration by members of tho railroad rail-road brotherhoods, who represent L-d Hi;'", prices would hae.,)D come down or wage go up, if social unrest was not to develop de-velop into upheaval. Jn (he senate und house, the situation gave rise to several resolutions to investigate the cause of existing price ? els, another to reduce the volume of currency in circulation ns a means of deflating prices, one to re quest that !he attorney general stop speculation in foods on exchanges, and anotner to sell this year's wheat erM at market prices instead of at the g -eminent guarmlee, the diriercnco to bo made up by tho government. Late today Attorney General T'almr met eight high government officials, whom he had summoned to his of fir u for a discuion of high costs and thn best methods to pursue to eftVet a reduction. re-duction. After a general talk" the conference con-ference disban Jed to meet again, probably prob-ably next week, for further counsel baS'-d on additions 1 Information to be eol led ed in tho meantime. HEADS OF GOVERNMENT ATTEND CONFERENCE. Those attending the cnufciPin'c Included Includ-ed .Secretaries (Mass, Houston, Hcdfiuld and Wilson, Director General Mines, Chairman Murdock of the federal trade commission, Assistant Secretary of f In; Treasury Leff iugwell and W. H. 'o! cr of the federal trade com mission. It deve loped today that, demands for more wages were pending before the railroad administration from sevcr;il hundred hun-dred thousand employes. ! 'irh:-. p: 1 ho f ran k est talk vh Ich govern men I officials havo heard in a long time rame. in this connect ion, m i he sta t r'tnrnt (if W. G. hee, president of t ho t ra limit n, bcfoi o tho wsige and adjust men t boa id. Mr. J jCn told t lie boa rd thai an j ncn am in wages wfis not the proper solut ton nf the present ec. mm tore hardships iiimNt which vorkhigmen ar laboring. bei-aiiMo t hey wous-i be followed by new tncr-as-H in the cost of everything, which W'iijh more than alorh ihe additional pay, 1 'nf il all cla sses pet togd her to si "p I "profit'-ering." he. said, the only thing ! for everyone, to d" is to all lb; wag".; , ho can, a course which, he declare. ; would r suit HventuaUy in pr'- ipl I a t big" the "upheaval" now staring the count iv I in the face. FIRST STEP TAKEN TO BREAK PRICES. As a step toward brea !t irg 1 he bh: h prices, plans arc- being mad' bv Secretary Secre-tary Hak-. mast, r Gem-ral I'.urlo-son I'.urlo-son and I tepn-:-;('ii t a I ivc KHIy of I'cfoi-sylva I'cfoi-sylva nia to sell t h rough the pa m-1 -m-.-ii surplus army Pod stocks valued al jr.; i.orio,nn''i. ( f f icia is who a 1 f ended the en f ! n-- df dined to discuss what tonk p!ace. I'almer stated t ha t the conference w:i s called chiefly for the purpose (,f makhig a survey of tiie nitualion. developing ,-tnv information "U which the head of the nation's law enforcement machinei y might net To curb profiteering. In response to questions. Mr. I'alni'-r admitted thar there wis no law by which prh'pf; could be lowered directly, but he declined to sa v whet her new jeg isla 1 io; i was needed to enable the department, to punish men who may be guilty of profit prof-it eering. "There is a great dal of good aw nn the statute books," the attorney general declared. PLENTY OF DATA NOW AVAILABLE. When a course of action is decided upon, the federal trade com m i;-skm i'i understood to be ready to supply tiie most c:: t etisi ve collect Ion of hid list rial information '-v :r gathered by any po,-ornmenL. po,-ornmenL. 1 'rod net ion cost figures ha vO been obtained by the, con , m i ssion on Indus In-dus rles represent mg JIOi, lHH.(ihiM)eM (CouLinuscl on Pago 2, Column 2.) 10 diguss issue! j fConunued from Page One.) wn-'h ' f ' ;tp : : ;t I. a-' the r-sult of h h j ;.( r. n i.-s during the war in vii-h the' K'.v-ri.lll-!.l Wl,.it. pilr-S To .ay P.r the ; miil.-.a' ir" d-i;..rs '.-I' p ir ha.--.H made by j I I . h.r litis r.i'.-Mii it : b:li'-ved Iht ,fnui.?-.ti'Mt is r ;jdy to urtf tuaf fur- I : j.tT invH-r.-.1.i!.,M.y, wlwh seem t o ! Inr-'.-hii'l'V, i.v r -snliif .f.r-.H j..-r(dlrig in' i'iif(i:., would only rmi'Mlf Hip situa -tl'di. (MiLSiMlf the lon.S nf Valuable tlir.6 .in t h- u asr r llif money in vol ved. Yl:: C'HC.IiiI H-Unti M in i;S! iK.'ttliH.S during dur-ing ih- war. ..J .f which dealt only with I I I m- st iiut h r".t ' 1 vc in I or mat .mi de-riv.-d n',, in Um: b.oi;s of .:oin..iri.-r:j m-Vm.v.-.I, fl tu have shown that j.rof it i--f in g w i at. a nil n imnm m I he riail f i mlfS', i;ioM of the exorbitant nr.-niM unirh nr. being made K"ing to ( he m:i unfile: m- jrs a ud wholesalers. As a i ' n 1 1 I v , th- ewnmis.-con ginerallv IH u 1 1 1 1 t ' i ' ' . ' I to la vr,r a l.eenf-ing system I'np i:nri'u'ii: I'ins (iniiig an iu'.er:-t ate ImuT ia-.,s, th-: -.stem In be appla-d first in I ho .-aseh win re tin; inule'ing of the public has been m o.st r hi Kraut. |