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Show PROFITEERING 1 TO BESTOPPED Retail Dealers Who Charge Excessive Ex-cessive Profits Will Be Put Out of Business. WASHINGTON, Oct. 30. Profiteering Profiteer-ing by retail dealers in foodstuffs will be made impossible after November 1, the food administration announced last night under a plan to cut off supplies to those not satisfied with reasonable margins. Manufacturers, wholesalers and other handlers of foods, whoso businesses will go under license, will not be permitted to sell to distributors who seek undue profits. "This Is one of the most sweeping safeguards," the announcement said, "against high prices which will be In corporated in the licensing system for which completo rules and regulations will bo made known within a few days." This plan, food administration officials offi-cials believe, will give the government 1 entire control of retail prices. Whole- salers and others who continue to sell to retailers, after they aro forbidden to do so by the food administration, will be denied the right to sell goods under license. Authority for extending control to the retailer is cited in the announce-1 announce-1 ment as follows: I "The small retailers of food, of I whom there are several hundred thou- sand in the country, while exempt , from the licensing provisions, arc t nevertheless subject to other provi- sions of the food control acL Every i retailer, as well as every other handler I of food, is forbidden under the law to make any unreasonable charge, to I hoard, to monopolize, waste or destroy looo, or to conspire witn any one to restrict the production, distribution or supply, or exact excessive prices on any necessaries. There are no penalties pen-alties provided but the food administration adminis-tration hopes that the arrangement of restricting supplies to violators of tho law will be of some effect, for the retailer will find himself unable to buy goods from any wholesaler or manufacturer." Federal food administrators in all the states will be directed to keep a watch for violators and send to the food administration tho names of ! retailers asking excessive prices. ! "The food administration," the announcement an-nouncement says, "does not intend to disturb any legitimate operations and will initiate measures only against hardened and persistent violators of I the law. It takes the position that the great majority of food sellers, retail as i well as wholesale, are patriotic and j honest and are making every effort to comply with good business principles ! and sell to the consumer at iie low-I low-I est possible prices. Such dealers will ( be in fact protected from illegitimate competition. Those few who persist in abusing their opponents and continue to take advantage of the emergency caused by the war will receive attention." atten-tion." I nn |