A I • O V
Admits Success of Allied Cause Depends on Ability to Solve Tonnage Shortage
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
t Stat- 3nbcpcnbent *
LXXXVI— No. 47 24 PAGES
k NO ACTUAL FOOD
OR FUEL SHORTAGE
EXISTS IS CLAIM
High Prices Should Not be Attributed to Present Freight
Congestion, Interstate Commerce Commission and
Railroad Authorities Say; Expect Improvement
BRUMBAUGH TO BE ASKED TO NAME
FOOD INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE
Big Cities Take Steps to Meet Pressing Needs; Many Organ
izations Formed in N. Y. For the Purpose oi More
Orderly Agitation; Phila. Women Form Store
Washington, Feb. 23.—N0 actual
food or fuel shortage exists anywhere
in tho country and high prices should
not be attributed to the present freight
congestion, it was stated by th.e Inter
state Commerce Commission and rail
road authorltief to-day. Keports in
dicated that all localities are supplied
with adequate slocks of living neces~
sities for immediate domestic con
sumption and the tie up 011 railroads
will improve steadily.
Conditions to-day were believed far
better than 24 hours ago, since good
weather and a suspension of shipping
over yesterday's holiday permitted
railroads to rush hundreds of empty
freight cars westward from the con
gested yards of the east. These will
bo reloaded largely with foodstuffs
WILL ASK GOVERNOR
TO NAME COMMITTEE
TO PROBE PRICES
Philadelphia, Feb. 23.—Tho ap
pointment of a commission by Gover
nor Brumbaugh to conduct a state
wide investigation into the high cost
of foodstuffs will be asked by Repre
sentative Leopold C. Glass, this city.
He declares he will offer a resolution
providing for the appointment of the
commission when the llouse meets on
Monday night.
"Something must bo done to relieve
the poor from the exxorbitant prices
of food," said tho legislator. "I be
lieve the inquiry should extend all
over the state, and my resolution will
call for a state-wide inquiry.
"I shall confer with members of the
Legislature at Harrisburg, and proba
bly they will have suggestions. I be
lieve the commission should be com
PREFERENCE GIVEN
TO FOOD SUPPLIES
Washington, Feb. 23. —To relieve o
the freight congestion at Chicago,
rules requiring boxcars to be kept i
on their home lines have been relaxed
and New York Central equipment is
to be used with the preference given
to food supplies. This was announced
to-day at the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
The following announcement was
issued by the commission:
"A wire received this morning from
P. E. Crowley, vice-president of the ]
New York Central railroad, states that <
within the 2 4 hours ending at mid
night, the twenty-first, that that com
pany had moved from Buffalo for the
west, 360 empty boxcars and that
yesterday they had moved 395. It
further states that it proposes to use
New York Central boxcars to relieve !
the situation at Chicago, giving pref- ,
erence to food supplies."
The New York Central's action to '
relieve Chicago with its own boxcars j
is interpreted as a virtual suspension, j
due to the emergency at Chicago, of
rules recently promulgated by the ''
American Railways Association and !!
now in effect which prohibit the use of !
the empty cars off their own lines and '
requires the railroads to dispatch for-j
eign empty cars to home lines in train- i'
load lots.
Drastic orders looking to the relief j
THE WEATHER!
For IlnrrlshiirK fin<l vicinity: lliiln
to-niuhi; I(MVNt temperature 1
about Bft denrce*; Saturday fair *
and much colder.
For Fa*tcrn Pennsylvania: Rain
to-nlKld; warmer la *outlieu*t
portion; Saturday partly cloudy
and much colder: fre*4i to atrontf }■
Mouth we*t to went wind*. j 1
River ! i
IliKlier temperature* and rain. In
dicated for the next twenty-four
hours. Mill prohahly caune the
SuM4|uehanna river aad MM
hranchcM to rlne *ouie>% hut, aad ]
may result la Nome ice move
ment*, particularly in the t pper
Went Ilranch. (older weather
Saturday will probably prevent a
general breaking up of the lee.
A NtuKe of aliout (Ml feet IN Indi
cated for IlarriMhurK Saturday
moralai?.
General Condition*
Under the Influence of low prc**ure
went of the Northern Kooky
Mountain* rain and NIIOW Ifuve 1
continued over the Pacific *lope.
A dlMturbnaee, central north of
the Great Lake*, lia* eau*ed rain
In the Middle Mi**i**ippi and
l ower Ohio viilleyn and In Ten
nc**ee and over the Southern I
1 ake HeKloa la the lant twenty- ,]
four hour* with a neutral rl*e of j J
2 to HO degree* In temperature
over nearly all the country ea*t ,
of the MIMHINMIPPI river, except
Florida.
Temperature: 8 a. m. ( 30 decree* 1
above r.eroJ
Snn: Hl*e* 0:47 a. m. ,
Moon: Flrnt quarter, February 2S,
11:48 a. m.
River Stage: 6.0 feet above low- 1
water mark. ! •
Yeaterday's Weather : |
Hlgheftt temperature, 4.'1. .
liOweNt temperature, 24.
Mean temperature, 34.
Normal temperature, 31.
I destined for consumption in the east or
| for export, but both the Interstate
I Commerce Commission and the Car
! Service Commission of the American
j Railway Association are seeking to
' give preference in car allotments to
| goods for domestic needs, rather than
to export demands.
. On February 10, 105,274 cars, load
ed and empty, were involved in the
| freight congestion, having increased
' by more than one-third in two weeks,
I the commission's report showed.
! Chicago's lack of empty cars for
j east bound shipments is no greater,
proportionately, than in other- locall-
I ties. According to the commission,
j whose reports show that city has re
! ceived 200 cars daily and half of these
1 were used for export grain.
i prised of three or five members, the
men to be chosen to have expert
I knowledge of market conditions."
Storekeepers Close Shoos
I Because of yesterday's disturbances
down town and the declaration of the
boycott, the majority of the shopkeep
i ers in the neighborhoods affected fail
! j ed to purchase heavy stocks of food
to-day. A few stores were closed. Their
proprietors said they did not intend
1 j to reopen until the agitation subsided.
Mrs. Paulino Goldberg, who is head
1 of a committee of Jewish housewives
I which arranged the boycott, declared
1 | that to-night the committee would
send a telegram to Mayor Smith, who
s is in the South on a vacation, asking
• him to arbitrate the differences be
■ | tween the consumers and the mer
• | chants.
of (xmgttion which were issued by
the Interstate Commerco Commission
| recently, prescribing virtually the
canio rules undor heavy penalty were
to havo gone into effect February 22,
simultaneously with the association's
rules but their operation was post
poned until March 15.
Other reports to the commission
and to the car service commission of
the association indicated to-day that
the work of relief at other congested
points, notably Cleveland, Detroit pnd
Cincinnati was proceeding satisfactory
ily. Weather conditions favored the
work reports said and not only were
many empty cars being sent west but
the congestion of loaded cars' also was
being slowly reduced.
Phila. Housewives Form
Co-operative Store to
Lower High Living Cost
Philadelphia, Feb. 23.—Housewives
t of this city, tiring, they say, of pro
j tests against soaring food prices and
ineffectual remonstrances with dealers,
to-day announced they had determined
on a method of lowering prices, a co
operative store being the medium se
lected.
The individual pinching felt
through high prices has broadened
into a community sensing of the prob
lem, public attention being sharply
iocussed on the food situation by the
sporadic disturbances in the south
eastern and northeastern parts of the
city. These areas house a huge, tene
ment population, of foreign birth for
the most part.
Club women and housewives have
joined forces to eliminate the profits
of middlemen. The Keystone Co-op
erative Company has been formed and
is to open a store in the heart of the
city where the general public may
buy food at wholesale prices, plus the
bare running expenses and a small
percentage to the stockholders.
Housewives of Kensington, an in
dustrial section of the city, have al
lied themselves with the movement
and yesterday, through Mrs. Hugh
Munro, a settlement worker, sent a
message to Mayor Smith, who is on
a vacation in Florida, appealing for
his aid in the tight for lower prices.
Show Grain Deliveries
Regulated to Meet Export
New York. Feb. 23.—The American
Railway Association to-day sent to
Washington statistics prepared to
prove that the deliveries of grain at
New York, Boston, Philadelphia and
Baltimore since the beginning of the
Gersman submarine blockade have
been regulated to meet the reduced ex
port facilities at those ports. These
figures show that from February 1 to
February 14 only *8,000,000 bushels
were delivered to vessels at the four
ports, compared with a delivery of 29,-
000,000 bushels throughout January
and 58,000,000 throughout December.
The association maintains that the
railroads have succeeded In regulat
ing the movements of all export freight
to the seaboard so that accumulation
has decreased somewhat notwithstand
ing the decrease in export^.
HARRISBURG, PA., FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 23, 1917.
UNSPEAKABLE HOUSING ADDS
TO BURDEN OF CITTS POOR
BL V "~ 1 "JI JH 3B Wm
MKY * \ "*. M IPFTI M 8
' TO J ' ■ 9
,MBI ■ X W„ W"FR'™
IH :;SH^H
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: J(FR
BOYCOTT PUTS
BIG CRIMP IN
POTATO DEMAND
Prices Have Already Fallen, but
Housewives Arc Sticking
to Substitutes
Brokers who handle a large part of
] the potatoes used in Ilarrisburg to-day
I reported that the demand has fallen
oIT wonderfully during the week. The
exorbitant prices demanded for the t
ers and the boycott rigorously fol
lowed by thousands of Harrisburg
housewives is believed to be responsi
ble.
One broker was commissioned to sell
twenty carloads at s;>. Local dealers re
fused to buy because of the small de
mand. Twenty-five -cents a bushel was
lopped off the price, but the consign
ment was still unsaleable at $2.75.
A carload of potatoes is understood
to be waiting for shipment at Hanover.
The owner is demanding $3 a bushel
for the lot, f. o. b. Hanover. No sale
had been made up to noon to-day.
Boycott Only Weapon
It was the concensus of opinion to
day amonlf produce Jobbers and coin
mission men that the price will not
come down much lower until the south
recovers from the effects of recent
freezings and is able to send Its produce
north. There was hope, however, in the
Increasingly large circles of boycott ad
vocates that the use of substitutes
on Harrisburg menus would keep the
price from advancing.
Wholesale grocers to-day satd that
the sugar situation has cleared won
derfully within the last several days
despite the strike in Philadelphia re
fineries. It was said that .possibly
50 per cent, more sugar is being han
dled now than is usual for this tli.ie
of year.
Xo Fooil Famine Likely
Kven with this Increased amount of
sugar on the market the demand Is etiil
heavy, due, it was said, to the panic on
the part of consumers who fear a pos
sible famine. Housewives who gen
erally purchase a pound or two at a
time have been buying all their purses
can afford and storing it away in their
Clipboards.
While the freight embargoes placed
on shipments from the west by the
railways has caused local wholesalers
much annoyance, there is no danger
of a food famine, it was 3ald. Whole
salers this morning reported that car
load shipments have been reported by
the railroads as "on the road" since
December, but that the stock supplies
on hand are sufficient to take care of
the city's needs.
CAUCUS ON REVENUE BILIi
By Associated Press
■Washington, Feb. 23.—A caucus of
Senate Republicans was called to-day
to consider t&e emergency revenue bill,
•now before the Senate and also to
frame a general executive program ad
vocated by the Democratic leaders for
enactment before the session of Con
gress ends. Efforts of the Republi
cans recently to reach an agreement
with the Democrats on the subject fail
ed. Debate on the revenue bill con
tinued in the Senate to-day. Several
amendments were pending.
DEPUTY AUDITOR
GENERAL WILLOCK
AND POWELL PART
Resignation Announced Effec
tive Today; Shake-up Follow
ing Numerous Differences
The lons expected explosion in the
Auditor General's Department occur
red to-day. Auditor General A. W.
PowelV at noon announced that he had
accepted the resignation of Deputy
Auditor General Charles Edward Wil
lock, of Pittsburgh,' to take effect Feb
ruary 23. Mr. Willock said Tuesday
that he expected to resign very
soon.
The Auditor General also announced
that he had accepted the ret ~nation
of Miss Lillian Mae Fisher, a clerk,
of this city, to take effect February 28.
Promotions in the staff were also an
nounced.
For some time there have been re
ports of friction between the Auditor
General and his deputy, and once
Powell announced that he had ac
cepted the resignation of W'illock.
That announcement, however, was
withdrawn.
Mr. Willock came hero with Mr.
Powell. He was formerly connected
with a trust company in Pittsburgh,
and has business enterprises in that
(Continued 011 l'ac 18)
Willard J. Loeser
Dies of Heart Disease
Willard J. Loeser, 2120 Green street,
died suddenly shortly after noon to
day from heart disease. He was the
son of W. L. Loeser, yin attorney, and
was 26 years old.
Hecause of Mr. Locser's sudden
death a call for a pulmotor was sent
to the police station, but its use was
unavailing. Mr. Loeser was a grad
uate of Central High School and a
prominent member of the school ath
letic teams. He was a musician and
played in many orchestra and bands
in the city and vicinity.
DARED TO ENLIST,
' SHOPMAN GOES AND DOES IT
Refusing to take a dare, Henry Ar
thur Collins yesterday quit a $3 day
job at Knola and left for Washington,
D. C., to Join the United States Army.
He will get sls a month as a private.
Collins was employed as a car repair
man at the Knola shops.
War talk was on yesterday at the
shops. One employe told Collins he
was afraid to< enlist.
"Do you mean that as a dare?"
snapped Collins. "Of course 1 do,"
was the answer.
Without any further ado Collins
Children Being Raised in
Hovels That Make Normal
Development Impossible;
White Plague and Other
Fearsome Diseases Get in
Their Dread Work for
Lack of Stringent Code
Housing conditions that are almost
unbelievable if one doesn't actually go
to see them add greatly to the burden
of the poor of Harris burg.
Persons who want to find out for
themselves what is back of the recent
agitation for a housing code and the
attempts to get Council to act, readily
can find points where poverty is syno
nomous with horror and disease. And
all this within a few minutes' walk of
the central points of the city.
Agitators for better housing, for a
city code that would wipe out condi
tions such as exist here, are em
phatic in denouncing city ordinances
[Continued on Page 8]
PLAN DETAILS OF
RECEPTION FOR
EIGHTH REGIMENT
C. of C., Businessmen and
Committee Select Chief
Marshal For Parade
Details for the reception and parade
for the Harrisburg companies of the
Eighth regiment were nearing com
pletion late this afternoon. The pub
i llcity and convention committees of
I the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce
; met with representatives of local or
; ganizations at Board of Trade hall, at
j 4 o'clock. A chief marshal was se
lected, and formation of parade agreed
upon.
I This was the only joint meeting
prior to the arrival of the troops. It
will now be a watchful waiting game.
| The next move will be the assembling
of the parade after the two-hour sig
nal has been received from Altoona,
land whistles will blow and bells will
i ring.
Represented at to-day's meetings
were the Business Men's division,
which will be in charge of Charles E.
Covert; the First City Zouaves and
City Grays' Veteran Association; Span
ish American War Veterans, Veterans
of Foreign Wars, local posts of the
G. A. 11.. Sons of Veterans, Post Oflfce
Athletic Association, ex-members As
sociation of the Governor's Troop,
members from local (ire companies,
Warrior Eagle tribe of Hed Men, No.
34 0, and Master Mechanic's Depart
ment of the Pennsylvania ltailroad.
In addition to Chairman Henderson
Gilbert the Harrisburg Chamber of
Commerce representatives included:
A. E. Buchanan, Dean M. Hoffman,
John L. L. Kuhn, C. Floyd Hopkins, E.
Fred Howe, C. M. Kultwasser, E. J.
Stackpole, Jr., and A. A. Wert.
Guardsmen to Dine
Committees in charge of arrange
ments for the banquet and entertain
ment for members of Companies D and
I, at the Armory March 5. are quite
active. Last night the committee on
refreshments met at the home of Mrs
C. W. Gerdes, 1608 North Third street!
and outlined plans for the feast. Other
committees will m&et next week.
The Ex-Members' Association of the
Governor's Troop will take part in the
parade on the arrival home of the
Harrisburg companies of the Eighth
Kegiment, and the members will meet
at the armory two hours after the sig
nal is given on the lire bells that th 3
train has left Altoona.
took off his overalls, shouted a "good
bye boys," and went to the office of
assistant foreman D. W. Shuey and
got his time. Returning to the ahaps
and as his farewell, he said:
"Watch the papers and some day
you may read. "Henry Arthur Collins
Shot in Battle,' and then you will say
'the old sport was game and died
a hero," he told 'the boys.' He took
an afternoon train for Washington,
D. C., after telling Foreman Shuey
that he would write him when he was
mustered Into service,
Single Copy, 2 Cents HOME EDITION
ENGLAND TO LOP
MILLIONS OF TONS
OFF HER
Premier Tells House of Commons of Shortage of Food and
German Submarine Menace; To Force Land Owners
to Cultivate Soil; Pay of Workers Increased
FARMERS GUARANTEED GOOD PRICES
FOR COMMODITIES OVER LONG PERIOD
By Catting Off Luxuries Lloyd George Expects to Save
Million Tons of Space; Paper, Ore and Lumber Are
Among Other Articles Greatly Curtailed
London, l'cb. 23. David Lloyd George, tlie British prime
minister to-day presented to tlie 1 louse of Commons in . a speech
lasting an hour and a half his program for coping with the problem
ot shortage of shipping space. Ihe speech was a serious and grave
effort, the premier giving his audience little opportunity for ap
plause and endeavoring to concentrate attention on the serious
situation with which the nation is faced owing to the shortage of
foodstuffs and the German submarine menace.
The premier's program for dealing with the situation was un
der two heads, the first to increase home food production and the
second the curtailment of nonvictual imports.
Under the first head Mrt Lloyd;
George outlined a scheme for speeding
up the farmer by guaranteeing him 1
good prices lor his commodities over'
a period of years, thus inviting him to 1
plow and sow every inch of available
land. This he supplemented by t!ie
announcement that the land owner!
would be actually forced to c ultivate
his land.
Million Tons of Komi Less
Ihe speeding up of the leisurelv )
British farm laborer—who for a score
of years has been regarded the poorest !
paid laborer in England, w'as provided I
tor by the premier by guaranteeing
him a minimum wage of 25 shillings'
AMERICAN MISSIONARY KILLED
WHkN U BOAT SINKS LINER
WASHINGTON, FEB. 23. ROBERT ALLEN
HADEN,. AN AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MIS
SIONARY STATIONED AT KOO CHOW, CHINA,
PERISHED WHEN THE FRENCH LINER ATHOS
WAS DESTROYED^ BY A SUBMARINE, 210 MILES
EAST OF MALTA,'FEBRUARY 1/
CONSUL KEBLINGER AT MALTA CABLED
THE STATE DEPARTMENT A REPORT OK HA
DEN'S DEATH TO-DAY AND SAID THAT THE
MISSIONARY'S ADDRESS WAS GIVEN IN CARE
OF THE PRESBYTERIAN MISSION BOARD AT
NAHVILLE, TENN,
Washington, Feb. 23. —Senator Lewis, of Illinois, to
day •utrcduced .as an amendment to th< revenue bill pro
vision, to authorize the President to seize foodstuffs, de< mcd
to b' monopolized in violation of law Foodstufi: so seized
we. Id be dispose'] ci at public sale und-1 .' -eminent
supervision.
RALPH TROUP SERIOUSLY ILL
Harrisburg. Ralph Troup, of the firm of William
F. Troup & Son, piano dealers, 908 North-Third stteet, is
seriously ill with pneumonia at hit. home, 81b North Sixth
?tre<-f, it was learned to-dav Hopes arc enteri nncd for
t '
his recovery by the attending physician.
ARSENAL INSPECTION IS ORDERED
Harrisburg. - The United States government has
ordered an inspection of the State arsenal at this and
has detailed Major S M Rutherford, of this city, a regular
army officer home on furlough, to do the work With Na- !
tional Guard officers he went to the arsenal this afternoon.
This is one of the government's "preparedness" measures.
,
• / , Jj
MARRIAGE
Philip Arm, Jr., Lower Pax ton tommhlp, ami Ellu I.villa Uood.
l.lnKlratawii.
Wultcr Nye nnd Mite 11. Conrad. Mlddlctown.
per week instead of the present 14 to
18 shillings.
Under the head of curtailment of
imports Mr. Lloyd George said he ex
pected to reduce the demands OTS cargo
space by several millions tons. Foo<l
stutls, of which 16,000,000 tons were
imported last year, will be cut down
nearly a million tons by lopping off
certain luxuries. Paper users who al
ready have been considerably curtail
ed, must henceforth get along with,
only half the supply they are now re
ceiving, thus saving 6 40.000 tons. Cen
tain savings also will be effected in
the import ftf ore, which now nmoun's
to 8,000,00 tons annually, and in lum
ber, which at present is 4,000,000 tons.
(Continued on Page 18)