saries; to prevent, locally or generally, scarcity, monopolization, hoarding, injurious speculation, manipulations, and private controls, affecting such supply, distribution, and movement; and to establish and maintain governmental control of such necessaries during the war. For such purposes the instrumentalities, means, methods, powers, authorities, duties, obligations, and prohibitions hereinafter set forth are created, established, conferred, and prescribed. The President is authorized to make such regulations and to issue such orders as are essential effectively to carry out the provisions of this Act." And, whereas, it is further provided in said Act as follows: "That, from time to time, whenever the President shall find it essential to license the importation, manufacture, storage, mining, or distribution of any necessaries, in order to carry into effect any of the purposes of this Act, and shall publicly so announce, no person shall, after a date fixed in the announcement, engage in or carry on any such business specified in the announcement of importation, manufacture, storage, mining, or distribution of any necessaries as set forth in such announcement, unless he shall secure and hold a license issued pursuant to this section. The President is authorized to issue such licenses and to prescribe regulations for systems of accounts and auditing of accounts to be kept by licensees, submission of reports by them, with or without oath or affirmation and the entry and inspection by the President's duly authorized agents of the places of business of licensees." And, whereas, it is essential in order to carry into effect the provisions of the said Act, and in order to secure an adequate supply and equitable distribution, and to facilitate the movement of certain necessaries hereafter in this proclamation specified that the license powers conferred upon the President by said Act be at this time exercised, to the extent hereinafter set forth. Now, therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the powers conferred upon me by said Act of Congress, hereby find and determine and by this proclamation do announce that it is essential in order to carry into effect the purposes of said Act, to license the storage and distribution of wheat and rye and the manufacture, storage and distribution of all products derived therefrom to the extent hereinafter specified. All persons, firms, corporations and associations engaged in the business of either storing or distributing wheat or rye, as owners, lessees or operators of warehouses or elevators, and all persons, firms, corporations and associations engaged in the business of manufacturing any product derived from wheat or rye, (except those operating mills and manufacturing plants of a daily capacity of one hundred barrels or less, and farmers and cooperative association of farmers) are hereby required to secure on or before September 1st, 1917, a license, which license will be issued under such rules and regulations governing the conduct of the business as may be prescribed. Applications for licenses must be made to the United States Food Administrator, Washington, D. C., upon forms prepared by him for that purpose. Any person, firm, corporation or association, other than those hereinbefore excepted, who shall engage in, or carry on the business of either storing or distributing wheat or rye as owners, lessees or operators of warehouses or elevators, or manufacturing any products derived from wheat or rye after September 1st, 1917, without first securing such license, will be liable to the penalties prescribed by said Act of Congress. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done in the District of Columbia, this fourteenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seven[SEAL] teen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and forty-second. By the President: WOODROW WILSON. ROBERT LANSING, Secretary of State. EXECUTIVE ORDERS [Creating Food Administration Grain Corporation.] THE WHITE HOUSE, August 14, 1917. Whereas, Under and by virtue of an Act of Congress entitled "An Act to provide for the national security and defense by encouraging the production, conserving the supply and controlling the distribution of food products and fuel," approved August 10th, 1917, it is provided among other things as follows: "That, by reason of the existence of a state of war, it is essential to the national security and defense, for the successful prosecution of the war, and for the support and maintenance of the Army and Navy, to assure an adequate supply and equitable distribution, and to facilitate the movement, of foods, feeds, fuel, including fuel oil and natural gas, fertilizer and fertilizer ingredients, tools, utensils, implements, machinery and equipment required for the actual production of foods, feeds, and fuel, hereafter in this Act called necessaries; to prevent, locally or generally, scarcity, monopolization, hoarding, injurious speculation, manipulation, and private controls, affecting such supply, distribution, and movement; and to establish war. and maintain governmental control of such necessaries during the For such purposes the instrumentalities, means, methods, powers, authorities, duties, obligations, and prohibitions hereinafter set forth are created, established, conferred, and prescribed. The President is authorized to make such regulations and to issue such orders as are essential effectively to carry out the provisions of this Act." "That, in carrying out the purposes of this Act the President is authorized to create and use any agency or agencies * "That, the President is authorized from time to time to purchase, to store, to provide storage facilities for and to sell for cash at reasonable prices, wheat, flour, meal, beans and potatoes." And, whereas, in order to enable the United States Food Administration acting under the direction of the President to efficiently exercise the authority granted by said Act and to purchase, store, provide storage facilities for and to sell for cash at reasonable prices the commodities above named, and to enable said United States Food Administration to purchase and sell said commodities in the manner and by methods customarily followed in the trade, it is expedient and necessary that a Corporation should be organized, all the stock of which, except the number of shares necessary to qualify directors or incorporators, shall be subscribed for, purchased and owned by the United States. Now, therefore, under and by virtue of the power conferred upon me by the above entitled Act as hereinbefore set forth, it is hereby ordered that an agency, to-wit, a corporation, under the laws of Delaware be created, said corporation to be named Food Administration Grain Corporation. That the governing body of said corporation shall consist of a Board of Directors composed of seven members. That the following persons, having been invited and given their consent to serve, shall be named as four of said directors, to-wit: Herbert Hoover, of Washington, D. C. Julius H. Barnes, of Duluth, Minn. Gates W. McGarrah, of New York, N. Y. The remaining three shall be named by the incorporators and be subject to change by and with the approval of the President. The office and principal place of business of said corporation outside of the State of Delaware shall be at the City of New York, and branch offices shall be established at such places within the United States as may be selected and determined by the United States Food Administrator by and with the consent of the President. That the capital stock of such corporation shall consist of 500,000 shares of the par value of $100 each. That the United States shall purchase from time to time at par so much of said capital stock as may be deemed necessary to supply the necessary capital to enable said corporation to carry on its business and none of said capital stock shall be sold to any person other than the United States and to the individual directors or incorporators, for the purpose of qualifying as such directors and incorporators, such qualifying shares to be held by said directors or incorporators in trust for the use and benefit of the United States. The United States Food Administrator is hereby directed to cause said corporation to be formed, with the powers contained in the articles or certificate of incorporation, and in the by-laws requisite and necessary to define the methods by which said corporation shall conduct its business, which have been approved by the President. All officers of said corporation shall be selected with the consent and approval of the President. The United States Food Administrator is hereby authorized and directed to subscribe for and purchase all of said capital stock in the name of and for the use and benefit of the United States and as purchased to pay for the same out of the appropriation of $150,000,000 authorized by Section 19 of the Act of Congress hereinbefore entitled. Done in the District of Columbia this fourteenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seventeen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and forty-second. WOODROW WILSON. [Assigning to the Secretary of the Navy Control Over Navy Construction, Supplies and Materials.] THE WHITE HOUSE, 21 August, 1917. By virtue of authority vested in me in the section entitled "Naval Emergency Fund" of an Act of Congress entitled "An Act Making appropriations for the naval service for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and eighteen, and for other purposes," approved March 4, 1917, and in the section entitled "Emergency Shipping Fund" of an Act of Congress entitled "An Act Making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in appropriations for the Military and Naval Establishments on account of war expenses for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and seventeen, and for other purposes," approved June 15, 1917, I hereby direct that the Secretary of the Navy shall have and exercise all power and authority vested in me in said sections of said acts, in so far as applicable to and in furtherance of the construction of vessels for the use of the Navy and of contracts for the construction of such vessels and the completion thereof, and all power and authority applicable to and in furtherance of the production, purchase, and requisitioning of materials for construction of vessels for the Navy and of war materials, equipment and munitions required for the use of the Navy, and the more economical and expeditious delivery thereof. The powers herein delegated to the Secretary of the Navy may, in his discretion, be exercised directly by him, or through any other officer or officers who, acting under his direction, have authority to make contracts on behalf of the Government. WOODROW WILSON. STATEMENTS [Coal Prices.] WHITE HOUSE, Aug. 21, 1917. The following scale of prices is prescribed for bituminous coal at the mine in the several coal-producing districts. It is provisional only. It is subject to reconsideration when the whole method of administering the fuel supplies of the country shall have been satisfactorily organized and put into operation. Subsequent measures will have as their object a fair and equitable control of the distribution of the supply and of the prices, not only at the mines but also in the hands of the middlemen and the retailers. The prices provisionally fixed here are fixed by my authority under the provisions of the recent act of Congress regarding administration of the food supply of the country, which also conferred upon the Executive control of the fuel supply. They are based upon the actual cost of production and are deemed to be not only fair and just but liberal as well. Under them the industry should nowhere lack stimulation. WOODROW WILSON. Note. Prices are on f. o. b. mine basis for tons of 2,000 pounds. |