150 THE HIGH COST OF LIVING 



As a matter of fact, many of the arrangements de- 

 vised as temporary relief have been put on a per- 

 manent basis. 



When the war came, therefore, the groundwork 

 had been laid for an efficient control of the food 

 supply. General measures for conserving the sup- 

 ply were under the control of the federal council, 

 but the cities did effective work in co-operating and 

 in distributing the food among their inhabitants in 

 accordance with the new regulations. 



Early in 1915 all stocks of wheat, corn, and flour 

 were seized by order of the federal council, with 

 the understanding that they would be distributed 

 among the cities according to population. All busi- 

 ness transactions in these commodities were for- 

 bidden from January 26 on. Municipalities were 

 charged with the duty of setting aside suitable sup- 

 plies of preserved meat. Owners of corn were to 

 report their stocks immediately, which were requisi- 

 tioned by the government at a fixed price. A gov- 

 ernment distribution office was established for the 

 regulation of consumption and the proper distribu- 

 tion of the stocks among communities. Other 

 measures of a less drastic nature had been adopted 

 by the federal council previously. 



In the middle of February, 1915, the federal coun- 

 cil expropriated all the domestic stock of oats, with 

 the exception of seed oats and the grain neces- 

 sary for fodder for horses. They also fixed the 



