The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-08-10
FIXING Of THE COST
rHe FACTORS IN PRICES OF
COMMODITIES.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Equity In Division Of Profits to All
engaged in Producing, Manufae-
turing and Selling.

Were the masses Of people better
| informed as to principles underlying
business transactions and commerce
| In general there would be less cause
for complaint as to matters pertain.
ing to buying and selling OF COM
| modities.
One of the faults. IL 1t may be SO
| termed, is the inclination OF the
people to complain about prices they
must pay for goods required for do
meBtlc and other uses. There can be
| no doubt but tlat in many districts
retail merchants exact exorbitant
| prices, this to an extent is the fault OF
the people who are little acquainted
with real values. There are three i'm
portant things to be considered in the
fixing of the selling price of all com
modities. These factors are the cost
OF the raw materials. the expense of
manufacturing and the expense of dis
tribution. From commercial transac-
| tions neither Of these basic elements
| can be eliminated The farmer who is
the grower of corn. wheat and other
cereals that comprises food stuffs. re-
ceives compensation for his product
In accordance with the laws of sup
| ply and demand, and the values that
| may regulate the monetary markets of
the world. The producer OF cotton in
| the southern states. must receive for
his product compensation that is
| based upon the cot of labor. manu-
| facture and what finished articles in
the cotton line may bring In the mar
kets of the world The producer of
| the raw materials must pay for his
| labor, and for his investment in farm
lands and farm equipment. The man
ufacturer who buys the raw products
must take into consideration the ex-
pense of labor, the maintenance of his
manufacturing plant, the interest
| upon the amount invested and also
various other items. and the sum of
these with what he can secure for his
finished product, regulates the price
that he pays for the raw material. In
| the distribution of goods the middle
man plays an important part He Is
the go-between the producer Of the
raw material the manufacturer, and
the manufacturer and the consumer.
|
commercial transactions. He per
forms a service that neither the pro-
! ducer of the raw material or the man
| ufacturer can more economically per
form. The middle men are the job
bers, the commission agents and the
retailers; each performing his special
service in the matter of distribution.
The consumer is the end of the chain,
the final buyer of commodities who
utiliZes them for his own use and the
uses of his family. There should be
margin of profit in each of the
! different transactions that will allow
equitable compensation to each and
every one interested in the production
of finished article All goods have
real value and this value is deter
mined solely by the elements referred
to herein. The consumer must expect
to contribute his mite towards the
support Of all engaged in commerce.
He is the beginning link, as well as
the ending link of every transaction.
| The farmer who grows wheat, when
he forces the grocer from whom he
| buys his floL. to sell the flour at
low rate, indirectly has an influence
in lowering the market for the wheat
that he produces When the consum
! er demands that goods be sold at
price below the cost of production, he
invites substitution of inferior goods,
adulteration of the articles and en-
courages a system that is unwhole-
some.
The people should understand that
they never receive something for
nothing, or receive anything of value
for less than its value unless under
| some abnormal circumstance. OF late
years there has a system grown up of
offering great bargains in various
kinds of goods by catalogue sent
through the mails, and presenting at
tractive and Elusive advertising that
| goods are being sold at less than cost.
The intelligent man or woman will
carefully consider all the circum-
| stances relative to such offers, and
will be guided accordingly. 1t is evil
dent that when special bargains are
made there are conditions that justify
such bargains; that goods are not of
, standard grade, are stale, or deterior-
| ated in some manner. Also there has
| system OF offering free premiums
, grown up that is unwholesome, and to
an extent an imposition upon the peo-
Pile as the system compels them to
pay for articles that are not essential
for them to have The man who buys
sugar does not care to be forced un-
der the guise OF paying for sugar to
pay for paper of pins or a package
Of needles, even though these may be
a free premium" 1t Is well to bear
these points in mind, and a little
study into business economics and
| principles will be highly advantage