The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-08-20
WITH THE EDITORS.

The Cost Of Living.
New York World.

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What can be done about the cost Of
living? Are present conditions to con-
tinue? Will they grow worse? Can
government help solve the problem OF
the housewife? If high prices have
come to stay, how can plain people
best meet them?
A million housekeepers in New York
were moved to anger by Supt. Reich
mann's revelation of the extent to
which false weights and measures add
to their difficulties. 1t is bad enough
to pay high prices without paying the
butchers little finger resting on the
scale pan Or getting fourteen ounces
of sugar for a pound.
The Times in comment upon Mr..
Refchmann's statement says that "the
average cost of living is less than that
the index finger showed forty years
ago." That is true; but forty years
ago the country was still using the in
flated currency of the war; gold was
at premium; it was then the house
wife who used false measure. She paid
for groceries with short dollar.
fairer comparison is with the cen-
sus year of 1890. seventeen years ago.
In just half generation the cost of
living at least for people who have
New York rents to pay, has risen
faster than wages have increased. The
increase is beyond endurance.
Part of the increase is inevitable.
Wages will never go back to the 1890
enter into the cost of living Lumber
will never again be so cheap. In 1890
a small house could be built cheaper
in an American than in an English
village. Today the advantage is the
other way. Such an exhibition as that
in Letchworth, England, of model cot
tages costing $500 would be impossible
here. The difference in the cost of
brick, lumber, hardware and labor
means everywhere more rent.
There is reason for a part of the
rise in the cost of provisions. One
would not wish the American farmer
to be as badly off as in 1S90-95. But
price raising by the beef trust and the
milk trust and the oil trust is another
matter Government can deal with
that; the power to do so carries with
it the duty.
1t does the consumer Of kerosene at
II to Is cents gallon no good to
know that it can be exported whole
ca TO Dat hro -,
up of the Standard Oil trust would
bring competitive prices. Railroads can
be compelled to bring products to mar
ket at reasonable rates. The establish
ment of three cent fares on stree,
railroads would save many dollars a
year to every city family and indi-
rectly reduce rent by making the sub
urbs possible. An immediate lowering
of the tariff would help every house,
hold.
The problem is to reduce the cost of
living without reducing wages or low
ering the returns of the farmer 1t
can be done in these ways:
l. By lowering the tariff
2. By further development of ma
chine production and farming science.
3. By the graduated income tax and
graduated Inheritance tax to shift
part of the burden of taxation from
weak shoulders to strong ones, and by
local tax reform il cities.
4. By enforcing the square DEAF
against mOnOpolistic trusts
5. By economical government, es-
pecially in cities.
6. BY waging relentless war on
graft" in politics.
I. By enforcing honest measure from
retailers.
s. By broad and intelligent forestry
policy.
9. By enforcing the laws upon rail-
roads.
10. By better and cheaper transit in
cities
Some of these reforms would pro-
duce an immediate effect in cheaper
living expenses: some would operate
slowly. All are worthy the best
thought of American statesmen. To all
of them the World proposes to devote
attention.