The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1908-02-01
THE COST or LIVING
10 BILLIONS or DOLLARS SPENT
ANNUALLY IN UNITED STATES.
THE CITY VS.. THE COUNTRY
Unequal Distribution Of Business
Works a Hardship Upon Many,
and Retards Growth Of AgrI-
cultural Towns.

Statistics as 10 the cost OF living 1
are ever interesting 20 the economist.
Ii Is estimated that only 20 per cent.
OF the people OF the United states re-
aide IN large cities II is claimed about
$4,000. 100000 are spent each year ~
the S6,000,000 people Ia tho union for
clothing. food and luxuries. II u
per cent. reside In rural towns and
farming sections, Il stands 70 reason
that the percentage OF money paid for
necessaries Of lifc In n per cent. OF
The vast sum Of nearly s19,000,0Q0, 900
annually expended. These iigures open
up a wide field for study OF economic
conditions.
For sake OF Illustration. let II be
estimated that In the large cities tho
cost of living Is 80 per cent. moro
than in the country towns and farming
districts, which would still leave APP
proximately GO per cent. OF all spent
for food and clothes credited to the
people living outside the larger cities.
Then II is found that the amount rural
residents spend annually Is sli,S00-
100000. But do the profits on this
Tast amount OF business remain In the
rural districts? DO the merchants In
those $4,000 country towns receive the
patronage Of me people who are resi-
dents Of the districts? A conservative
estimate Is that one-third Of ali this
vast trade goes to the as large cities.
wherein reside only 20 per cent. Of tho
population. We're the profits on the
trade that belongs properly 70 the
country towns kept within them and
within their districts. in the course OF
a dozen years their wealth would be
increased nearly 100 per cent But
the drifting OF the business TO the
large cities not alone makes the
country towns poorer and retards
their advancement, but necessitates
alike drifting OF the population Of the
country toward the thickly populated
cities on account OF the lack OF indus
tries 10 afford employment Herein
Is found the cause of the complaints
OF students In economic conditions OF
the tendency of the country-bred
youths 10 drift toward the large
cities, and explains the cause The
country residents are the ones 10 be
blamed for such conditions. II is a
lack of appreciation OF home enter
prise. and the desire 10 trade in the
arge towns that is the cause.
The sending away Of dollars assists
the great combinations 20 control
manufacturing. financial affairs, and
all lines Of industry. and even the
trusts are tightening their grips on
the farms, controlling the prices OF
commodities that the farmers must
have. and debating the prices nj which
he shall sell all his products. as with
the destruction OF the business OF the
rural towns, tho home market is made
poorer, and in fact even before the
small town merchant can supply the
people living within the town with
products that are produced In the i'm
mediate neighborhood, the trusts must
have their profit" out OF the trans.
action. Reader, do you know remedy
that can be applied that WIN give a
more equitable distribution OF bust.
ness and OF the earnings OF the peo-
pie? DO you not think that the homo
trade and the building up of some in
dustries plan might bring about the
desired results?
u. NJ CARR