The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-16

I Die luCIedst III IdltlOdd 4iClSiAlS SiilOs
1900 The tables of freights printed by
the majority show that the rate on 1ei
pounds of flour is:
1900 1910.
Cents Cents
E. ST. Louis to New York. 251s 29h
| Chicago to New York.......... % %
St. Paul to New York ........ 291s %
Kansas City to Chicago -. 10 IAN
| Omaha to Chicago ............ % 15ss
Cattle. sheep and hogs. Missouri river
points to Chicago, remain the same.
There was evidence that there had
been in the retail trade an increase in
the delivering to customers.
| Otherwise 1t appears that the principal
increase takes place in the wholesale
| price to a greater extent that in the re-
| tail.
10. Industrial combinations.
| II. Organizations of producers or deal
| ers.
| 10. Increased money supply.
These we shall conside rlater on.
Il. Advertising.
| We fail to find any evidence produced
| before the committee in regard to this
being a factor of the slightest impor-
ltance.
| II. Overcapitalization.
We do not dissent from the conclusions
of the majority on this subject If the
| pubic Is permitted TO De taxed 10 pay
dividends on watered stocks.
| Overca pitalization does not confer the
power to charge higher freight rates or
higher prices for commodities. 1t is the
duty of the lawmakers to prevent this
10. Higher standard of living
Perhaps less than per cent of our
people indulge in the use of Injuries to
any appreciable extent This small num-
Der could raise the general level of prices
but little more than a man could raise
himself by his boot straps. The great
advances have been mainly In bacon,
beef and mutton, cotton goods and they
have increased vastly more than In tea,
silk goods, champagne and silverware,
diamonds and jewelry.
But, after all. 1t could hardly be fair
| to claim that the cost of living had in
| creased If we were to consider only the
| case of the man who formerly lived on
| bacon and corn bread and who has
| changed to sirloin steak and rolls. 1t is
the same living In 1900 as compared with
| 1910 that we had to deal with. and,
| whilst all are agreed that there has been
| decided increase, we have nothing to
| do with the standard of living, and could
not. If we would. legislate In reference
| thereto. Our inquiry was in regard to
| the higher cost of living and not to
| the Cost OF living higher"
On Tariff and Trusts
| The report goes into great detail on the
effect of the tariff and of various trusts
on living expenses. On the subject of
"ov+ro,,ooonca ), +bo ranort so,,..
|
~ "o''''i' ma many vi
our cltizehs nave peeh living extrava-
gantly. but 1t does not lie In the mouth
of the majority to reproach them, for
thew have cat tho axamn,a h., +ho ost
.,l,
e'i' "u u Npei'O''uie vi
the moneys corrected from the people by
taxation.
we annex hereto table showing that
| the appropriations and AUTHORIZATIONS by
congress Tor the year 1900 were sl62.O2S.-
ZSo.4z. Ihese were generous, lavish,
wasteful, put the appropriations Tor this
year carried the enormous total of u, Us,
S47,ls4lS, an increase of over 90 per cent
and this increase was made In the teeth
OF the statement OF the republican leader
OF the senate that they were already
sloooooooo In excess OF what they should
be ana sSooWooVo more than any we'll
organized business concern would expend
to get the same result. The President
set out with patriotic desire to have
these appropriations reduced. He had
the chiefs of departments reduce their es-
Inmates. He saw the Increase In the cost
of living and desired to reduce the
amount of taxes levied upon the peo-
pie by the government, but his efforts
resulted in an increase over the appro-
priations of the previous year by approx
mately S4S, 600, OO0-more than so cents for
each man, woman. and child in the Uni