Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-07-15
HIGH COST OF living
EXPLAINED BY COMPRESSION
AL COMMITTEE.
Congress Had Special Committee Make
an nvestigation-MOst Every Known
Reason Given for the Big Raise In
Cured During the Past Two or Three
Years.

Years.
Republicans and democrats do moi
agree as to the cause for the increase il
tne cost OF living between 1900 an6
1910.
Inc majority report of the speeia
senate committee which has been in
Vestlgating the question was sub
united to the senate by Senator Lodge
chairman of the committee. A meet
ing was held prior to the presentation
OF the report and the minority members
OF the committee protested against the
character of the findings.
First Cause-Increased Demand.
The majority report embraces the
following:
Increased demand for farm products
and food.
Shifting of population of food pro.
duclng to food consuming occupations
and localities.
Immigration to food consuming 10.
calities.
Reduced fertility of land resulting in
lower average production or in in
creased expenditures for fertilization.
Increasing banking facilities in agri-
cultural localities which enabled farm
ers to hold their crop and market them
to the best advantage. 1t was found
that this not only steadied prices, but
had tendency to increase them.
Reduced supply convenient to trans
portation facilities of such commodi-
ties as timber.
Cold Storage Factor.
Cold storage plants which result in
preventing extreme fluctuations in
prices of certain commodities with the
seasons, but by enabling the whole
salers to buy and sell at the best pos
sible advantage tend to advance prices.
Increased cost of distribution.
Industrial combination.
Organization of producers or of
dealers.
Advertising.
Increased money supply.
Over-capitalization.
Higher standard of living.
The foregoing findings were gathered
by measuring the prices of 257 com
modities, included in the price index
number of the bureau of labor. The
commodities were compared and the ad-
vance noted for the different groups
during the period from 1900 to 1909 in
elusive. The general wholesale prices
level in the United States advanced
during that period 14.5 per cent.
Farm Products Lead.
The groups show advances as fol
lows:
Farm products, 1913; food, etc, 1877;
timber and building materials, 1876;
miscellaneous commodities, lat; cloths
and clothing, 100; fuel and lighting,
SO; house furnishing goods, SO; metals
and implements, SO. A decline was
shown for drugs and chemicals amount
ing to 300 per cent.
1t was shown that the greatest ad-
vances have taken place in the prod
ucts of the soil.
The committee criticized the use of
forests by saying that there has been
a large consumption without any par
ticular attempt to replace the timber.
The report stated that in view of the
fact that the increases have been SO
much greater in products coming either
directly or indirectly from the farm
than in any other line, excepting prod
ucts of the forests, the conclusion
must be reached that the most import
ant cause of the present advance is to
be found in a study of farm condi- |
tons.
Ranges Cut Up for Homes.
Concerning the advance in the cost
IF food, the report says:
"The supply of government available
and for general farming has been
reduced and the ranges are
being rapidly cut up into homes for
settlers. The cost of producing live
stock has materially increased with the
VI JhO lhhSO1 Az
,essitates producing cattle on domestic
pasture and high-priced lands. !"
Concerning retail prices, the report
hows that in the United States in the
pring of 1910 they were at the highest
POINTS in many years. AS compared
With the spring of 1900 prices for
aeon were more than 10 cents higher,
lam 80 per cent higher, -four s per
ent higher, butter about As per cent
igher, sugar about 10 per cent higher
nd eggs 100 per cent higher.
Coffee About Same Price.
A few articles, such as coffee and
ca, were about the same price as in
900, but practically no articles of food
we're lower than in 1900. Furniture
7as about the same as in 1900.
,arthenware was slightly lower. Shoes