The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-15
rRK COMMITTEE 0N COST o.
LYING.


wanmuruu. Aprl lA-oA February Q
Senator EIkims inaroduoed o rss0luti0m
calling for tho appolntmens q Q solsce
committee TO make an exhaustive IN
vesetgataOn into the cost Of living and
any increase In the same aincs looo.' On
February ~ the committee was appointed.
SeVea sxpsrisncsd Legislators plunged
boldly into ihs work OF investigating
costs, prices. production and dhstrtbuthon
In all their complexities and rAmiflcAtionn
They have met from time TO tirne and have
summoned 60 appear before them various
butchers and bakers and candlesttck
makers, with intent to learn from them the
causes u increase In prices They have
called On the consular service for lnfcr-
nation regarding prices and wagse In
other lands. They have Obtainsd from
departments In Warrington such infor~
nation ~ they posseassd.
The results of the labors Of this COM
mittee are not at all imposing. A few
reports, Recommendation and statistics
have been submitted with request that
they he printed an Senate dOcumsntn.
Few have ssSn them and few would bs nc
all enlightened by their perusAl. A vast
8e8sa0LAlAA
accumulated. but Il needs digestion To
give II practical value. Moro information
and later figurcs are wanted, and all that
will need digestion. A force Of invests
gators and agents In found On hs necessary.
The committee now wants sss O0o for tho
collection and compilation Of material.
II hOpes that IL may. but 10 not cs-tain
that 10 can. complete its work 10 four
months. The reports. opinions. state
ments and statistics gathered and 20 10
gathered win doubtless BE- interesttag.
and perhaps important. but theix psacti-
cal value can be estimated only when the
work 10 done.
The scheme a. submitted by Senator
Lodge. tho chairman OF tho committee.
provides for AsoertaininG the producers
prices Of ssventesn articles, including
wheat, corn. oats. cattle. hogs, sheep,
cotton. hay. milk. eggs, poultry. potasoos.
&C. for aacsrtaining the Wholesale prices
% 7aO commodities. the wholesale pricea
Of eight different agricultural imple-
ments. tho retail prices Of ssvcnty-Ons
articles, and for the compilation OF table,
of wages. salaries and hours OF labor In
long lisa OF Industrial. agricultural and
transportation enterprises. Apparently
the purpose In 90 expand somewhat and
TO bring up To date work which already
fOrms Q part OF the duties Of tho Dcpart-
ment Of Commerce and Labor and % the
Department Of Agriculture.
With money to spend for its proeecu-
ton the work preeenta few dtfhculties a.
far as collection and compilation arc con-
cerned. The real trouble lies In conclu-
sions and In the recommendation OF pos
sble remedies. Such q committee cannot.
for instance. even II 90 convinced. declare
that the high price Of any given commod-
ity il due TO the tariff. TO q manufacturing
trust. 20 an association Of middlemen. To
Lag or ineffective methods on the farm. 10
Is little prOhable that IL can or will trace
price accumulation step by step On .
dozen eggs, a pound Of butter. q bushel
Of wheat or Of potatoes. from their orig
inal source TO their point OF consumption.
II probably will not and perhaps cannot
trace a pound Of cotton from it's cost OF
production on the plantation TO its retail
price en- the counter IL 10 doubtful II Il
can or will trace a suit Of clothes from the
cotton field and the back Of a sheep To the
finished garment.
Perhaps nobody can youoh for their ac-
senator Flint submitted figures Obtained
from New York manufacturer. They
show that a skirt retailing at $40 costs
81 rs. represented by sS.7s for cloth and
trimmings and 81 90 for labor; that a suit
of mems clothes costing the maker 81 ~
and wholesAliuR at SlO.TS sells az retail
for SIS In such a s'Ii: the cost of the cIotn
Is given az o. 20 and Of the lining gI.I9 He
quoted a lady . suit retailing at s2S. giving
SIS as the Wholesale price and rs TO
$40 a. cost % manufacture. II In known
that there is "a very wide margin between
the import and the retail prices 81 coffee.
II Is believed that the producing cost
81 many and perhaps Of most Of our food
products - far greater than IL should
h. aud ~ il known that our scheme oG
distribution in many lines ~ utterly I'm
scientific and often wastefil. These ara
conditions and factors II supreme i'm
port ance and u - little probable that a
committee of the senate will analyze all
such matters and publish the results Of
the analysis
Pruba hy the most that can he expected
from the committee will i've report to
the senate next winter in which there
will ~ Included q mass of statistics Of
pric,-s and wage rates for series 81
years in this and in other countries. The
report NAV he expected Co declare tina 6
th. upward movement % prices has been
worldwide and that a. a whole Il 10 not
due 70 specific Influences. and that there
are no specific remedies within the proper
province ~ national Legislation.