The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-01-13
COST OF LIVING IS.
CONSIDERED BY !.
PRES. BROWN
Wages Of Labor Must Continue
to Advance in Proportion
WE MUST FACE RELENTLESS
If This Country is to Continue To
Prosper Farm Products Must Be
Greatly Increased

Boston, Jan H2.-"We must in
crease production per acre by more
intelligent methods or we must face
the relentless, certain day when we
shall not produce food enough TO sup
ply our own necessities, said Presi-
dent William c. Brown OF the New
York Central railroad, in an address
tonight before the New, England
Railroad club. The wages of labor,
he declared. must continue to ad-
vance in fair ratio. with the steady
increase in the cost of living In
addition to President Brown, Cover
nor Eben S. Draper was guest and
speaker. Mr. Brown said in part:
THE most portentious cloud dis
cernible upon the political or econo-
mic horizon at this time is the
steady, relentless increase in the
price of everything that goes to
make up the cost of living
with succession of bountiful
harvests the price of grain has stead
| lily advanced until the prices OF 1908
1909 show increase over those OF
1898 as follows: Corn, an increase
of l11.2 per cent; oats, S5.l pei
cent; wheat, 59.5 per cent; pota
toes, $50 per cent, hay, 49.7 pei
cent
with a normal increase and nc
disease to deplete our herds, values
have increased marvelously Not
withstanding the advent of the auto
mobile, horses and mules show az
increase in value of more than l0l
per cent. The products OF the for
est make an equally marvellous show
ling. Anthracite and bituminous Goa
have advanced 80 and AZ per cent
respectively, lard 113 per cent. porl
So per cent. and talloF So per cent
During this time farm land in al
parts of the west and middle ives
has fully doubled in value.
Economists agree that there is
direct relation between the quantit,
Of gold, which is the basis of valu
and the general industrial condition
The gold production of the world TO
the year 1896 was approximate
1902 ,251 500. For 1909 it was approx
mately s45O,OOO,OOO. an increase Q
100 per cent.
THE coal mined last year ha
been burned, but the gold produce
year after year piles up, and as
accumulates it takes more gold [
buy a bushel of wheat or any OF tn
other necessities of life.
For this reason the pay of labo
has steadily advanced and must col
tinue to advance in some fair rati
with the increase in the cost
things that labor must buy.
Another force is working for higi
er cost of living, more inslstentl.
more powerfully, and with a siniste
significance compared with which a
others become negligible factors an
this is the alarming rapidity wit
which consumption of the product
of the nations farms is overtakin
production.
Statistics show that the failure
increase the product of our farms
any thing like the ratio of increas
in consumption is exerting more tina
three times the effect upon cost
living that the increase of gold
having.
81 doubt If any country in the worl
, excels the United States in naturi
,, fertility of soil or has a more favo
, able general climate but with OF
careless. uniformed methods OF see
selection, fertilization and cultiv'
ton. cur farms produce an annui
yield of less than fourteen bushel
of wheat per acre as compared wit
hthirty-two in England, twenty-eigf
in Germany. thirty-four in the Nett
erlands and twenty in France.
Potatoes, with wheat and corn al
food staple of the poor man, &c
many with an area of less than som
of our largest states, produces NOR
than seven times the number of busl
els of potatoes that are produced
all the states.
If the converging lines of produ'
ton and consumption in the Unite
States continue to approach eac
other as they have during the pas
ten years before the middle of tn
decade upon which we have just ell
tered has been reached the last vet
sci loaded with the agricultural pre-
ducts of this country will have LEI
our shore, the exporting grain elevi
tors in our seaboard cities will stan
empty, and this great nation Xix
those of the old world, will be lool
ing for a place to buy, the necessal
les of life.
There is no alternative-we mus
increase production per acre by NOR
Intelligent methods or we must fac
the relentless, certain day when W
shall not produce food enough t
supply our own necessities
$500 FOR MRS PETRoSINo