Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-04
TARIFF vAGARIEs

II tunate Los Angeles, the people are
feeling the squeeze of high prices much
more keenly than we are. Golfers
has undertaken (successfully) to pro-
cure some glaring instances of the
operation of the gouge system from
which America is suffering. New YORK
is near big farming country. one
reason why the population of New YORK
has been increased to it's present pro-
portions is its possession Of several
great tributary ranching regions
las we would call them) in New
York state New Jersey and Penn
syIvania. Provisions should always be
cheap. good and abundant in New
York city, and there should always be
opportunity for the intelligent farmer
who wishes to realize handsome re-
turns from his labor and experience.
There would be absolutely ideal con-
ditions II 1t were not for artificial
interferences. In all the eastern met
ropolitan districts of the United States
the same interferences exist, and so
the special example cited by Golfers
may be applied. with local variations,
to other regions in which a great civic
center is dependent on a tributary
country for daily fresh food supplies.
Says the Golfers writer: "A man
who divides his time between a farm
in Pennsylvania and an apartment in
New York city raises potatoes on the
farm and buys potatoes for consump-
ton in his New York home" (This is
not far-fetched instance. Many
owners of farms live in New York;
During the first week in February he
was a seller of potatoes in Pennsyl-
vania and a buyer of potatoes in New
York. Potatoes from his farm were
sold for 60 cents a bushel. For that
price the farmer delivered the potatoes
on board the freight car at the local
station.
During the same week he bought
potatoes at one OF the largest pro-
vision stores in New York city, located
at Sixth avenue and Tenth street. He
bought his potatoes by the half peck,
because, like nine out OF 'ten New
Workers, he lives in an apartment and
must buy IN small quantities. The
price he paid was 25 cents half peck;
for that price the potatoes were de-
livered in his apartment. Two half
pecks make a peck, and four pecks
make a bushel. The man was paying
50 a bushel for his potatoes. Some
where between the raiser of potatoes
and the eater of them S140 a bushel
found its way into the pockets of rail
roads and middlemen.
"Other relative prices are: New laid
eggs, farmers price 35 cents a dozen,
city price 60 cents; sweet potatoes,
farmers price e5 cents a bushel. city
price IL cents a quart or 1884 a bushel."
Butler. Mo, publishes a Through
thick and thin" high tariff paper which
is often quoted with approval by sub
sidized beneficiarles of the tariff and
their subsidized publications.
Here is an Item" from the Butler
Record;
Our esteemed friend. Uncle Bill
Simpson of Charlotte township, de-
livered TO Mr.. Hubbard, the live stock
buyer, on the first of the week sixty
head of fat hogs which averaged 272
pounds, and for which he received $50
a hundred. amounting to $14OO. lacking
a couple of dollars"
The Record wants it's little group of
readers to infer that Uncle Bill should
thank the tariff for the high price of
hogs. Uncle BiIls Illusion may abide
and invests it in upplies-beginning
say with the purchase of a $27 suit of
clothes for which before Dingley times
he would have paid 50.
And poor Uncle Bill gets another les
son when he buys new reaper, for he
pays the trust 80 per cent more than
the vodka-drinling Russian moujik
pays 1t for the same style of reaper to
be used for harvesting Russian and not
American wheatl High prices are add
ing point to the assertion the foreigner
does NOT pay the high tariff tax; but,
on the contrary, is benefited by it in
the same ratio the American consumer
IS Disseminated against or gouged
by it.
Americans need several lessons be-
fore they take drastic action. 1t is the
history of the republic that severe ex-
periences must precede changes for
the better. But. as far as the tariff
gouge is concerned no further ex-
periences at the expense of the ulti-
mate consumers should be sought
Such experiences in fact are to be
avoided by a country that wishes it's
future to rest securely on the stability
Of contentment and prosperity; its gov
ernmental conditions TO abide perman-
emily broad based upon peoples |
will"