Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1911-11-18
AGAIN, THE M1DDLEMAN.

AGAlN, The N1DDLEMAN.
President Taft will strike responsive chord in
the breasts Of his feow-citzens if, is fore
shadowed he tackles in his message to congress
next month the cost of living problem. The Wash
ingon representative of the Associated Press tells
us that the president will refer TO of the most
important findings Of the tariff commisson-that
the tariff is not the important factor IN the prices
of commodities that our democratic friends would
have us believe. but that the consumer s grieyous
burden is rather due to the middleman. This is
exactly the position we have always maintained,
reiteratng its conviction that the vital problem
which confrontS the statesmen of today and to-
morrow is to bridge the gulf between the pro
ducer and the consumer.
The economists tell us that the greatest tax
Americans have to bear is self-imposed and volm-
tary-their own extravaganza and Wastefulness.
The average American housewife will deny indig-
nanty that she is wasteful, and yet it Is COM
mon saying that ordinary European family
could live comfortably on the waste OF an ordin-
AIRY American household What percentage of
housewives take the trouble make the time to
do their marketing and pay cash for their
purchases? The order-man, the telephone and the
monthly statement are conyeniences but eXtrava-
gances.
| Even the thrifty and careful American house
| wife however, will find the charge of eXtrava-
! gance less easy to answer. What about her slav
| Sh worship Of fashion and her emulation Of her
neighbour dress and appearance? If Mrs. Jones
wears silk stockings and silk petticoat. Mrs.
Brown is restless until she is caparsoned likewise.
| How many stop to calculate the IN
! creased cost in recent years OF their little lux
uries and Self-ndulgences' 1t is true, Of course,
that what woman spends on hair is infnesimal in
comparison with what man spends on beer, but,
nevertheless. expert has estimated that i'll the
last few years the change of fashion in hardresS-
ing has cost the women OF the United States
more than 100000.
I4ut when tha charpp of extra Vapanep and
waste is laid aside. there still remains the fact
that the bare necessities Of life abnormally
high. and that even in the household in which
rigid economy prevails the husband is hard
pressed to pay his bills Nor, as we all now know,
is this great increase the cost of living confined
to the United States it is world wide complaint
and while the critical school of economists atrib
$ utes it to the over-producton OF gold the con
e structive school is searching for remedy
Why do we hear of tons of edible fish being
q thrown in the San Francisco bay; why are ear
y loads OF celery used for manure, and why, when
!, apples are selling at to cents Il pound, arc
a they left on the ground to feed hogs Why
e when the farmer only gets % cents dozen Ion
l his eggs does the consumer pay 60 cents? Ano
]. such questions might be continued indefinitely.
p The answer is the same There is something
|. radically wrong with our system OF trading; thu
u gulf that separates the consumer from the pro
l. Queer is too wide and too deep. Various rene
y dies offered and being put int
Il practical experiment The abolition of the middle
a man is urged, but he is very necessary an,
lie useful adjunct Of society until his method b.
d displaced by better cheaper and as convenien
method Kansas City and other communities il
the middle West establishing municipal fire
markets. i'll which the consumer can meet tn
Is producer face to face 1t is urged that govern
e ment which has regulated the common-carrer an,
IN keeps his freight charges down to small frae
n ton of the cost Of commodities also regua
a. the middlcman and the commission merchant bu
'e it is good deal easier, and more practicable t.
es discipline large corporations than thousands o
independent Individuals The problem can on
to be solved by the cooperation Of the consumer
I'd and their organized alliance with the producers
Or But it will be healthy and happy day for tn
g country when the politicians cease from perpetual
re and comparatively vain tariff agitation, for pol
Id ties only and when statesmen turn their atten
lie ton to eliminating the really big factor in hig
d. prices-the middleman