The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-08
LIVING COST DUE TO
EXODUS FROM FARM
High Prices Prevail as There
Are Not Enough Produc-
ers, Sedgwick Says.
ARTICLE VI.
Causes for "Hish Cost Of Living"

Editor OF Palladium:
In reply to your letter requesting
that / give you my idea OF the cause
or causes of the high cost OF living
will state that there are to my mind
several causes. The first and most
prominent Is the exodus from the
farm to the city, when a family or
individual moves from the country to
the city 1t has a double effect. we not
only have one less producer but the
change creates one more consumer.
This moving to town has gotten to
such Q point that there are not en-
ough left on the farm to till the soil
to It's full capacity, speaking locally,
Wayne county could produce one-fifth
more at least II the help could be had
to do the farming.
II is quite frequent saying, by the
farmer Il have sown down quite a lot
OF my farm to grass for pasture.
could not get help to properly till it."
Now think that any fair minded per.
son will admit. that under ordinary
circumstances, supply and demand
regulate prices. There in some way
Of late. an idea going the rounds, that
the farmer sets the price for his pro-
ducts. This is not at all true. When
a farmer brings to town a load of
wheat or corn he does not say that
must have so and SO for my wheat or
corn, but he says to the dealer, what
are you giving for wheat or corn?"
and the dealer makes the price. When
the farmers wife brings in her butter
or eggs the grocer sets the price and
the price is largely or wholly due to
the supply OF the commodities offer
ed, that is, II the supply is large and
the consumption normal the price Is
lower, which is quite true with refer
ence to fruit at the present time.
There is another factor in the line
Of supply which has much to do with
the price Of garden products, and that
II the absence Of the town garden.
Only q few years ago almost every
lot In the newer parts Of Richmond
had the family garden in the back
yard. and It was the universal boast
Of the owner that he got very nearly
all the vegetables his family used off
this garden. At the present time
these gardens are about as scarce as
hens teeth" The writer has very
little sympathy for the man that has
. fine space In his back yard for a
yard garden. when he complains about
the price. Get good spade and hoe
and get busy and quit your growing
about high prices. You are largely
to blame for the high price of living.
There Is much said at present
about the high price of meats. There
are two reason for the high price Of
meat. the scarcity OF farm labor and
the demand by the consumer for veal
and small hogs. When the writer was
. boy the average weight OF hogs
when put on the market was four
hundred ponds. The average today is
two hundred pounds. What does this
signify? Simply this, that we have
TO raise with less help and for great.
Or lot OF consumers twice the number
OF hogs. Is not that good reason
for hogs being high? The thousands
of calves killed daily in connection
with the scarcity OF wild range for
cattle In the west Is the key to high
priced beef. There is quite good
deal of talk about our grocers charg-
ing too large profit on their goods.
The consumer is largely responsible
for the apparent large profit. The
consumer will pass grocery on his
way home to dinner ten blocks away
and when he gets home will order that
grocer to bring him a loaf of bread.
Tho delivery Of this loaf will eat up
the grocers profit on quite bill of
groceries. This custom and way of
delivering groceries is all wrong.
Why cannot the consumer go after
his groceries same as he does to mar
ket after his market stuff and If he
will insist on having his groceries de-
livered why should he not be willing
to pay for the delivery? The grocer
should charge one price for groceries
ut store and another or higher price
when delivered, the delivering should
be done by an independent company
who would deliver for all the grocers.
butchers, drug stores ETC., taking GER
tain streets at stated periods Of the
day, covering the entire city at least
four times day. Talk about he gro
Ger getting too large a profit on his
goods. The actual truth Of the case
Is the grocer works harder, puts in
more hours per day for the amount of
profit he receives than other men
In business.
The average standard Of living of
today Is too high. our children do not
want to begin where we began but
rather where their parents left off.
Now. II our new beginners" would
use the economy that their parents
did in their beginning, their bank &C
count at the end OF a year would be
TIE surprise OF their life. This high
nRices OF living might be changed a
Vry little by legislation, but the
Nnin cause lies with the individual
consumer.
LET us get back to the farm. Let
ma hy,Sv with th~ hoe ~~A ~-nA~