Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-14
REMEDY NOT FOUND
President Gives Result of Cost
of Living Probe.
PRICES HIGH WORLD OVER
Facts on Life Necessities Gathered
by Consular Officers.
AGAIN URGES A COMMISSION
Recommends That Congress Author
lie International Body to
Study Situation.
PRICES HIGH WORLD OVER
AGAIN URGES A COMMISSION

The President. in a special message to
Congress, has transmitted the first
| installment Of the information collected
by the Department of State in regard to
cooperation and the cost of living in
various European countries The depart
ment, by direction of the President, in
structed the consular officers to make
the investigation. The results Of the in
quiry are summed up In q letter from
Acting Secretary of State Huntington
Wilson. which Is submitted with the con-
sular reports and with summary of
their contents.
The Presidents message follows:
ITO the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentauves:
II transmit herewith a letter from the
acting Secretary of State, with accom-
panying data on cooperation and the
| cost of living in certain foreign coun-
tries.
1.-The popular demand for information
Of this character apparently was based
on the belief that some remedy or par
tial relief might be found for the grow
ing burdens of the high cost Of living.
| The immediate result of the inquiries in
through the consular officers was to
accentuate the fact that the increase
In the prices of the common necessities
of life is worldwide. and that 1t is an
associations, as well as with the mass Of
consumers as Individuals Multiplied
| evidences of the universal restlessness
| under this condition are given. Intelli-
operative societies shows that even where
there has been an advance in wages the
percentage has not kept pace with the
| rise in the cost Of food supplies. This
disproportion. in many cases, is so
| marked as to be startling.
Data for Students.
1.-The information collected and collated
by the Department of State is compre-
hensive and is a permanent contribution
to the history Of the efforts Of producers
and consumers. but more especially of
consumers, to solve for themselves the
economic problems Of production, distri-
button and consumption. II the co-opera-
tive associations which have been in ex-
istence for half century and more have
not been able to- determine the funda-
mental causes Of the increased cost Of liy
ing or to retard the advance, the student
of social progress at least may derive in
structfon from the account of the associa-
tons and their influence on the well-being
OF their members.i
How far the system of cooperative or
ganizatfon which f1ourishes in various
European countries may be adapted to
our highly organized and individualistic
oOCldl OISAulZ0IlOH Inlay peTNApS only De
determined by experiment, and in any
case the experiment must be Of volun-
tary character.
1.-THE practical information contained in
the reports of the consular officers I'M
doubtedly will be of much value to those
who are seeking to work out this problem
for themselves by means of similar asso-
Citations.
'In my message February l recon-
mended an international commission to
look into the cause for the high prices
OF the necessities Of life and the possible
remedies Should such a commission be
authorized by Congress the relation OF
the cooperative societies to this subject
would be OF great interest and the re-
ports Of the consular officers would have
additional utility.
WILLIAM H. TAFT.
1.-The White House, March Ii, 1872"