New-York tribune., 1912-02-11
HIGH COST OF LIVING
PUT Up To HOUSEWIVES
Government Expert Says They
Do Not Buy NeCessaries
with Discretion.
MIDDLEMEN BLAMED. TOO
Expenditures for Pleasure and
Convenience Also Pointed Out
by Speakers at Re-
publican Club.

The mddleman and the housewife were
the persons held largely responsible by the
sneakers AT Yesterdays luncheon AT the
Republican Club for the prevailing high
cost of living.
For every dollar that the consumer pays
70 a retailer I'm the general average for his
potatoes. fruits. poultry and dairy products
the farmer receives 5S cents the railroad
cents and tho middleman 70 cents" said
George X Holmes chief of tho Division ~
Production and Distribution of the Bureau
Of Statistics, of the Department Of AGri-
culture.
Next 10 the middleman, Mr.. Holmes put
tho reason of the high cost Of living dl'
rActly UP to the housewife, saying that her
purchases of canned goods and delicatessen
uxuries were largely responsible.
Another cause. no said. was the enormous
increase In the variety OF expenditures for
mere pleasure and convenience. Among
these expenses he cited the moving pictur"
shows the vaudeville shows and the
amusement parks of tho suburban and
interurhan railways. NTH their opportu-
mites for dropping nickcls and dimes for
momentary qualification. There Ar" the
CTOW0S VINO llNP 'l 'liN ll'ltrN '"'0 '''
plea the summer vacation has become
a costly fixture. snd every SUNDAY and ho'-
dav has IT'S excursions by rail and b. boat.
Continuing, Mr.. Holmes said
Clothing makes greater demands than
formerly. and there are many ac'"ss"Il"s
which can hardly he termed clothing in the
proper cnse-acccsscries in the way 81 or
nament or in the line of prevailing style
The family telephone has added ano,nerr
expense. the family automohuH mas d1oeu
q group Of expenses sufficient 20 annihiat'
\ comfortable savings hank account. Ih@r"
i- a multiplication of societies ana ass,
Citations 10 which dues must he paid ann
more ready disposition 70 call the ialnly
physician than formerly The tipping lrAc'
tice is becoming more general
II is this sort OF consumption 'hat paws
havoc with what otherwise might becOme
family rest ezg--a savings bank &C
count laid by for \ rainy day. An exam
ination Of the record of prices eNtenhnE
hark many Years makes " evident that ~
are not nov i'm a period Of eXtraordin5ry
high prices everything considefe1, nut
rather that We have emerged from recent
period ~ most eEtraord'nar'lN ~" pre-.
50 that by contrast OH present prices seem
Unprecedented. ,.
We had become so accustomed 10 ahnor-
rnaIIv low prices that We had forgotten that
they were ever higher and did not perceive
that they must return In some lars" 10
gree Notwithstanding this "NpIanaN"n'
the situation hurts ,,,
The present situation with regard ~ high
prices should not he tolerated without some
nodifca lions that will contribute TO the re-
lief of the consumer The distributive svS-
tenn is burdensome. costly and unnsces-
sarily elaborate. Producer ana o""S"'"''
should get nearer fO each other.
II is about time for the consumer 10 ston
playing the part Of a man Win . FIl"l
ance. Nearly all Of ~" gr'TNahces .sI tnaI
can be corrected AZ all can b" CORRECTED
M himself He can buy with greater
economy in prices through cooperative FL
forts and by paying cash and also ,1lns VIZ
greater economy IN forms W'PaTau'"H
and varieties of things
Professor Milton whitney. chief 81 The
bureau Of soils said that the high cost IT
living. particularly as II related to Nc"
York. was due 10 fashion
Horace Greeley" he said set the fssh-
ion for going West. and his advice At that
time was wise. but times hav" changed
and opportunities have changed. and we
mead > second Horace Greeley 10 point out
that nov the great opportunities are In th@
East"
Mr whitney declared that the soil ~ the
Eastern states. particularly Ne" YORK
generally believed 10 be poor. was extreme
lv rtch There was an erroneous behei'
bo said. regarding tho wearing ont ot IN"
soil. and he cited the farms In Japan
which had been worked for more than six
thousand years and which were as prodhc-
tive and rich as ever.
The Rev. Or Madison g. Peters ascrioed
the cos, OF high prices Of foods In this city
~ the middleman, saving that 2.0H middle
men could well do the work now performed
by some 1900.
DR. Peters made the somewhat startIins
statement that q per cent Of the inhaoi'
tants of New York were dependent on
charity for their daily food.
This was received with cries OF NO. NO!
II DR.. Peters heard the cries he Ignored
them, for he continued:
.One out OF every ten who die In New
York are buried In Potter's Field
He suggested that the rich men who seek
n give their money away might well ex-
nend II I'm the establishment Of agricul.-
! ural colleges.
while I believe in welcoming all the
n.opIes of Europe with open arms he
aent on. II think IL time that We re-
! pricted immigration until the 100000 idle
men in this country find employment
! Professor W. ]. Alexander. of the Uni
versity Of Toronto, said that the reason
the recent reciprocity agreement was voted
| down by the Canadian people was due 10
the nationalistic feeling OF the Canadian
| particularly OF tho farmer.
|