The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-07-30
1PRDGRESS
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liar article AFFORDS q chance to IN,
crease It's price but that the same
result Is apparent when separate pro-
ducers maintain an agTesment as tc
EDrices.
"One Of the serious Influences tend
ling to Increase prices he asserted,
''is that Of price asreen(Sifs OF yari-
Gus sorts. 1t was 66e. OF the, pur-
poses OF the Sherman hutl7trrst &c,
to prevent practices 81 this sort;
however. there can pc little doubt
that in fact this praSttce sin, con
tInues. 1t Is alleged that The So
called Gary dinners justSas effectively
did away with competition and es-
tablished uniform prices as the older
and more Illegal fonnt otfagreetnents
had done"
Another device now resorted to.
to eliminate competition, he de-
clared was that OF hiding behind
the patent right He referred to a
recent supreme court decision, under
which the user OF patented article
may he required to buy supplies OF a
certain make and pay the price i'm
posed
In regard to the progress Of the
age as a factor in high prices, Jsena-
tor Burton said that "the convent
ences and luxuries Of one generation
are regarded as necessities In the
next. Even in humble homes a
standard OF living is made possible
which was beyond the sSondest hope
entertained by generations that have
scarcely passed away" Better homes,
food and clothing; the desire for a
wider outlook, which is afforded by a
higher education, and an insistent
demand for leisure and amusement;
were elements, he said, which were.
adding TO the burden OF life on the
cost side, although aiding 1t in many
other ways. he quoted figures show,
ling a marked increase in the con-
sumption OF staple articles, such as
cotton. corn. sugar and so on; and
then added that expenditures for
luxuries showed a much higher per.
centage of increase.
The rapidly growing cost OF gov,
ernment-naNonal, state and munich
pal-was adding to the cost of lire.
he said; the expenditure OF the fed
eral government having increased 222!
per cent from 1890 to 1910.
ITO these must be added" Senator
Burton continued, the oppressive
burden Of military and naval arma-
ments, now involving a cost to the
civilized nations OF $4,000, 100000 a
year, an economic waste which i'm
poses an almost uncomfortable burden
upon the worlds resources. The ex-
pense OF the naval establishment of
the United States for the year 1890,
was s22.Oo6I9 06; in 1910 It was s123,-
1871" = BWEE
AS to increase in municipal taxa
ton rates, he quoted from New York
City statistics, showing that the per
capita tax rate there had increased
ii per cent from 1890. To 1910.
Speaking Of the unequal progress
in the different lines OF endeavor that
supply human wants" Senator Bur
ton said that at Is evident that Sci
ence working through invention and
improved rrethods has not accom-!
Iplished the same result in agriculture
as in manufactures. Although con-
siderable progress has been made in
the transportation of agricultural
products to the market and in pre-
serving them for use, these pertain to
transportation to the middleman
rather than to the original producer.
Improvements in agricultural I'M
plements have been very considerable
but have wrought no revolution such
as has been manifest in many pro-
cesses of manufacture" In addition
he called attention to the growing
scarcity of new lands suitable for
profitable cultivation" In connection
with the form, he spoke. of the move
ment OF population cityward from the
country as distinctive feature OF
modern life.
The diminishing supply OF lumber
in the face of unusual demand, he
continued. has caused a rapid and
continuous increase in the price of
products of the forest.
As to extravaganza and waste, he
declared that It was the inevitable
tendency in every progressive era.