The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1912-10-18
The HIGH COST OF LIVING
A Discussion of A Vexing Problem
by the Pathfinder.

m Wy SuC Z KdkuuuOCls
What dsgusts the average common
sense citizen Is that in spite of all the
hue and cry and oratory and big
promises on the part of the politicians,
so little is really accomplished in the
way OF bettering conditions. Reform
seems to begin and end in talk.
Though everybody everywhere has
been 'investigating" the high cost Of
living. for instance, what has been
done to remedy the situation? Virtu.
ally not a thing.
The Philadelphia reform govern
ment, which promised to set things
right 10 a iffy, has gone scientifically
Into the matter and finds the same
old familiar fact that the high retail
prices Of foOdstuffs are due TO the
excessive levies OF the middlenan and
the lack Of adequate transportation
facilities. But nothing can be done,
for you can't pass laws requiring
dealers to sell products at loss or
railroads or truckmen to carry them
free.
In Des M0ines Mayor Hanna says
the plan Of having a municipal mar.
ket, where the actual producers can
come and sell their products direct to
: the consumers, has helped greatly to
bring down prices. In Indianapolis
Mayor Shank has tried to accomplish
the same end by having the city 90
into the huckster business aud sell
potatoes, ETC., at cost. In many
, other places various similar plans
r have been experimental with, but as
, a matter Of fact they fail to reach the
! underlying causes of the high prices.
I Such sporadic and superficial meas.
+ ures are absurdly inadequate.
q Everyone agrees that where you can
' cut out the niddleman and his profits
you can reduce prices-but how to do
1t is altogether another question, and
much more difficult one. We have
a friend who, noting that sweet-corn
retailed in Washington for 25 and 30
cents dozen ears, thought he could
make big profits raising it for the
market. He tried. and when he took
his As dozen ears to market he real
lied just IS cents for the lot, and had
. TO pay for his time and the transpOr.
= tation out of that
It The producers get far too little fol
d what they raise, and the consumers
le have to pay far too much-but how
n are you going to bridge this gap.
d There must he middlemen, it seems
,e and they must have pay for thei
:. time as we'll as for all risks, losses
* and incidental expenses. This i
Of what brings retail prices up. Th
S. middlemen are not getting rich an.
iaster than the producers are.
-, II the producer undertakes to b
his own middleman and to marke
:, his products direct. then he discover
-. that the time be wastes makes up fO
~ any increased profit he may make
And there the matter rests. Figure
=. collected at numerous experimen
=. stations, ETC., show that 10 man
-, cases the producers are really raisin
:. foodstuffs at loss; they may manag
to exc out a living, but If they ha
charged up their time and the IL
r., terest on the capital invested ihc
,in would tnd that their supposed proh'
*. we're of the minus order.
Ia 1t does seem pity and CT.
is that when potatoes for instance al
IFS retailing at the rate of Sl.6o bush
IN the farmer is getting only 40 cen
.t for them-and other things 10 IL
md same proportion. But inquiry shoV
.ho that, there is good reason for the |
> w difference between farm prices al
n retail prices. Look at the way mon'
a. is layished on stores everyWher
there are a thousand expenses whli
have to be met, and these 10 the la
sod ANALYSIS must Of course all be pa
-ay. for by the consumer.
of The lady who steps to Inc 'pno
for and lavishly orders the marketing
Is The day and has it delivered 10 q
of door by an auto.truck or fancy way
tch. must expect to pay several pr'c'
ing She is paying ror service rather 'h
.,so far the goods, and should recogn'
+, ,h;s ,his fact. 1t is, as we have said, q
un.,inp 10 find thai after all
eng hnlla5alloo that is made over
dis hiuh cost OF living, nothing Is rea
has dnne 10 reduce that cost. 80 long
,,es nsonle insist on living as they do
49, material relief need be looked i
na' The politicians who promise -. y
able things are talking through inelf Ii
Pathfinder.