Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1912-01-16
PRICE INVESTIGATIONS.

The recent advance in the prices Of com
moditieS is merely natural phenomenon which
has occurred many times in the history of the
world. 1t is the resultant of the pressure of
many economic forces of them obvious,
others elusive, but all of them positive and I'M.
ehangeable by any human power.
Prices may be reduced only by change in
the direction or intensity of these forces, which
must come if at ALL only through the reaction
Of these forces upon each other
1t is not likely to come at ALL and if it does
we shall not like it. Nothing can prevent gen.
cral prosperity under rising prices except social
unrest resulting from the belief that increased
prices are the result of somebody's extorton and
determination to find and punish the villain.
This is known by all those who think
lntelllgently ON such subjects, and nothing more
that is both important and true can be discov-
cred The fact that the majority of us are not
informed ON such subjects makes it possible for
demagogues to propose preposterous remedies >
and get hearing and social agitators to get
support in their attacks ON society
Congress, suppose, will Investigate high
prices If it does it will be for the political pur-
poses of the demagogue, and the majority and
minority findings will be such the majority
and minority investigator" imagine will get
most votes for their respective parties.
Some negative assertion may be safely made
High prices do not result from undue profits
by any one. Take suit of clothes which sells
ready made at $50, says the San Francisco
Chronicle, which is a very good suit and trace
1t from the wool the sleeps back to the
person OF the ultimate wearer, and you will find
that at each step there is the iercest competition
among those who handle it at that stage 1t
always so. 1t will always be So Are not
the clothing stores in this city in the most active
competitions Nobody will pretend that there is
any effective combination among them or that
one could be made. And yet the retailers gross
profit is twice three times that of any other
person handling the suit
1t has to be- Dealers insist upon it. because
If any one cuts under and keeps it up he goes
into bankruptcy.
If there is combination anywhere in the prog
ress OF the material from the sheep TO the retail
cr's counter, it is among the mills which make
the cloth, and yet the cloth in suit retailing
at $50 will not cost more than 81. so which pays
all who have had to do with it up to the time
it leaves the mill
We know that the cotton mills do not hope
for net profit exceeding one-quarter of cent
yard for such goods as prints or sheetings:
that the same amount per pound satisfies the
beef packer and the sugar refiner and that all
the staple goods which must have are handled
on very close margin of net profit
Those only get rich by production or trade
who have the business capacity to do very
large business and collect their pay quickly thus
turning their capital frequently Wealth ac-
quired in these vacations is the tribute not TO
capital but to brains And as a rule the brany
man proSpers because he is able to give more for
the money than others can give, while also
making more money for himself
No investigation disclose all the forces
operating to raise prices much less the exact
manner IN which they operate. But it is sure
that high prices not the result of extortion
IN the production or sale Of any necessary Of life
II IS announced that the Democrats of Cali