The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1912-02-03
SOLUTION OF HIGH
LIVING PROBLEM

The whole world is anxiously study
ing the problems presented by the pres
ent high cost of living.
Political issues have arisen in many
countries because of the universal high
prices for the necessaries of life.
The greatest political and social
economists in the world have been Civ
ing earnest thought to the solution of
these grave problems.
In the business and financial world,
the situation has caused real apprehen-
sion. Note what one of the most con
servative editors in Wall street says
of it:
High Prices and Unrest.
The high cost of living is creating
great unrest in many countries. Con
ditions are becoming especially grave
in Germany, Austria Hungary and
France. German officials are becom-
ing veery anxious for the coming win
ing very anxious for the election of
the new Reichstag which will occur in
January. Judging from the by-elections
recently held, the Socialists and Radi-
Gals will carr everything before them.
A wireless message to the New York
Times of October 20, says that a vast
portion of the population of Germany
is hungry and that food, already sell
ing at unheard of prices, is growing
more and more difficult to obtain.
Mass meetings are held to ask for the
repeal of duties on food stuffs. MUM
cipalities are establishing fish depots
and railroads are remitting part of
their rates on food stuffs. In some
instances, companies and large firms,
and even the government itself, have
met the increased requirement of liv-
ing by granting their employees
bonuses in the shape of half a month S
extra salary.
Similar conditions exist in most 9th
er countries of Europe, as well as in
our own country. Because of the
drought of last summer, that prevailed
in this and most European countries,
there is great shortage of vegetable
and forage crops and food stuffs are
higher than ever before and are ex-
pected to advance much more before
next spring. 1t has become
evident that there is great disparity
between the prices received by the
producers and those paid by consum-
GERS This means that there are too
many "middlemen TOO many gro
GERS, butchers druggists, etc. Too
many live in cities aud IRE living with
out returning full value to society
The high cost of living is likely to
hasten the evolutionary change in the
distribution of products that, appar-
emily, has been long delayed.
We see no chance of improved indus
trial conditions until the prices of
foods decline.
Cooperation is the Remedy.
High authorities from President
Taft down, have said that to make the
cost of living less burdensome the
consumer and producer must be
brought closer together.
Elimination of the middlemen and
cooperation among both producers
and consumers have been suggested
as ways to the end of economical liv-
/ ing.
In England, the consumers have
banded together in great cooperative
organizations which procure supplies
in large quantities manufacturing
many of them, and retail them to
members of the organization at re-
duced cost. declaring dividends from
the profits to the stockholders or mem
bers Tn both Europe and America,
there are cooperative organizations
among the producers to secure the
more economical marketing of their
produce.
The assistant secretary of agricul-
ture, Hon, Willett NJ Hays, is an en-
thusiastie believer in cooperation
among the farmers. With other classes
of citizens he is not so much concern
ed He believes in cooperation not
only among the farmers, but between
farmers and the government. He has
been working and talking on this line
for years, and he explained his ideas
quite freely. the other dav. to the cor
respondent of this paper.
"The government said Mr.. Hays,
esis the biggest cooperative organiza
tion there is, or that ever was. II is
beginning now to cooperate with the
lesser units like the state, county and
school district. in order to do for the
people what they cannot do alone and
unaided.
"Still further down in the economic
scale, or i'm the body polite, lis series
of volunteer cooperative units, self
formed, for the purpose of graphing
with the problems of production and
distribution; cooperative creameries,
cheese factories, stores operated by
farmers organizations and so on.
fWe have a cooperative law in
business jurisprudence which has
grown up around the getting together
of business firms, but we have little
such jurisprudence. We need a set
of laws around cooperation, instead of
decisions.
Let the State Help.
'The farmer. alone and unaided,
resumed the assistant secretary, "can-
not sustain himself in competition
with an organized business How can
he meet such organized businesse Take
a creamery in Minnesota or Wisconsin,
for instance. Let us say that 100
farmers have each a $4,000 farm
plant. They build $4,000 creamery
and each one takes a 500 interest in