Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-09

degree for the cost of living to the city
man.
4
He points out, for instance that the
! average price, Of milk to the city con-
sumner is 100 per
FARMER Gets Only cent greater than
Half of the Cost. t tnr pf, zee. Inc Inc
it. Likewise, the farmer raises poultry
and realizes only little more than half
of its ultimate price to the consumer.
He grows cabbage for less money than
the middlemen demand as their profit
for handling it. He keeps chickens and
produces eggs and gets only 10 per cent
more out Of it than the middleman be-
tween him and the consumer. The con-
sumer pays 3S per cent more for his beef.
according to Secretary Wilson, than the
packer gets for it. The price realized by
the farmer Is only a little more than half
that paid by the man who buys the steak
or the roast
On the other hand, the retailer says it
is Sef-evident that he is not growing
rich. That this is true in many cases is
conceded. The average grocer does such
a comparatively small business that even
with a 80 per cent gross profit on his
sa.es he Would not make fortune after
meeting his own increased cost for rent
laboD horse-feed and the like. The
wholesaler also pleads not guilty while
the railroad insists that it is not respon-
sibe.
Many efforts have been made to solve
the problem by making commodities
cheaper. In some cities cooperative
stores have been established. These, how
ever. usually have been failures. The re-
tailerS have refused to patrOniZe whole
salers who would sell to cooperative eS-
Establishments. consequently the whole
90 stu
In a prominent patriotic club in Wash
ington number Of members got into
discussion on this question. Several re-
tailers were defending the prices charged
by the retailer and inquired why 1t was
that if these prices were so high the CO.
operative stores failed. The member of
the cooperative store rejoined that If the
retailers would permit them to buy as
advantageously as they bought them
selves the cooperative store would be a
great success. The retailer answered
that every man had to have a living, and
there was no justice in the consumer try
ing to cut the retailer out of his.
* *
Every one recalls the famous Pingree
potato farms Of a Michigan city, which
were aimed
Many Plans Tried to reduce the
to Lower Necessities. toes - tho
laboring man, at the same time cleaning
up idle lots and developing a taste for
civic beauty. The latest and most siren
uous campaigner for a. reduction in the
cost of living to the masses is Mayor
Shank of Indianapolis. His figh tagainst
the high prices prevailing In the Indiana
metropolis has been made against great
odds. and yet. whether he has dealt in
Christmas trees. THANKSGIVING turkeys or
potatoes, he has his thousands of fol-
lowers, who believe that he has been
striking the vital spot in the cost of liv-
ing question. The city of Aurora, ILL.,,
has established a municipal market,
where producer and consumer may meet
and trade.
Just now there is an effort to get to-
gether an international commission to
study the whole question in its entirety.
ard il this movement succeeds 1T will be
the first worldwide view of the whole
problem that ever has been secured. The
English investigation by the board of
trade is perhaps the most comprehensive
that ever has been made. After investi- |
eating the problem in all Of the principal
countries it concludes that the days
work of the average American brings
him more of the comforts of life than
that of the average citizen of any princi-
pal European country.