The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-11-19
HERE is THE CURE.
BIackmar Tells How to Reduce
High Cost of Living.
Standard of Living Constantly
Advancing, He Says.
,Dean BIackmar's Cures.

let the government check the
decline in the purchasing power OF
gold by taking, AUTOMATICALLY selsh-
forage of the bullion that IS behind the
dollar thus leaving the value of the
collar stable and allowing the weight
70 rise or fall in correspondence with
the rise and fall of average prices.
.. Induce if possible more PeoPle
TO engage in the proouctloh u "a"
?. Introduce scientific intensive ag-
rjculture in order to double the pro-
duction per acre. o,o,,+ifc
treatment which will eliminate present
evils. -..1o or
carnations from advancing prices ar
bitrarily. Place maximum limit "
prices if necessary
nensive methods of bringing the com
modify to the consumer. tho
Z. Finally. educate. people in tne
principles and habit of true economy,
+h1Is doing away with extravaganza
and waste.
Hutchinson, Kan, Nov. 19'E mess
are the remedies offered Kansas =,
farmers this morning Dy Dea IocfnioerV
w. Blackmar, professor OF socloIosy
at the University of Kansas, IN an aoe
dress on ''Some Factors in the cost OF
Living before the Kansas Agrlcullui
al and Industrial congress. 49,.
ssThe average price of commodltles
has risen steadily since the latter part
of 1896" declared Professor Black1nar'
s'During this period the prices OF near
" all commodities, especlaliy ASot'
products, have steadily adHanceuii -
- a,tic1es have huctuated, but have
Rad little influence in changing tue
general trend upward. In the ten year
neriod Immediately preceding IhiS
there was a steady fall in prices NhiSI
reached a minimum IN 1880: DL'i t l.1s
this period the standard OF hVlng mas
constantly increased making an adaI-
tionaI burden upon people whose IN
conoes are fixed, or who have been un-
able to increase their incomes III pro
norton to the cost of living.
t.T1he high cost of living has been
caused bv the attempt to meet the
demands of high standard anu tl1e
constantly advancing prices Inc i"'
ter is the chief cause
The cost of High Living.
eft is necessary to discriminate pc
tween the cost of living arlsiils II 3 go q
higher standard and that arising from
high nrices The former is sometlmeS
caIIed the cost of high living ana the
latter the high cost OF hVlhs' t4ar
former means that we nave a pellea
and more varied life for which we
nav correspondinglY. We have PETER
schools. school equipment; better
clothing. Prices have Increased apous
6f+v noints in the last ten years anu
ore sin going up. There is no I'M
mediate relief in sight, especially IN
food products.
saThe causes are many and conlpleA;
They should be divided into Worlo
causes and local causes. Cher am
the former is the expansion OF cur
1encv caused by the production OF
E.oId and the lessening of the purchas-
mo newer of gold. Our unit OF VaIue
measure. the gold dollar, is growing
smaller and it takes more of them TO
measure the value of a given article
than formerly Moreover, this makes
an expansion of business somewhat ne
titious in nature. But 1t causes great
activity. and a dollar travels faster
now than formerly-which 1ntenslhes
the power of the volume OF money 70
raise prices. Add to this the effect OF
credit shown by the large bank De
positis half of which, in this country
are checking deposits and we have an
other factor in the imitation of price
Here Is the Reason.
.'Tbe second great world cause is the
sbffting of the population from the
group of producers of raw material to
+be group engaged in Transforming, I
TRANSPORTING and distributing products;
and to the group who are attempting
+o satisfy the demand for multitudes' of
desires old and new. Add to this the
increase of population in cities, the
relative decrease in agricultural prod /