Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-07-04
THE HIGH COST OF LIVING

had good deal to say about the
causes for the high and advancing
cost of living for several years past.
Some have charged that it is mainly
the cost OF high living; ana to some
extent this is true. There have been
all sorts of opinions on the subject;
but 1t is time now to inquire how
cost of living can be remedied; in
the evils growing out of the high
other words, how the cots of living
To the average family can be reduced.
There are at least three possible
ways. One is by increasing produc-
ton We had bountiful crops in the
United States last year. There was
drop from 10 to 20 per cent in the
selling price of farm products. 1t
lowered the cost of living in some
directions; but we have no idea that
that ultimate consumer gained near
ly all that the farmer lost. To in
crease the production of farm pro-
ducts the United States over is not
an easy matter; nor does it lie alto
gether with the farmer, however
willing he may be and however in
dustriously he may work. 1t is also
matter of rainfall and temperature,
a matter of moisture and winter heat
and summer cold. SO far as the
farmer is concerned, it is a matter OF
education; ana education is a slow
process.
The increase in production, how
ever, does not greatly help the farm
er. The fact is that the money value
of his last years crop has not in
creased in proportion to the crop,
but rather decreased; just how much
we are not able to say, 1t is safe
tc assume, however, that the money
value actually received for the crop
of 1912 was not any greater than
that received for the crop of 1911, if
as great. Hence we can not look for
very much reduction in the cost of
living by increased production.
The cost of living may be de-
creased by a decrease in the ability
of people to buy. If we should have
a panic, as we had in 1908 and 1898,
the cost of living would decline. 1t
did not cost very much to live from
1898 to 1897, for the simple reason
that the people were not able to buy,
and the price which the farmer re-
ceives for his products is measured
Lar gely by the ability of people to
pay for it. Let a panic occur, fol-
lowed by years of depression, and the
cost of living will be cheap enough,
measured in dollars and cents, being
decreased relatively to the whole
mass of the people, because they will
not have the wherewithal to buy, and
therefore must buy less and live
more cheaply. So there is not very
much hope for an increase of ma
tional comfort through this process.
The cost of living could be de-
creased to the consumer without any
decrease in the profits of the farm err,
if we could have a more direct road
acrOss-lots between the producer and
the consumer; in other words, if the
farmer could get larger per cent of
the consumers dollar. This is the
only practical way that we can see.
We have no faith IL the present
.apGlar doctrine tlla5 the Enactment
OF = proposed :an1 will decrease
the 81 of living ST. far as fuud is
cClce cd, and for reasons which we
hG"" Sc, forth = an article dealing
with t;le new CO. 1ff This, how ever,
viii aaNs to lie demonstrated; and
time only will demonstrate it.
Therefore, in our judgment, the
most important thing for the people
to consider is how to get rid of the
waste in distribution in other
words, to shorten the road between
producer and consumer. There is
only one way that this can be done,
that We know of or have ever heard
of, namely, cooperation among the
farmers, both in production and in
marketing. This will be slow pro-
cess, because it is a mtater of edu-
cation; and it will probably not come
until both producers and consumers
are forced to cooperate, both in the
sale of their poducts and in their
purchasing, in order to live com fort
| ably.--Wallaces' Farmer.