El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-23

ultimately share in corresponding de-
gree the losses OccasiOned by rate re-
auctions.
FINALLY let US remember that the in
creased cost of living has fallen on
the railroad more heavily than on the
individual, for along with an increase
in cost of railway labor has come
large increase in cost of lOcOmO tiyes,
cars, ties and railway material gener-
ally, together with a substantial in
crease in taxes and an increase in the
cost of capital for railway operation,
betterments, improvements and extern
sions.
.-The Want FOR More.
Associated with the increased cost
of living is CUR imperfect method OF
distribution; enormous rentals for store
and other business accommodations;
unwise and unwholesome competition
which makes the merchant employ TOO
many clerks and pay for much idle
time; makes the railroads run too many
trains at too high rate of speed, with
mucn empty and excess car and tram
mica ge: makes the banker tempOrlze
the fixed limitations of credit: makes
business men generally ignore or IghL-
" regard the essentially of economic
allv adjusting their facilities Tor
transacting business to the volume OF
business normally nSacted-reSulI-
ing in each of these instances IN eX-
cess labor, excess service and excess
capital: pure food laws which nave
eliminated cheaper substitutes and in
creased the cost of preparing the gen
uine article for market; inverse ratio
of production to consumption; decrease
in the production of meat animals; IN
creased value Of farm lands and in
creased cost of farm labor; decrease
in hours of labor which in many IN
stances is unCOmpensated by increased
efficiency.
Increase Productions Curb Extravaganza.
''To reduce the cost of living, we
must undertake more intensive culture
and increase productivity, Just as the
farmers of older and more pOpulous
countries are doing.
travagance and subordinate the graft
fication Of our social and industrial
abnormalities to the dtctum of common
sense. We must recognize that com
petitiOn is no more the life of trade
than it is the death of it; that cOmpe-
titiOn within the circumference of sober
reason is essential to wholesome eVo-
luton, but competition which attaches
abnormal stresses on the one hand and
law on the other is fundamentally en-
ervating and destructive.
Third, we should establish more di-
rect communication between the pro-
Queer and consumer so as to obviate
the necessity of an article passing
through four or five hands, with Incl
dental expense.
Concentrated City Population.
students of economy affect concern
over concentrated capital, yet are
blind to the still graver aspect of con-
centrated population One city in the
United States today contains 61z per-
cent Of the total population, and five
cities-New York, Chicago, Philadel-
phia, st. Louis and BOstOn-contain y
percent. In a country essentially dedi-
Gated to agriculture about half Of the
population is in the city. and the ratio
of Increase of city to farm population
is as to three consumers to one pro-
Queer OF foodstuffs. In many respects
this evidences a wrong economic pol
icy. for it shows that through the nu-
merical growth Of our cities, neglect
Of our farms and the cultivation Of
practices grossly eXtravagant and
wasteful we are engaging future gen
eratiOns with social and economic
problems of ominous pOtentiality.
United States ard Foreign Roads.
"The railroads OF the United States