Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1914-04-02
,,g7v IN POWER is IN TROUBLE
OVER HIGH COST OF
LIVING.
STATISTICS CAUSE A FUSS
price Reports Of Bureau Of Labor In
co,troyersy--Republicans Attack
the Tariff Policy Of the
Democrats.
gy GEORGE CLINTON

of living Not long HSO
~. ,ndustrial commission reported
vj,bout supplementary explanations,
w., mere we're 10000 unemployed
,l Wv, in New York city. This inc
panrhricans seized instantly as a
bgiis for criticism Of the Democrats
tariff Motley, saying the Reductions IN
Wa rates we're responsible for the
unemployed, ,2, GOV
Tho Industrial commission Is gov
eminent body and the majority OF i.s
members are Democrats. Naturaliy
trara was some Democratic resent
mont that a party commission should
saw things to hurt the party without
GIVING any explanation as to the rea-
ea,s for the things said. A quick ex-
p,anation was coming from the com
mission that the number OF unem-
rIoved WAS no greater this winter
than in other winters.
Now IN the high cost of living mat
FOR the Democrats again are having
some little trouble and a Democratic
Official IN a way is charged with re-
sroDsibillty therefor. The bureau Oh
labor statistics gets out retail price
reports and in one of It's recent ones
Il was shown that the cost of living
Is rs high as ever. Instantly a New
York man, said to be an expert In
such matters. challenged the statistics
bureau and said that its figures were
too high.
Hits Back at Critics.
Now the commissioner Of labor sta
tlstlcs Royal Meeker. appointed to the
Office By Woodrow Wilson. has come
back at his critics and In a longer
answer he gives the manner In which
the bureau arrived at its retail price
conclusions and virtually challenges
anybody successfully to dispute the
recently published statistics.
One thing which will probably be
Of specific interest to the country is
Mr.. Meeker's explanation of the way
that the bureau gathers and complies
retail price statistics. He says in his
answer 10 his critics:
Retail prices are secured from 670
stores scattered throughout 40 rep
rcsentatiVe cities of the United States.
These stores are carefully selected by
the agents Of the bureau. No "cut
rate or fancy" stores are taken.
Stores that trade largely with work
ingmen's families are chosen. These
ttores send in to the bureau the actual
tales prices on the fifteenth of each
month Of the fifteen food commodities
carried by the bureau. Agents visit
the reporting stores annually to make
sure that the reports sent In are cor
rect The 10 food commodities have
been carefully selected after years of
experimenting.
"A larger number of commodities
was originally included in the bureaus
plans gud would be desirable, but II
Is impossible to get reliable prices of
hsh, coffee fresh apples, fresh vege-
tables, canned goods, etc, because the
quality OF the same description of an
article varies capriciously. Mocha
Java blend Coffee for example. does
not mean the same thing from store
10 store, or from time to time.
A Difficult Problem.
Clearly increa7es and decreases in
prices cannot be traced from prices
OF articles that are one thing at one
ume and something different at an
o'her time or several different things
al one and the same time. The bureau
mas long been wrestling with the prob
ZEN Of getting quotations OF more
Ioo1sluus and of including in its re-
"'. price index boots and shoes, mems
ana "omen's clothing, and houses rent
aS. This Is very desirable, but as yet
" mas not been practicable for rea-
sons explained above.
II would also be very desirable TO
'@.ehd retail price statistics to include
"I-e number OF cities and a larger
number Of stores in those citien COW
cred, This cannot be done at present
U'gaNse Of lack of funds"
democrat, Progressive and Republi.
.a" leaders still claim or admit, which
., way you want to put II, that the
l"F ah'ch can present the best plan
W. o..hs down the high cost of living
..- De the one eventually not only to
,'l''' control of the government. but
=. A'yp It for long time. It readily
ss- De seen from the importance
,u'eo is placed upon this matter by
n ,re PARTY men why 1t was that the
rpgnocFats were perturbed when a
Dre"'oCratlc official without any ex.
n.1halon Of the reasons therefor said
,1", I"g'OOO persons were out of work
"a Ne" York city and when another
t.,oc'auc official was charged with
ENG put forth statistics tending to
sa aI| mat prices OF food and neces-
T TS',eT are higher than they really are.
rr %v democrats consider that the two
sr 'H'lsms have been successfully met
so nI charge that they were prompted
80 by the desire OF political op-
~ SVlelts to put the dominant marty
a' disadvantage. pa''
III states Rights Doctrine.
been democratic party always has
ss vD a party of states rights and TO.
bayi,p sIAaps curiously enough. II is
nv a., trouble to stand consistently
naNH