The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1914-05-01
IS STILL UNsOLVED
PARTY IN POWER - IN TROUBLE
OVER HIGH COST OF
LIVING.
STATISTICS CAUSE A FUSS
Price Reports Of Bureau Of Labor IN
troversy-RepubIica Attack
the TarIn Policy Of the
Democrats.
BY GEORGE CLINTON

WGsnlngton-Tne party IN power ID
having come little trouble through tho
still unsolved problem of the high coOt
OF living. Not long ago member CT
the industrial commission report-d.
without supplementary explant tio1s.
that there were 100000 unemr. Dyed
persons In New York city. This tho
Republicans seized instantly do q
basis for criticism OF the Democrats
tariff policy, saying the reductions In
the rates were responsible for the
unemployed.
The Industrial commission Is q gov
eminent body and the majority OF Its
members are Democrats. Naturally
there was some Democratic resent
ment that party commission should
say things to hurt the party without
giving any explanation as to the rea-
sons for the things said. A quick ex-
PLANTATION was coming from the COM
mission that the number of unem-
ployed was no greater this winter
than in other winters.
Now In the high cost of living mat
ter the Democrats again are having
some little trouble and a Democratic
ohcial IN = way Is charged with re-
sponsibility therefor. The bureau OF
labor statistics gets out retail price
reports and In one of its recent ones
1t was shown that the cost Of living
10 a. high a. ever. Instantly New
York man, said to be an expert In
such matters, challenged the statistics
bureau and said that its figures were
too high.
hlto Back At %Cr1tIce.
Now the commissioner Of labor sta
tistics. Royal Meeker. appointed to the
ONCE by Woodrow Wilson. has come
back 1T his critics and In q 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 to his critics:
Retail prices are secured from $40
stores scattered throughout 40 rep
resentative 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
stores send In to the bureau the actual
sales 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 Is food commodities have
been carefully selected after years of
experimenting.
"A larger number Of commodities
was originally included in the bureaus
plans and would be desirable. but It
Is impossible to get reliable prices OF
fish, coffee, fresh apples, fresh vege-
tables. canned goods. etc, because the
quality of the same description OF an
article varies capriciously Mocha
lava blend coffee. for example, does
not mean the same thing from store
to store, or from time to time.
A Difficult Problem.
Clearly increases and decreases In
prices cannot be traced from prices
of articles that are one thing at one
time and something different at an
other time or several different things
at one and the same time. The bureau
has long been wrestling with the prob
lem of getting quotations OF more
foodstuffs and of including In its re-
tail price index boots and shoes, mems
and women's clothing. and houses rent
ais. This Is very desirable, but as vet
it has not been practicable for rea-
sons explained above.
1T would also be very desirable to
extend retail price statistics to include
large number Of cities and larger
number OF stores In those cities COW
cred. This cannot be done at present
because OF lack OF funds"
Democrat, Progressive and Republi-
can leaders still claim or admit, which
ever way you want to put 1t, that the
party which can present the best plan
to bring down the high cost OF living
will be the one eventually not onE to
secure control of the government, but
TO keep 1t for a long time. 1t readily
can be seen from the Importance
which is placed upon this matter by
the party men why IL was that the
Democrats were perturbed when a
Democratic official without any ex-
PLANTATION of the reasons therefor said
that 10000 persons were out of work
in New York city and when another
Democratic official was charged with
having put forth statistics tending 10
show that prices of food and neces-
saries are higher than they really are.
The Democrats consider that the two
criticisms have been successfully met
and charge that they were prompted
solely by the desire of political op-
ponents to put the dominant party
1t disadvantage
States Rights Doetrfno. !
Tho Democratic party alNa1s has
been a party of states rtGhts md to-
lay. perhaps curiously enough, II is
having trouble tn stand cnnatafanflv