The Butler weekly times., 1914-10-15

future to the economic law of supply
and demand OF communities rather than
to place such temptation for power
in the hands of those who rise and fall
in the field of politics. Furthermore,
should the time ever come when the
government takes over the railroads it
means that the people will have to fore
20 the millions of taxes which they
now pay. Many other things could be
said upon this phase of this question,
but space forbids. For sometime, the
Government through the Interstate
Commerce Commission has been en-
gagged in making a physical valuation
of all our railroads as matter of
guidance for future rate adjustments.
Again, ws repeat, since the people alb
solutely control and regulate the rail-
roads, is that not enough? Will it not
be better to let we'll enough alone to
cling to that which is good and elimi-
nate that which is bad from this time
forward?
Increased Cost Of Operation.
We now wish to refer briefly to an
other phase of the problem: For a
number of years the cry of the 'high
cost of living" has been everywhere
abroad in the land. Time was, not so
many years ago, when the farmer sold
his corn at Csc per bushel. Now it
brings from SOC to 75c. So, too, he
sold hogs at SC per pound, which now
readily bring from 7c to 10c-while
good steer calf, which used to bring
from $40 to $l2 now sells for from 500
TO- $25. Nobody who knows anything
about present land values or the farm
er's cost of production will contend
that he is not entitled to these increas-
ed prices. As a matter Of fact, unless
he is an exceedingly good manager and
utilizes the best of modern Agricultur-
al thought he is by no means getting
rich at present prices-high as they
may seem to the people in the cities
who do not understand the cost attach
ed to present day farming. Togo back
to the old prices he used to receive
would bankrupt, in little while, every
farmer in the country-and the ten
dency of the future will be for the
prices of farm products to go still
higher rather than lower. Agriculture
is the Nations greatest fundamental
industry and society must make the
farm game sufficiently profitable to
justify the man who is on the farm to-
day and the farmer boys of the future
to stay by the plow. Much has been
said recently about the fact that the
farmer does not receive enough for
what he produces-that there is too
big q waste in the channels through
which his products pass before they
reach the consumer and that he has
some cause for complaint in this re-
spect is undoubtedly true. However,
the railroads can face such an inquiry
with clear conscience-for an exhaus-
Five investigation conducted by the Lee
high Valley Railroad some time ago
shows that the farmer gets 501s cents
,ut of the average dollars worth of
products he sells, the packers, local
shippers, distributors and retailers ~ |
:ents between them, while the railroads |
receive only Sc or one-twentieth of the
iolla1 for the freight services they rem
Ter.
So, too, there has been steady ad-
rance in practically the entire realm
II merchandise. and manufactured pro-
lucts, Whatever their nature, and the
,yer increasing toll in the cost of labor,
Itsel products, lumber. cars, locomo-
ives and other supplies has levied .