The Nome daily nugget., 1915-01-25

ly but enormous quantities of food are
 vet needed for the relief of the many
 thousands suffering women and chill
 dren of Belgium
 The commission in it's appeal to the
 American public for contributions has
 suggested that hereafter they be trans
 mitted in cash and thus avoid competi-
 ton in the purchase of supplies and
 the consequent increase in prices. This
 is probably a good suggestion, but it
 forcibly brings to the front the un
 pleasant thought of how much the , American people are paying directly
 and indirectly for this great European
 war and how much of human suffering il is bringing upon our own poor, many of whom are in but little better condi- tion than are the unfortunates of Bel gium.
 Prices have steadily advanced in this country and along with this ad vance has come business disturbances. interrupting our foreign commerce,
 disturbing the finances of the nation which required the levyinG of extra ordinary federal tax and the extending the great railroad systems of the coun- 1 try. The country, instead of being compensated in any way by q reduc-
 ton in prices hy reason of the great check upon our exports and increased
 supplies in our home markets are com
 pelled to pay higher prices than usual.
 in fact. war prices for food stuffs which ought to have gone down if affected by l the war.
 This should not and will not weaken
 in the least the appeal for help for the
 suffering Belgians who are in their dire distress entitled to the sympathy and assistance from the American peo pie It merely emphasizes the truth i that Americans must help to pay for the great world folly--the European war
 Our own country has its thousands of unemployed which is constantly in \ creasing and the suffering is growing
 in intensity and vet there is an apathy among the American people which is 1 astounding when it is considered that the labor conditions were just as easily 1 foretold and just as much in need of
 being provided for as was the cotton crop the railroads and our great man. ufacturing and financial institutions. ] The general apathy of the public to- wards the important problem of labor 1 is, to say the least. deplorable when
 nineteen states with well ordered sys- tems of public bureaus have proved | that the trouble is largely cureable. An attempt to meet the certainty of increased numbers thrown out of em poyment by reason of the European
 war was made by Congress by estab- fishing a Federal employment bureau and such bill was introduced into the lower house at the last session but was pigeon holed by the Federal Relatives Commission which intimated that it was about to study the unemployed sit uation. and yet nothing has been done by this commission towards introduc- ing q bill of it's own up to the present time.
 Although many cities have proven by actual experience that the labor pro-
 blem is capable of being handled in such a way as to minimize the extent of unemployment by arranging to take up the unemployed slack during times when normal employment was scarcest. the government has not Yet awakened to the necessity of doing it's whole duty towards the great army of laborers who, like the Belgians. are innocently suffering in consequence of the war. I l.