The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-12-20
HIGH COST Of LIVING
Important Subject Discussed at q
Committee Meeting at the
Wom2n's Club

A committee of the Woman's Club
together with representatives from
other women's organizations and sew
eral of the merchants of the city met
at the Woman's Club building Mon
day afternoon to discuss the question
of the day, ''the high cost of. living
Women's clubs and neighborhood
groups of women all over the country
are having called meetings for the
purpose of discussing this very i'm
portant question and in many places
they have succeeded in reducing the
prices of certain articles of food. But
this has been in larger places where
certain articles have been "cornered, y
and the reduction has been brought
about by boycott. 1t was not the
purpose of this committee, however,
to recommend this method since the
committee fully realized that a local
boycott in small community could
not effect prices except on local pro-
duce and it was their object to work
for the interest of local producers,
our farmers, poultry and milk men
as much as for the merchants and
consumers of Ocala.
Messrs. B. A. Weathers, Baxter
earn, Harvey Clark and 7. C. Carter
responded to the invitation to meet
with the committee and others pres
ent were Mrs. C.. Rheinauer, repre-
senting the Kings Daughters; Mrs.
D. E. McIver, representing the u. D.
c.; Mrs. F. G. B. Weihe, the Eastern
Stars; Mrs. R. L. Anderson of the
club, and also representing the Pres
byterian ladies'; Mrs. R. S. Hall, the
Baptist ladies; Mrs. G. T. Maughs,
the Episcopalians; Mrs. L. j. Knight,
the Catholics; Mrs. w. T. Gary, the
club and the w. C. T. u; Miss Ella
Mendenhall, the Parent Teachers as
sociation, and Mrs. Hooker and Mrs.
Tydings of the Woman's Club.
All of the gentlemen present made
splendid talks and threw great deal
Of light on the subject. Mr.. Wealth
ers of the H. B. Masters Co., made the
first talk. He said the condition of
affairs was as much concern to the
merchants as to the public and that
they are glad to cooperate with the
consumers wherever possible. He
thought the condition brought on by
the war is of course responsible for
the high prices, although speculation
has something to do with it, too.
Mr.. earn spoke most optimistically
of present conditions and feels that
the present high prices is the best
thing that has happened in years, and
feels that there are brighter times
ahead for Marion county than ever
before in history. If we will only
have a little patience he thinks that
conditions will soon adjust themselves
Mr.. Harvey Clark of the o. K. Tea
pot Grocery thought that the women
can largely solve the problem con-
fronting them by studying economy
and by doing their own marketing. He
thought that a boycott of the necessi'
ties of life would result in more harm
than good. That it would discourage
the raisers of produce and would
eventually prove most disastrous.
Speaking of eggs, Mr.. Weather:
stated that the Ocala market is almost
entirely furnished by the farmers il
this section.
Mr.. Carter stated that the present
high price of flour is due to the short
age in the wheat crop and to specu
lation.
The general conclusions reached
were that the high prices existing to
day are due to supply and demand ant
to certain extent to speculation.
j The shortage in the grain crops
last year has raised the price of fioul
and feed. The high price of flour anC
feed has raised the price of bread
+ chickens, eggs, milk, etc.
/ The higher price of tin and wrap
ping for cans, together with shor
crop of tomatoes and other vegetable
has raised the price of canned goods
1 Considering then the decreased pro
duction this year and the greater de
4 mand on account of the war and th'
cheapness of money in the north OF
account of the great influx Of gold, i
is easy to see why prices are high
The only condition which can be rem
edied is that of the rise of prices OF
account of speculation and the U. S