The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-11-24
Living Cost Sug-
Gests Food Embargo
Foods pearer Than in BerIin

So a pound for tea and cocoa, $1.75 a
pound for ham and bacon, 80 cents Va
pound for pears and half as much for
apples, 80 cents pound for geese.
Quite as sensational, read in New
York, is the list of food still cheaply
sold. Berlin pays cents for IL
quarts Of milk. Potatoes are IL
cents for IL pounds, or q cents
peck; our wholesale price is more
than double, and a Western moving
picture show has sold admission tick
cts for two potatoes each. Berlin
pays cents for IL pounds Of corn
meal; though corn is an American spe-
cialty the price cannot be matched in
New York. Even butter, in spite Of
the dearth of fats in Germany, costs
80 cents for IL pounds, well under the
New York price. Bread, in war time
doubly the staff Of life costs the Ber-
lin hausfrau 8 cents for IL pounds,
practically the same as the New York
12-ounce loaf at G cents.
Measured by dollar exchange, the
German mark has been for weeks a.
a discount of 25 or more per cent,
some portion Of which represents pa
per currency imitation in German mar
kets. Even if no allowance be made
for cheap inflated money, the puz-
cling problem remains why New York
at peace should pay much more for
so many foods than Berlin at war.
To MISUNDERSTANDING.
New York Globe: The Modern
Merchant and Grocer World, in its
current issue, gives the following adj
vice to the retailer:
CONSUMERS are beng educated TO-
day oy variety of conditions to pay
good prices for everything they buy.
The retail merchant who doesn't take
advantage of that had better drop
out. Never again will he have such
chance"
In other words, the grocer who
doesn't squeeze his customer to the
last possible cent is a fool. Every
body is doing it, so why not the gro
Ger? And we shouldn't be inclined to
blame him much if he did. It's only
human nature. We're all money mad
these days.
Drastic Measures in Canada.
Toronto Daily News: AS every in
formed man knows, the general ad-
vance in the price of necessities is
due primarily and principally to the
war, a short crop and general de-
crease in livestock. The war has TAX
en- millions of men off the land, es-
pecially in Europe. The armies de-
mand vast quantities of the best and
most nourishing food that can be got
to them. The North American wheat
crop is 600,000,000 bushels short. For
2S months Russia has been closed as
source of supplies to Western Eu-
rope. Scarcity Of shipping affects the
price of sugar and other imported Ia
BILE commodities. Labor is scarce be-
cause Of recruiting for the army and
munition plants and therefore the cost
of most materials advances. Difficult
ties in procuring leather, wool and
dyes accentuate the situation.
An order-in-council just promul-
gated at Ottawa forbids agreements
to enhance the cost of necessaries of
life. "Necessaries" is made to cover
food, clothing, fuel and articles which
enter into the production of any Of
these. The word "unduly" in the COM
bines act no longer qualities Cen
nance" 1t is now criminal offenss
to prevent or retard production or ia
accumulate or withhold from the mar
ket articles in general consumption
by the people. With its usual care for
the farmers welfare, the Government
exempts them from the operation OF
the act. Cold-storage people anc
other dealers have to make declara.
lions of their stocks under oath. The
maximum penalty for evasion of the
law is fine of $4,000 or two years
Imprisonment, or both Full author
ity to act is given to all municipali
ties and to the Minister of Labor. anC
if prices are artifcially increased thu
tendency will be towards an immedi
ate initiation.
, An Embargo on Food.
Philadelphia Inquirer: Mayor Cur
ley has written to the President ask
, ing that his influence be cast in thu
, direction of an embargo on food. HI
/ is not the only one to interest himself
, in this subject. Indeed, there is grow
ing agitation in favor of keeping mort
of our food-stuffs at home. The In
D quirer has on two or three occasions
intimated that this great question j!
: highly important one. And so it is
, Something has got to be done. /
! the prices of food cannot be brough
down to a reasonable figure, it will be
I come necessary to forbid expectations
or at least to regulate them.
: Mayor Curley points out that wages
! would have to be increased 100 pc
cent to meet the increased cost of liv
\ ing. He announces that he is making
an investigation of the possibility 0.
conspiracies, but admits that starva
tion might be on us before he coulC
finish his inquiries.
While this may be looked upon a
, an extreme view, there is not tn,
! slightest doubt of great suffering
throughout the country because o
the high prices. The Inquirer ha
pointed out many times recently tina
: much Of our presumed prosperity i
: specious and that a great share O
: the community is worse off than ever
: The munitions workers and SOM
: others have been receiving larger in
E comes, but most salaried men and me
chanics have not been able to en-
largo their incomes while their ex