Evening star., 1916-11-27
HIGH COST Of LIVING
By Sheldon S. Cline.
No. 4.
Three New and Expensive Luxuries.

We have seen how, because the nose
bones worn by Mrs. Oof aroused the
envy of Mrs. Olo, the creation of lux
uries became business and a nom
producing class came into being. All
the progress the world has made since
the time of those antediluvian cave
dwellers has been due to the desire for
luxuries: for a fuller and better life.
1t would seem. then, that luxury. with
in limits. is good for man. 1t is only
when there is too much luxury that
there is general suffering from the
lack OF necessary things. War and
asters. work exceptions to the rule,
but as a rule it holds. History bears
out this statement.
America. for the last two decades.
has been overindulging in luxury.
The number of non-producers is in too
large proportion to the number of pro-
ducers. If conditions are to be bet
tered, one of two things, or both of
them. must be done: The number OF
must be increased, or means must be
devised whereby the labor of those en-
gagged in essential production will pro-
duce more of those necessities.
j:
Twenty years ago the automobile
was curiosity: the phonograph was
in stage of embryonic experiment:
the moving picture show was unheard
of. Today automobiles are every
where. the phonograph is in hundreds
of thousands of homes, and almost
evprVhOdV ha INN
cept so far as the automobile helps to
increase production it is a luxury, as
are the phonograph and the moving
pictures. Exact figures are not avail
able. but well over million men are
engaged. directly and indirectly. in the
manufacture. transportation and dis
tribution of automobiles, phonographs
and moving pictures. Where did they
come from? They were taken, in the
final analysis. from productive indus
try.
Think what that means.a million
men taken from productive industry
and made non-producing consumers.
one man to each thirty acres of land is
a very liberal labor allowance for gener-
al farming. Place these million men on
the farm and 100000 acres addition
al could be brought under cultivation.
With modern machinery they could
grow 109,000,000 acres of wheat, which
would double the wheat harvest of the
production of wheat, of course, but
part of them could grow corn and feed
hogs and steers with highly gratifying
results If some of them still lacked
employment the country could use
quite few more potatoes and beans
and other staples.
The automobile furnishes a striking
nh loot tn f;o,, <,f
luxury reaches out and out making
economic parasites in the most unex-
pected places. The latest federal CEN
sus. for 1914, shows that in plants de-
voted to making automobiles and
parts there were 145,951
employees, with an annual pay rool of
s139,5 200. In the two years since
then the number of employees must al
most have doubled. And these figures
are for the plants alone. From the
plant the line extends both ways. Be
ginning at the iron and copper mines,
a lot of labor has been expended on
before they are laid down
in Detroit or Indianapolis After the
car leaves the factory it still calls for
Ia Dor. for transportation and sale. The
of chauffeurs who drive pleas
uFe cars for pay would make Il very
addition to the farm labor
supply.
Because of the automobile, railroads
must employ more trainmen and buy
more cars on which labor has been eX
pended. Newspapers must buy more
W white paper to carry automobile adver-
tising, and hire more printers to put
the advertisements into type. More
policemen are needed in the cities to
regulate traffic: more stevedores to un-
load ships because of the crude rubber
they carry. 1t reaches out anywhere
and everywhere. snatching men from
productive industry and forcing them
into labor which is non-productive.
&
But. you say. it gives men work. OF
course it does, and it is a good thing
up to the point where it takes too
large s. proportion of men away from
the production Of things which are
necessary to life.
Next-Producers and Consumers.
WAS GLAD TO SURRENDER.