New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-02

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The writer temporarily located III
New York, has become much interested in
the apparent unrest and discomfort of the
urban dwelers here. Strikes and threatened
strikes come and go so fast that it is i'm
possible to keep any knowledge Of them. Ac-
rarently not a working man or woman in
New York is satisfied with his or her condi-
ton as regards wages, hours of work or cost
Of living.
We have seen the red flag OF socialism
waving before an interested crowd one block
from Broadway. The workingman is imbued
with the idea that capital is his enemy, and
capital is striving to adjust matters to meet
the insistent demands Of labor for more
favorable conditions.
An interesting indication of this condition
is the communication in The Tribune of Sep
TENDER % signed by a "Victim,' entitled
Consumers Union" To this writer every
thing is altogether wrong, trust controlling
everything except the air we breathe. The
wheat grows, the COWS give milk and the
hens lay eggs, yet the consumer is compelled
to pay huge prices for these necessities OF
life. Eighty or ninety millions OF people who
do not produce, but consume, might be pro-
tected il they would unite, in the opinion OF
Victim"
Let US analyze this: Every man or woman
who labors with hand or brain produces
something that has value to mankind, the
consumer Every one is consumer. The
increase of wages or shortening of hours in
one line Of labor increases the price of that
product. and the workers in all other trades
must pay the increased cost. Follow TINS
same increase cost through all industries,
end the natural and logical result is a higher
cost of living. which automatically nulliiies
the increased wnges. Victim says that the
trades unions do good service 20 their mem
bers A consumers union must, If 1t gets
the desired results. e., reduced cost OF
living-work Numerically opposite TO the
trades unions. All trades union people are
consumers. It is reasonable then to assume
that if proposed consumers union would
cost Of production.
On the same page OF The Tribune where
YOU publish the Victim" article you publish
a cartoon illustrating the rising cost OF
Tread. the six-cent loaf hanging over the
starving family. In my opinion such illustra-
tions can serve no good purpose. They must
tend to intensity the feeling of an imaginary
wrong that is being perpetrated upon the
reoplc. Is there any logical reason why the
cost OF bread should not increase when every
thing is costing more and more every year?
Is il reasonable to suppose that the cost OF
raising and milling wheat shall remain sta
tionary when everything that enters into the
cost of -four is soaring? Take the past his
tory Of the wheat producing industry. One
hundred years ago, more or less, Central
and Western New York and parts of Penn
svlvania we're the wheat producing sections
Of the United States. Tho wheat belt has
gradually moved west until now the great
bulk Of wheat is produced west of the Mis-
sissippi River. The American people have
during that one hundred years been supplied
with breadstuifs at less than cost TO the pro-
Queer, to say nothing Of the immense
amounts that have been exported, which ex-
port has been large factor in keeping the
balance of trade in our favor.
From the standpoint of economical methods
of agriculture, which must take into account
conservation Of soil fertility, wheat has been
produced at a loss to the farmer on the aver
age for the period Of time mentioned. This
may seem like an extravagant statement. but
il is fact, for this is the reason: Wheat
has been the pioneer farmers crop from New
York to Montana and Kansas. IL is easy to
produce on virgin soil. so he has resorted
to this crop as his first money getter. When
tho virgin soil ceased to produce remunera-
tive crops without the aid Of fertilizers the
farmer abandoned wheat for other lines OF
agriculture, including the growing OF live
stock, which gave better returns for his labor
and at the same time restored the lost fer
tility to the soil, which the continuous crop,