The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-04-21
WHERE THE GOOD
THINGS GO TO
BY Scott Nearing.

Mr.. Dooley closes his well-known
essay on country life with the obser-
walton that the place to live is not
where the good things come from but
where the good things go to. What
IAN admirable thing it would be If the
American people would take leaf
from the book of Mr.. Dooley's ex-
perience in the present crisis.
The cost of living is soaring sky
ward. So high have the prices of
some commodities gone that they
have been temporarily eliminated
from the budget of the ordinary fam
lily.
New York and Philadelphia report
food riots. On all sides there is ex-
pressed discomfort and an almost
childish curiosity with regard to the
future of prices. when will things
be cheaper?" People ask one another.
What are we to do?" they question.
How can we go on living with prices
as they are this winter?"
Thus do they talk and argue while
the congested railroads are rushing
millions of tons of cotton, corn, coal,
board where they will augment the
rapidly growing export trade Of the
United States.
The financial and commercial in
terests of the country are glorying in
our increase OF exports. One of the
great financial institutions of New
York in a recent publication describes
the increases in our South American
trade during the past three years. In
1914, the year that the war started,
our exports to South America were 81
millions, IN 1915, IA millions, in 1915
220 millions. The statistician who
prepared these figures goes on to
show that cotton, coal, machinery and
other manufactured products have
been the chief gamers in this increase
Of exports.
A leading financial paper of New
York gleefully exclaims that 1.-The
nations export trade continues to sur
pass all previous records. January
exports exceeded by nearly 100 mil
lions in value the best previous month
in the country's history" During that
month commodities valued at 613 mill
lions were exported from the United
States. During the year 1915 the
total exports were ~ billions. Dur
ing the year 1916, the total exports
were 5k billions. If the comparative
figures for January are any indication
for 1917 the total exports for the year
should exceed seven billions.
The vast quantities of wealth maxi
ing up our export trade is derived
from our resources and brought into
being by the labor and machinery
which is occupied in the productive
process. America is producing bill
lions of wealth, and shipping it
abroad-with what result? A few of
the American people benefit through
Increased profits, salaries and wages.
The vast majority are impoverished
by the tremendous increase in the cost
of living. At the present time Amer
lea is the place where the good things
come from.
A few days ago an ardent advocate
of the prosperity that comes with the
exporting of life-necessaries that are
needed at home, publicly stated that
if the submarine warfare was success
full in preventing further shipments to
the Allies the American people would
starve. He was thinking only of
system of economic life that rewards
those who are already supplied. To
him 1t seemed that the American
people must starve to death If they
kept their wheat at home instead of
sending it abroad.