The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-03-02
SOME SIDELIGHTS ON THE
COST OF LIVING
(By Scott Nearing)
The American Landlords Are Getting
Rich:

porous. They were never more so.
When the records of these years are
printed in cold figures, they will aston
ish us.
Have you noticed that the greatest
| increase in prices has occurred in the
case of those products that came most
directly from the land? Look back
of this increase at the land values,
and note that they have risen out of
all proportion to the rise in other ele-
costs and the like.
The real significance of the increase
in land values to the cost of living
may perhaps best be gained by con-
sideration of the land values Of one
group of states upon which the United
States depends largely for its food
supply. The North Central States
(Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebras-
ka and Kansas contain only third
of the population of the United States,
vet they produce fifty-nine per cent
Of the corn, seventy-four per cent of
| the wheat, seventy-seven per cent of
| the oats, seventy-five per cent of the
barley, and siXty-five per cent of the
rye grown in the United States. The
country is therefore dependent for
three-quarters of its cereal foods on
these twelve states. Cereals consti-
| tute about one-half Of the total value
of all farm crops. In peculiar sense,
therefore, these states are the granary
of the nation, and the relation be-
tween their production of crops and
the value of their farm lands is one
of extreme importance.
Under such circumstances, the en-
ormous increases in land value which
! occurred in these states between 1900
and 1910 is of great significance. Dur
ing that decade, the rural population
of the North Central States rose from
! 1868 900 to 1887 ,000-an increase
of OF per cent. During the same de-
cade the total number of acres in all
farms rose from 317,350,000 to
| 350,577,0 900, an increase of ten per
cent: and the total number of acres of
improved land in farms rose from
222, 314,O0O to 253 $4,000 thirteen
| per cent? Here is an increase in
population and in acreage of about
tenth during the ten year period.
A comparison between this increase
in products and in land values is
astonishing. The value of all farm
property in these states rose between
1900 and 1910 from 111a to 231a
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. Land
alone increased from 1866 to 1925
million dollars. The value of build
ings almost exactly doubled during
the period, while the value of i'm
plements and machinery increased by
about four-fifths. While the popula-
ton and area in farms remained
practically stationary, farm land val
ues more than doubled.
1t will be argued, of course, that
the increasing productivity justified
the increase in valuation. An exam
nation of the figures proves this
statement to be wholly unfounded.
The acreage of cereal crops in these
states was five per cent higher in
1910 than in 1900, the number of
bushels of cereals produced was slight
| ly less than five per cent higher, but
the value of the cereal crop almost
doubled (976 millions to 1921 millions
of dollars.) The acreage in hay and
forage increased twenty per cent; the
numbers of tons produced increased
duct was 222 millions in 1899, and 1896
millions in 1901. The daily business
| shows no material increase in the
quantity of product. The butter yield
+ for 1900 was 81 millions of pounds;
for 1910 it was 500 millions. The
production Of eggs increased by slight
! ly more than a fifth. The amount of
! live stock on the farms in North Cen
trail States generally decreased dur
ing the period between 1900 and 1910.
There We're three million less cattle
on the farms; the number of swine
diminished by nearly five millions;
the number of sheep and goats de-
creased by million and half; the
number of horses and mules increased
by million and half; the the num-
Der Of fowls increased by thirty mil
lions twenty-five per cent? In spite
of this general decrease in the amount
of live stock, the values very generally
increased, with the exception of cattle,
where there was a slight decrease in
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