Evening journal., 1917-03-09

In an interview today with DR. p. p
Clsxton, Commissioner OF Education in
the Department of the Interior. he
made the following statement regard
ing the high cos Of living and par
tial solution Of It:
High cost Of living is on the lips
of all people in all cities, towns, SUI
burban communities, and manufactur-
ing and mining villages in the United
States. It is discussed in the editions
of every newspaper and magazine. To
millions Of laboring people and pro-
fessional people on small salaries it
is a very real thing TO hundreds of
thousands with large families of chill
dren to support and educate, It has
come to be a fearful thing; to many,
torture and death.
For the high cost Of living there
are many causes. Two Of these arc
the unusual lack Of food, and the fact
that most Of the food IS consumed far
from the place of production, which
makes the consumer pay tho cost Of
storage and transportation, and the
profits Of the middlemen, many of
whom, in times like these. take aa-
vantage Of the wants Of the people to
make profits larger than they should.
rs there a remedy? There is a
partial remedy at least but not who'll
ly in Investigations or legislation. This
remedy is so simple ana close at hand
| that, as is so frequently the case, It
! IS overlooked I'm the schools OF the
! cities, towns, suburban communities.
| and manufacturing and mining vi
lagos Of the United States there are
approximately 100000 boys and girls
! between tho ages OF nine and sixteen.
! Most Of them are idle moro than half
OF tho year. They are in school ,css
/ than 1000 hours in the year, and al
| lowing 10 hours day for sleep. are
! out OF school more than 1000 waking
| hOurs, moro than an average of nine
hours a day. not counting Sundays.
] National and state laws make it inn
! possible for most OF them 90 do any
| profitable work in mill. mino or shop,
and many of them are forming habits
! OF idlenoss and falling into vice. Even
| during the vacation months only about
~ por cent. have any profitable cm-
ploymont; only about per cent. Of
! them go away from their homes ex-
cept for a few days. Still. they must
live and be fed and clothed
For four millions Of these there is
access to back yards, side yards, front
yards, and vacant lots, which might be
cultivated as small gardens for tho
growth Of vegetables and small fruits.
Many live where space could be
easily had for chickens. ducks or
pigeons. And there are not less than
100000 older boys and girls and
adult men and women for whom an
hour OF two OF work each day
in garden would be the best form of
recreation and and rest from the rou-
tine OF their daily labor in Office or
shop or mill or mine, and who might
easily find tho time for It.
with some intelligent direction,
these school children and older boys
and girls and men and women might
easily produce on the available land
an average of SIS each in vegetables
and fruits for their own tables or fol
sale in their immediate neighborhood
fresh and crisp through all the grow
ing months and wholesomely canned
and preserved for use in winter. This
would add S75O,O00OQO TO the bes
form OF food supply Of the countr,
without cost of transportation or stor
age and without profits of middlemen
Tho estimate is very conservative, as
has been shown by many experiments
"In addition to the economic profits
there would be for the children