The daily Nome industrial worker., 1917-04-18
NECESSARY FORESIGHT.

ana prudent TOT lue pSOpIC oi -NoihS at this time to carefully consider ways of meeting the question of in- creased prices which will have to be paid on all necessaries of life and about which even now on the out side serious difficulty is not denied.
 The Alaska Lighterage and Com mcrcial Go. has assured the people that coal cannot be sold at less than $25 a ton, and the possibility that the price will be greater is not at all remote. But this is only the least of the problem.
 The food staples which may not be dispensed with, are sure to rise to soaring heights.
 As far as meat is concerned the supply of rendeer is assurance that this will not rise beyond reason, while the ample store of fish that Is available will also bring this within she reach of all.
 It is an entirely different situation with those necessities, as far the greater portion of them are, which have 10 be imported, and it is about these that the people of Nome should bestir themselves to consider, so that in the end they may not be driven entirely from the camp be- cause of the prices being too high.
 If Nome proceeds in hap hazord way about this, Nome will surely face a serious crisis this next winter, but if the whole problem is one which the people here will them selves take a hand in considering. they may be able to tighten their load to a considerable degree.
 1t is said to be likely that freight rates will increase during the com ing summer and that this will add 10 the burden which Nomeites have 10 carry It was pointed out during the hearing on the rates last sum- mer that every person on Seward Peninsula paid the steamship con- panies about $350 for freight and messenger rates every season, while the per centage of the gold produc- ton that went to the companies en- gagged Ii transportation was simply enormous. However no announce ments have been made on this head as yet, but they are expected at any time because of the fact, prin- cipally, that rates owing to short age of tonnage are increasing on every other route
 The one general remedy for this state of things is all increase in wages to meet this increased cost ot living. Unless that is done, the condition of the workers will be so much worse than in former years that an actual decrease will have been instituted however nominally the wage figures may be the same. At the same time, in addition to this, there is no reason why the prospector and all others should not. get together and discuss the costs of living proposition from every angle SO that they could devise plans to meet the situation which is getting so serious and which is directly confronting them.
 If as is now anticipated, and as bus inessmen insist will be the case, the coming summer will see still further increase in prices, inasmuch as the prices now take about all wage worker makes, something will have to be done, or the workers will be driven from the camp ana Nome as winter place of residence will be thing of the past.
 In other sections of Alaska vese- tables, including the invaluable DO tatoe can be grown Here we find that only a few of these can be cdi- tivated and that under rarely favor able conditions, hence from local re- sources no help is assured
 The method of acquiring supplies, and acquiring them within reason is one that the consumers in. Nome ought seriously consider, for if ever there was time when to eliminate intermediate waste and the like was essential it is right now. It is be- lieyed that by carefully considering this question: by frank and candid attitude upon the part of everyone, Including the businessmen Of the