Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-20
Let's Have a Real OneI

The Federal Trade Commission is .ho,.
10 start an investigation of the rise IN
loou prices. II Will ask the President =,
approve an appropriation of sj0oGul fn,
mat purpose. 1t proposes 20 cover e,,a ~
sue OF the food situation.
5000 Let us hope al last we ara po
ing 10 nave a real investigation. The
country has confidence in the radarai
Trade Commission Now let'e boz 'e ~ a.
tac's' Let's go to the botton-to the
Iurnaihehtais-and really learn all thar
can m De learned about the subject
Ihe problem is legal and econ1mi. 1-bo
question OF whether there are con,bi,,,
tnns IN restraint Of trade must he a.
clden' lhat has heretofore attracted tho
nam attention. Now it's time to 20 n,nr.
.h 'to we economic part-and 20 into il
PEELED To pay too much for what he
BUY? Nobody can answer that unttI No
can say with reasonable Approximately
"nat IL costs to produce those things.
find plenty OF data The PACKERS fnr -; ~
stance, can tell ii exactly what II costs
them to turn out their products Govern
menu attention has encouraged accurate
cost accounting In their case. But these
helds are limited. In the biggest feIde
OF all the work will have to be done
IRON the ground up. There isn't farm
er IN Illinois who knows what II COSTS
nm hn,i ~ 1L pu. ms product on the market to-
day. There isn't one manufacturer in
III who has an accurate idea of what n
costs him to run his business
Let the trade commission start literally
from the ground up Let il start with
the farmer and find what production of
everything, from eggs to wheat and cat
tie, means in terms of money and labor
expenditure. He doesn't know, and no.
BODY else knows. Then let il follow the
product to consumption. Many peopIe
assume high prices don't start until they
reach some large organization From
the economic standpoint they are lust as
liable to start at the beginning as any
where else. Prices cannot be perma-
nently below the cost of production under
any circumstances.
The country is in the mood for an In
vestigation that will be long and deep
and thorough. 1t is tired of these CON
tinued flurries about high prices that get
nothing except possibly a politician into
Congress or some other job or into the
newspapers. II has had its I'll ~ h.'r-
baked remedies that spring from atten-
ton to only one-half OF the great proc
lem. Let's have an investigation that
will enable the country to see it steadily
and see II whole. 1t would be cheap at
100000 or $4,000. ooe.-Chicago Herold.
In starting from the ground" and
going up our Chicago contemporary
seems not to know. or to have forgot
ten. that the farmer has had little to
encourage him TO attempt to know the
COST. He has had no opportunity to
compete with those in the same bust
ness, for prices have been fixed for
him. both going and coming, by other
interests. And these interests that
have dealt wholly in supply and de-
mand" have regulated one to fit the
other even to the extent Of dumping
supply" into the sea or burning it up
to steady the demand" and maintain
market conditions" for the gamblers.
IL the Federal Trade Commission
will secure and give to the public ALL
the facts concerning the methods of
maintaining markets. and on that in
formation Congress will clear the road