Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-03-06
ONE Way TO REDUCE
HIGH COST OF LIVING
United States Commissioner Of Edu.
cation Has a Plan That Looks
Practicable.

DR.. P. P. Claxton, commissioner oi
education in the department of the
interior at Washington, has made the
Following statement, which if put in.
to practice in Webster City and other
towns of the country, would go far
toward solving the high cost of living
problem:
High cost of living" is on the lips
of all people in all cities, towns, sub
urban communities, and manufact-
uring and mining villages in the
United States. 1t is discussed in the
editions of every newspaper and
magazine. To millions of laboring
people and professional people on
small salaries it is very real thing.
To hundreds OF thousands with large
families of children to support and
educate, it has come to be fearful
thing: to many, torture and death.
For the high cost of living there
are many causes. Two OF these are
the unusual lack of food, and the
fact that most of the food is con-
|sumed far from the place of produc-
|tion, which makes the consumer pay
the cost of storage and transporta-
|tion, and the profits OF the middle
men, many of whom, in times like
these, take advantage of the wants OF
the people to make profits larger
than they should.
SIS there a remedy? There is a
partial remedy at least, but not Who'll
ly in Investigations or legislation.
This remedy is so simple and close at
case, it is overlooked. In the schools
of the cities. towns, suburban COM
munities, and manufacturing and
mining villages of the United States
there are approximately 100000
boys and girls between the ages OF
nine and sixteen. Most Of them are
idle more than half OF the year. They
are in school less than 1000 hours in
the year, and allowing 10 hours a
day for sleep, are out of school more
than 1000 waking hours, more than
an average of nine hours a day, not
counting Sundays. National and
State laws make it impossible for
most of them to do any profitable
work in mill, mine or shop, and
many of them are forming habits of
idleness and falling into vice. Even
during the vacation months only
about 10 per cent have any profit
able employment; only about 5 per
cent of them go away from their
homes except for few days. Still,
they must live and be fed and cloth
ed
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 the 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 or two of work eath
day in garden would be the best
form of recreation and rest from the
routine of their daily labor in Office
or shop or mill or mine, and who
might easily find the 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
for sale in their immediate neigh
borhood fresh and crisp through all
he growing months and wholesomely
canned and preserved for use in win
ter. This would add $750,O00,000 to
the best form of food supply of the
country without cost of transporta-
ton or storage and without profits |
Of middlemen. The estimate is very
as has been shown by |
many experiments.
in addition to the economic prof
it's, there would be for the children |
health and strength, removal from
temptation to vice, and education of
the best type; and for older persons, i
and the JOY of watching things grow
ver-Hudson.
The marriage of Miss Irene Beaver