Weekly journal-miner., 1917-03-14
HOW HIGH COST OF LIVING MAY.
 BE REDUCED
COMMISSIONER OF EDU- CATION SUGGESTS THAT SCHOOL CHILDREN PUT VACANT LOTS INTO VEG ETABLE GARDENS.

WASHINGTON, March S.-In an
 interview today with Dr. P. P. Clax-
 ton, commissioner of education in the
 department of the interior, he made
 the following statement regarding the
 high cost of living and partial solu-
 ton of it:
 High cost of living" is on the lips
 of all people in all cities, towns, su-
 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-
 fcssional people on small salaries it is very real thing. To hundreds of thousands with large families of chil- dren 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 consumed far from the place of production, which makes the consumer pay the cost of storage and transportation and the profits of the middlemen, many of whom in times like these, take advantage. of the wants of the people to make profits larger than they should.
 'Is there remedy? There is par tiai remedy at least, but not wholly in investigations or legislation. This remedy is SO simple ad close at hand that. as is so frequently the case. it is overlooked. In the schools of the cities towns, suburban communities, and manufacturing and mining vil- lages of the United States there arc approximately 6,0OO,0O0 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and lo- Most of them arc idle more than half of the year. They are in school less than 1000 hours in the year. and al lowing 10 hours day for sleep, are out of school more than 4,00O waking hours, more than an average of nine hours a day, not counting Sundays. National and State laws make it inn possible for most of them to do any profitable work in mill, mine or shop, and many of them arc forming habits of idlcncss and falling into vice. Even during the vacation months only about 10 per cent have any profitable employment: only about 5 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 the growth Of vegetables and small fruits. Many live where space could be easily had for chickens. ducks, or pigeons. And there arc not less than {, 6,OO,OOO older boys and girls and adult men and women for whom an hour or two of work each day in a garden would be the best form Of rec reation 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 ncighborhood; | fresh and crisp through all the grow ing months and wholcsomcly canned | and preserved for use in Winter. This | would add S50OO0,OOO to the best form of food supply of the country | without cost of transportation or storage and. without profits of middle men. The estimate is very conscrv- ativc, as has been shown by many cx- perimcnts.
 "In addition to the economic pro- fits, there would be for the children health and strength, removal from temptation to vice. and education of the best type; and for older persons, rest and recreation in the open air and the joy of watching things grow.
 This might all be attained at com paratively little cost by putting into the public schools for every hundred children between the ages of and To, one teacher skilled in gardening and paid for all the year. One such teach i rr could easily direct tLc work of 100 |