The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-08-27
HENRY CLEWS
WEEKLY LETTER

~ teH DuSfnSSs WVftuf lSsf1S7.s ,stss5sppt o
siderable shock franz the govern
ments soft coal fixing PROPOSALS,
which proved more radical than ex-
pected and will probably not be car
ried out to the extremes feared in
some quarters. The cut in soft coal,
though tentative, was particularly
unsettling and somewhat prematurely
accepted as an indication of the fu-
.ture policy of the government. Action
on hard coal, sugar and other articles
y has been less drastic. The admins
tration is undoubtedly justified, as a
war measure, in putting some re-
\ straint upon the upward rush Of
I, prices and INSCRIPTIONS profiteering.
/ 1t is also justified in buying muni-
! lions upon as reasonable terms as
I. possible; but, as experience proves,
| It As already treadtng upon questiona-
! bic ground, and interfering with UNI
! comfortable economic forces in ways
that may easily do more harm than
4 good Price fixing, as in case Of steel,
\, is not fnfrequently Impossible, A
price that is fair at one time or in
I one place. is quite unfair under other
/ conditions. Fluctuations are un-
} avoidable in all markets; costs OF
production vary and we cannot con-
! troll articles OF foreign origin TO put
(, prices down without reason and to
.unduy curtail profits checks produc-
< ton and throttles enterprise. There Is
Y NO surer way OF increasing SUPPLIES
Z than by permitting good profits, or
/. vice versa, Of decreasing supplies than
( BIZ destroying profits. There are some
Z things the government cannot do.
! and one of1khese Is 1t cannot run THE
business OF the United States,i but can
I and should reasonably control it. If
/. It confines itself to checking extremes
Y and to setting the example of paying
4 fair prices for what It wants. and If
4 it will foster cooperation between
I, industries and aid in removing i'm
\ pediments to distribution, that Is
about all it can legitimately accom- Z
plish Price-hxing and Industrial
control have been attempted in Great
Britain upon much wider scale than
here for a. longer period and under
more favorable circumstances. but the
& effort has thus far proved q failure
and Is rousing great deal Of opposf-
ton In business circles throughout
England
General business is quiet, as usual
during the midsummer season. AT
the moment this tendency is aggra-
4 waited by the uncertainties injected
through experiments in government
control In due season these plans
will become more definite and bust
ness win undoubtedly adjust itself
thereto. The efqp outlook continues
to Improve. al Though ordinarily Aug
ust Is month of deterioration. From
many quarters the advices are that
the grain yield is large and quality
from as to sc per cent. ahead, OF las
year which, allowing for the advance
In prices, shows that the volume Of
business Is If anything ahead Of this
y Tins Elast year Cur monetary situa-
tion viii bear watching. II Eorthcom-
ing huge bond issues will of course be
the d eliminating factor. 1t must also
be remembered that present high
prices for farm products and mer.
chandise will impose larger demands
upon the banks than usual when the
usual autumn movement begins.
values on the Stock Exchange have
4 shown marked declines this week.
owing to the price fixing policy of the
government. to the proposal to in-
n crease taxes On profits and to sunfa-
vorable news from Russia. The bears
seem to have been considerably elated
by recent successes, and there is still
considerable short, interest extant.
X. Fluctuations will largely depend upon
the news from washington affecting
the control of industry and prices. 1t
IS to be hoped the revenue bill will
soon be passed and that Congress will
w adjourn.
Highly disciplined soldiers such as
Germany commehced the war with,
Will hereafter have to give way 10
the superiority of the big e-killing
war machinery now in use, which
. calls for skilled mechanicians The
war is now war of herculean ma
cfinery, which makes 1t the more
costly and desperate in its slaughter
ing powers while 1t lasts. but will
make 1t shorter in the end; therefore,
the side that has the preponderance
of facilities and money backing il
bound to win. For that reason the
present war is not likely to hold out
through another severe winter. in my
opinion. The trenches will not aft
ford the protection to life on the~bat-
tie6eld in the future that they have
In the past and the war has been pro-
1onged up to the present time largely
4 owing to the shelter of the trenches.
The steady-rise In power of the AL
lA61 anu corresponding opNAAsAC e~AAACAA =
the Central powers strengthens the
hopes of an early peace; albeit the
! end Of the war Is not yet in view. Ger
many is by no means exhausted to
the point of submission to the well
known terms of the Allies Nor are
the Allies yet able to deliver de-
cisive military blow. At the moment
their policy appears to be that of
wearing the enemy down; the rela-
tive rise or r. in the strength of OPP
posing arrnie-, being of more signifi-
canoe for the time being than the
acquisitions Of territory which are
geographically trif1fng. AS the war
goes on, talking and planning for
peace become more and more def
mite Opinion IL divided as to what
the effect will be upon American
trade, much depending upon the indi-
vidta1c point of view. There is no
doubt that peace viii neoessitate ex-
tenaS9e. ead5ustments. These will
come gradually and VIII by no means
demand a return to old conditions
which is impossible. Concerns de-
voted to war business will be obliged
to scrap considerable Of Inefr plant or
prepare for other lines of work. War
profit would OF course disappear,
and--a few. lines of endeavor would
cease Eantirely. But very important
rffnnfn would 5r1rf ok w * !. 4, pear. The