New Britain herald., 1918-12-07
Normal Business Not Possible at
War Prices.
New York Sum-

New York Sum-
In peace this country cannot do
! business on a basis of war prices.
When our Government and all the
| Governme nts of Europe were paying
whatever they had to pay for steel.
for coal, for copper, for leather, for
foodstuffs; when they were draining
the market Of all comm odities, ordi-
nary industry ana ordinary business,
buying in the same markets, were
compelled to pay the same prices or
even higher. They could do this and
get out alive. They could do it be-
cause nobody else was going to I'M
derbuy them and therefore underseli
and ruin them.
With the war over, with all inflated
prices due to come down to dead
certainty, industry and business are
not going to buy at the top. They
don't need to be warned, they know,
that if they do stock up with material
and goods at two, three and four
times normal values, the concerns
that come along after them and buy
much lower down will drive them
out of their selling market unless they
are willing to clean up at whatever
loss they must take to meet competi-
ton and get rid of their stocks.
Consider specifically wool. In 1914
this country imported upward Of $50
000,0 pounds of wool. The value
was a little more than 20 cents a
pound. AS late as 1915 our own pro-
duction of wool some 1000. 900
pounds, had an average value in
August Of some 20 cents q pound. In
1917 We imported some 327.000,000
pounds of wool Its value was some
w
our own wool crop was some 245, 000,-
900 pounds It's average price in
August OF last year was 54.S cents a
pound.
At present the United States Gov
eminent is credited with having
reserve supply of wool amounting to
several hundred million pounds. At
the same time the Government has
for it's army and navy an enormous
surplus of wooden garments-clothes
underwear, shirts, socks and blankets
as we'll. If it does not buy or make
another pound Of anything it can
keep our men in the service warm
and comfortable for many months,
perhaps even years
What is the Government going to
do with it's great store of wool? With
peace at hand 1t cannot Sell it to in
dustry and business at anything like
the average price of wool either this
year or last year. Industry and BUSH
ness will not pay, cannot pay, those
inflated prices for wool when they
must manufa cture and sell their
goods in competition with manufac-
turers and merchants who will buy
later at lower prices from the Ameri-
can producer and from the Ameri-
can importer.
Outside of the Government current
and reserve supplies there are no
great stocks of wooden clothes in this
country. Shops will soon have their
shelves bare. Manufa cturers are
ready to begin to supply the future
needs of the merchants when they
can get wool and can manufa cture it
at prices that Will enable the mer-
chants to do business next spring and
all next year. But if the Government
or any other agency holds those
prices at the top notch nobody will
start anything,
Get back to ordinary business IT
is the only way. The Government
can begin by releasing its surplus
wool at such prices that manufacture
ers can take, and merchants can give,
orders now. Let supply and demand
regulate the price just as if th0re had
never been any war. Let the Govern
ment charge up the difference to
the war There will be plenty of
business for everybody on that basis
On the war imitation basis there can
not be Let the Government lead
the way
ut l-oi