The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-02-26
FIXING WHEAT PRICES

as last year would create some criti-
cism was to have been expected. Yet
it is plain to be seen from the reasons |
which he sets forth that he did what
was best for all concerned. To have
attempted to raise the price of this
staple would have meant a CORE
spending change of base all around.
The farmers are now trying to sta
bilize the price of labor and have come
forth with a suggestion as to what
they consider fair, submitting it to
the earnest consideration of the work
men. Had the price of wheat been ad-
vanced, they would necessarily have
been compelled to amend their offer
and increase it and this would nat
arally have resulted in a correspond
ing increase in the demands made by
the workers. When basis had been
reached it would necessarily have been
higher than under present conditions
and the workmen would have been no
better off, as their living expenses
would have gone up correspondence
This whole problem of regulation
is a perfect Pandora's box of trouble.
Ever since the early SOS, the states
have been trying to regulate railroads.
Ever since 1887. the national govern
ment has been trying to regulate them
as well. Neither the roads nor the
people are satisfied. Neither have
ever been satisfied. And this is only
one great industry and one which, de-
pending on franchises and being
natural monopoly, is peculiarly sus-
pectible to government regulation-if
any business is. Yet, after more than
a generation of attempted regulation
of this one industry, which was large
ly in the nature of a failure. we find
folks who wonder why regulation of
all industry in such way as to make 1t
work tremendously cannot take place
in the course of a year, in the midst
of the most herculean efforts to meet
the issues of the greatest war in his
tory We are sure that some farmers
can think of other things that might
also be regulated and the prices le-
duced for them. Probably so. Then
the fellows who sold supplies to these
must be regulated, so if we are going
to go ahead on this line, we shall have
to regulate everything, and this means
a knowledge of cost and a mastery of
detail that no human being does
possess or can possess. A first class
union laborer said to the writer yes
terday that his wages had increased
relatively little in the past ten years.
He has kept at the head of his process
sion and is quite up to date. He has
books to show for it. Yet his food
stuffs have gone up tremendously
since the war began and are much
higher relatively than they were ten
years go. Adjustment of all things by
conscious regulation would have to
take care of him.
Take the sugar situation. The claim
is made that the AInalgamated Sugar
company and the Utah-Idaho could
pay more than even SO a ton and a
split on a raise for beets. We are
not going to argue that point. Per-
haps they could. Yet the government
must consider the little fellows. We
cannot win this war unless all the fac
tories run at full capacity to supply
the needs of our associates across the
water and our own boys there. Some
of these factories are not well man
aged. Some of them have poor ma
chinery. To be sure, it may be that
under normal conditions it would be
better economy to allow such to die,
but conditions are not normal When
the government experts figure out that
these factories cannot pay over SO a
ton and split all profits on a raise of
price, that is the figure at which
sugar must be periodically placed in
order to get the maximum production,
and we must have the maximum pro-
ductiOn. The fact that congress had
adopted surtax running as high as
sixty per cent for excess profits, be-
sides the regular graduated income
and inheritance taxes was taken into
consideration in this case. If the cost
of production of sugar were absolute
ly equal at all factories, there would
be no room for the excess profits tax,
for then prices could be so fixed for
that industry as to leave no excess
profits in any factory.
We call attention IN these thinqs nc |