New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-14
Seeking Middle Course
That Doesn't Exist
BY Arthur Richmond Marsh

TIME undertaking Of the Admins
Il tration to stabilize the prices of
domestic necessaries' by fixing
theG In such wise that, on the one
hand, the government may obtain at
reasonable figures the large share of
the production of these necessaries re-
CURED for military purposes, and, on
the other hand, the average citizen
may find them still within his reach"
is both theoretically and practically
unsound, at least in so far as it has
yet been developed by its sponsors.
In the first place, it is self-evident
that the part of the production of
given necessary which is withdrawn by
the government from civil consump-
ton is necessarily beyond the reach"
of the average citizen. Whether he
likes it or not, the average citizen
must reduce his consumption of such
necessary proportionately to the
dlminution in the supply available for
the civil population. There is but one
possible source of alienation for this
stern necessity. e., increased pro-
duction, which by the very conditions
OF war is made extraordinarily difficult
to bring about and which certainly
will not be brought about, even in the
case of the most patriotic peoples.
without the most powerful stimulation
of the motives of individual self-in-
tereSt.
In default Of increased production,
the required decrease in the average
mans consumption of a necessary can
be effected only by one or the other of
two known methods, viz, a sufficient
rise IN the price to put the part he
must forego Of his ordinary consump-
ton entirely 'out of his reach" or
mechanical rationinc of the most rigid
kind enforced by the government.
There is no middle ground between
these two courses; but the very thing
the Administration appears to be seek
ing Is such middle ground. It's pro-
gramme seems to be designed to keen
the civil population perfectly comfort
able and supplied with its customary
necessarles at prices containing no
compulsion Of reduced consumption on
the part of the average citizen. at the
same time that the government is
severely reducing the supply and pre-
venting adequate stimulation of the
individual self-interest of the various
groups or classes of producers. to the
end that production may be increased
notwithstanding all the difficulties and
OBSTACLES presented by the circum-
stances of the time.
NO suggestion Of rigid rationing is
even limited at, though this is the onlv
known corrective of a situation in
winch the consumption of necessaries
must be curtailed, irrespective of the
eHect OF prices upon the purses of
average citizens.
Another unfortunate aspect Of the
Administrations price-fxing plan as Il
now stands, has been admirably
brought out by Mr.. A. E. Adams in his
critical article on the subject recently
published by The Tribune. This i,
that the removal of the check of high
prices from civil consumption leaves
the average citizen scrambling for the
entirety Of his ordinary consumptive
requirements, which he can we'll af
ford to pay for, without regard to the
needs of the military and naval forces;
while the very moderation of the prices
established Is a deterrent to a uni
versal increase in production, neces-
sarlly obtained by quite abnormal eff
forts on the part of the producers
The gross risk is thus run that the
outcome will be found to be that the
comfort Of the civil population has
been safeguarded at the expense of
those hazarding their lives in the
country's service.