The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-01-05

- S'1oAOA1B bAAO OohPoI VI 1uuuSlIy anu
the volume of trade in the country as
whole broke all records in value.
This latter condition has, of course,
been rendered possible by reason of
the immense demand for labor and
the high prices paid for the same
which increased the purchasing power
OF the people as a whole, while rec
ord yields of many crops at unprece-
denied prices have raised earnings of
the agricultural interest beyond all
previous years. War prices have nat
urally ruled throughout, and theirl ev-
els have been far above all hitherto
recorded standards, placing a burden
upon those engaged in no-war1ike in
dustries and occupations, which has
been borne not entirely without COM
plant and criticism, but, after ALL
with an almost surprising cheerful
ness, considering the imposts levied
upon all in the shape of increased
taxes. Indeed, with a comparatively
few exceptions in our vast population,
and these largely aliens in foreign pay,
there has been spirit of self-abnega-
ton and a whole-hearted support of
nation organization and defense meas
ures calculated alike to command and
to deserve national success.
The Price Movement
Perhaps no single development of
the year surpassed the record by
prices of commodities. The deficient
food harvests of 1916, which fell one
fifth below those of 1915, were only
partly responsible for the acceptance
like flight of prices. Foreign demand,
sharpened by lessened yields, espec-
tally of grain abroad, was very large,
while our own or our Allies calls for
all sorts Of war sRpplieS-cotton and
wooden cloth, leather, iron, steel. coal,
copper, lumber, provisions of all
kinds. chemicals and drugs,-drove
prices to unexampled heights. Nearly
all civil war records of food prices
were broken; wheat sold up to $3.50
per bushel; corn to $2.45; oats to SO
cents; flour, SIT per barrel; hogs, $50
per hundred pounds, live weight; lard,
20 cents per pound; pork, $50 per
barrel; refined sugar, $40 cents per
hundred pounds; pig iron, SIS and
steel, 800 per ton; lead, IL cents;
tin, 81 cents; copper. "a cents; cotton,
31.25 cents, and print cloths, 8 ga
cents per yard; and, indeed, the list
of articles advancing to dizzy heights
was a virtual roll call of the products
of farm, forest, mine and factory.
Most of these peak points were reach
ed in the fore part Of the year, ana
food and fuel control undoubtedly
held down prices later, still only three
of the thirteen groups of commodities
failed to reach peak points in 1917.
Hence it was that the general price
level as shown by Bradstreet's Index
Numbers of Commodities went up
steadily month by month throughout
the year; that the advance from Jan
uary to December was 20 per cent. !;
that the advance over August 1, 1914,
was los per cent, or more than doub-
ling since the war began. In other
worlds, the buying power Of the dollar
today is less than half what it was
at the outbreak of the war, and only
one-third what it was in the low-wa-
ter mark year 1896. The yearly in
dex numbers, ref1ecting, as they do,
the average for the entire year, do not
show as great a gain, but still the
1917 lumber is rs Der cent, in ad-
vance of that Of 1914.
The Crops
The crop results of 1917 show that
the balance lost by the unfavorable
weather and short yields of 1915 was
partly restored by the efforts Of the
agriculturist. This is true, at least,
of most Of the crops. though the loss
of winter wheat in 1861 was not
made up in spring wheat. and the
bumper yields OF corn, oats, rye, white
and sweet potatoes and beans were
the result rather OF enlarged areas
than of increased yields per acre.
However, the yields Of leading cereals
mechanical feeds foremost-were
over one-fifth larger than the year be-
fore, and potatoes. an important hu-
man food, were far in advance of any
previous year. The plant-a- garden
movement, first actively proposed in
these columns early in March, was
triumphantly indicated and should
see further expansion in 1918. The ef-
fort to plant a tremendous area in
winter wheat in the fall Of 1917 was
checked by adverse weather
drought, but still a record area has
been planted, though the condition
of 1913 is points below a year ago,
10 points below the ten-year average,
and is the lowest December condition
on record. The comparatively mod
crate returns in a cumulative way in
1917 were, thanks to insistent de-
mand, turned into a veritable gold
mine in q money way, cereal crops
gaining 81 per cent, in value on q gain
of only 81 per cent in quantity; the
values of twenty-four leading crops
were so per cent. in excess of 1916 and
all farm produce reached the sum of
| $21, 00O, 100000, or about what will
have been spent for all purposes by
the United States government from
January 1, 1917, to June 80, 1918.
Looking Forward
Inasmuch as the war has been and
Is the great moving feature in this
country's trade, as 1t Is indeed in every
other department of the worlds ac-
tivity, all views as to the future of
finance, commerce and industry must
| inevitably hinge upon the course and
outcome of that struggle. AS a parti-
cipant in, instead of spectator of,
| the struggle as in the preceding three
years, this country must naturally ex-
pect to show more effects of it the
longer the conflict continues. If the
/ experience of Great Britain through
three years and of ourselves through
nine months is to be accepted as a
guide, the tendency will be to more
and more subordinate all interests to
the winning of the country's greatest
fight. The course Of the stock mar
ket, especially since the midyear,
which has been quite steadily down.
ward, is but repeating that of those
abroad. and noints to further attrac-