Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-12-13
COST Of LIVING AND
WAGES TO DECLINE
Washington Officials Look for
Gradual Decrease Soon.
DOLLAR TO PURCHASE MORE
Number of Heads of Various Govern
ment Bureaus and Senators and
Congressman Who Watch Con-
ditions Come to This
Conclusion.

Washington, Dec. 9. Prices Of
clothing and other things entering
into the cost of living and prices of
materials of all kinds which deter
mine the cost of manufacture and
building construction will commence
a gradual decline about the first of
the coming year, which will go on for
several years, Washington officials be-
Heve.
With reductions in the prices at
which numerous things can be OBJ
tanned will come in consequence cor
responding declines in wages gener>
ally.
An increase all along the line in
the purchasing price of the dollar,
which for the past twelve months has
declined to the lowest level in many
years, will be the result and will even
the balance, preventing hardship at
any point.
congressman Join in View.
In this way along with the reduc.
ton in the earnings from the high
levels of the past year made neces-
sary to meet high cost of living will
come declines in the prices of neces-
sites, making the earning of such
wages less necessary.
These are the conclusions reached
by any number of officials of the vari-
Gus government bureaus here con-
nectcd with industry and by senators
and congressman generally who have
watched the balance between earning
and purchasing capacity steadily rise
during the war and who now antici-
pate a recession to something approx
mating the pre-war basis.
Washington officials generally ex
pect that the relinquishing of control
by the government from all lines OF
business will result in reduced costs
of production and declines in prices
of products.
Lower Coal Prices Seen.
With the removal of many of the
restrictions on coal by the fuel ad
miNistration there are evidences o.
lower coal prices. Reductions ir
prices of many articles of food art
also in evidence with the modification
of the food administrations control.
The basic reason for the high price:
all along the line during the war wa,
that The government set the price o.
almost everything by direct or indi
rect means, set them high in order t.
bring about increased production
With the removal of the government
restrie tons on quantity Of production
and costs business generally will re
vert to the old basis of supply and dc
mand instead of a fictitiously higl
| price. ~,
The government, through the vari
ouss bureaus charged with adjustin
| wages. granted increased wage scale
| all along the line in order to keel
labor satisfied and maintain the maxi
mum of production during the Wa
| period.
| Hardship to Be Prevented.
| With the governments incentiv
and authority to fix high wage scale
| anu HbSH PRICES 1oE CoiALHoultieS II
moved there will be reductions o
| both sides, it is believed. preventin
hardship both to the producer an
| consumer.
Representative George M. Young
| FROM the Dakota wheat belt, predict
that the market price of wheat wi
drop perhaps as much as 81 With
the next twelve months. The govern
ment has guaranteed a price of $3.2
for the rext wheat crop and may los
more than q million dollars by thi
guarantee unless the grain corpors
tion of the food administration is cor
tinued in operation to control tn
market for Americas wheat for 1922
he asserts.