Philip weekly review. [volume] (Philip, Haakon County, S.D.) 1918-1920, 1919-08-28
VI -D' BENEFIT ONLY

Publicity Association, through
it's President. Hon Jonathan
Bourne. Jr., gave out the follow
ing statement from it's Washing
ton Headquarters:
Harm, rather than good, will
come from low-priced sales OF
army food stores if wrong i'm
pressions are thus given concern
ing advantages of government
handling of merchandise. Harm
will come to American govern
ment, American industry and
the American people if few sal
es of army supplies at less than
the market price should lead to
the conviction that government
can supply food at prices lower
than charged by private con-
Germs.
""The food sold recently to the
public was bought in immense
quantities at relatively lowspric-
es, to which prices there was
not added the overhead cos. of
asking for, receiving, cona'dt +
ing and deciding upon bids, re-
ceipt and storage of goods,
transportation in army trucks.
with all the overhead expenses
incident thereto, wages of SOL
diers, wear and tear on army
equipment, etc.
at will necessarily take time
to compute costs to the govern
ment and the people in connec-
tion with sales of army foods.
Local government officials have
contributed their services; local
committees have contributed
their time, community buildings,
such as school houses, public
markets, ETC., have been used
without allowance for rent; citi-
zens have bought in large qua
ntities than they usually do;
newspapers have freely advertis-
ed the sales; buyers have trans
ported most of their purchases
instead of having them deliver
ed by the seller. Few, if any, of
these facts are taken into consi-
deration when people compare
prices they have been paying for
army food with prices charged
by local dealers.
''The American people will
gain nothing by fooling them
selves. Undoubtedly there has.
been and still is much unconsci-
enable profiteering. Undoubted-
ly the cost of living is excessive
ly high because of the profiteer-
ing. Undoubtedly that cost can
be reduced by a proper and wise
policy of regulation, prosecution,
and punishment. But neither
now nor at any time in the fu-
ture will it be possible for any
government agency to engage
in retailing merchandise and do
it cheaper, than it is done by the
average retail merchant.
"The average retail merchant
is honest. Moreover, the average
retail merchant is efficient. The
average government official is
no more honest than the average
merchant and he is not nearly SO
efficient. If there has been an un-
usual amount of profiteering
among merchants during the
war, some measure of extenua-
tion may we'll be pleaded because
of examples set in high places
in government service. When
private citizens-taxpayers-
see government officials spend
money like water, when they see
nepotism carried even into the
peace delegation, when they
see favoritism practiced for the
benefit of a limited class Of
wage-earners, when they see
wanton waste displayed without
shame, when they see inexperi-
ence and incompetency kept in
power, is there any wonaer that
many lose their heads and join
the mad riot under the policy of
Robin Hood, let him get who has
the power: let him keep who
can"
The problem of the high cost
of living is serious. It is not
easy of solution. What the final
answer will be is in doubt; but
this much is certain-that low
er cost of living will not come
through adoption of the social
pistic, communistic, bolshevistic,
bureaucratic, paternalistic, and
autocratic policies of the Wilson
Administration American busi-
ness has been grOwth--a de-
velopment-a survival Of the fit
test. It is part Of the best social
organization on the face of the
globe. No doubt il can he i'm