Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-09-13
SATURDAY. .sEPTEMBER 10. 1918
FACTS ABOUT HIGH PRICES.

Wherever it is possible TO find a
profiteer, let him be hunted down, eX-
posed. prosecuted. jailed, But let US
also refrain from making fools of our
selves and from allowing others to
make fools of us.
We are told that the United States
has produced more foodstuffs TINS
wear than in 1913, therefore the price
of foodstuffs should not be higher
than in that year before the war,
That sounds quite logical
With the same logic we may assume,
whether it is correct or not. that there
being more lumber produced. more
steel and other building material than
in 1918, the contractor should build a
house just as cheaply now. or little
cheaper than such house was con-
structed in that year.
But when we understand that the
labor which goes into the production
and transportation Of the building ma
terial and into the construction Of
the house, we can see how the contrac-
tor who would bid upon the 1913 basis
would be a candidate for the poor
house or the insane hospital
The farmer pays more than twice as
much for his hands today than in
1913, and his fertilizer costs seven
times as much. His personal expenses
are higher in every particular. To
sell now as he sold in 1913 would
mean that the mortgage would go
back on his farm very quickly.
But there is another feature of
which we should all think, when we
talk of what things should cost now.
We are raising and manufacturing not
alone for the United States. but for
the hundreds of millions of people of
Europe. For every pound of meat and
flour the housewife buys she must
bid against the European customer
who has no meat or flour and whose
government is borrowing the money
with which our meat and flour is paid
for
The department Of justice now and
then paradcs in huge figures. and the
Geographic reports carry it, that so
many million eggs have been seized
in this city or that. 1t sounds tremen-
dously big when stated in millions, but
not so big when stated in cases.
For example. it was trumpeted
abroad that there were 100000 eggs
In cold storage in Seattle. August 90
Great example of boarding. But II
was not told that on that very klay
only two cases of eggs went into cold
storage and that 112 came out, all In
the normal condition of trade. The
egg season in the northwest is about
over and, compared with other years
the store of eggs against the winter
consumption is less than normal.
Further, let it be stated that tho
department of justice agents have no
discovered" single dozen of boarded
eggs anywhere. The government re
uufieS anu BelS d TepOll rum all GUN
storage warehouses of the stocks OF
hand daily. All the government
sleuths had to do was to look ovel
these reports and know precisely tn,
amount of foodstuffs on hand ant
where kept. This is all done unde
the direction of the bureau OF mar
kets. AS an additional check. dah.
freight reports are received by tn,
government of all the foodstuffs con
signed to dealers, and daily repor
is made Of the prices from every 10
cality.
These facts should be known to tn,
public. but as rule they are no
known. knowledge of them dispose
of lot of bunk" which otherwise
would be regarded as serious fact.