The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-08
Ca or rHn AssoC1ATED PRESS
Silk Hats and Living Costs

If the production of silk hats were to fall off
almost to nothing the country would survive and
It's citizens would not be greatly disconnected,
Gays the Savings Division Of the United States
treasury. There might be some embarrassment
in diplomatic and high social circles but even the
diplomats and handles would get along somehow.
But the production of necessities of life is a
different matter
President Wilson has pointed out that eve
face to face with situation more likely to
affect the happiness and prosperity and even the
life of our people than the war ITSELF" He has
declared that the primary first step to relieve the
nation of the cruel burden of high prices is to in
production and that only by increasing
production and by rigid economy and saving by
the people, can we hope for large decreases in the
cost of living.
There is only really sane method Of re-
ducing the cost of living and restoring the dol
lar to its normal purchasing power, and that is
Of as much interest to the farmer as to anyone
else. His dollars will buy no more, at the pres
ent rate, than any other mans dollar.
The president has given the formula. The
world shortages in the necessities of life The
labor of the world must be turned to the produc-
ton of necessities, in far as possible And one
intensive production and steady conservation.
During the war, the farmers of the nation pat
rotically demonstrated that they could produce
more than they ever had expected to produce
from their acres. The demand for food at this
time is no less vital than it was in war-times.
The people showed, too, during the war, that
they could live we'll on plain foods and great saw
ing was accomplished. Waste was eliminated.
The people can be counted upon to heed the presi-
dents appeal. And the authority of the govern
ment is descending heavily upon food hoarders,
profiteers and others who, by wilfu acts are OBJ
tanning extortionate prices from the public.
But these things can do no great good unless
the production of food is materially increased
And even if the production of food is increased
there must be consistent saving and wise and
careful spending of money. For, if money is
spent for luXurieS and non-essential commodities
the production of other notwithstanding,
shoes, building materials and buildings, neces-
sary machines for industry and agriculture will
be retarded.
Money saved and placed in government Sc
curties, is withheld from the purchase of non
essentials. Moreover, money saved, and placed
at interest, figures nightly in reducing the cost
Of production. If the farmer is operating on
money borrowed from the bank on which he is
paying interest, naturally his cost Of production
is higher than if he is his own banker.
There need be no fear of the boyle "over-pro-
duction.' The world shortage is large enough
to take all the food clothing or any other neces-
sary commodity that can be produced. Profits
to the farmer will remain and will be intensified
and increased through lower prices for what the
farmer buys. Business methods of accounting,
intensive cultivation and other scientific methods
that will increase the yield of his land will in
crease those profits. But the most immediate
and practical profit he have is from saving
1t requires the same sort of sacrifice for a
time, that the people made during the war. The
people had prosperity, of a sort, during the war
Their money receipts were high and many bought
government bonds. But many of those bonds
What ntho