The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-09-24
WORKING AND SAVING
WILL REDUCE PRICES
Governor Of Federal Reserve Board
Tells How Living Expenses May Be
Cut Down.-Why Everything Went

What is the best way to reduce the
high cost Of living?
Work and save" is the answer Civ
en- by tho Federal Reserve Board in
letter written by it's governor, w. P.
G. Harding, to the Banking Commit
tee Of the United States senate The
committee had under consideration the
proposal to reduce the volume of
money in circulation. Governor Hard
ing opposes this plan, holding that it
will not afford the relief expected.
THE Federal Reserve Board be-
lieves" says Governor Harding in his
letter, that any currency legislation
at this time Is unnecessary and unde-
sirable, and would suggest that wheth-
er viewed from an economic or tinan-
cial standpoint, the remedy for the
present situation is the same, namely,
to work and to save; to work regular
~ and efficiently in order to produce
and distribute the largest possible
volume OF commodities, and to exer-
else reasonable economics in order
that money, goods and services may
be devoted primarily to the lquida-
tion Of debt and to the satisfaction to
the demand for necessities. rather
than to Indulgence in extravagances
or the gra tification Of the desire for
luxuries."
During the last two years there has
undoubtedly taken place certain
amount Of credit expansion, Governor
Harding shows, and this in the cir
cnmstances connected with the fnanc-
ing Of the war was inevitable But it
will be corrected as the securities
issued by the government for war
purposes are gradually absorbed by in
vcstors. This expansion Of credit is
equal to the difference Governor
Harding says, between the total war
expenditures Of the government and
the total amounts raised by the gov.
ernment through the medium OF taxa
tion and from the sale Of it's bonds
and other obligations so far as they
were paid for out OF the savings Of
the people. He does not believe that
any reliable estimate Of this differ
ence can be made. but he is positive
that, whatever it is, it will be grad
nally absorbed through future savings
for the reason that banks are lending
and may always be expected to lend
freely on the government bonds de-
posted as collateral.
The principal cause OF price ad-
vancCs just before and during the per-
iod OF the war was the need OF the
governments OF the allied nations for
all kinds OF commodities and for i'm
mediate delivery in large vClunc, and
;hc "ccmpetition OF this buying by
governments with purchases by pri.
vate irdividuals who failed to contract
their expenditures at a rate common
suratc with the growing expenditures
Of these governments"
One OF the features Of the postwar
Noriod. through which the nation is
low passing and which has been
iarkCh by rising prices, is the gen
"al relaxation Of wartime practice OF
personal economy. This has resulted
in an increased demand for food and
many persons who during the war
practiccd a more or less rigid econ
Omy il their DarS0nal purchases Also,
It must be borne in mind that they
are not only buying at market prices
brt arc buying in competition with
;hc eX03rt demand In addition, large.
y !n""2ased wages and incomes dur.
Ing the last 1--WE years have developed
Q demand for many commodities which
@rc not OF rc1l necessity This nat
urally has diverted labor and raw and
manufactured materials from essen.
tials TO nOnessontials, contributing no
small part to the trend OF increasing
costs,