The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-08-29
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
SOLUTION FOR H.C.L.
ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE NOT
ALTERED BY GOVERNMENT
FOOD STUFF SALE.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22.-That
the memorable law of supply and de-
mand will eventually find solution of
the high cost of living, and that the
sale of stored foodstuffs will have no
permanent effect in bringing relief
from present conditions, is the asser-
ton of the Republican Publicity asso-
citation in statement given out today
from its Washington headquarters
through its president, Hon. Jonathan
Bourne, Jr. The statment says:
There is fundamental fallacy in
the theory that forced releases of
stored food stuffs will have any ma
terial or permanent effect toward
lowering the cost of living. In the
first place, the amount of food stored
is inconsiderable as compared with
the second place, while stored food
prices UP, that same stored food is
constant check on rising prices, for
when prices reach an abnormal stage
the stored food is released by the
holders in order to realize the profit.
With the stored foods gone, there will
be no reserve supply to act as an au-
tomato regulator, and holders of food
constituting the daily rations of the
country can then name their own
price.
Old Law Still Operates.
"The grave problem of cost of liv-
ing will be solved in accordance with
the universal law of supply and de-
mand-the scarcity of food inducing
of forcing many city people to aban-
don occupations of non-productive
character to go back to the land to
produce the food they cannot buy at
famine prices. Moreover, the scarcity
and high price of food will force lead
ers of organized labor to abandon
their policy of limiting production of
manufactured commodities. For sew
eral years there has been movement
for more pay and less work. With
the demand for more pay no fault can
be found. provided there be no class
favoritism. Neithe can there be any
criticism of reasonable limitation of
hours of labor-limitations designed
to promote the health and welfare of
the country-provided those limita-
tons are applicable to all.
"But there is rank injustice, for
which the country must eventually pay,
in plan of raising wages and limit
ing production for the benefit of only
small proportion of the population.
When railroad and few other limited
classes of employees force arbitrary
increases in their compensation and
reductions of their hours of labor,
while farmers and their wives and
children must work from sun-up until
dark with their compensation checked
rather than enhanced, it is only
question of time when such violation
of the laws of common justice will be
penalized.
World Shortage of Necessities.
"As result of the war, the whole
world is short of necessities. To re-
store normal conditions there must
be acceleration rather than limitation
of production in every line of useful
enterprise. There must be every rea-
sonable encouragement to the pro-
ducer-every proper encouragement
to the non-productive consumer.
There must be an end of special priv
ileges for the organized worker to the
injury of the unorganized agricultural
producer. The consistent record of
the Wilson administration adverse to
the interests and welfare of the farmer
must be rebuked in such unmistakable
terms as to insure that subsequent ma
tional administrations, of whatever
party, will accord equal treatment to
all, with special privileges to none.
Otherwise chaos and the end of our
republic"