The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-15
Government War Supplies Back to
the American People.

tno American FeOpie.
At the shutdown Of the worlds
stupendous war machine there were
left on the hands Of the United States
Government not mere millions but
billions Of dollars Of war supplies of
all sorts and description. For weeks
nfterward the Government was COM
PEELED to take, under It's contracts,
still more supplies running up to huge
figures. This situation was, Is and
may go on being a big economic
problem.
In the treatment of these now need
less stores the Government has been
sometimes wise and sometimes fool
ish. A notable example of wisdom
was the manner In which the War
Department set out ut once to dispose
of its great wool reserve. 1t had
bought upward of 10000, 900 pounds.
1t had paid for this stock not far
from half a billion dollars. 1t could
never use what it had on hand. What
should 1t do about the wool?
The true question was not whether
the Government could get Its m6hey
back by holding up the market price
of wool as 1t held up the market price
OF wheat and pork. The question was
whether the Government should keep
from the American people wool of
which they were sorely in need. The
War Department decided properly
that it should put the wool on the
market for the benefit Of American
consumers. 1t has sold hundreds of
millions Of pounds at a loss. 1t still
has quarter Of billion of pounds to
sell, and it will sell this at loss.
But the American people, through
the American factories and shops, have
been getting their needed wool. They
have been getting it, moreover, at
lower prices than they would have
been compelled otherwise to pay for
the wool. And 1t Is the American
people who paid for the wool which
the War Department bought. The
War Department therefore cannot
make loss on selling its wool back
to the people which Is not more than
offset by the gain Of the very people
who as taxpayers paid for the wool in
the first instance in behalf of the
War Department and who as con-
II, h. To- "a
instance in behalf Of themselves.
Now what Is the difference between
wool and cotton, or wool and beef, or
wool and canned vegetables, or wool
and coffee, or wool and sugar, or, for
the matter Of that, wool and medi-
cine? Yet the same Government
seems to think there is a difference.
On the hands of the War Depart
ment to-day there is left stock of
medical supplies which cost the De-
pnrtment something like 500, 900, 900.
The Government can't use them now.
The Government never expects to be
able to use them. So the Secretary
of War is asking Congress to au-
thorize him to turn over these sup
plies for use In Poland, Hungary and
other European countries. Why not
right here at home. exactly as In the
case of wool?
The American people are paying
more for their medical and similar
supplies than they ever paid before.
IN some instances medicines impera-
lively required by sick people cost the
buyer several hundred per cent. more
than they cost him before the war. II
was never an >easy thing for a poor
man in this country or in any country
20 pay for hts medical supplies when
sick, because when man is sick he IL
out Of work. When n man is out of
work he Is out Of income. No matter
how high wages are In American
trades to-day. no matter how much
work there is for American labor TO-
day, there isn't any work or wage for
the sick man. But his drug store
bills must be two, three, FIVE, even ten
times what tney once were.
There is another very important
economic circumstance to be noted In
connection with the enormously in.
creased cost Of drugs in this country.
Indubitably 1t is the high cost of labor
which now makes the high cost Of
food, of clothes. of so many other
things. because labor Is by far the
most Important factor-GO per cent.
40 per cent, 50 per cent.-ln the pro-
ductlon of the article. This isn't 80 I'm
me case OF medicine. In the factory
or In the dispensary or in the chem.
list shop the labor factor is trlfiing. nj.
most negligible. The cause of the