Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-08-06
THE HIGH COST OF LIVING

the newspaper editors, legislatures and congress.
In fact the whole body polite is talking about it,
and suggesting remedies. Now don't think this
is simple problem. It is a most complex prob
lem The man who knows all about it and can
tell you just how to stop rising costs OF COM
modities is fool-in all probability. Getting
after the profiteers big and little won't do the
trick though it might help some. The labor
unions demand for more wages if they get them
will only bring temporary relief to those VINO
get the increase, and burden more those VINO 90
not get an increase by further raising the cost OF
production. And in a short time the raise OF
pay is absorbed in the higher cost Of living and
the endless circle must be Travelled over again oy
the employer and employe. Higher wages TO the
latter and higher prices to the former
The cost Of commodities consists mainly OF the
cost of production and the cost OF Distribution SO
far as all economic goods that have labor addeo
RI them Rv labor we mean human service IN
its widest sense, whether of brain or hand.
third element in the cost Of commodities is in
terest Of capital employed. Strictly speaking II
fs also wages. Socialists mostly deny the rlght
of capital to wages but we do not. Inc great
and preponderatng element in the value OF nearly
every commodity is wages or labor OF some Aiiio'
The contention of many people at this time IS
that the division of reward or wages IN produc-
tion is unfair because capital and brains demands
and takes too large a share in production values.
It is ground that has been threshed over Tor
wears and could not be covered in newspaper
editorial in any satisfactory way.
The demands of the railroad men put up to
the government is simple and vital. They say
4l,o, tofE E1yinO
ing down the prices of things or raise our wages
to meet the higher prices We prefer the 1irs1
but if we can't get it quickly we want the last.
The first remedy is rather hopeless IN our opln-
ion as speedy remedy. The last is only tenn
porary as we have pointed out and increases tne
cause of their dissatisfaction in further advance
ment of prices Of the many elements entering
into the higher costs of living, we might mention
few, and there are many more which we DO not
even know. The initiation of our currency due TO
the war is one cause that is often overlooked and
which is no small factor in higher prices. Our
per capita circulation has nearly doubled IN the
past few years. Any one who has studied the
uuantitative theory of money, much discussed IN
the days of free silver, quarter OF century
ago. knows that increase IN the money volume
inevitably increases the price OF commodities.
Russia well illustrates the point just noW ana
all Europe in lesser degree Increasing luxury,
which calls for diversion of human energy from
the production of necessities to the production
of non-essential things increases the cost OF
necessities by diminishing the supply. A growing
fndisposition to hard work or effort on the part
of everybody has it's place in rising costs OF pro-
duction and distribution. 1t finds its expression
IN shorter work hours and less strenuous labor
pn one side, and demand for more service in dis
tribution on the other hand such as expensive
deliveries charge accounts and SO forth An
other factor is the increase in middlemen be-
tween the producer and consumer all of whom
perform a service of some kind that saves ef-
fort but who take a considerable rake OF be-
tween the producer and consumer. There is
considerable effort in late years in the pro-
ducer and consumer to eliminate these costs
by one producer to consumer transfer. SO far
as they are successful they should operate to
reduce prices. Another factor is the opposi-
ton of the public to big business. By splitting up
business into small units the overhead charge OF
both production and distribution is increased.
We have too many small distributors, all OF
whom must make living out of it's profits, to
keep the cost down to it's lowest figures. There
is also notable increase in what is called, per-
haps incorrectly, the non-productive occupa-
tions. They are not really non-productive for
they produce personal services such as barbers
doctors, lawyers, architects, designers, beauty
doctors and thousand other occupations do
Yet the ranks of these are unduly crowded. Most
ILL Lox,o