The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-02-05

war invariably causes great sindustrial ac-
tivity and high prices The transition pc
Rod from war TO peace is inevitably one
of uncertainty. Men wait to see what
others do. Prices are expected to fall, 1
how much nobody can tell but the natur-
al impulse is to delay purchases.
January is not an active month IN
trade at any time, but for clearing up and
taking stock of goods and prospects Buy
ers are never Indifferent very long within
out making some sellers anxious and this
was sure TO be the case when accompanied
by the cancellation of government con
tracts and enormous contraction of war
demands
The government had bought and held
in It's warehouses great quantities of ma
terials and goods which it would not use
and which hung over the market. Nobody
knew at first what policy the government
would pursue. Such situation develops
different opinions, and of course all par
ties are not in the same position. Buyers
have the upper hand, and those who
want to sell must make concessions The
announcement OF reduction of prices at
first does little more than nnsettle the
market II merely gives notice that the
downward movement has begun and per-
i haps makes buyers more timid than be-
| fore"
| The necessity for reduction OF prices
and labor is pointed out BY the bank
i.In this country" it says, "priees are
generally maintained, and most employers
wish to maintain them, at least until a
REIMBURSEMENT can be made with the de-
cline of articles OF consumption TO a
great extent wages and prices are inter
| locked, high prices being due to high wa
| ges paid to producers. If the pay of one
group Of workers is reduced and the prices
of their products decline, the consumers
of these products are gamers at the ex-
pcnse of that group of workers. The
latter then should have "a Just claim that
reductions shall be made in the goods
i which they have to buy. Fairness re
i quires that all shall come down together
THE reductions which will affect the
greatest number of people at once are in
foodstuffs and clothing materials Tho
producers of foodstuffs arc so many IL
number and so widely scattered that any
general combination among them to main
/ tain prices always proved impracticablc
:, Their products respond quickly to tht
conditions OF supply and demand and ar
now falling, although the world food sit
t uation is not clear. Certainly they vii
/ decline largely by the end OF anothe1
; crop year But as their products com,
A down farmers will claim reductions il
e prices of what they must buy, and thi
e probably will involve wage reductions il
e other lines
Il THE crucial question in every indus
try i not a theoretical or sentimental one
Int the practical one whether the prod
ucts of the industry can be sold IN suff
eicnt volume on a given level Of price
to afford employment 10 all the peopl
who are looking for work in that indus
try. Eventually there will be a demon
stration. and it viii he good policy 70
10th sides to conform to the results Til
public is the final employer, and it doesn
ray anybody to quarrel with the publ,
The labor organizations are OF tia
opinion that it is better for them TO pa
up with part time rather than reduc
a wage rate established II low produ,
ton and high prices delay the geners
recovery of industry by causing redu
ton OF consumption it i we'll 10 remen
Eer that the laboring people Of the con-
try are suffering ON both sides OF Il
deadlock.