Middletown transcript., 1919-08-23
CUT COST OF LIVING

OFFICIAL announcement is made
~ that President Wilson is giving
deep and thoughtful consideration" to
the high cost Of living.
It is surely time that this question,
so vital to all the people, receives not
only deep and thoughtful, but intelli-
gent and honest consideration.
Let us all look the question squarely
in the face-let US all be honest. The
food problem can be solved, but not so
long as it is looked upon as vote-get-
ting proposition. Politicians of high
and low degree have given NOISY"
consideration to the question without
getting into the heart Of the problem.
There have been congressional lnvesti-
cations followed by reports, strong in
words, but weak in results. Little has
been done beyond a scraping of the
surface-a futile and misdirected at
tempt to scale off the top without a
glance at the roots.
If congress or the President or any
other agency sincerely desires to reduce
the high cost of living. vastly more is
needed than random attacks on voteless
targets. Meat and bread for instance
are kept at high level by the Govern
ment's own act. So long as there is
government-fixed price on wheat-just
so long will meat and bread be priced
to the consumer on that basis.
All grains used as feed by the stock
raiser are regulated by the wheat price
and when the food price for cattle is so
inflated, it logically follows that the
man raising cattle for the market must
get an increased price for his stock.
Labor is necessary to properly raise
cattle for food and the high cost of
labor added to the increased cost of
cattle food are among the factors that
make meat 50 costly today. In this
connection it should be remembered
that the. high wages paid to men in in.
dustrial pursuits have taken labor away
from the farm. The ''hired man" OF
the old days has relinqished the pillow
for the mechanics tools. The effect Of
this has been to transform food pre-.
Queer into food consumer, with con.
sequent influence upon the price OF
food. 1t has also forced the farmer te
pay higher wages for his help and thus
added to the cost of what he produces.
Congress puts 10 per cent. tax or
oleomargarine and prohibits the use Of
coloring material, which is allowed il
dairy butter, to make it pleasing to thu
eye. In consequence of this, there il
little saving for the people in butte
substitutes and the prices are maintain
ed because the demand exists.
1t is convenient for public officials t
lay all the blame for the high cost o
food on certain producers convenient
because the farmer and other element
who are getting good prices befor
their commodity reaches the manufac
Z turers, are political power. This pei
sistent use of non-political interests a
the 'goat" has produced nothing fo
the people in the way of lower prices
Attention might be called here to tn
ridiculous attempts Of certain food jot
bers and wholesalers to charge all {
the exorbitant rates to the producer:
AS q matter of fact, these wholesaler
and jobbers are the most guilty of al
They produce nothing, create nothing
but take toll on everything. They al
the real parasites who stand betwee
the producer and the consumer and wa
fat on the intermediate profits.
It's time TO BE HONEST now
20 at the thing right-to forget polite
ard political advantage and do som'
thing that will relieve the people fro
the distress due to the high cost {
living.