The Elbert County tribune., 1919-08-16

pacity. our economic processes are In
| extricably interviewer with those of
other nations and peoples-most init
| matcIy OF all with the nations and peo-
| pies upon whom the chief burden and
CONFUSION of the war fell and who
| nre now most dependent upon the CO.
operative action of the world
Exports Greatest In History.
| We are just now shipping more goods
out of our ports TO foreign markets than
We ever shipped before-not foodstuns
merely. but stuifs and materials of every
sort: but this is no index OF what our
foreign sales Will continue TO be OF
the effect the volume OF our exports
VIII have on supplies and prices II is
impossible yet to predict how far or
| how long foreign purchasers will be
able TO iihd the money the credit 10
pay for or sustain such purchases on
such scale; how soon or to what extent
foreign manufacturers can resume their
| former production. foreign farmers get
their accustomed crops from their own
helds, foreign mines resume their former
1 output. foreign merchants set up again
| their old machinery of trade with the
| ends of the earth. All these things must
remain uncertain until peace s estab-
lished and the nations of the world have
| concerted the methods by which normal
life and industry are to be restored.
All that we shall do in the mean
|
| the life of our people upon .tolerable
| footing will be makeshift and provi-
! sional There can be settled condi-
| ton here or elsewhere until the treaty
| of peace Is out of the way and the
work OF liquldating the war has be-
come the chief concern of our govern
ment and of the other governments OF
| the world. Until then business will
inevitably remain speculative and sway
now this way and again that. with
heavy losses or heavy gains, as 1t may
chance, and the consumer must take
care of both the gains and the losses.
There can be no peace prices so long as
our whole financial and economic sys-
| TEN Is on war basis.
Europe Must Know Situation.
Europe Will not. cannot recoup her
capital put her restless. distracted
| peoples to work until she knows exact
| ly where she stands In respect to
peace; and what we will do Is for her
the chief question upon which her qui-
| etuds of mind and confidence of pur-
pose depends. While there is any pos
| ability that the peace terms may be
| changed or may be held long in abey
ance, or may not be enforced because
| of divisions of opinion among the pow
ers associated against Germany. Il is
idle to look for permanent relief.
Points Out Present Duty.
But what we can do we should do.
and should do at once. And there is
a great deal that we can do, provision
al though II be. Wheat shipments and
| credits to facilitate the purchase of our
1 wheat can and Will be limited and con-
trolled in such n way as not to raise
| but rather to lower the price of flour
| here. The government has the power,
| within certain limits, to regulate that.
We cannot deny wheat to foreign peo-
| pies who are In dire need of 1t. and we
| do not wish to do so; but fortunately,
though the wheat crop is not what
! we hoped 1t would be. It Is abundant
| IL handled with provident care. The
! price of wheat is lower in the United
States than In Europe. and with proper
management can be kept so.
Immediate Relief Measures.
By way OF immediate relief. surplus
! stocks of both food and clothing in the
hands of the government viii be sold and
| of course sold at prices at which there
| is no profit. And by way of a more per-
manent correction of prices surplus
stocks in private hands will be drawn out
of storage and put upon the market. For
| tunately under the terms of the food-con-
| troll fact the boarding of Sfoodstufrs
be checked and prevented. and they will
be- with the greatest energy. Foodstuffs
can be drawn out of storage and sold by
| legal action which the department of
| Justice Will institute wherever necessary;
but soon the situation is systematl-
| oally dealt with It is not likely tlkit the
| courts will often have to be resorted to.
| Much OF the accumulatlng of stocks has
no doubt been due to the sort of specu-
lation which always results from uncer-
tainty. Great surpluses were accumu-
lated because II was impossible to foresee
what the market would disclose and deal
ers were determined to be ready for
whatever might happen. as well eager
| to reap the full advantage OF rising
/ n N
tage. well as the danger. of holding
! on from the new process of distribution.
Significant Facts Quoted.
Some very interesting and significant
facts with regard to stocks on hand and
| the rise of prices in the face of abund-
| ance have been disclosed by the inquiries
OF the department of agriculture the de-
partment of labor and the federal trade
| commission
In the case of many necessary commodi-
ties effective means have been found to
prevent the normal operation of the law
of supply and demand.
II would serve useful example to
the other communities of this country, as
well greatly relieve local distress II the
congress were to regulate all such mat
ters very fully for the District OF Colum-
bia, where its legislative authority is
without Knit.
Would Have Prices Plainly Marked.
l would also recommend that 1t be
required that all goods destined for in
terstate commerce should in every case
where their form or package makes 1t
possible be plainly marked with the
price at which they left the hands OF
the producer. Such requirement
would bear a close analogy to certain
provisions of the pure food act, by which
1t is required that certain detailed in
| formation be given on the labels of
packages of foods and drugs.
And II does not seem to me that we
could confine ourselves to detailed
measures of this kind, If 1t is indeed
our purpose to assume national control
| of the processes of distribution. l
take it for granted that that is our
nurnnse and OUR duty. Nnthinlr less