The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-15
COST OF LIVING
 TO COME DOWN

Housewives who are unable to re- Concile the present high cost of living with the advent of peace will find en- couragement in statement just is sued by Julius Barnes, United States Wheat Director.
 THle return to productive industries of the men of European nations, who for four years have been engaged in work of destruction only, My. Barnes says, will have it's influence 1n reduc- ing the cost of essentials of life. MT. Barnes statement Is in the form of q reply to a letter he received from Miss Eva J. Snow of Wel1fleet, Mass one which is typical of many received daily by the Wheat Director from American housewives.
 q am glad you have started to re- duce the price of necessities" Miss snow wrote to MT. Barnes. Why, the present price of flour, butter, milk, eggs, cereals-everythin - keeps me, a woman without any in- come, almost insane. There are many like me, too, only perhaps some are worse off. I believe there is not ar honest man in the world"
 The reply which the Wheat Direc- tor sent to Miss Snow read as fol- lows:
 Your letter is one of many which have reached me in the Food Ad ministration work for two years, and believing that you write in all sin Ceritv and without exaggeration, will say the situation such as you de- pict has affected Herbert Hoover and myself in all that we have tried to do in food influence.
 We cannot set aside entirely nat UraI laws. We have not the lcgisIa- -fpI- ed, but we have tried. by presenting the facts and the need of the Ameri- can people, to secure inteIHEent CO operation to tighten the very burdens of which you complain. We have stimulated production; we have tried 10 supply the sacred ObIigations of Europe falling upon us with as little disturbance of our donnes markets as could be hoped for. But when we have done all we could. we real ize that the imitation which neces- sarily follows expansion of world credit will to those of fixed income. bring a measure of hardship.
 As for the future, there is every thing of encouragement, without promising anything radical Produc- ton is being resumed by four hun 6red millions of people in Europe we have for four years only been fight ing desperately and bIindly BelEium has struggled to its feet and the Bel gian Relief Commission has discon- timed it's work there because these people are again able to stand alone Poland, Czecho-Slovakia, RoumaniA. Serbia, Finland, all promise stable govornmsnts and the beginning of the orderly processes of life in the immediate future. The effect of these I.pllCements In production and or dorly distribution will Tighten the strain on America, and our fortunate country will be enabled to turn more Of its production into the domestic markets.
 Meantime. our task Is to hold the situation as steady as possible. There has been no real reason for any ad- vance in flour. We have protected the domestic supply, without jeo- pardy and mills and dealers are be- Einniug to realize this and recover their business sanity. The task of all citizens is to pursue their everyday ways with the full measure of energy in the prosecution of their own tasks. and of forbearance and consideration toward the problems of others"