The sun., 1919-08-15

pared with the reduction In wheat acre
age and correspondingly small crop next
season which would result from dis
couragement of the producer.
The high cost OF living is not due
70 the storage of meats, vegetables.
fruits, eggs and poultry in the season
when these are produced in surplus
against the season OF short supply.
Popular as Is the hue and cry against
storage OF foodstuffs, II Is a palpable
fact that modern storage methods are
the greatest food savers in the world ;
nj one and the same time saving food
In time Of plenty and supplying It in
time OF scarcity, and. moreover, main
tanning steadier level of prices through
out all seasons for any given COM
modify. Indlscriminate restrictions on
food storage will serve only to waste
fully glut the market In the harvest
season Of meats, vegetables. fruits, eggs
and poultry at price disastrous to the
producer and create dearth of these
products out OF season Mt prohibitive
price. Food storage for speculative
purposes Is intolerable.
Cry Made Against Embargo.
The high cost of living is not hue 10
expectation OF food and clothing any
more than II is due to our heavy exports
OF manufactured goods. machinery, SC,
OF which the farmer Is a heavy pur-
chaser An embargo on foodstuffs to
bring down the high cost of living will
be as demoralizing to American agricul-
ture as the embargo placed on fooustuffs
was TO French agriculture in the time Of
Louis XIV. Moreover. the high cost OF
living Ia not merely local or national
consideration. 1t Is a world matter.
Applying a first aid remedy at home to
create. and foster anarchy and revolution
abroad should not be the policy OF tho
United States even at this critical juno
ture.
THE high cost OF living is due to
stagnation In production of manufac-
tured goods and prepared foodstuffs.
Every labor strike that shuts down any
plant engaged in the preparation OF
foods or the making of clothing, that
shuts down a mine or a MILL adds to the
high cost of living. Shortly after a
strike Of the United States yards ana
packing plant employees the wholesale
price OF fresh meats advanced 15 to IS
per cent, directly due to the short kill
ana consequently small supply Of fresh
meats. In Chicago 100000 men have
been at a standstill because the carpen-
tiers refused to work for s2h cents an
hour. This strike tied up building OPP
erations in many small towns within
radius of 100 miles of the city, as well
as In Chicago.
''The high cost OF living is due to
price manipulation and extravagant
profits of middle men. Referring again
to the Chicago situation. A small
group of milk wagon drivers at one
of the milk distributing plants struck
for s44 a week and regular commits
sions. All the other milk distributors
at once declared a lockout against their
drivers. After two or three days of
sparring, the employers agreed to meet
the demands Of the men and announced
! cent a quart advance In the price
of milk to the consuming public.
Analysis OF the arithmetic of the case
shows that 1t took about four-tenths OF
that cent to pay the employees and that
six-tenths of each cent was added to the
profits Of the distributors. Food on the
table costs out of all proportion to the
price to the producer. Part of the reason
for this Is due to the short hours and
high wages for labor. part to the ex-
horbitant prices of the several middle
men between the producer and the con-
sumner and considerable part ito the
extravagant practices of the consumer in
methods of purchasing supplies.
Economy Now Urged!
THE high cost Of living Is due to the
failure Of practically all folks to prac-
tice even ordinary economy In public
and private life. A programme of hard
road building, contracted at almost twsce
pre-war costs a mile due to advance of
price of material and labor, has been
delayed and interfered with because OF
the fact that delivery of building mate
rial has been delayed by tying up the
transportation facilities. This question
of lack of economy in public spending
was brought within the focus of the
LOS of
July. when the railway brotherhoods
demanded Of President Wilson that he
bring down the cost of living imme-
diately, threatening demand In wage
increase amounting to total OF SSOO,-
100000 a year. payable necessarily
from one of two sources, revenues from
increase Of freight rates or from de-
ficiency appropriation, either of which
would add to the cost Of living.
"A lack of practising economics IN
private life may be illustrated without
end. Theatres and places of amuse-
ment, resorts and watering places are
crowded with beautifully gcvned women
ana ndsomely tailored men. The price
of shoe shines has doubled and trebled,
yet one must wait his turn, though he
could shine his own shoes at home for
less than one cent.
az capitalistic monopoly wants enough
food produced that 1t may be Toasted, II
organized labor wants food produced
that 1. may be fed. II the do nothing
dawdlers want enough food produced so
that they may occasionally eat, let them
stanu forth now at this time, when the
farmer must determine his 1920 food
production programme. and declare by
deeds-cutting out of profiteering in
goods and wages, going honestly to the
business of preparing and purveying the
necessities OF life, going honestly to the
sob of doing a full days work for full
days pay-their willingness to cooper
ate. Failure of these forces to do this
now viii be boomerang that ere the
next cycle of the seasons will effect a
condition OF living now undreamed."
Ho ise leaders to-day sent out calls
for ali members to return to Washing
ton from vacations by Monday SO the
first definite Congressional action TO re-
duce the cost of living may be taken
next week.
Leaders Send out Calls.
The calls were sent by Republican
Z Leader Mondell and Democratic Leader
Clark after the Department. requests
for additional funds to combat living
costs were pushed up to the total OF
33,512,000. The Department OF Agrl-
culture asked $502,0s0 which will be
used to extend the Departments market
news service that the whole country
may be informed daily of fair prices