New-York tribune., 1919-11-15
The Gamers and Losers

The Gamers and Losers
The governments statistical re-
view Of prices during the war
shows that American commodity
prices increased 1903 per cent.
But commodity prices do rot alto
gether measure the cost of living.
Many things and services, such as
urban rent, railroad rates, streetcar
fares, gas and light, manufactured
specialties, doctors bills and the
like, enter into a family budget.
These, per unit, have not gone up
as much as commodities. The weight
Of evidence is that it now costs about
80 per cent more to live on the scale
of early 1916.
1t follows that those who do not
receive, IN dollars, for an equal
amount of work 80 per cent more
than five years ago are suffering
from the price shiftings incident to
the decrease of the dollars purchas-
ing power. There is a presumptive
right Of all to an 80 per cent in
crease in monetary income.
The most numerous gamers are
engaged in agriculture. Average
food prices were up 102 per cent
on December l last, and thus there
is a doubling of farm receipts.
There is an offset in the higher
wages of the hired hand and in high
er prices for purchased supplies, but
the normal farmer largely does his
own work and raises what he con-
sumes. That the farmers are doing
we'll is shown by doubling of
farm land prices in the principal
agricultural states. and by the fur
ther fact that farmer who leases
his acres obtains larger rental
Certain industrial workers-by no
means all-have gained. The steel
inquiry brought out that the aver
age wages Of the employees Of the
Steel Corporation are up ia per
cent. Collateral evidence of gen
eral labor gain is furnished by the
increase in the compensation to
household workers and to farm
hands. In these two employments
food and shelter are commonly pro-
vided by employers, and it is a war
rantable inference that if the house
hold workers and farm hands were
doing relatively better than other
workers there would be a drift to
those employments But the drift is
away.
A third group of gamers con-
sists of SPECTATORS for rise and
those with supplies of goods in ware
houses or on their shelves who be-
held these holdings rapidly swell in
dollar value. Likewise makers of
articles OF war use are prevailingly
rich. The excess profits tax only
partially cqualizes.
The losers are, first, those whose
income comes from small invest
ments and who are not actively in
business. Larger investors are hit
not only by the dimnution of the
/ purchasing power of dividends and
interest, but also by the graded in
come tax. The House Of Have has
been sorcly smitten by the new dollar
and other conditions, although it is
not popular to mention the fact.
Perhaps as numerous are those in
groups whose compensation tends to
be conventionalized--the white COL
lar workers, public employees, the
unorganized in general. In time, of
course, there will be adjustment to
the new dollar, but in the mean time
millions are compelled to lower their
standard of living or to draw on
their savings.
So far society has never found
way to equalize the incidence Of
price changes. The multiple dollar
proposal makes little headway, nor
is there general resort to the system
under which nominal wages are
raised or lowered to conform to new
price levels.
When the various organized groups
get their compensation raised 80 per
cent perhaps a commission will sit
to look after the welfare of the un-
represented and the unheard. But so
far there is little relief for those ex-
cluded from the front of the 80 per
cent.
The Eastern Outpost Of Liberty
II is an ancient and va ono opd +o