The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1919-08-15
REDUCING COST OF LIVING

| There are numberless theories be-
ing advanced as to the best method
of reducing the constantly increas-
ing cost of living. Opinions are
so varied that it is confusing to
formulate a really logical outline
OF the cause of high prices
and what can be done to bring them
back to normal state.
The Saturday Evening Post pub
lished an editorial placing the
blame in large measure upon the
strikes that are occurring almost
daily. The editor believes that
strikes reduce production and that
the law of supply and demand ma
turally results in increased prices.
II railroad man strikes for higher
wages and gets what he demands,
IT will ultimately mean that he will
help "pay the freight" The rail-
road copmanv, or the Government,
is forced to increase transportation
rates and the public pays this in
crease in various ways. The public,
therefore, begins to complain of
higher prices caused by the lncreas-
ed pay of the railroad man. 1t isn't
great deal, of course, but it is the
constantly increasing bills, growing
larger by small degrees, that event
ually make a total that cannot be
covered unless the income of the
person who has to pay them is in
creased.
Others blame conditions upon the
profteers. Just who the profiteers
are hasn't been generally discussed.
The meat packers are sometimes
put in that class but they have used
hundreds of columns of explana-
: tions in the newspapers all over the
country to prove that they are do
ing business on smaller margin OF
profit than could possibly be done
by smaller competing firms The
packers have the power of increas-
ing meat prices to some extent but
it is the price of feed that governs
in large measure the price that
has to be paid. With feed prices
doubled, it is reasonable to expect
greatly increased prices for meat.
With fixed price ofsover two dol
lars bushel for grain, it is absurd
to expect flour to remain at the
price which was paid for it when
wheat only brought dollar BUSH
ell. With wheat at two dollars a
bushel it is hardly to be expected
that labor will remain at the same
figure that it was when wheat was
! only worth half as much as it is
today. The price of barley, oats,
corn and other small grains, is
governed in a large measure by
the price of wheat When wheat
goes up all other grain has tend
. ency to go up, and the price Of meat
: follows naturally. 1t is hardly to
be expected that when the price OF
all these staples is approximately
| doubled, that prices on other COM
modities should remain unchanged.
II Retailers who made profit of 10
or Is cents on sack of salt when it
sold for so cents sack, could not be
expected to sell the sack for $1.OO
and still retain but 10 cents for
their margin of profit they are
forced to double the margin and get
20 cents sack because 1t took just
twice the capital invested to make
the deal. We can't say the retailer
is profiteerlng under these con-
dltions. We know that he is forced
to continually raise prices because
he has to pay the increased price
to the wholesaler, the wholesaler to
the manufacturer and the manufac-
turer to the laborer.
The unfortunate condition today
seems to be in the fact that prices
have not been equallzed. Incomes
have not kept pace, in many cases,
with the largely increased cost of
living. How to solve the difficulty
seems to be too much for even the
best minds of the country, as it has
now reached point where it is
| difficult to decide where to begin.
In the humble opinion of the wri-
| ter, the time to correct the evil
| which now faces the country was
| before it got such a firm hold upon
the nation. If, after the signing of
the armistice, Congress had aban-
| doned the political ship of state for