The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-09-26
BENTON MACKAYE
ON LIVING COSTS

the high cost of living can not be
dealt with permanently unless the
problem of unemployment is solved
at the same time, and that the in
creased production necessary to
solve both problems can not be OBJ
tanned without making idle lands
and natural resources more acces-
sible to labor, is the conclusion
reached by a report issued today
by the Department of Labor on
Employment and Natural Re
sources" written by Benton Mac
Kaye, an expert in the office of the
Secretary of Labor.
No appreciate decrease in the
cost of living can be expected SO
long as superficial factors only are
dealt with. High prices of manu-
featured products generally reflect
either high prices for raw mate
rials, or lack of organization in
transportation and distribution. An
effective policy must start with the
land from which the "eXtraCtive"
industries draw raw materials and
must follow the subsequent indus
trial processes clear through to the
consumer. Coupled with this must
be changes in the "distributive" in
dustries so that products will flow
smoothly from land to men,"
A substantial increase in pro-
duction is unlikely, says the report,
so long as the average wage Garner
is unemployed 20 per cent of his
time and so per cent of our land
and natural resources are unused.
A scheme for bringing together
these potential productive factors
is presented. The main points in
volved in this scheme are the fol-
lowing:
I. Unemployed labor should.
wherever possible, be diverted to
farm communities established I'M
der public supervision, thus reliev-
ing unemployment and increasing
the supply of foodstuffs. These
communities should be organized so
that they do not consist of iso-
lated farmers. They should be
Concrete organisms and not as
semblages of conflicting interests.
They should be thoroughly equip
ped for cooperative marketing and
buying. Not only should organiza-
ton be applied to new communities,
but the Government should extend
assistance toward organizing al
ready existing communities.
2. Economic waste can be min
imized by a proper organization of
forests and mines. The lumber in
dustry is not yet one of forestry or
timber culture" as it is in Europe;
it is still one of timber mining.
1t is a tramp industry and therefore
breeder of tramps. The migratory
lumberjack, or timber wolf, must
remain a hobo until the logging
camp is supplanted by the forest
community. Forest and agricultur-
al communities can often be organ
lied together; and the report goes
into some detail in showing the pos
sibilities of developing such a COM
bination in Government national
forests, both in the East and in the
West.
8. Power resources must be or
ganized under public control. Water
power must be co-ordinated with
coal power. Wherever possible the
white coal of falling water should
be substituted for the black coal of
the underground In this way vast
energy requiring insignificant la
Dor effort can be placed at the serv-
ice Of the people.
A. Transportation and market
ing systems must be organized UNI
der public control. The farm COM
munity should be linked with the
city market. Railway, waterway,
and motor truck services should be
effectively co-ordinated. Staples,
such as milk, eggs, poultry, fruit
and vegetables can, on 10 per cent
of the farms, be carried in small
containers and sent directly into
the cities by motor truck, thus re-
lieving the railways in the work Of
supplying the urban population.
Such shipments when retailed to
the city consumer through the par
cells post, could go almost directly
from farm to table.
5. The construction of public
works must be more effectively or
ganized. The plans worked out in
the report call for large program
of road building to be followed by
farm building" outside the cities