Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-10-19

certain classes Of goods. particu-
following course in reaching the
consumer: The manufacturer sells
20 a broker, the broker sells to
bbber. the jobber sells to the
wholesaler. the wholesaler sells
through drummers to another
broker, this broker sells to the
retailer, who sells over the coun-
ter through a clerk. who has
change made through a cashier.
the goods wrapped in the wrap
ping department, and delivered by
automobile to your door.
Another example Is our very
highly organized system of labor.
The city of New York has been
conducting sales OF foodstuffs
taken over from the government
supplies. The September Bulletin
an amusing account Of some Of
the troubles of the deputy COM
missioner of markets, who had
charge of distributing these sup
plies.
He said that on going to the
pier he found the bargemen lying
on the boxes. their rolled-up coats
being used as pillows. The drivers
OF seven trucks were sitting half
asleep in their machines.
He asked a man on the barge
what the trouble was, and was
told that just as they were start
Ing to work a delegate OF their
union happened along and told
them they were not permitted to
load bo.es on trucks. They could
only put them on the pier. 1t was
the job Of another labor organiza-
ton to get the food from the pier
to the trucks.
AS the tailboards of the trucks
extended over the barge. he point
out that it was easier to load the
boxes on the truck than to carry
them around the truck and put
them on the pier. Finally the men
load the boxes on the tailpteces
of the trucks. they said. but that
he would have to get men from
another union to haul the boxes
to the middle of the truck.
Thus for one truck. a driver who
can't do anything but drive. one
man to put a box on the tailboard
and another to pull that box to
the center Of the truck.
But whatever other causes there
may be. the greatest danger that
faces us in the solution of the
high prices is the danger OF as
suming that the other fellow Is
guilty and that we have no re-
sponsibility. For so long as We
keep up our wild and thoughtless
buying we may expect somebody
to be bright enough to take adj
vantage of the opportunity to
profiteer Let US make get your
moneys worth" our economic pro-
lection, the antidote for reckless
expenditure and the challenge to
the profiteer.
If the public merely stands on
and cheers while the Department
of Justice investigates the profiteer
nothing will experimenting per-
manent can happen. You can't
legislate prices down, and all the
Department Of Justice can hope
to do Is to discover some facts
and organize these facts for the
Information Of the people. and then
1t is up to the people not to allow
themselves to be profiteered upon.
If we are ever to solve this high
price question, which is the most
important economic question be-
fore US, in any satisfactory way.
we must forget for the time that
we are producers or workmen or
wholesalers or retailers and rec
ognize that the only respect in
which we have a common and uni
versal interest in this matter is as
consumers. Twenty per cent de-
crease in the cost Of our living
will do more toward adjusting our
expenditures to our income than
any reasonable or possible advance
in wages from time to time can
possibly do.