The sun., 1919-08-05

say parenthetically, that we win never
get back again to the old normal, but
we should start the effort to get as near
II as Is possible Then and not till then
can we begin to reduce the cost Of living
Paper I'm Circulation.
Consider what this sse BOO. 900 900 Of
paper circulation in the world means
That Is a greater amount than the en-
tire worlds production OF gold In the
last 400 years. The annual interest
charges on the worlds government debts
were before the war $4,000, 000, 900 now
they are 10000, 900, 900. Great Britain
this year 10 appropriating for her peace
time budget six times as much as before
the war. Our own country, France and
Italy are appropriating four times as
| much. While conditions are such as
these high prices must inevitably con-
tinue. They are universal. Even in
China costs Of the stsples-of rice. sisal.
hemp, silks-hsve gone on from 100 to
400 per cent.
Here / have received this morning q
monthly statement from my Washington
grocer. II suggests that we might well
begin with the retailer In seeking re-
| sponsibility for the high scale OF prices.
Our whole national scheme and system
Of distribution IL wrong. out OF Joint. II
costs vastly more than It should, and the
| people one day will insist that, IL be re-
| duced
by this bill 1 see apples quoted at
- the busheL Watermeions are put
down at s1.25 each. The Senator from
Georgia tells me that he will guarantee
! to furnish watermelons Weighing forty
and fifty pounds from his State to
Washington at 90 cents each and earn a
profit on them. But they are costing
81 and sL25 each here. Here is a
cucumber at 15 cents. Did It ever &C.
cur to any of us to think what that
would mean by the toni Onions at ~ u
cents a pound a chicken-it was about
as big as your hands down for $3.50
| Twelve pounds of flour, S1.o5; that Ii
near SIS a barrel, let me suggest here
is cheese-common American skim milk
cheese--.at as cents a pound.
Let some OF these costs be inquired
into and the responsibility located. Let
the cost of these articles to the dealer
and then to the consumer be ascertained
| in detail and II will show how much
our wasteful system of distributor adds
to the cost of living. The average cost
of the retailers turnover will be found
rot less than 40 per cent. On some thing.
1t will 20 to 100 per cent. know. but
1 am stating the average conservatvely
at 40 per cent.
Many Hands Get PROFITS.
Then there Is the wholesaler. who
comes In for a profit Of not less than
20 per cent. The jobber, the broker
the wholesaler-all the factors In this
precious distribution system OF ours
come In for their share. 1t isn't the
farmer that gets the profits. It's ouI
unwise distribution methods that are
responsible for the high prices"
Senator Fletcher (Fla.) agreed with
this analysis and recalled efforts of hi
own before we were in the war TO get q
plan of producer to consumer direct mar
keting through the parcel post estab
lished But before II could be done th'
war was on, and 1t had to wait. He In
sisted that the time was propitious fol
resuming such efforts.
Then Senator Smoot paid his respects
to the household telephone with tn,
house wife or her maid ordering from
the dealer perhaps a half-score times {
day and demanding immediate deliver,