Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1919-08-08
HIGH COST OF LIVING.


against the high cost of living in this
country has been developed 1t was
started by the statement to President
Wilson by the railroad brotherhoods
that they must either have an advance
in pay or the cost of living be reduced,
accompanied by the usual threat that
they would resort to strikes if their de-
mands were not considered. SO strong
an impression did their demands make
that the President abandoned his fight
for the peace treaty and is devoting
his whole time to solving the living
problem Today he makes his recon-
mendations to congress.
Bitterness against food profteers
has been developed by two reports made
public by the federal trade commission.
In the first report the commission
showed tremendous profteering in the
shoe trade of this country. without
any increased cost the packers first ad-
vanced the price of hides, the tanners
|
manufacturers of shoes advanced prices,
the wholesalers asked more and the re
tailers not only advanced prices to COW
or the increased costs but enough to
give them more profits than they for
merly made. The result is the enormous
prices one has to pay for shoes.
The second report by the commission
showed that much more food was heid
in storage in June of this year than
there was a year ago, despite the fact
that the price of nearly all these foods
had materially advanced. As an in
stance, the frozen poultry in storage
has increased 29s per cent and the
prices are higher than a year ago This
holding of increased quantities of food
in storage and raising of prices seem
like speculative boarding and the hold
ers may be penalized
These are revelations made since The
agitation against high prices COM
mcnccd. They indicate one evil the
government must strike at for the good
of the public. Business has been edu'
eating the public TO pay high prices I'M
| til it feels it can force consumers tC
continue the payment of unreasonable
profits. The public must now educate
business in the amount of profit it will
be allowed for doing business.
No commission has yet reported the
great expense of government manage
ment of transportation and other indus
trics but these expenses are great and
have had powerful influence in advanc-
ing the cost of living. Some day this
too will become public knowledge
When it is known the public will de
mand big curtalment in this direc'
ton.
Another cause of the high cost OF
living is the labor problem. Organized
labor has raised the compensation OF
labor to the highest figures ever known
and reduced the amount of productive
labor to the lowest point of history
The result is greatly decreased produc
ton at II time of greatly increased de
mand for the products Of labor and thu
resulting mounting of prices.
The government may well attempt t.
stop unreasonable profiteering but tina
alone will not effect satisfactory reduc
ton of prices. 1t must put the knit
into it's own cxtravagances and with
draw its protection of the high price
and short hours of labor. In othe
words, it must return labor TO privat
. management along with the railroad
and other business enterprises. Natm
ally, it will object to doing this as Their
a is too much political strength in govern
. ment paid labor; but the public will i
c time realize the terrible burdens tina
7 have been imposed upon it by govern
mcnt management of transportatio
q and of labor and demand release frol
s its unbearable burden. 1t will take
: long time and there may be serious on
e breaks of violence but public scntmer
~ eventually will secure it and the blcs
te ings of more reasonable living expense