The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-08-22
CRISIS THREAT
ENED BY COST
OF LIVING
Only Remedy Seen In Public Owner
ship Program of Farmers and
Workers.

WUIkC1E.
The high cost of living problem
has reached such an acute stage tina
it has temporarily crowded every
thing else into the background. TIL,
greatest epidemic of strikes eve
known in the history of the country
the alarming growth of radical sen
timent the threat of conditions like
those now existing in Europe, have
drawn forth a special message from
the president; special action from /;
half dozen congressional committees
numerous Investigations and many
>lans and bills for meeting the crisis
The presidet's message is valuable
principally for its admissions, and is
undoubtedly a consensus of the opin-
ions of governmental circles. It is
interesting to note that he frankly adj
nitted evils of serious, not to say
dangerous character, have been al
owed to exist almost without inter
ference until conditions became so
scandalous and criJlcal that the gov
eminent had to do something.
The president in his message ad-
mits that:
The prices the people of this coun-
try are paying for everything that it
is necessary for them to use in order
for them to live are not justified by
shortage in supply, either present
or prospective, and are in many cases
artifcially and deliberately created
by vicious practices which ought i'm
mediately to be checked by the law
They constitute a burden upon US
which is the more unbearable be-
cause we know that it is wilfully inn
posed by those who have the power.
Some of the methods by which
these prices are produced are already
illegal, some of them criminal.
In the midst of this admitted "crim-
inaP' profiteering, the president
further admits that there
"Was greater supply of food
stuffs in the country on June / of
this year than at the same date last
year. In the combined total of num-
Der of the most important in dry and
cold storage the excess is quite 10
per cent, and yet the prices have
risen. The supply of fresh eggs on
hand in June of this year, for ex-
ample, was greater by nearly 10 per
cent than the supply on hand at the
same time last year and yet the
price was 40 cents a dozen
as against 30 cents a year ago. The |
stock of fowls had increased more
than 298 per cent and yet the price
had risen also, from 3412 to 371a
cents. The supply of creamery but
ter had increased 129 per cent and the
price from Al to SO cents per pound
The supply of salt beef had been aug
nented 3 per cent and the price had
gone up from $34 barrel to $50 a |
,arrel. Canned corn had increased in
stock nearly 81 per cent, and had re-
NAMED substantially the same in
price. In few foodstuffs the prices
lad declined, but in nothing like the
proportion in which the supply had /
increased. For example, the stock
II canned tomatoes had increased 1O2
Der cent and yet the price had de-
lined only rs cents per dozen cans
For these conditions the president /
'ffers no remedy other than the kind
mployed by the United States gov
rnment to no effect for twenty years
n fighting the trusts, punishment of
ne profiteers and attempted regula-
ion of profits.
The presidents analysis of the sit
alton, and remedy is substantially
ne same as that proposed by At
,rney General Palmer, and all con-
ressional committees that have been
lvestigating conditions. His con-
lusions are the same as the conclu-
ions of the federal trade commission
lat the monopolies have completely
ct aside the law of supply and de-
land in this country, and are creating
rices to suit themselves.
opposed to this method of dealing
18th the high cost of living the old
yle politicians at the national cap
al have suddenly been confronted
It'll a new element in American
'htlcs and new method of dealing
It'll this great problem. Organized B
Dor, adopting the plan the National h
bipartisan league is applying to \
ate govemment-public ownership 3
has appeared before Congress &
licking the Sims bill for the public Y
7nership of the railroads. This they s
anlkly state is only the beginning =
the public ownership of all the IS
SIC industries for the purpose of Il
duelng the cost of living and es- B
oilshlng a condition of justice for d
ose who work and produce. b
PEOPLE MUST CONTROL D
In brief, the organized workers q
IN to reduce the cost of living by u
mlnatlng the enormous profits now q
ing to the private owners of the
lustrles. The railroad owners get
average dividend of one billion
lars year. Many other great
lustr1es make much greater pro-
rtlonate profits. But this is one
the smallest items in this program.
bic ownership will eliminate the
mendous wastes of competition.
y maintain. 1t will permit of a
ned, economical and efficient ma
nal system.
'y public control of industry, or
nlzed labor hopes to reduce the
It OF living and increase the in