The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1920-03-12

its Indignation and chagrin oozes out |
to the outside world. The chamber !
is really in such an awkward position i
that the best tactics Of high finance
will be needed to make its dirty lin
en- look white again.
All these years the mighty men,
bers of this body have been more or
less quietly conducting what the Hen
nepin county court has now character
ICED as gambling business, while
the farmers outside engaged in the
wild-eyed agitation Of calling: it
gambling. And now traitor" from
en- this august body black eye to
escape paying little gambler a
miserable $4,000.
This traitor" ought to be disci-
plined by fine and expulsion. The
rules and the exalted business spirit
of the chamber called for such treat
ment. But if that is done, the trait
or may look like martyr to ignor-
ant outsiders and he might do a lot
of squawking on family secrets.
The chamber leaders have long adj
vertised themselves as foes of anar-
chy and all that sort of thing, but we
should not gather from this that
the Twill give up that profitable part
of their business which court of
law has held to be illegal.
All during 1919 we were told that
the ridiculously high prices for shoes
were caused by the scarcity of leath-
err. The packers, tanners, shoe manu-
facturers and shoe dealers told the
papers just how it all was and the
h~l
to expect to be out Of shoes altogeth-
of 1920. Perhaps We would have
been if we had not accumulated what
,, financial expert would call Every
! gratifying increase in hides" during
! this same year 1919.
.. Government reports give compar1-
sons between the stocks on hand on
January 81, 1920, and January 81,
1919, as follows:
Whole horse fronts, 506.27 per
cent; kid skins, 277 per cent; horse
hides, 217.1 per cent; cabretta, 213.6
j; per cent; goat skins, 203.1 per cent;
= horse butts (pairs), 1855 per cent; kan
! CARGO and wallaby, 1888 per cent; kip
y skins, 1878 per cent; sheep and lamb
skins, q per cent; calf skins, 21.3
= per cent; cattle hides, 10.6 per cent,
: The only decreases shown were horse
shanks, 1913 per cent, and pig and
4 hog skins (pieces), SAG per cent.
While we were worrying so about q
barefoot future our market men were
: laying by this nice surplus for us
e And there must have been little ex'
q ira money made somewhere too.
l. President Wilson's signature to the
Z conference railroad bill has made it
e law, and the rest Of us can sit back
/ to study the new era of railroad eth
II cheney which Wall street is prepared
n to render unto us. Perhaps it is mo-
e. quite correct to say that this 100
r percent efficiency is the direct Wal
Street object. The direct object is t.
TX make as much money as possible GU
= Of the roads, but all the financial ex
&c perts assure us that the 10O-per-cen
It efficiency will come to US as by-pro
T. duct of the direct object.
IS Some of us may be little skeptlca
IN about this by-product, but we can, al
$ see how the direct object is we'll met
IS They are to get fair return on rail
E. road value And value here mean
the paper values piled up to Justit,
stock and bond issues. The railroad
v. nut up the "value" at about $2O,0OO
ID 600, 900, and the guaranteed earning
n mean that this value will be re;
ar value in the coin Of the realm.
We In January, 1919, the market valu
az of railroad stocks and bonds combines
10 after they had been boosted by the Of
IS government war guarantee, was S13
eo 100000, or less than the 200
we value by over $G,000,O00, 900. The fiji
w anciers thus get not only sure earn
"a, nigs but a great boost, in princlna
d. which is earnings for them. With
n a wear they ca nskim this cream ar
Oh then they ma ybe entirely willing
r. let the government take the roat
us back Then there are a lot of lit
~ pickings to keep the boys busy #
u year: The $3OO,00O,000 to take ca
- of the supposed government deticl
80 the claims for damages, the reVUl
le' ing fund to aid railroad financing.
lit College graduate engineers offert
$50 a month after two years<of Sc
vice are typical Of the rems.rAab
IN condition in which most of the 5,
he called brain workers find t|er1selve
mt College professors, minister's, docto
TT, to a graet extent, bookkeepers, Off
.At men, bank employees are getting lie
FIJI than hand workers. a milk wag'
int driver in Minneapolis, for i1stant
in gets over 500 a month and coElml
in sion besides.
li- But this does not mean that hal
SIX labor is overpaid. In terms Of livi'
It's. conditions statistics show that wle1
800 as the wages Of organized labor ha
to increased SIS per cent since 1918, t
l, ~
en- cent.
me
ar If this conditions keeps up the 6
att cial consequence will be Of great ii
OF portance. Here are few:
ee- Most young men will be driv
elr away from the education leading
and the work now so underpaid and q
oio educational institutions must be lace
e1v ly made over
10y 10y Most of the so-called white coll
:" prouD are being driven to organic