New-York tribune., 1920-08-10
Concerning Potatoes
Tax the Middleman and Regulate
His Profits
To the Editor of The Tribune.

His Profits
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Thanks for your two editorials
to-day, headed "The New Proitoering
Excuse" and "Potatoes." You are
getting hot" as the children say,
when hunting for tho thimblo or the
button. When we find way to curb
the useless "middleman" and specu-
lator we shall have solved the living
cost problem.
We we'll know that certain causes
connected with the war and world up
heaval must have inevitably produced
increased prices for everything we
buy, but we also we'll know that they
have presented to the speculator an
opportunity for profiteering, and that
these men have fattened at our ex-
pense and "bulled" the prices Of our
necessarles as we'll as our luxuries un-
conscionably. 1t is all right to say
Refuse to pay it," but what is one to
do! One can cut the expenses of the
table to the bone but still as to what
one must buy one pays through the
nose, because all along the line the
dealers" are taking inordinate profits.
1t is the same with clothing, shoes,
hats-e everything one touches. We we'll
know we are being held up, but we
can't help ourselves. All ideas of value
have been lost. All conception of what
is fair profit is gone, and it is a
game Of boost, boost, boost, all along
the line.
I've market basket plan don't stop it,
because in the first place, even with
the market basket, you have to pay
what they demand. You can take it
or leave it. The dealers don't care.
The game Is too easy. If one protests
it is to laugh. For another thing, even
If some saving could be made by shop
ping from store to store, the time con-
sumed would cost too much. Tho
cheapest sort Of help in tho house costs
SIP per week and board and room.
What woman could save that much.
do you think, if she wandered around
all day with her market basket?
The fact is, first, that the public will
not adopt that plan, and. second, that
the plan would not work, so that it
seems to me we have got to fall back
on some collective action. What that
IS to bo remains to be found out, but
to spot the chap we are after Is some
thing, and that chap is no other than
the so-called "middleman," especially
the unnecessary middleman or mere
SPECTATOR in necessaries. In the very
start he ought to be scotched; taxed
out of existence or in some other way
disposed Of and, that done, the remain
ing legitimate and necessary dealers
and distributors interposing between
the producer and consumer ought to be
licensed or in some way controlled so
that those who are disposed to profiteer
can be punished and the people protect
ed, since they are unable to protect
themselves.
AS to the first, why not a sales tax,
doubled or treblcd or quadruplcd as to
all sales where none of the |
parties can qualify as a producer or
consumer or user, thus taxing out of
existence all speculative exchanges
and restricting distribution to a mini
mum change of hands? We have Just
as much right to stop that nonsense
as we have to stop lotteries or faro
AS to the second, while l deprecate
price fixing or any regulation of pro-
duction which might in any way tend
to restrict it, have no fear that we
shall not always be able to secure all
the dealers" we have need of, and I
would license that business rgidly and
restrict its profits within reasonable
bounds. There are, in the first place,
far too many storekeepers. Half Of
them or more ought to be at some
productive work instead of keeping
store" Profits of 100 per cent and up
are justified by them because the vol
ume of trade Is so small. No such
profits should be permitted. If that
made storekeeping on small scale
improbable, we should worry. Il
should have no fear we should be with
out storekecpers. What we need just
now is fewer storekeepers and more
producers, and as for food spectators,
none at all.
ONE or THE VICTIMS.
Nsw York, Aug. 7, 1920.