The star-progress., 1920-06-19
The High Cost
of Living
The Answer and Suggestions
for the Cure.
BY A YOUNG BANKER

IN every EtHu Is nClS IhO N'J VI
the high cost Of living, and this arti-
Gle is calculated to deal with local
cor liticns. The reason for this, ac-
cor linE 10 leading authorities on the
sub eel of the high cost of living at
trib lite the cause to- only two reasons:
First Labor, and Second Underproduc-
tion. Fortunately, in this section, we
have no labor unions, therefore, our
labor problems do not give US the
trouble which the large manufacturing
centers have experienced during and
since the close of the war. We have
to dal with only two classes of labor
here. the first and most important OF
which is farm labor, this being en-
tirely an agricultural country; the
second is the labor in the towns, the
high wages paid in every kind of
trade, or for any kind of wages have
directly effected the cost and reason
for the shortage of farm labor Every
business, every individual in this Sec
tion is dependent entirely upon the re-
suit of the agricultural success of the
country, and underproduction and re-
duction of farm products Of all kinds
means less business for the merchant,
the cotton buyer, the gins, the cotton
congresses, less wages to the laborer,
and less money for the laborer to
spend less profit to the farmer, less
money to the farmer to spend for nee
essary improvements on the farm, less
money for him to clothe and educate
his family and less money to put aside
in the bank for rainy day, if no pro-
fit is made on the farm.
The high wages paid in the towns
have taken from the farms the labor
er to work the lands, and thereby tire
farmer has had no other alternative
than to reduce hsi acreage to a point
where he and his family or the few
remaining hired hands are able to c]il-
tiyate a certain amount cf land. This
mean less production.
Statistics being released by the gov
ernment show that every house in
every city and town in the country is
occupied and people are building new
houses in every community to meet
the demand for more homes ;all Of
which is caused why? Has the popula-
tion of the cities and towns so in
creased overnight that here are not
enough homes to housed the people?
No, that is not the reason-the high
wages paid in all lines Of work in the
towns and cities have drawn from the
farm the farmer, the field han1, the Ia
borer, and the share-hand.
This is what makes the problem for
the farmer. He has two ways open-
he must either meet the wages Of the
towns or reduce his acreage Of farm
products, and this is what reduce pro-
duction and keeps up the high cost
Of living.
Fewer acres of corn means less corn
bread to be eaten and less corn to be
fed to hogs and stock Fewer hogs
fed means fewer pork chops and few
er hams and less sausage and meat to
be eaten. Fewer sheep means less i
wool and less cloth for suits. Less cot
ton grown means less cloth and less
Less all of these things will mean
less money all along the line, less
wages and less money in the banks,
and less credit that the banks can ex-
.end to the country to do business.
There is bound to be a change, and
he wise and conservative man is pre-
pairing for the return of normal condi-
ions.
Another factor in the high cost of
living has been the extravaganza of
he people Of the country-everybody
lbw buys Injuries if he can afford it
II ,no-his neighbor is doing it, so why
lot he-Thes country is, in whirl-
he time has past when man looks
o 4he future. No matter if he buys
some unnecessary luxury to-day-No
natter if he cannot meet the pay
nents on his home or his farm If
conditions should change. Everybody
,lse is spending money recklessly for
things. and Injuries OF
Every description. The fun makers
md Joy manufacturers luxury max
,rsl are to blame for a part in the
Ugh cost Of living Suppose that all
he men and women employed in the
,roduction of luxury articles-things
hat we could do without or buy much
ess as a people-suppose these work
rs could be set to work on the farms.
n the factories manufacturing plows,
ultivators. cotton-shirts, and all OF
he other things that are necessities
nd have gone out Of sight.
All of our trouble is being primarily
8 labor-the more money paid labor
he shorter hours labor want, and
horter hours means less production.
less production means less necessities
or labor, you and me, and less neces-
tiles means high prices, and it comes