The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-12-07
-, TIMES THE COST OF THE
'l nIv11, WAR HAS BEEN LIFT
IN FROM THEIR POCKETS.
DEFLATION DISASTRf Or RS : ,

Hnd live Stock Hit Hard, Too.
NEW YORK, N. Y.-Falling prices
,..o toooed off more than twenty bill
r no, dollars value from the high prices
~ American farm products, manufac-
..d commodities and stocks ruling
w. a,I;er this year, according to figures
compiled here
The greater part of this loss-at
,..st two-thirds or rnore-has fallen
,nor the farmer Twenty billion dol
,a.s-or six times the cost OF the
American civil war-has vanished into
thin air.
That much "deAation" has been &C
.o,nnI;shed since the American bank
ors under the lead of the federal re-
serve hank, have frightened up on cred
i and the dehation is still continuing
IN some commodities, as the daily
market page reports testify.
The biggest loss sustained by the
American farmer has been on his corn
IRON The indicated corn crop amounts
to 1900 100000 bushels, and the. price
Of corn has fallen from 81 a bushei
this wear to around "a cents. That
means a four billion "dehation.
Cotton Drops.
The American farmers next biggest
mss on his 1920 crops has been on cot
ton The indicated crop is 12,783,00O
bales, and cotton has dropped in price
S135 a bale, which means that the
southern states will have to stand
loss OF S1,725,OO0,000 from expected
sale price.
The third biggest defation in crops
has been in Wheat values. The indi-
Gated crop is Isl 100000 bushels. SINCE
July IS wheat has dropped from SI,/4
a 6ushel to SIPS. Thus the loss has
been around $863,O00,000. The price OF
bread in New York city was reduced
one cent per loaf today.
The Cuban sugar producers have
been compelled to take loss OF ST.
30000.0O0. The sugar crop there. is
estimated at 100000 tons and the
price of sugar has fallen Is cents a
ound this year, or 1888 a ton. But
as vet, there has been little dehation
N the United States in price of candy
Or baking products.
Falling prices in corn, wheat, cot
ton, sugar and oats have knocked at
least S8,O00,000,000 from the price
which farmers expected to obtain.
Live Stock, Too.
There has been a heavy decline in
market prices of hogs, cattle and
sheep, while hay, tobacco, potatoes,
fruits and rice and other farm prod
ucts are selling at prices far below the
high levels of 1920 Hundreds of mil
lions of dollars value has been wiped
out in the hog market alone for hog
raiSerS. Probably sum equal to the
loss sustained in wheat, corn, cotton,
oats and sugar has been suffered in
the other farm products.
While hogs, cattle and sheep have
dropped to record low levels for 1920,
the price OF meats at butcher shops has
shown but slight decrease. The pack
ers have not lowered their prices in
ratio to the drop in the livestock
markets, but have sought to unload
their holdings upon the consumers at
prices which would more than cover
the cost of their meats at the time OF
butchering.
In the metals copper, lead and zinc
as well as tin have dropped consider
ably, while silver has touched new
low record for 1920. But the United
States Steel corporation has made no
move toward lowering its prices, al
though the independent steel COM
panles in order to get new business
nave begun to slash prices.
Many Want Cotton.
While Germany hungers for cotton
and Russia is famished for want of
cotton goods American cotton grow
erS have left part of their crop I'M
picked, while some cotton gins have
33een burned and cotton mills both in
New England and the southern states
nave been forced to lay off thousands
OF employees.
As to stocks, Us active stocks trad
ca on the New York exchange have
appreciated $3,250000000 in value dur
ing the past few months There are
some $50 stocks traded IL from the ex-
change, while some 400 more stocks
are dealt in on the curb market.
bonds.
Thus the $2O,OOO,OOO,OOO and more
"a values which a great section of the
american public expected to realize
upon has disappeared.
But the deflation, the worst of which
y regarded as over here, has been &C
oompshed with no outstanding busi-
reSS failure in this country, although
0upa was hard hit and not entirely out
VI the woods yet.
Retail Prices Must Drop
II IS accepted as an economic fact
nele that retail prices throughout the
oooull'ry must get in line with the
s STAT drops in wholesale farm market
;lhere is a widespread movement
J J,oot 10 reduce wages in line with the
4'gp IN market Values.
h., Dei1atlon' is expected to be complete
ny spring as regards all primary COM
;, n Then gradual resumption
~ trade activity, which will acceler-
tsr as European conditions get bet
trls and Russia is opened to world
aSe IS conhdentially expected.
70 american business hopes to get back
IN :. normal basis so as to compete