Evening journal., 1920-10-25

800 per cent.
But in the center OF Cuba every
thing grows wild, the social demands
are limited, and the local equivalent
for our high cost Of living can be
very comfortably maintained with
only an ordinary amount OF work at
30 cents per 100 arrobas. At $3.50 a
hundred arrobas it can OF course be
maintained with only One-third as
much work. And who can blame this
poor backward Cuban II he has been
seduced by very popular modern la
Dor doctrine and now refuses TO work
more than One-third OF the time? Or
who can blame him IL be refuses to
worry because his loaflng on the job
still further Increases the price OF
sugar TO some unknown Northern
gringo.
Moreover, the modern strike bacil-
lus, as we know too well, also re-
fuses to stay put. He soon got to
work among the railroad operatives
who transport the sugar to the port;
among the dockmen who load the
sugar; he followed on up into the
sugar reflneries OF America.
During January Of this year N ere
were seven separate and distinct
strikes that handicapped production
or distribution and SO increased the
price Of sugar. Four Of these strikes
continued into February and four
new ones were begun. Four of these
extended over into March and twelve
new strikes were begun in March.
Six Of these continued over into April
and five new ones begun in April, all
Of which, both old and new, contin-
ued info May. Meanwhile the price
Of refined sugar advanced from i3 81
cents pound the first Of March to
% Ia cents a pound by the end OF
May.
Moreover, in addition to these gem
eral facts as to the relation between
strikes and the increased cost OF sugar
there are any number OF Isolated in
stances where strikes have resulted
directly in sending the price OF sugar
still higher. For instance, during the
recent outlaw railroad strike around
Pittsburgh sugar was D cents a
pound in all the surrounding terri
tory but because no new supply
could be moved into Pittsburgh
sugar went up and stayed up TO 30
cents a pound so long as this strike
lasted.
There is no shortage OF sugar here.
More sugar IS produced and Amer.
leans are consuming more sugar than
az any other time in our history.
Our per capita consumption, for in
stance, was 70 pounds in 1913 and rs
pounds in 1914. IL went down 10 73
pounds during the war in 1918. On
the other hand, II was 50 pounds per
capita last year, and is running at
the rate OF 81 pounds per capita this
year.
AFo-o....- - -. l. IT, -
shortage OF sugar, but IL can be very
definitely said that the producers OF
sugar are not prOfteering. For every
detail OF their costs and selling prices
is on file in the United States De-
partment OF Justice. One practical
authority on sugar conditions. who
would not allow himself to be quoted,
said in July that he ESTIMATED" that
directly and indirectly strikes were
costing the American people oyer 10
cents on every pound Of sugar they
buy. Certainly the definite facss and
figures Seem TO indicate that this es-
innate Is conservative.
These specific facts as 10 the effect
which strikes. and strikes alone, have
had In increasing, and often increas-
ing exorbilantly, the price OF every
kind OF food product can be multi
piled again and again. The strike it,
self may be far away and at an en-
tirely different time from the increase
OF price, yet be directly responsible
for it. The strike may be for only
few days duration, yet directly in
crease the price OF a whole seasons
output.
Michigan frequently has a grass
b opper pest in July, against which
farmers project their crop by a spe-
nf1I a.. "a.
around Chicago prevented this spray
ing material from being delivered and
Michigan farmers in the Lansing dis
trict alone lost their root crop TO the
extent Of SiOO00OO. OF course, the
consumer will pay for this loss in
the high price OF beets and carrots
and turnips next winter.
The railroad strike at the big Ns-
tributing efnters held up material
with which fruit growers all through
the Middle West spray their trees in
May and June. Three months later
the fruit crops in these sections were
so limited and poor that all Of us had
10 pay January prices for fruit right
through August and September.
| And parallel examples OF how
strikes have been the direct and sole
cause of definite and big increases in
prices OF meat and butter and rice
and sugar and milk and virtually
every other necessity OF life could be
cited almost indefinitely.
/ Moreover. 10 must be clearly under
stood that all IN ese represent only
the direct effect OF such strikes. and
only strikes which have had a direct
and traceable effect on prices. The in
direct effects have In many cases un-
ldOubtedly been even greater.
Again, it must be remembered that
labor itself IS the biggest buyer OF
food products in the country.
The question cannot help but oc-
cur: Does labor itself, does the aver
age American worker, really know OF
realize how much II often costs, moi
only the country as a whole, but how
much 10 COSTS him, because some few
or few hundred fellOw-workmer
somewhere in the country casually
decide TO go on striker