The Alaska daily empire., 1920-01-30
HIGH COST OF LIVING AND THE REMEDY

4 There arc only ways to stop the upward tendency of the cost of living One of those Is TOT Congress pass the measures whlch "ouiu perml complete government regulation of the prices or everything between and including production down 10 and including the retail price to the consumers and the other is to wait for time to bring coupe titon to do the work.
 The first mentioned remedy would include. of course the regulation of wages, and, in many in- stances. the methods distribution. In a measure it would of course, do away with competltlon It would far greater governmental lnaulsi,ioh than ever before has been attempted in this coun- try It is not strange that Congress hesitates it Will probably decide not to provide for the appilca ti0n of that medicine
 < If the second remedy is adopted, the one that we have depended upon in the past, the operation of time, bringing with it production adequate to meet the demands of the consumers and competition in the markets and catering to the public all alons the line situation be helped along of course by passing and enforcing laws against profiteerine where it is found. by encouraging people to work and by urging greater and yet greater pro due, ion by regulating where possible, by educating inc people wherever possible through publicity ana all the means at our command as to tue ac'uai conditions and needs and voluntary patriotic corporation the part of everybody to meet the sftnation but the effect cannot be immediate. Any other method of meeting the situation than complete governmental regulation will require time It will take time to get everybody at work and increase Consumption the point that producers shall again be seeking markets their products to bring about a condition again where people are anxious to re- tain jobs and positions to sell their time and skii and ability It is fortunate that the campaeish oi education has been proceeding. and people every where including the conservative labor leaders of the country awake to the situation Mir Com rers has promised that labor will work and do Its share towards increasing production. He and the abcrng people generally opposed to complete Governmental regulation. they know that it would have to include wages well everything else.
 The history of the past has been that every great war has been followed by period of unrest and high prices That period followed by one of stag nation, during which people have been unable to get credit and when products were sold with diff cuts because people had not the money with which purchase For years after the Civil War, at first of the high prices and later because there was so little money. people in the country ere compelled to get along without at every meal and good suit of clothes would serve the average for years Most of the farmers anu workers wore home made woolen clothes cottor jumpers and overas for their daily raiment They made extreme sacrifices in the fight against the wolf at the door.
 We are fortunate in the fact that we now have a banking and currency system that will aid us to avoid the period stagnation and credit destruc tion such followed the Jay Cook failure, and the consequent period of liquidation which carried down banks like in hurricane which destroyed high prices eight years after the close of the Civil War
 Better transportation facilities, producing equip ment. industrial and financial organization, means of education and capacity cooperate should and will bring through the present period of unrest high cost and lack of production in much shorter time than that which followed the Civil War, and without the period of sagnation with its financial and business failures.
 The Attorney General is doing all that he can under the law to alleviate the situation but must not,expect too much from his efforts The need Of the hour is to get to work-to produce necessities in measure to meet the demands of the people