Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-12-02
PRICES MUST COME DOWN.
Statement Made Public Showing
Other Prices Must Meet Those
of the Farmer.

Farmers in central Iowa are now
offered 81 cents per bushel for corn
According to the most careful esti-
mates by competent and unbiased
authorities the cost of raising corn
In Iowa is 81 cents per bushel.
These two facts present a situa-
ton which is serious TO thousands
of the hardest working and most
patriotic people in the country. How
1t can be remedied is a question.
The facts are that this situation
will in time remedy rself. The law
of supply and demand will ultimate
ly work the price of corn upward to
meantime every possible aid toward
a restoration OF normal conditions
should be used.
Normally, the prosperity of this
country depends upon the prosperity
Of agriculture. Mines and forests
contribute to ,hnman welfare, but
the foods which sustain life come
from the farms OF the country. The
farmer is entitled to, and fair mind
ed people want him to receive, the
cost of his products, plus fair mar
gin of profit.
The war has thrown us out of ad-
justment in many directions. An
Omaha contractor has furnished the
public with a statement of facts re-
garding the advance in recent years
Of the cost Of brick laid into a wall.
According to this letter the price of
brick laid into wall has risen from
$14 in 1909 to $45.05 in 1920. This
Is an advance Of 221 per cent. The
pay of the bricklayer has advanced
from SIS cents to SLIPS per hour. The
daily task of the bricklayer has
dropped in the meantime from 2.0OO
brick per day to 1000. Assistants to
the workmen now receive rs cents
per hour, where they formerly re-
ceived 80. The cost of brick has
advanced from 81 to SIS per thous-
and Sand has changed from $1.S0
to $3.75. Cement has gone up from
$3.50 to $3.50. The total net ad-
vance in the cost of material is TIA
per cent. The advance in the pay
OF the bricklayer is 174 per cent
and of his helper $50 per cent. But
this Is not all of the story. The con.
tractor who pays these advanced
wages gets Just one-half as much re.
turn for his money as he received In
1909. In other words the cost OF
1000 brick in wall in 1920 is $40
per cent more than it was ten years
ago.
This Is an example of unwise
profiteering in one direction. The
price of corn during the war reach,
ed $3.50 per bushel. Wheat wat
high and so was beef and pork. The
rents scared. Labor demanded pay
in proportion to the advance in 9th.
er directions-and in most cases Sc.
cured even more.
What about the future? The
farmer is already up against his in.
dustrial Gethsemene. He is likely
to lessen production and he is GER
tain to reduce his consumption
There will be very little building or
farms with corn at 81 cents PEI
bushel. and the prices of labor ant
building material at present stand
ards. With corn in America at tn
present prices, people in Europe ar
starving. Very soon drive will b.
put ON in America for $33,0O0,0 Ot
to save starving children in Europe
With present prices of labor ant
building material we are short more
than a million homes in America.
Sound thinking people do no
want to return to the 1909 standard
of wages. Thirty cents an hour II
not enough for the heavy work o.
carrying brick in building construc
tion. Fifty-five cents an hour is no
enough for bricklaying. But, thu
people are entitled to consideration
| in this connection. There was M
justifiable reason for cutting thu
number Of brick to be laid in da!
from two to one thousand.
The facts are that We are out o.
adjustment all along the line. Mos
everybody has been profiteering un
der the reasonable excuse in mos
cases that such action was justifia
BILE under the law of self-preserva
ton. But time of readjustment II
now at hand. It is high time now
that the reasonable and fair-mindet
men in all classes of our citizenship
come to the front and assume con
troll. There will be no trouble
among the farmers. They are only
asking for square deal. 1t will be