The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-01-09
OFFICIAL GIVES
SIDEL|GHT WITH
REGARD PRICES
BY ROYAL MEEKER
OMITTED States Commissioner OF La
Dor Statistics.l

.N
Washington, Jan. 2.-Eyerybody is
anxiously watching the course Of the
prices and even more anxiously in
quiring when, ii ever, prices are com
ing down The wish is farther to
the thought, and it is easy tor the
housewife to accept any statement
chat prices are Slated tor a fall in the
near future
Before attempting to answer the
query as to when if ever prices are
TO fall, it would be well to consider
the causes which have brought about
the remarkable rise in prices since
1915. These causes may be sum
mad2ed a follows:
ca by far the most important
cause Of increased prices is the enor-
nous additions to the circulating me
dium, money and its substitutes, dur
ing the past four years;
(2) Decrease in the actual physical
quantities Of goods produced and ex.
changed;
CD Manufacture for and purchase
by the government of the world for
war and other purposes; and
(4) Changes in the demands fol
and the supply Of goods and services
If prices are to be lowered, the
causes operating to boost prices must
be attacked, The amount of money
and checks in circulation must be ap-
preciably reduced and the quantities
of necessary goods must be increased
in amount The stocks OF commodi-
ties manufactured on government ac
count must, SO far as possible, be
saNaged and thrcwn upon the mar
ket The extraordinary demands for
goods new and old mast either be
curtailed or production of these goods Z
expanded to meet the needs.
The financing Of the war has made +
two dollars grow where but one dol Il
lar grew before. This coupled with :
The fact that there has been an en- 81
)rmous destruction of economic goods
md of the farms, mines, forests and =
actories supplying these goods ex. n
'lains the enormous and worldwide
decrease in the purchasing power q
value) of money, which causes in
reased prices. AS long as the people
laye twice as many dollars with
which to buy a smaller number Of
prices are bound to re. aa
nain high. 1t will take long time
0 deflate the worlds inflated cur
encies or to initiate the worlds de
lated supply of goods. The profiteer
being blamed on all hands for the
lcrease in prices. Undoubtedly.
rofiteering of most reprehensible
ort has existed and does exist today.
Nc NE profiteer Is result of ever
lcreasing prices rather than a cause
'csccfN His influence in boosting
rices is negligible If all the profi-
aers in the world could be appre-
ended and thrown into jail or lined -
p and shot, it would have NJ. aopre-
able Influence upon prices.
It has been suggc1ted that the alb
ormally high prices are psychologi.
u in origin and that prices will fall Or
soon as the people can be made o
think falling prices. OF course, Oh
'ychology is involved in every price, On
1t the larger quantities Of currency Tv
I'd the smaller amounts of commodi-
ss are physical facts that no psychic
gerdemain can overcome.
J see no prospect Of any consider.
lie fall in prices for several years to TW
me L will be impossible for the On
vernments of the world to pay off TIL
cir debts very rapidly On the con Tw
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