The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1920-09-16


Chicago, .Sept. s3 10. line u ~.
pgoaching when that patient burden
bs4rer, Mr.. Ultimate Consumer, can
get. out tie gewgax and fegale hifa-
self with little Joyful music. Il
For prices Sfe thmbling.
If people starye to death thu win
ter, L win not BE- the fault Of i flle
farmer, for reports show greater
crops of better quality than were
produced laet season. Comni11ioI
men and food experts generally 6Sree
that this Ya1t surplus mnst result ID
lower prices. These have already set
II and are being felt all along the
line. 4s :is.35s u
Perhaps the most noticeable de-
clines u present are in various
classes Of food. clothing. and shoes.
Sugar already has taken = decided
flop and ID due for further decline
and experts say il will fall to 10 or
II cents ! pound before the end is
reached. Huge potato crops IN Min
nesota and other states noted for
production Of this highly important
rood product, assure much lower
prices, and removes all fear Of 2
famine. s
Perhaps the most hopeful Of all
signs is the attitude Of labor. There
has been no reduction In the price
for labor or its hours, but the men
are speeding up at most gratifying
rateS Bricklayers, who have taken
note Of many men walking the streets
seeking employment, are now laying
Or. - 80 h~snL a q ~
Carpenters, who are paid $3.50 an
hour, now give some attention to
their work instead of devoting their
short days to filing saws and con-
sulting their baseball pool cards.
The same change goes for other
branches of labor, excepting always,
political and municipal employees,
who still do just as little as possible,
spending practically all their time
agitating for higher pay and shorter
hours and berating any foolish en-
rioyee who undertakes to give
show of service for his pay.
AS serving to show some of the
declines, watermelons afford good
example. An ordinary melon that
can be bought on the street for 50
cents is cut twenty ways in the res
aurants and hotels and the charge is
IS cents for slice--thus netting the
800 to 400 per cent
profit. And the restaurant pro-
prietor who gets s. for melon cut
into twenty slices buys them Under SC
cents each in quantities.
Shoes are markedly lower. A
community sale conducted here for
several weeks has broken the shoe
market wide open. Bankers refused
the clothing manufacturers and deal
ers amy further money for skyrocket-
ing purposes and they have been
forced to unload their stocks at rea-
sonable prices. Suits that were $50
two months ago may now bel had for
ESQ or under. Shoes that solo for
SI4 to $I8 month ago are now Of
fered at S..
Canteloupes are selling on the
street at 3 I-2 cents each. In the
restaurants they are sold at 20 cents
for half, or about 1000 per cent
profit. Tomatoes, cabbage, all sorts
Of green vegetables, are very much
lower, and most meat prices have
.apprcciably..
While the public is assured Of low
er prices for some food products, it
will have to pay more for fuel.
Wholesale andsretail coal dealers to-
day announced increases in prices
ranging from IS cents to $1.oo ton
% meet the increased freight rates,
Southern Illinois coal will cost the
consumer So cents ton more, while
Eastern bituminous is increased $I.os
and anthracite $Ioo a ton, Indiana
soal will cost So to 81 cents ton
more. The wage increase just grant
ID Illinois and Indiana miners may =
llso be tackled on the price to con-