Evening star., 1921-03-13

, law of diminishing returns, and is
very sensitive to advances in the price
of land. The present situation has
been complicated by an abnormal de-
velopment of manufactured dairy
commodities. the result of the war.
The country can be divided into zones
of primary and secondary milk pro-
duction. zones that produce greatly
in excess of their needs. zones that
approximately cover their require.
, ments, and zones of deficiency thai
! must be supplied from other areas.
Accurate Statistics Needed.
The total production of milk. the
manufacture of butter. cheese and
condensed milk. the utilization o!
skinned milk. the shipment or nu.o
! milk and the storage of milk products
i in refrigerators can be accurately
tabulated and analysed. Through
special Investigations carried on with
the aid Of country agents in selected
portions Of the different zones ~. me
cost of milk production for the ar
ferent purposes can be determined.
The transportation and distribution
of fluid milk to the cities Will require
a second set of surveys. and the m
fiuence of the consumption or mix
products on the use OF f1uld mi'h
would constitute the subject OF a
third set. Finally. proceeding from
the standpcint of the consumer: sur.
veys could be carried on in cities OF
various sizes to determine the uit'
mae destination OF fluid milk and
milk products.
Recinrocal thereto. surveys in the
congested arens of cities would DC
termira substitution Of other GOODS
for milk ard dairy products ann the
resultant influences upon CROWN ano
health For such an investigation tne
a~encies and data NAV he sald 10 ne
almost existent, and the orsahl-
Zation of the work will be rs ne" as
the problem Is intricate. The SUB
ject is a problem of frst-grade I'M
portance in public health.
Producer and Consumer.
During the war we knew the spread
in the price of every article of food
from producer to consumer, ana we
could divide the spread into the sew
eral fractions and factors. NO sucn
information exists for the present
prices. and about this lack OF infor-
nation. or misinformatIon. rage me
different for each foodstun. ana must
be investigated separately.
For sucn Investigations 1T is neces-
sary to collect the data. beginning
with the sale upon the farm ana end-
ing on the table of the consumer;
Government reports III hoeIoA
state, railway records. trade journals
reports of mills and factories, and
records of sales constitute the basic
data. These. however, must be sup
pIemented and interpreted on the ba-
sis of surveys at the sources and IN
connection with the several steps OF
manufacture. transportation and
ransfer.
The present wholesale index mum
bers are in part antiquated. in part
erroneous and in part based upon
different criteria, as employed by dif-
ferent organizations. We had devised
in the food administration in Wash
ington new system of wholesale in
dex numbers for foodstuffs. These
should be resumed and elaborated.
Whether the spread can be con-
trolled. or ought to be controlled. is
one thing; to be evaluated and ana :
lyzed is another thing. And the lat
ter constitutes a practicable subject
of investigation. The problems of
marketing are indissolubly connected
with the problems of spread.
Basic Standard. Of Living.
In numerous discussions dealing
with the uses made Of wage. salary
and income by different classes dur
ing the past few years writer's have
lamented the lack of index numbers
Of consumption. corresponding to in
dex numbers of price that are widely
employed in trade and industry. Dur
ing the war a beginning was made in