Norwich bulletin., 1922-07-07
FARMERS THE ONLY CLASS TO REDUCE PRICES
 TO PEACE LEVEL

iCwritten Specially for The Bulletinl | The National travellers Protective l Association got on it's ear recently. Per hsps we should say. got on its numerous | cars, for 1t Is body with a considerable i YneuberHhip. And it's members felt that | f7e hotels in which their business requires l them to spend a. large portion of their lives and their incomes were profteering. 1 They inserted that the hotel men could afford to and ought to reduce their rates by d quarter if not more. Especially their rates to members oS the National Traveiiers' Protective Association" They said % not only among themselves, but rirht out loud to the various hotel men whom they met
 sfAs this "Nntionai Travellers' Protec- i've. Association" was holding it's conven- Hon at Atlantic City at the time 1t passed errraai resoiutious to this same effect. 1t mzy be inferred that It's members had ast been wholly and entirely pauperized Iv the exactions of the hotel keepers. For Atlantic City is one of those places rtera one Is charged a dollar an hour Cor the privilege of existing, and fifty bsntB extra every time he turns around. Few people 20 there without ''wad." And none without the 'wad" remain long enough to hold a convention.
 Hswever this may be, the convention ef the N. T. P. A. met there, adopted resolutions to the effect that the hotels were robbing them and made formal and voclferous demand that hotel rates be cut. forthwith
 Thgs was the first round and the um- BEres had to give 1t to the N. T. P. A. aS spelled out, full length, heretofore. But this didn't end the fight.
 gaea nfterward the H. A. met and oonsiAered and resoluted- Fl. A." is nhurt for Hotel Association" It is com peaed of the hotel-keepers to whom the NIT P. A had addressed it's demand for quarter cut in bills. It Is not stated xhePe tho H. A me but, knowing the tastes and habits of It's members, 1t may, doubtleas. be assumed that they did not meet on the sidewalk or in the back yard Anyway, the place is unimportant. Fhe Ealient fact is that they met; that they tosk up the somewhat peremptory deusands of the N. T. P. A that they esnsidered said demands; and that they answered them right of the bat. Their answer was q sort of double-barreled enss
 sFtruk, they admitted that there had been q decline in the cost of food mate rlain, not a large one, but real reduc- eien. and submitted menu cards to prove
 
 ehagEes for prepared food in proportion to this' admitted reduction in cost of raw food materials.
 Second, tlsey called attention to the fact that food was only one of their rath- CT numerous expenses andlight here is where I'll ask you to stick a pin--the oaly one which had declined 50 as to be heticeable- Labor, freight. express, brinkinE. china, glassware and linen cost sem virtually as much now as 6hea prices were at the so-called 'peakr ha 1880 There has been a very slight lowering in the cost of housekeeping and uarineerinK supplies. But the cost of gas electric current, music, taxes, tele- phono service and insurance is higher than 1t ever has been before. They noi cniy asserted this. but produced pills and vouchers to prove it. Wherefore the referee was compelled to give the second raund to the hotel men. That is where the light stands at present Whether the N. T.. P. A. has another round in re Serve remains to be seen 1t has kep fairly quiet since the H. A. gave 1t thil last waliop.
 The enc eutstanding fact which i'm presses me in this dispute between thl hotel-keepers and their largest singl class of customers is that brought ou hF the hotel men, viz: the fact that o all their numerous expenses, food ma . terials are the only ones which have fall en ia cost from the high war level Am food materials are the only things whic the farmers sell them. Such other thing as labor and table furnishings an freight and. gas and coal and electricit, ana taxes and insurance-all of them ah pefutely essential and unacceptable neceE aities of the business-remain as high o higher than peak-of-war prices.
 The farmers are selling them their DC tafoes and their beef and their -four an their cabbages and their onions, etc, fo i0tTeg prices But labor and lights an ecal and china and taxes and telephones etc, are just as exorbitant1y greedy i their demands now as they were durin > they war. They havn't come down. I fart. as have said. the farmers are tn eniy people in the whole country who. a c class, Nave reduced the prices of the produc1s to a peace level. At least, ths is'what the hotel keepers assert to be tn
 -Hsw. Of ssurss, you and don't kso whether they're telling the exact eros " -heart-hcpe-I- may-die-if-it-ign't- truth or are stretching and coloring e little But their statement ie, if nC srcof, at least evidence And it comes q just one other confirming bit of evidens to ally itself with score of other test monies. all to the same effect Taken ( e whole. they make @ rather convincin errument.
 As farmers, you and I have nothing { bs ashamed of in this showing. We see ts be the only large class which hs Eone back to normal and which has trie to help the rest of the country to a sim lar return There are other classes ( wurIsers who have not shown any tender eies in that direction.
 II vunder how many of you read ar -'teol< iE'' at itB full value a recent pull i1hed statement by John L. Lewis, pres dmt of the United Mine Workers7 Thi body is now on strike and Mir Lewis anxious to have the railroad worikmt join them Here. in his own words hlg reason for wanting the ''railroaders as he calls them. to combine with u ~ Htriking miners
 -Ons third of the business of the raj reads is hauling coal. A strike of large number of railroaders, coupled vii that of the miners. would in compar, t7Vely shert tinrs cause such dislocatic e all industry that the country wou Besu Do prostrated. and the railroad ar Hzl1s corporations would come to accep ebie terms with their workers"
 That's hank enough, isn't 1t? Doesn nznike any bones of the matter, does 1t?
 1he thing he wants and openly stat Q ts have such "a dislocation of all fl eugfry.~ that athe country would sos ee prustxmted~ in order that, in the ho r6r ef country wide famine, the despera z4ulians may drive mine and railros penagers to accept the ultimatum