The Mena weekly star., 1922-01-05

has become of increased importance to great many of our citizens. 1t is consequently of serious domestic con- cern.
 While it is possible that high, pro- tective tariff on some articles may be proper, there is surely nothing in our economic situation which justifies the adoption of general tariff policy that will, in effect, erect a barrier around our ports and isolate us commercially It would seem to be equally illogical for Congress to endeavor to reduce the onerous taxation burden, which is handicapping business, if it's continues to spend the taxpayers money ex- travagantly.
 Some Tax Figures. It should be remembered that gov ernmental expenditures for 1920 ex- ceeded those from 1791 to 1865, in- elusive, a period of "A years. Furth- ermore, it is imperative for the tax payers of this country seriously to consider the fact that obligations aris- ing out of the recent and earlier wars, together with the current expenses of the War and Navy Departments, con stituted 928 per cent of the total ap- propriations for 1920.
 Congress has appropriated for the military and naval establishments for the fiscal year 1921-2 the sum of 1885, 837 ,939. If we take these appropria- tions as fairly representative of our annual military and naval expendi- lure in the future it will be seen that, while Germany is paying $26,000,000,- 900 as interest and amortization of her present separations obligation of 50,000, 100000 gold marks, the United States will have expended in the same period $30, ,000, ,000,0 for military and naval purposes.
 Germany, it should be recalled, in- cidentally, has practically been re- heved of her army and navy under the provisions of the treaty. She CT, @=.. therefore, divert revenues and labor that would otherwise be expended for armament into more productive chan Rels.
 There would also seem to be little use in spending billions of dollars to create a great merchant marine and in spending millions of more dollars to operate it, so long as we handicap it by laws that do not permit us to meet foreign shipping competition on an equal basis.
 And there is imperative need for closer cooperation among the various elements of our economic structure, especially in reducing production costs. We cannot revive prosperity until the prices of other commodities are properly adjusted to those of pri- mary products, particularly agricul- tural products.
 The readjustment of production cost has been retarded by the fact that wages have declined less rapidly than wholesale prices. The tagging of wage revisions is characteristic of periods of falling prices. It is occa- stoned in some part by the correspond ing failure of retail prices promptly to follow wholesale prices in the down ward revision. The persistence of prompt readjustment of wage scales. Nevertheless, wages are declining and, generally speaking, the revision has been effected without extraordinary on the part of the workers. As retail prices decline the necessary wage readJustment will be hastened. with consequent encouragement of production and consumption.
 There are only few instances of many which could be cited to demon- strate that there is as great need for the effective coordination of our econ omic factors while we are in the throes of the aftermath of war as there was during the war--which, in the final was won more by the close cooperation of those factors than by the drums and armament