White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-06-15
Who IS TO BLAME
FOR HIGH PRICES
Senator McNary of Oregon is
Member of C0ngression-
al Committee Seek
ing Light on the
Eternal Cues
ton
BY II. X. James


the modern counterpart for "Who
Killed Cock Robin?" but there is
lacking q modern counterpart for
the frank confession of the Sparrow.
The city man regards the farmer
darkly and thinks he treads on roses;
the farmer looks upon the city man
as creature of high living and the
pace that kills. Also as the cause
of high costs in raiment and farm
implements. The city man looks
upon the farmer as having beaten
the problem of existence by raising
his own food and being we'll beyond
the dress and social requirements of
the city. He is not cursed with the
rent brigands or pestered with hat
check boys, avaricious gas companies.
greedy plumbers, and grocery and
meat bills that stagger comprehen-
sion. The city man says the farmer
does not know when he is we'll off
and the farmer says the city man is
the butterfly that lives in Oriental
splendor and dies in flash Of Grim
son. Apparently there is great deal
in the point of view. Nearly every
man thinks he is in the worst bust
ness in the world and no toiler was
ever yet paid what he was worth.
The farmer scowls at the city man
and points to an implement for
which he paid fourteen times more
than he thinks it should have cost.
The city man points accusingly at
the farmer and rattles meager
package of rolled oats for which he
paid 20 cents.
The farmer retorts that he sold
those same oats for 80 cents bushel
and a bushel makes SO many 20 cent
packages it makes him sick to count
'em.
Each keeping a suspicious eye on
the other scans the horizon for a
possibly guilty third party.
More Light; Less Heat
Over in Washington where vote
getters assemble periodically they
came to the conclusion that the ever
lasting argument was producing lots
of heat but no light so they appoint
ed search light committee known
as the Joint Congressional Commits
sion of Agricultural Inquiry. Hon.
Sidney Anderson, member of the
House from Minnesota, is cha rmnn.
Senator McNary Of Oregon got Job
on 1t too. With them are the fol-
lowing: Senators Lenroot, of Wiscon-
sin: Capper, of Kansas; Robinson,
of Arkansas; Harrison, of Mississip-
nj and Congressman Funk, of !lli-
nois: Summer, Of Texas; Mills and
Ten Eyck, of New York.
When the committee got their
light turned on, everybody was dis
appointed because instead of the ex-
pected scandal all they found was a
lot of meal tickets for various indi-
viduals more or less inseparably
identified with that package of rolled
oats if it is to travel from the farm
ers field to the breakfast nook of the
consumer and arrive ] in the habit
iments and style he demands.
The committee, being comprised
largely Of members from agricultu
raj states naturally wanted to show
how heavily the gait was being ap
piled to the farmer SO they tool
that 20 cent package of rolled oat'
and analysed 1t.
Cumulative Labor Cost
According to chairman Anderson''
article in recent issue of, 'The
Nations Business" they found thai
the 20 cent cost to the consumer was
built up as follows:
The farmer that produced them
got 3.5 cents, the elevator which
handled them got a cent, and the
railroad company IS cent. The re.
taller got AZ cents, of which 81
cents represented his expenses of do.
ing business and 1 cent his profit
The wholesaler who handled the
goods received is cents, of which Ii
represented expenses and 3 cent was
profit. The manufacturer got 9.6 cents
of which cents was profit, IL cents
taxes, 1.6 cents transportation, IL
cents advertising 1.3 cents selling
cost and 1.8 cents cost of manufac
ture.
Tie farmer may think that thi
gives disproportionate amount TO
the labor of producing the oats, bu
as Mr.. Anderson points out, the pur
chaser of package of breakfast foot
pays not only for the oats but TO
paper box and an alright contain
er, part of the wages of the lumbe
, jack who felled the tree and the pull
maker who helped to. make the car
ton. and so on ad infinitum. Ever!
item represents labor cost
Thousands of other and simila
figures are SNOWFALL of whicl
! brings us around to-, a favorite say
ing of the late Jim Hiil-"The hlgl
cost of living is the cost Of livin'
high.
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