The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-22

he latest weekly record of food prices, sued by Bradstreets reveals a rise of 4 per cent over the previous week.
 Just how far has the upward move ient gone from the low point of the ear?
 Dun's minimum was reached on June
 and this agency shows an advance nee then of 5as per cent. Bradstreet's bw point was touched on July l, and s figures have advanced no less than
 per cent since then. Fishers compila- on shows an advance since mid-year fully 7h per cent.
 Europe Also Hit
 The same rising tendency in the cost living is under way in the principal Furopean countries.
 The price level in Britain has just puched the highest peak in three years. he advance during thes current year as been 11h per cent. |, The German overnment has been striving to make eople believe that the cost of living here has not been rising and 1t has hade a cut of 1A per cent in the sales hx (to 9 per cent). But the public laim that the cost of living has been oing up. Only this month price of usiness mems lunch in modest restau- ants was marked up from 30 to 40 ents.
 FTduC6 uaS peCu WOTTISu Dy In6 Sdu1S roblem, and drastic measures have cen threatened and some times taken, allay popular discomfort. Italy ex- Ieriences a 10 per cent rise in com- nodity prices during September, follow Ing a rise of per cent in the previous honth.
 America Matching Europe
 From Americas point of view, it is Fell that the rise in the cost of living Xn,-1 la kat ohaI ok 11y,o ion costs here are already so high that
 is questioned whether this country Fill be able to meet European compe- ition successfully in world markets lnce Europe gets back into it's proper tride.
 My own humble opinion is that things Ian be so managed in this country, by he exercise of common-sense by em- bloyers and workers alike, that the United States will be able to hold it's bwn fairly well against foreign com- petition. But if our producers, our manufacturers, our distributors and our Retailers whoop prices up, then we shall bring on grave troubles at home as well &s unfortunate experiences in world narkets.
 May Have Labor Trouble
 This can be set down as certain. Un- kecessary marking -up--of-- prices will pause labor troubles.
 Some employers glibly brush aside *uch a warning with some such re- marks as American workers are so much better off than they ever were before that they can stand a rise in the tost of living without having to be kiven more pay" True, all calcula- lions and compilations show that the Standard of living of American wage earners is distinctly higher than it was before the war. In other words, our workers today enjoy the greatest pur- ehasing power they have ever known.
 Dun's figures that commodity prices are 50 per cent higher than in August, 1914. Bradstreets records show an ad- vance of 45 per cent over the 1913 av- craze. All authoritative compilations agree that wages have at least doubled since 1914. In the steel industry, for example, the average earnings per workere in 1917 were $700, whereas last Sear the average was $1 ,465. The wages < of laborers in the building industry are Il34 per cent higher than they were in r914, but this is exceptional. i The national industrial conference board recently issued a statement to .show that the purchasing power of a Sday's wages Is one-third more than at lkhe outbreak of the war and somewhat better than when wages were at the *peak in 1920.
 But why shouldn't the wages and liv- inE conditions of our workers be better how than they were ten years ago? Of 5course, we have had to shoulder an enormous increase in our public debts |bn account of the World war. But think }of the increase during the last ten years lin the invention and adoption of labor having machinery, the improvement in managerial efficiency and the enor- mous advantages this country has .reaped in foreign markets owing to the Igrave crippling of European competi- Itors
 Prosperity Certain The nub of the whole matter is this: We should enjoy period of both busi- ness and labor prosperity. But if sell CTS start marking up prices unduly workers unquestionably will demand higher wages, with the upshot that our spell of prosperity will be gravely en- |dangered and European nations will be able to outbid us in world markets. Moderation must be our watchword.