Seward daily gateway., 1927-04-20
4 MATTER OF PRINCIPLE

ANIATTER OF PRINCIPLE
 If President Coolidge and his Cabinet should issue order that due the fact that prices charged for the cesstes of life by the merchants of Washington, D. G. higher than could be charged by the Federal govern ment were in the grocery business, and introduce the government commissary his administration would last longer than would take to count the votes the next election
 Yet this is what the Secretary of the Interior does in Alaska and yet no has asked his impeachment nor will they ask it. One of the for not doing so, is that no attention would be paid to such request
 Price fixing by the government is expediency of and sthe ougrowth of possession of competent ev dence that proteerng is in progress and that the con- suming masses being unfairly dealth with. Even then it must be shown that there is relief such be- ing able to obtain necessities of life from independent source combination in restraint of trade, all such ters being fully covered by statutes therein provided
 Such things as governmental competition with pri- vate business is radical departure from usages, and contrary to business precedents in the nation
 When The Alaska Railroad was under construction it necessary to provide for the army of workmen af ter the of providing for army in the field This done by providing supply base from which the sentials of life and labor could be secured.
 There mercantile institutions established in the construction capable of handling this volume of business unless it done through contract engage ment dealing with the entire range of necessities
 When construction was finished it was anticipated that the government considered it's supply base pedent born of the necessity of the hour and would be discontinued
 has not and will not according to the statement of the chief of The Alaska Railroad Bureau
 From time to time hearings have been held by mer- chants and commercial bodies seeking to elimination of the government from competition in the grocery meat and clothing business Surveys of current prices for the necessities of life have been made by succeeding railroad homogeneous, with the published verdict that the prices charged by local mercantile institutions were not exces sive.
 When the townstes along The Alaska Railroad were put on the market. among the influences used to persuade the public to purchase them and LID business was that as soon as the railroad completed the government would withdraw from competition with those engaged in the mercantile business
 As result of this promise large sums were invested in buildings and stocks assembled that were capable of supplying every need But still the government remains in the mercantile business.
 One of the arguments advanced by the railroad ad-
 n1straton IS that the grocery and meat shop are ne cessary as matter of economy to the employees Read ing between the lines this that it is part of the wage scale. Then why not dspense with such matters as readusment of the pay of other employees of the e1nment and instead of making advances equal to what is received cheap groceries establish the national But reau etc. Surely here is way to answer the Farm Bloc agitation for farm relief By such method so fine an example of which is being presented in The Alaska Railroad, such measures as the McNary- Haughen bill may be reegated to the limbo of forgotten expedents and the government solve the entire matter overnight merely by eliminating all middemen and establishing few more thousand governmental snecures in the form of garden sass dispensers Instead of the great grain and livestock markets of the country could have immense in- stltuton Tn Washington where all distribution would be earned on through distinct and separate bureau.