The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-09-29
THE PACKING BUSINESS AS
AN EXAMPLE
Saws The Spartanburg Herald:

Chicago hacking houses announce an increase
of paw for employees amounting to per cent IN
bourly wages Plants in other cities made similar
announcements the same day. Now we may expect
so hear from the many users of fat back who
have been protesting the rise in the price of that
telectabe product of the hog which has made 1t
a rival of roast beef and lamb The total increase
in wages will amount to So 1000 600 and it is said
that with the new rates in effect the industry will
be paying it's employees SO per cent more. than
before the NRA began operations"
No doubt the wage increases made 10
the packing industry will soon begin to
show up in additional increases in the
prices of packing house products and the
prices of meats will continue to soar. The
lowly fiat back" will become food for mil
lionaires and the higher priced meat prod
ucts will be out of reach of the common
people Costs of production cannot be adj
Sanced without advancing the selling
brices of commodities. How much of the
advances that have already been made i'll
backing house products are justified, this
newspaper will not undertake to say; but
merchants and housewives will confirm the
statement that prices have reached an al
titude which is retarding sales. Consump-
ton will decrease and many people will
remove meats from their bill of fare il
prices continue to advance.
That is the way economic laws work.
cation of economic nostrums as business
restorativeS, finally have the opposite of
the desired effect.
! Economic laws must be permitted to
work in natural way to bring business
stimulation, genuine improvement and zeal
prosperity to the country. That is the eX-
PLANTATION of the failure of so many NRA
and other experiments in which govern
hent control and participation have been
involved. 1t explains the fact that unreal
sonable shortening of work hours and
aneeonomic increases in wages have not
solved the unemployment problem
The workers in the packing industry get
higher wages, the packers must sell the
products for more, the public must pay
higher prices for meats. There is no way
for the ultimate consumer to avoid paying
more for the products except to cease
using them. If that course is taken, BUSH
ness conditions are made worse instead of
better. -..
However, if wages and prices in the
packing industry, and in all industry and
business, increase in natural way, all
climbing together, no class of the popula-
don is in danger of being injured and all
may be helped in certain ways In very
large degree, however, the vast benefits
Believed to result from extremely high
prices, wages and incomes, are delusion
and snare. 1t is certain that there is a
Reasonable underground where all costs
and prices should be stabilized Above or
below this point there is economic danger.
If a wage-earner can buy~n more with
$40 per week than with $40 per week,
Now doth it profit him to get $40 in the
nay envelope? So, ,..., -~~ .~ ..-...-
OF course, all class efforts to raise wages
DIR prices are the attempts of certain classes
af the population to gain economic advan-
tage over other classes. If textile opera
Aves get an increase in wages it will af.
ford them economic advantage over other
classes Of citizens, who do not get an in.
crease in wages, or the opportunity t.