Evening star., 1938-07-16

out OF Joo or E$$*$$ 1s$E&& 4
the man who is n;s,
working part
time, due to the Roosevelt depres-
si6n," or the man who has had no
material addition to his pay in the last
five years is getting deal which he
| hardly can call square.
Thus the National Industrial Con-
ference Boards figures just announced
show that the cost of living generally
is 209 per cent higher than it was in
the spring of 1888. Specifically, some
of the items have shown marked ad-
vance. Food prices, for example, have
advanced "a per cent since 1888, rents
have gone up 1873 per cent since the
Low point of January, 1884, and cloth
ing prices are 217 per cent higher
than at the low point of 1888.
Some Under 1929.
Some prices are not quite as high
as in 1929 as, for instance, coal, which
Is only about IA per cent lower, or
rents, which are about So per cent
under the 1929 level, but the general
prosperity of the country was able to
withstand or absorb those high prices
at that time.
Today approximately 100000 per-
sons are reported to be out of work.
Out of this number, about 100000
are on w. P. A., which, incidentally, is
better than the direct relief so far as
income goes, the average being about
$3.50 year. But there are not enough
w. p. A. jobs to take care of the un-
employed and partially employed, so
savings and borrowings are being used
up to pay much higher prices for ne
cessities OF life than was the case in
1883.
The statistical dollar-that is the
dollar measured in purchasing power
theoretically buys about 3 cents more
than it did a year ago, but this covers
a wide range of articles which have
decreased in price, such as automobiles
or electric light, or articles in which
greater efficiency has been attained
or lower prices developed by reason
of larger volume of sales.
But food constitutes 33 per cent of
ttw average family budget, so a statis-
tical dollar does not bring purchasing
power In the items most needed by the
average man. Likewise, housing"
which is the rent item, occupies 20
per cent of the family budget and
clothing Is IL per cent. Unless there
is chance for the wage-earner's dol
lar to buy more of these things for less
and less. it does him no good to point
TO the chronological efficiency which
has helped bring the whole statistical
average down in many items which
are not used by him.
Perhaps More Sufferers.
The number of people who are suf-
. fering in consequence of the Roose-
welt depression is perhaps greater than
in 1888 because the pain is more wide
spread and covers more families. At
\ the height of the 1928 depression
there was doubtless acute suffering be-
cause America did not at that time
have its relief job as fully organized
as it is today, especially by the local
communities which were just then be-
ginning to take care of the needy. But
the number affected by the high
prices today and by the lack of full
time employment may be estimated as
far too large considering the many bill
lions of dollars that have been spent by
the Roosevelt regime in the last five
years.
Mr.. Roosevelt seems to have no tears
in his eyes for the millions who are
working three or four days week but
who cannot cut their rents or their
food to three or four day yardstick
Mr.. Roosevelt seems to have forgotten
the millions of citizens who cannot be
taken care of by the w. P. A., and who
ing to follow the many constructive
suggestions which have been pigeon
holed in Government offices here be-
cause they do not fit in with his po-
litical ideas
More Tears in Prospect.
The President cares more about
spending more and more money than
M does about the future purchasing
power of the dollar. Some day there
will be tears in the eyes of many,
many people as they survey the
disastrous effects of a Federal program
which for nine successive years has
kept the Treasury budget unbalanced
end which has not presented any plan
1 for paying back what is being bor-
rowed from the people who have put
their money in savings banks, in
surance companies and Government
bonds.
To borrow without making plans
TO pay back is to undermine conf
dence in a governments solvency.
This is what Mr. Roosevelt himself
said March 10, 1893, when he said
the Government was ION the road to
bankruptcy" because it then had
deficits totaling $4,000, 100000 for the
entire preceding three years. Today
the Government is planning to spend
$4,000 100000 more than in will take
in during the fiscal year which began
July last and runs until July l, 1889
The deficit for five years of the Roose-
welt regime will total nearly $20,000,-
100000.
Many people will have tears in
their eyes some day when they cope
with the consequences of present-day
folly and it will not be the persons
now In Office, for they will have ex-
acted their political rewards and gone
out of public life. A member of the
British Cabinet stated the case aptly
the other day when he said: THE
future we are preparing for our chill
dren should make us shudder."