Salt Lake Telegram | 1919-08-01 | Page 7 | The High Cost of Living

I The High Cost of Living Laving r rIT TT IT AS 1 AS remained for the great railroad brotherhoods with their I t thousands sands of members to force official W Washington to give serifs i s consideration to the ever increasing cost of living The rail d workers serve notice that prices must drop or they will demand de nd an increase in wages and they set a time limit September limit September r t 1 1 for fOi something to be done I f y jt U t can cad be be conceded c nt- nt ded that the gr great at mass of the people of this c country will welcome the dictum of the railroad workers They are ig pi i d to concede t that at some price price advances are justified but l the t feel and probably rightfully that tha in man many many other instances s they Ji f lh ate re I being gouged fo for forr the benefit of f the profiteer i J Higher taxes axes a a. result of the w war r are partially r responsible foj fox the high high pi prices es but JUt a 10 to per er cent tax does not hot justify i a p pe percent tt ent nt price advance and there ther are many such cases Unusual derr demand denind nd for Am American ican products may also explain part of the high p prices s b but t in only a few few commodities does the demand exceed th the t. t r supply m ply j J The The greatest excuse off offered red is the increased c cost st of production re resulting j from higher wages wages But here comes an eternal circle circle circle- hi high wages bring high prices and high prices f force high wages It ItIs ItIs Itis Is like the chicken and the we egg egg we dont don't know which came first but we are certain both are here s Some Some people have been inclined to blame the big pa packers kers f for forthe r the high prices but they only control a certain number of comm com com- m Nor can it be argued that the price of meat in Chicago s should ld seriously affect the price of raspberries in Salt Lake City and yet yett et t the e local berry market has kept pace with hogs i in aviating I f The governments government's determination to throw th the w worth r of surplus foodstuffs held by the army department on the them m market maket at cost prices will do a temporary bit of good but it will bee very temporary The total seems large but evenly distributed It m means I ns an average of 1 worth of foodstuffs for each person in rn inthe th the United States It will be only a drop in ini the bucket and wi will I I not nob solve any part of the great problem that now confronts the country 0 tAnd And it is a big problem the biggest we have before us It con concerns erns the immediate welfare of the nation more more vitally than does doe the peace treaty with Germany or the l. l league ague of nations Itis It Itis Itis is a a matter that demands the serious cons consideration of congress congress and ands of bf p public spirited men and women generally The The solution should h i i be e sought gh and brought about quickly and with without ut en of Pf pa partisan t s 's 1 politics v r. r r