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Show E 'OME BIG FIGURES. H It is reported that four-fifths of the potato crop of H " New York State is being held back for higher prices. If H this be true the Empire State has some reserve to throw H n. the market during the inquiry into food conditions, H "unless' the trade commission delays operations until the H -potato kings reap their harvest. H Concerning the food supply, we read the following H :Xrom the New York Globe: j In 1916 the country produced 400,000,000 fewer H ' bushels of corn than in 1915; of wheat, 400,000,000 ' 'lewer'bushels; of oats, 200,000,000 fewer bushels; B -of barley, 50,000,000 fewe bushels; of potatoes, 100,- Mi c LB i K K. 000,000 fewer bushels. In these five crops production produc-tion was down 1,150,000,000 bushels, or ten bushels per capita. A glance at these figures sufficiently indicates one cause of higher prices, and the cause is of such a nature as to suggest that noisy visits to the Mayor will not remove it. Yet things can be done that are not done. The American system of distribution is wasteful and extravagant. Speculators in supplies are permitted to extort. Retailing has overhead expenses that require too high a profit percentage. Toll-takers of all kinds have successfully interposed themselves between producers and consumers. Rents to landlords land-lords are higher in New York than in any other city in the world. We have no market system and attempt to get along with methods which may be appropriate to a village, but not to a concentrated population of 6,000,000. ' These things have long been known, yet neither the city hall, nor Albany, nor Washington tloes anything any-thing to the purpose. From time to time there are "investigations," but no results. Few are disposed to grapple with the realities of the situation, and when any one makes any definite practical propos al, he is fallen on by all sorts of special interests which have a pecuniary concern in perpetuating bad conditions." |