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Show NEW SECRETARY ON" I HIGH LIVIG COST Solution Not ' Found in One Class All Business and All Labor Must Respond j WASHINGTON, Feb, 3 Elimination ' of useless employes in non-productive HJ business, the speeding up of nil lines H of industry commensurate with the I present activity or the farmers and determination of retailers and jobbers ; to exact only a reasonable profit, were recommended as a solution for the, high cost of living problem by Ed-win Ed-win T. Meredith on taking the oath of office as secretary of agriculture. The high cost of living problem, he asserted, cannot be solved through the efforts of one class, but all busi-ness busi-ness and all labor must recognize the solution as a common duty or "less and less will there be of farm product to divide among the whole people and fl higher and higher will go the price of that which is produced." - Farmers Willing to Co-operate. 'The farmers of America," said Secretary Meredith, "are willing to as-sime as-sime their part of the responsibilities as American citizens In meeting any problem threatening the welfare and stability of our country, but this high cost of living problem is a mutual one and they ask that it be approached by all the people as a common problem, j They ask that those engagpd in distri-bat distri-bat ion eliminate the lost motion and not put so great a burden upon pro-Hl pro-Hl duction as there is upon it today. In other words, they ask that there be an adequate number of producers of wealth, and this includes property and food of all kinds, and only such mini-ber mini-ber of distributors as is necessary to perform the services required. They ask that the banks, railroads, whole-sale whole-sale houses, retail establishments, fac- ; Hl tories, all of which are vitally nec- essary to the farmer and recognized Hl by him as such, be speeded up along with him, that the work now done by ' three men may be done, if possible, bv ' two and the burden of transportation 1 and distribution bo thereby lightened. Hl Must Avoid Keeping Useless Employes Hl Business men must look to the op- ' eratlon of their establishments no mat- : ter in what line they may be engaged, and see that no useless employe is ( retained to add to the cost of distributes distribu-tes tJon of what the farmer now produces. Hl Useless employes must be released from non-productive work that they c may go into productive work and add f to the sum total that -may bp distrib c tiled among all. Let Us have six-tenths p of our people in production and four-' v tenths in distribution, that there nicy I c be six-tenths of what a man can pro-lr luce each day for each of us, rather han have four-tenths in production ind six-tenths In distribution, which gives us only four-tenths of what a man can produce each day for each of us. "The farmer asks that the laborers in the mines', the factory, and the mills who are also real producers along with t ho farmers, make an effort ef-fort comparable to his 10 see that there is Just as little labor expense as possible in each article turned out by their hnnds, thereby helping the farmers of America who in turn will help the laborer. Given this and the manufacturers, jobbers and retailers taking a reasonable profit and recognizing recog-nizing the harm that must ultimately come from profiteering upon the farru-i er, the. question of the high cost of living liv-ing will largely solve Itself to the per-i manent good of all concerned. "On the other hand, if the whole I country, all business and all labor, j does not recognize this as a common j problem and do those things which! give the farmer a fair compensation for his efforts and do those things , which make farming remunerative,, pleasant and as attractive as other j lines of endeavor, the conditions will . not improve. On the contrary, more and more' will the young men leave the farms, more and more will the old-) er men become discouraged, and less and less will there be of farm produce ; to divide among the whole people fori their sustenance, and higher and high-' er will go the price of that which Is , produced." ' oo |