Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-04-14 | Page 1 | Better Marketing Facilities Are Held Need

Costs of Food Distribution j Too Great Commission Says in Report ! WAGES LAY BEHIND , COMMISSION SAYS Communities Advised to Take Steps to Provide Goods at Less Co3t ! WASHINGTON, April 11 Declaring that the costs of food distribution are !too great, the federal trade commission commis-sion today recommended improved marketing facilities and processes at ihe great consuming centers as-a long step ' toward lowering the higher cost of living. i "The movement of food should be 1 nlost direct from 'field to factory," the i 'commission declared in a report 'on.1 wholesale marketing of food, oneof Ulie serjejin'ithe food prlcaJfn'e8,tiga-; tion" ordered by. tho presidents.' j I JtAotihy Incomesr Short:; The report asserts thai the rapid rise in food prices in recent years is' not so significant as that "the money; I incomes of large numbers have fallen , far short of a proportional increase." "The weekly wage of union organized orga-nized labor in 191 bought but 77 per cent (according to the department of labor) as much food as in 1913. The larger number of service incomes do not fall within this organized group and are much slower to respond to the pressure of a higner cost of living. liv-ing. Moieover, these incomes are for the same reason usually less in amount. It lollops, that for very large numbers of people receiving relative1 lomall incomes, a peek's wage in 191S was purchasing much. less than 77 per cent of. the food it bought in 1913. "Food absorbed 38.2 per cent of the ( average American household's income. It therefore constitutes no inconsiderable inconsider-able part of the wage and salary cost 'in all production. Of two. conimuni-I conimuni-I ties whose products enter the same i markets otherwise equally that one1 'which supplies its working people) with food at a lower community cost either will pay its working people a1 higher real wage or will have a marked mark-ed advantage in under-selling the other I through lower production costs. Bolh I results may in some measure follow. "A wise governmental policy to wards the food industries may lower production and distribution costs together to-gether with Ihe final sales .price without with-out proportionally increasing governmental govern-mental costs, thus reducing the national na-tional cost of food." ! oo