The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. MONDAY, MAY 24, 1920. LIVING AND PRODUCE PRICES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3494, 24 May 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

MONDAY, MAY 24, 1920. LIVING AND PRODUCE PRICES.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.”

United States newspapers are crowded with advel'ti.selnents of reductions in prices of clothing and other goods, of from 20 to 75 per cent. American manufacturers becoming alarmed with the seriousness of such price-slain: ining, are now offering to co-operate with "anyone and everyone in an eifort ‘to reduce the cost of living from 15 to 20 per cent: The manufacturers are loth to ;relinquish the outrageous ex-toi-tion ‘whereby they ha.ve already become rich, and -the observer wonders whether the price-slamming is the result 'of nervousness, of guilty consciences, of sheer panic, or of a well thought out, and carefully organrised scheme for securing "industrial and social peace‘. De_porta.t-ionsof I.W.W. in shiploads, and measures taken for checking the spread of that cult have failed, not had the desired effect, and it now seems apparent that Government, banks, nianufacturers, and even trusts have been in serious conclave as to how the onsweeping wave of revolution is ~to"be stemmed. Such is what some American new.Spapers'indicate, but whether or not, banks and manufacturers are combining in a scheme to considerably lower ‘the cost of living that will have the effect of‘ winning the masses ofif the workers back from the increasing influence that I.W.‘W. workers are gaining over them. Just prior to general and local elections the I.W.W. assume the position of Labour lcatlcrs_.'and they have proved to be so successful in AngloSaxon countries that they are now able to claim that their organised and led labour has resulted in beating trusts and profiteers to the extent of bringing down the cost of necessaries of life some 20 to 75 per cent., for it will surely not be pretended that nianufacturers, trusts and traders willingly ‘and unnecessarily sacrificed their profits out of any sentimental <-on.~:idC-ration for the people; “there is no sentiment in business.” Something similar to what is happening in the ‘United States is also taking place in Britain_. although the facts are not conveyed in such clear and umnistakable language. A cable message states that “enormous prolits. show signs of ending.” The spring of the year, the verge of the busiest season is at‘ hand, and business men are displaying anxiety to dispose of the enormous stocks they hold. .t'e-aring an economy craze and a. consvqnen! slump in buying; the in«..-reasing dear ness of money ‘eontri.~but.ing to.?the slump in price idea. It was unqualifiedly obvious that the upward whirl of everything required in keeping human. body and soul together was bringing about its own collapse. The chief culpability of traders lies in the fact that they have carried on their schemes of extortion till they have had to surrender the claim of having brought about a. sancr trading to the elfoi-ts of the 1.W.W., who have forced themselves into the forefront as leaders of Labour. We are deept for-cefu'lly aware of the strikes and successful demands of Labour for higher wages to meet higher_costs of living in New Zealand, beyond this worse than nothing is attempted; but is there any less cause for engagifng in some serious, earnest.’ effort to ward oif worse to follow that is new current in the United States and in Britain’? -Of course, much of what is done in America is valueless, for much as the Americans pride. themselves in lawniakirig and

law observance, they frankly admit

they are unable to compel the Big Five to conduct their trust lawfully. The farthest the States’ Government has gone is to extract a sworn promise from them that “they will submit perpetually no the jurisdiction (of the United States Court; that they will not attempt to monopolise any food product in the United States, or indulge in any unfair and unlawful practice.” Would it not be as reasonable to accept, just such, a promise »from- the other enemy to society, the I.W.W. As a :matter of fact, the true indications are that the increase of bank interest on loans for profitecring purposes is having a subsidiary effect. upon the price-lowering that is ‘already alarming manufacturers and traders in both Britain and Av.ne:iea. The chief cause of funk and capitula: tion is, however, that an unexpected innovation in -the form of a consumers’ trust, whose members refuse to buy "anything but"a'ct.ual neces3i‘*'.cs of life til’ prices come down, has been successfully organised in Britain as well as in Amerilza. British traders call 1-: an economy campaign; in Anroiica its chief object is not clouded by appellation, it is out to llgat and dest.roy the profiteer. The American Treasury Department already have 4,000,000 women, high and low, enlisted in the price-reducing campaign. These women, and those they can influence, are not buying anything more than they can exist upon. A similar cainpaign is rapidly being organised and extended. in Britain; will tradesmen wait till it finds its way to New Zealand through the efiorts of Labour, gixing I.W.W. leaders some legitimate claim for bringing about the collapse of the profiteering orgy? The past success of Red-Fedism has resulted from the indifference of greed in our trading systems; in other words, these who would suffer most fropi revolution have contributed most to the spread of a revolutionary spirit. It ha= been pointed out on innunicrzeblc O“.v'.f.SlOnS that the I.W.W. is the natural enemy of both producers and consumers, of workers and employers, but there arc°no twopbodnies so devised by nature to operate in conjunptioiiyon the best terms of friendship and goodwill as farmer-s and W_oi'kers._ for. it is undeniable experience that trusts, combines, rings, and -syndicates batten alike 1-pan producer ‘and COI1*'«.l1I1el', leaving them nothing but a mere existence in the end. -On [Saturday we mentioned that Mr. MeCilrd_v, M.P., the highest authority on the subject in the In-il:sh Empire, had oflicially smietl that the Trust had come to stay; t':a'i the dawn of Trust control lld come in liiitain as ithad cone in America some years «ago. Mr McCurdy .=eric.r.sly naked whether; there was to be private trust control or a Governmen: ti-1 st control? There xvas yet time to decide,’ but ‘traders, manufacturcrs and producers would have to make. up their minds quickly. He hinted at the fact that if indifference to Governrnents allowed the Empire to drift. into private control, the consequences were likely to be of‘ an Empirc destroying character. It is obvious that so long as there are tray-ling ul').lslel's_WllO care nothing for the p=‘Jp!e. a:l-£r than for the extent. they can be used, there will be propo:i‘ionate spread. of that form of extremism, tom.-rd Ba lvhevism. The question ficing :;ll paziic-.S is. will they realise tlinf by xlrifiing on as at present the Bolshcviki nnst win in the end, and fu: ire Gr()v¢3.rl‘nlellts would have to go the whole hog in nationalisation. The man at the head of the Shipping Comhizm has said there is to be -.1 slump in xzhipying; there is a slump in the prices of clothing and food—chiefly «alothing—in the United States, and :1, price-cutting competition. is current in Britain; but it is extremely desirablcl in the interests of this Dominion that farmers should h:lst'ily, urgently, earn-J eslly agitate for the Iniporial acquisition of meat to continue for at least‘

z‘-.l~m'her _vo:u'. The slump in shipping is m‘»‘e; y(‘t: in sight‘, although pl'o~.li:4cd. mu} umil it is in sight the produce of this country should’ nof be ms’: upon 11. ahaofic nlarkc.~f. loft m 111(-.-\lnol‘ican Meat Trust, who have hm] their blood-sucking tclltacleswlippcd in {he (?.ounh'y of their origin, bu‘. rof in B2'if.'lin, or in British Do.n"n‘.oll.'~'. }<“.“-‘llurrs must undel'sf:nld th-if t'rl-we are human tigers ready to JV7="'ay ihm-.1 as they hnvv destroyou the f.n'nl- - i2;«‘vllsi"l'_v elsewhere, and the '-nJi?:x—----ficzzs‘ as road in fmde ;§oul-nals. and ler.<‘.:’n{_v‘ daily newspapers, all" Ten] 10 urge vpon New Zc.a.landel's fihc gr;lvEl~_v of their frn.di.ng. «-.om]ifion.<, if they fail in secure a. renewal of‘ HlO mm.‘ H‘quisifimw. To do ufhorwisv is M 1n'0:1(1en the way for Bolshevik oxténsixa