The Seattle Star Newspaper, January 22, 1920, Page 11

[sn |The Seattle S _————— WATTLE, WASH. THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, tar Pages 11 to 18 | : 1920. PREDICT 25 PCT. DROP IN FOOD PRICES BY CHAS. H. WASHINGTON, D.C . 22.—A Cost of living is due before June 1 trator Figg. That is his belief as he plunges into a series of con- fences with business men for the purpose of bringing Telief to possessors of badly flattened family pocketbooks. SAYS UPWARD TREND HAS STOPPED “The upward trend of prices has stopped so far as a Majority of life’s necessaries are concerned,” said Figg. VELL 25 per cent drop in the , predicts Food Adminis- “And the government is receiving the heartiest sort of co-| Operation from the business world in its attempt to work out a means of reducing the cost of living fully 25 per cent. I confidently expect that much of a reduction by June 1.” Herbert Hoover's successor, who functions as an assistant attorney general, outlined his reasons for believing the Cost of living is due for a welcome tumble. “Significant factors are working to the advantage of the public in the government's drive to reduce the cost TAXES RISE FASTER THAN H.C. OF L. TOP ’IM! STOP ’IM! s Five Years Bring Big Jump _ in Cost of Government of living,” said Figg. “Business—the manufacturer, jobber, wholesaler and re- tailer—-is conscious of the fact that more is being charged than the traffic (public) will bear. So business is ready to co-operate with the government in reducing prices. READY TO STOP WILD PRICE-RAISING “English textile manufacturers are sending large quanti- ties of cloth to this country and underselling American goods. “All stages of business are now ready to quit over- capitalizating wage advances and stop the bad habit of wild price-raising. “What the government and business wants is co-opera- tion to reduce prices before business goes to smash. That's why conferences now being held between business and the government promise real relief to the public. “Textile men have agreed to make large quantities of standardized cloth for men’s garments in 75 patterns if jobbers, wholesalers, clothing manufacturers and _ retailers WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.—The tn @rease in the cost of living, pro Portionately, hasn't hit the indi Vidual half as hard as the increase fm the cost of government The bureau of labor statistics Shows tho index figure for the cost Of living as 188 compared to costs in 1913-14 and ‘15. If an index figure Was established for the cost of § @rnment, on the same basis, it woul Stand somewhere around 400. The Fesult is that the increase in cost @f living ts, to a very appreciable @atent, the result of the Increased fost of government and its conse Quent high taxes. COST MULTIPLIED BY TEN IN THIRTY YEARS ‘The cost of Uncle Sam's gov @rnment to each of his citizens, men Women and children, in 1890, was Approximately $4, and his total gov ernment expenditures, exclusive of the postal service, $314,917.00 By 1900 the per capita cost had 4 up to about $6, covering the osts of the Spanish-American war and the “extravagant” expenditures Incident to the “imperialistic” policy that kept us tn the Philippines and im Cuba. Appropriations for 1900 a@mounted to $585,033,000. For 1910 congress appropriated a total of $793,834,000, or about $7.75 per capita and by 1915 this had fn- creased to slightly more than $§ per Estimates presented to the pres ent congress, however, for the year from June 30, 1920, ta June 30, 1921, ali for appropriations of $4.473,694.- $58.62, or, on a basis of population Of 110,000,000, just $40.66 per capita! Where has the cost of living any thing on that? $26 PER CAPITA IS IRREDUCIBLE MINIMUM however, To be conservative, let ws figure next year’s governmental expenditures on the basis of enti mated expenditures compiled by the experts of the treasury department Uj These estimate the government's ”/, Wf gash outlay for the fiscal year 1921 Yy ft $3,973,787.985—or $36 per capita SarereeEe\D = Hf ‘That is believed to be the irreducible | |) MWA pintmum! Into this cost goes approximately | [terest on loans to roreign Kovern- $1,200,000,000 in fixed charges result-/ ents, the greater part of which in} ing from the war. | terest has been waived by this gov-| Interests on the public debt will| ernment for the next three yearn @mount to $1,017,500,000, Sinking | but accumulates as a credit to our| fund charges take $287,500,000. In| @ccaunt against the time of ultimate All, the total fixed charges to be met | settlement. by the government in 1921 stands at! MOST OF PUBLIC DEBT $1,243,953,000 before any appropria-| CAUSED BY WORLD WAR tions are made for current govern | ‘The nation’s gross public debt deeahpeees ne c74.876.52 ta) Mmounts to $26,210,530,269, of which Of this amount $376.574,875.52 is) On” gay 92 oooernee, waren | added since Aprf 1917, when we | ee PCOS HAS SCHEME T0 | entered the world war. Loans to the | allies and other Buropean countries | represent about 40 per cent. CURB MONOPOLY The mere physical job of admin istering Uncle Sam's, money chest, | jas a result of our bond issues and war taxes, is expected to cont $28, 08,231.36 next year as against $19 10,992.88 for the current year, and | the total expenses of the treasury de partment to aggregate $73,405,101.36 as against $50,258,012.88 A flat sum of $21,000,000 Is asked to cover costa of collecting war rev enue taxes. For enforcing the new national prohibition law, including allowances for chemiats to test sus picious beverages, laboratory sup: plies for their work and lNquor leuths to ferret out lawbreakers, $4,000,000 is to be provided REVENUE BUREAU NEEDS INCREASE 50 PER CENT In@Juding administrative costa, the revenue bureau alone expects to need next year no less than $42,288, 000, as against $28;288,000 for the current year. Part of this money, however, would be paid directly back to taxpayers in the form of refunds amounting to $12,000,000 of taxes i) y callec in previous years Paper cos too, affect Uncle Sam's expenses, the mere blank forms and stationery needed for next r’s work amounting to $214,400 International Trade Com mission Is Urged WASHINGTON, Jan. {United Press.)—Curbing of monopolies by an {international trade commission was urged today by Huston Thompson, federal trade commissioner, speaking &t the Pan-American financial con- ference here. Pointing out the success of the fed- eral trate commission in halting ac tivities of “trusts” In price boosting and unfair trade methods, Thompson, aid there is need of an international | body to prevent a trust in one coun-| try from unfair dealings in another | country. “As the world began to fight Its way out of the miasma produced by ‘war, it discovered that monopoly was occupying the seats of the mighty and trying to justify its right to them,” Thom “Reports trom le a-| of the nations n, Denmark, Canada| ¥ ; and Argentina, he said, are prepar-|%* ssainst $90,000 for 1920 tne to tattle qonopolies, by cutting| Uncle Sam's total estimated in tr mrmissions ‘ © for the ending June treasury experts 4 his prot expenses at $3,973 985, leav balance of $1,884,002,015 Offsetting this, however, is an In dicated deficit for the current year of $4,905,888,543. Even if revenues to the $5,620,000,000 esti mated—which many fiscal author ities now doubt—June 20, 1921, then, | promises to find the treasury still with a deficit, after providing for the sinking fund, not figured above, of 336, if our present pro-| ppropriations and ex penditures is carried out. KE WILL WISH TO STUDY IT CLOSELY Included in the estimates for 1921, however, are largely Increased es- So Harry, who lan't|timates for the military establish ry Ml, 19 nurse, housekeeper, cook | ment which the American people and his own patient will, doubtless, wish to study closely. spirit fair play in trade 1 American com: each her in your cour Thi a, in explaining the benefits to be secured international body. ade commission und to umpire their a After each nation haa its own commission to follow its com rs there is a final step ale must be recip! ing @ petitors mi mpson § umount be in tions duty Handy Man to Have in the Pest House GRANDE, Or-——Harry Clark to the pest house with The authorities couldn't LA was vent urse. Uy, Just why our army costs should | and the mount next year, as against the cur- rent year when the business of the | ities the army ts proposing for next war was not yet wound up, many|year, and the amounts they would will fail to understand. Perhaps| cost, will be reviewed in a they should not. story on the cont of government. That is far the public Voice If you haven’t heard it yet, you will soon —reverberating up and down through the land wherever farmers grow grain and livestock and fruits and vegetables and eggs and cotton and wool—echoing through every city where consumers now groan at the high cost of food and clothing. Dean Davenport, of Illinois, writing in ‘The COUNTRY GENTLEMAN about the new American Farm Bureau Federatior’, well calls it a National Voice for Agriculture. You can buy THE COUN- TRY GENTLEMAN fi whole year for only a tle bit more, And out of the 52 big weekly issues you'll get ideas and en- tertainment enough to repay your dollar many, many times over. Let me send in your subscrip- tion today for a whole year. It costes just $1. HeZbelieves—and let me tell you he knows—that this great new farmers’ movement is going to mean big things for all of us. What do you know about it now? Well, he is writing four splendid articles—read them all, Let's see, four times five cents a copy makes twenty cents, Pshaw! H. B. Hardt 5610 15th Ave. N. E. Phone Kenwood 2546 An authorised subscription representative of The Country Gentlemen The Ladies’ Home Journal The Saturday Evening Post $2 bnoven—$1.00 12 teveee—$1.75 52 lawwee—62.08 Seattle will devote 15 per cent of their business capacity to|When the railway brotherhoods asked for another wage handling such material, This will bring about a reduction| advance shortly before Christmas I was called upon to of from 25 to 50 per cent in the price of men’s clothing.| show them that the advance in prices of necessaries gen- “Similar propositions in other lines of necessaries have been proposed and will, I believe, materialize to the of the public, SAYS LABOR SEES THE LIMIT REACHED “Another prime factor in bringing down prices is the} realization on the part of labor that the limit has been| reached to which it can go, in demanding wage increases. j erally had been checked in two months and that plans al- benefit | ready under way would cause a distinct downward trend in 90 days. “Because I was able to make such a_ showing, the brotherhoods recessed their wage negotiations for 90 days, “If labor and business co-operate for six months I am positive that there will be a 25 per cent reduction in the cost of necessaries to the public by June 1.” usiness, Not Government, Should Loan to Europe SO SAYS NEW SECRETARY OF COMMERCE Seeretary of Commerce. the matter of extending our foreign commerce, the United States should not make large loans to foreign governments, unless it becomes Absolutely necessary in bolstering up the credit of Europe. ‘This emergency can arise only in the event of private enterprise failing to extend the credit Europe needs. It ts certain Europe must have credit until she can resume normal production, for our exports this year will be $8,000,000,000 and our imports from Burope only $4,000,000,000, ‘This! means we have a balance of trade of $4,000,000,.000, Since Europe has not paid us for our goods in her wares, and cannot pay us in gold, she must pay us in promises, or credit. But it is the business of the financier, the exporter and the trader in| America to extend this eredit to like persons in Europe. Private enter | prise will reap the rewmrds, the profits, and they are the ones to make) the business ponaible. | During the war the government was expected to do everything. We) le, a [conaress to decide. Just what activ. | later | should get away from thie idea. We have the financial interests—the | Private initiative—it ls just a question of marshaling them to meet the | situation, :. Last Day Sensational Cut Prices Will Do It! Nine Years of Effort Wasted reached us the Landlord ordered us to move, Fine Stock Sacrificed astonishingly deep. Lowest Prices ments that Spring apparel will be much higher. SALE CLOSES 6 P. M. SATURDAY To Our Old Customers To all our old friends and customers we wish to express our sincere thanks for their contin- ued business and support. We are indeed sorry that we can no longer con- tinue in business and re- tain those pleasant rela- tions, but we are forced out with no place to go. Thank You. | merce, but humanity Just Two Days Left! FORCED to VACATE Saturday Positively Large Stocks to Sell in Two Days, But For nine years we held not a single sale, we did no advertising, yet we built up a splendid busi- . ness and held our customers. But, just as success A fine stock of new apparel must be closed out before Saturday at 6 p. m., and we know that only the very lowest prices will do it, so we have cut Prices are below half the garments’ former prices, and you have no doubt read the ‘authorized state- Go at Dresses Formerly to $47.50 |] a Northwestern Cloak & Suit Co Southwest Corner of First Avenue and Union Street I will not say it is entirely safe to extend credit In Europe. But finan clers have to investigate and determine whether persons who seek eredit are polvent, even at home. If the government guarantees foreign loans and credits, the financial interests will then let the government walk the floor, while they take it easy. No doubt there are plenty of business houses in Europe that are perfectly safe for our people to extend them credit. It is the business of the exporter to discriminate among them and see that business is resumed. Extending aid to starving Europe is another matter. That is not comi- Our hearts are touched by the privations of hungry men, women and children. We have given millions, for which we 40 not hope for a dollar return, and we must give more. We must not let Europe euffer, and won't. But this ts not commerce. Our commerce must be constructed along business and permanent lines, We have the ships and must establish ocean transportation. While We are about it, we must establish our trade with South America, both on the east and west coasts. The government will have to own a mer- chant marine. And in the event we sell some of the tonnage, it should now demanded by the American government. 100 WINTER COATS Must Be Closed Out in Two Days Just two days for this big job, but the prices we quote will do the work—we hate to cut prices so low, but we must close our papesly and the goods must go before the time up. NOTE: Plush Coats included. Many fur- trimmed. coats. There's a good range of the fashionable velours, silvertones, cheviots, novelty wool mixtures, etc. The good colors. Coats, Values to $39.50 oe $1'7.75 Coats, Values to $75.00 Come Early—Our Store Is Small—the Crowds Will Be Large 150 DRESSES Must Go and Only Two Days to Do It It surely is a shame to see such splendid, | such beautiful, such stylish dresses sold for | less than half—the conditions force us to do | | | it, however. Stylish dresses, models acceptable for y: ‘round wear—150 of them—a big lot for/¢, a short selling time. Serges, Georgettes, silks, tricotines and other fine materials, Dresses Fomery to $24.50 $11.50 | $24.75 1337 FIRST AVENUE