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"12 PAGES tins YEAR 84. NO. 212° KINGSTON, ONTARIO, WEDNES The War Needs of THE NEED FOR GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF FOOD PRICES. By Benjamin Apthorp Gould. 16 economists have for years been telling us that there is no way of regulating the action of the law of supply and demand in determin. ing prices. The fact is that this law is not immutable, that its operation is constantly controlled, and that any definiteness in its action . has been contradicted more than ever since the war. At the same time, it is possible to say that the operation of the law itself has not been affect. ed, but that olily the supply or the demand has been forcibly regulated. | Thus, where a definite price is set for a commodity, it may be argued that as no ohe is permitted to buy | or sell above or below this price all | demand ceases for the product at a price higher and all supply at a price | lower than that fixed, and that] hence the law continues to operate. | This is, of course, merely a quibble, | as such an instance is actually the case of an artificial law enforcible | by penalty over.riding the general law of economics, It should, however, be clearly un- | derstood that often the most effec- tive method of accomplishing a price-regulating purpose is not by a | forcible interference with the work ing of the economic law, but by an { artificial variation of either supply | or demand in order to permit the economic law to work under alter. | ed conditions. This is the means | adopted by trusts and combinations | to enhance prices, and is the only | means open to them, The Goxesn. ment, on the other hand, can use | not only this method, but can if ne- cessary enforce direct price legisla- tion by imposing personal penalties for infringing it. . So far as food prices ard concern- ed, regulation through the control of imports and exports is comparatively easy in maintaining a minimum price for staples where home con sumption exceeds home production, and a maximum price where the contrary. is true, In Canada our production of food is far in excess of our consumption, and export re- gulations can keep prices down to any desired point, The one chief. danger against which wé must guard is not to establish this price.-level so low as to lessen production; which during the war must be kept as possible. It is therefore necessary to deo to it that the producer shall feceive a price which shall yield hint an adequate profit after taking into account the inersased cost of pro- duction, not only on \ cents basis, but patriotic duty. nomic influence make the farmef g farm can be made to yield, together with regulations in the direction of future productiveness, such as for- bidding the butchering of immature stock. It the total production of a coun try exceed by only ten per cent. the demand for home consumption, the price of the ninety per cent. used at "home will be governed by the price of- the exportable ten per cent., un. less the latter be artificially seques- trated. This is heceuse no parti- "cular ten per cent. constitutes the surplus, but it may be drawn from any part of the total production. "Lower prices than the prices of this { long as prices are above the deter- ted, it may result | mined figure. | 8 odesire or even at a profit, either to surpius cannot prevail, because in such case the foreign buyers would not take what*was offerad as sur- plus, but would buy the cheaper pro- duct available at home, and what was offered as surplus would not be exported but would go back into home consumption. Higher prices cannot prevail, because the home varying costs of packing. The cheese- makers knew these costs, and conse- quently the buyers, the middlemen who before this action had been heavy |speculators, were limited .to the bare cost of doing the business, and have had to content themselves with a profit of about one per cent on the tufnover. Exactly the same | consumer, would not buy what was thing can be accomplished in regard offered for home use, but would buy to wheat, flour and other staples of the lower-priced surplus, and an- which a surplus is produced, even if { other ten per cent, of the produc- owing to greater variation jn grades, tion would in turn become surplus freights and =o forth the carrying and be worth ogdy the export value. | out of the reform should- be some- It is thus evident that in regard to what more complicated. ©. all food staples of which a surplus is produced in Canada the govern- ment can absolutely control whole- If such a system be put into op- eration, the only other matter re- pgulation vern ces sale 'prices by limiting exports, and irlng Tusula an lo Savery. Dicey publishing export values. This can spread between retail and wholesale be done in either of two ways. The prices, and this can be justly regu- private owner may be allowed to ar-|fated in accordance with conditions range his own foreign sales, but per-| prevailing in different localities. If mission to export may be withheld so [ghis profit of the middleman be limi- in forcing some The way to accom-|middleman in to productive pursuits, plish this would be to forbid expor- 'and while this might work hardship tation except under permissive li-|in individual instances it would be censes, to be taken out for each ex-|to the economic benefit of Canada as port shipment, and to refuse such|a whole, as the middleman is econo- licenses until prices were at the de-| mically only a necessary evil. The sired level. The other method is for|fact that there are more shops than the government itself to offer a fixed | are needed to supply the wants of price, preferably. at the point of ex-|the community is undoubtedly one port and tg forbid all private expor-| of the causes of the high cost of liv- tation, Under existing circumstances | IN8. The competition between them the government can fully protect it-| 4068 not reduce prices, but on the self by making this price one at which sequent JHA Tune iutieutes HE " . { a D s the it can resell the staples, at cost if it fow large and efficiently managed retailers to charge prices, which, slightly lower than those of the cor- ner groceries, are high enough to al- low them to make enormous profits at the expense of the ultimate con- sumer, The Canadian Food Controller has apparently recognized the difficulty of establishing in Canada prices ar- bitarily fixed by law, as has been decides to sell at a profit. It is a|pecessary in Europe. It would be practical method of commandering difficult although not impossible to theexportable surplus at the price de-| provide this machinery to_gnforce termined, and # the same time re-| such direct prices legislation, and lieving the general public by making the same end can much more easily the home price conform to that which | he accomplished indirectly in some the government has fixed as just, such way as I have suggested. It is The working of such a system andido be hoped that the public will be the ease and swiftness with which it| promptly. informed" of the steps may Be put into effect 1s admirably | which are being taken, and that they illustrated by what has been done in{be hastened as much as possible, be- regard to Canadian cheese. The price cause much dissatisfaction has been of cheese up to the late spring has| caused by the fact that public an- been subject to most violent fluctua- | touncements and orders have hith- tions, and was governed only by' the |erto been directed to the consumer, opinion of spéculative buyers as to|8nd no statement has been made in the future course of the market.|re8ard to proposed regulations af- Cheese prices on the same day var-|fecting the producer, the warehouse- led at different factories as much as|™Man, whether or not of cold storage, two or three cents a pound. This {the packer, and the wholesale and uncertainty as to thevalue of milk ot middleman. Confidence in for cheese-making also affected in-[' ne Food Controller needs to be juriously the stability and price of Made general by: such vigorous ac- y ¥ P tion on his part ill convi other dairy * products. Late this le th ni a wal tonvince the spring individual exportation was| br opie that he is a strong man, free ! from ifhfluence by any of the great stopped, and on behalf of the Bri-linterests. A prohibition of the yor tish Government, Which established 'yp grain in brewing or distilling cheese prices in England, a price of would be of great value in this re- 21% cents a pound was offered at Yard Montreal for-cheese of a fixed grade packed 'in a specified manner. In- stantly all fluctuation of price ceased, ute, a wy os -- and cheese which had sold as high a€laq nearly all the above suggéstions 37 cents at the factory sold at Prices which I have been advocating for the varying from 20% cents 'to 21% Last two years here in Canada, and cents. This variation was caused by [has stopped exports excent under the location of the plants with daif- license, and forbidden the use of ferent freight rates and the slightly grain is the distilleries. the Imperial Government or the Al- lies, or to neutrals. If this price be high enough to allow the producer a due profit, he has no right to com- plain at not being permitted to make an exorbitant profit, and both home consumer and the foreign buyer will be benefited, as well as the govern- ment itself and the taxpayers, if it It is well to note that the United DENBIGH NEWS BUDGET Picnic en August 20th---First Rural School Fair Held. Denbigh, Sept. 8 --E, E. Babee of North Bay, formerly one of our.most popular general merchants, and two daughters are spending a couple of weeks in the vicifity visiting rela- tives and friends and former neigh- bors, George Ball a promising local young man has been engaged as teacher in our village school. Miss Eva Both has returned to Glenfield and resumed teaching in S, 8. No. eight. Her sister Frieda left for Ot- tawa to attend high school. Miss Cora Stein is engaged teaching school in Bell Rapids and her sister Gladys left for Tw where she has secur- ed a position. Arthur Berger, who has for some time been employed in Toronto, has arrived home. Mrs. A, Fritsch is enjoying the week-end and Sunday with relatives and friends in Raglan. A very interesting picnic was held are a martyr to Pains in} Back, Urinary or Rladd bles, Brick Dust . ary A A A AA cana fa R. Fritsch's bush on August 29th, CORNWALL CASUALTIES The weather was very nice and was -------- taken advantage of by a large num-| pres. James 0 and Bruce Gillies ber of visitors not only trom this vi- nid in Action. - cinity But also from adioining town- - ships. Dinner. suppar_ and Toten] Comwall, Sept. §--Pte Jamies ments were served on the grounds:| IY0. Som of Stephen Tyo, of Corn- The usual sports and games were en-| V2! who was killed in action in Joyed, humordus and instructive ad-| France 'on August 15th, has three dresses were given by two clergy: | Drothers at the front, Joseph, Arthur men and several other speakers and| 20d Edward. "Arthur was severely every body admitted to have spent| Wounded in the head in the same en- a most enjoyable day, which was fin-| SR€ement in which James was killed. ished by the young people with a Besides the brothers mentioned, dance held in the evening in Charles James Tyo is survived by his young Both's hall. widow, whom he left behind only The first rural school fair held|tWo months after his marriage; his this year in the County of Lennox|PArents a brother and sister at home. and Addington was held here last| Willie and Dorothy; and two sisters Thursday again under the able man-{ in Montreal, Mrs, Alex. Boyer and agegent of G. B. Curran, District| MTs. Alex. Verette, Representative 3 the Duwasio Depart- ment of Agriculture for this county, who was assisted by Mr. Hawlef of ! & Sou of D. J. Gillies, the well-known Napanee. The occasion was also fav- | 8rocer. He was 19 years old on Aug- ored with very fine weather, ust 3rd. Besides his parents; he is survived by five brothers tires pality was represented by its pupils, | Sisters, one brother, H in Mon most of their parents and other visi-|treal. The young man came home tors. © exhibits of the pupfls were | from St. Laurent College, Montreal, of great variety and mostly very|in March, 1916, to enlist in the creditable and the prize takers well| 154th Righlanders. deserved the prizes they received. ; Lunch had been served in Mr. Both's| = Community good is always per. hall. Everybody present went home| Sonal good . well satisfied with a day so pleasantly and profitably spent, Th was slight night frosts dur- ing th® last two nights, but the days were fine. Most of the farmers are nearly done with their harvest work, and Lockwood is his steam to begin threshing in this neighborhood | next 'week. 3 ; Don't be mean enough to mak the man who is kind enough to give you a good recommend a falsiriet The man whose word is as ad as his bond never objects te execut ing such legal imstruments. 18 e loud mouthed individual in the community may be small in deeds that count for good. Money taints many of our me-{ I Free From Corns Dancers Can't Have Corns Many Use Blue =jay Perfect Feet- " "PAGES 9-12 Blue Stops Pain -- ay MMEDIATE relief--then the corn comes out in 48 hours. That has been the ex- perience of millions of users of Blue-jay. This gentle, easy way removes the dangers of paring or harsh liquids. Prove it yourself = suffer no longer. Free yourself tonight. Blue-jay is for sale at all druggists, 25¢ the package. BAUER @, BLACK, Limited, Toronto, Canada '" "Makers of Surgical Dressings sd were milking. A cow that stood y | between them was "killed and the girl was stunned." A valuable horse was siso killed The barn and stable was full of hay. The loss will be about $2,500, with $500 insurance. H. E. Eyre and son lost a valuable three-year-old colt, struck by light ping, but lived ten days. Edward an add Richard Trotter have Harlem |J each built cement siloes far Job Huchens and son are putting up a cement silo. The 'contractors have the founda- tion of the Harlem school house that > SECOND SECTION the brick work. W. Birch of Deltas C.- Has- Hoing the mason work. R