Exili anw Indus-Mal Markt-H
Published Daily except Sunday
By Nome Mine "Workers’ Union, No. 240, International Union of Mine,
Mill and 8m el ter Workers.
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Mx Months____ „ ___ ___ _ 110.00
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"To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
nanrly as possible. Is a worthy object of any eood government.”—
abraham Lincoln
AH changes In standing advertisements mast reach this office at six
o'clock 'each evening to lnsare Inser tion In the following Issue.
Advertising rates made know* on application.
Address all Communications to Dally Nome Industrial Worker,
Box 110 Nome, Alaska. Phone, Black 114.
Entered as second class matter Marck 1. 1111, at Ike post office at
Nome. • Alasxa, under the At) of March 1, 1171.
Nome, Alaska, Fbruary 2, 1918.
HIGH COST OF LIVING.
A recent congress in the east ap
pointed to inquire into the high
costs of living iias reported It tlmls
that sim a the commencement of
the war prices have been raised
on account of the r. r»r supply of
gold; pi^ice control of exchanges.
«Iiuse of cold storage to lelji to
corner mavso's; decreased later on
farms; excessive pro'its to middle
men due to many small shops; too
much handling between producer
and consumer, too ra sob purchas
ing on credit at advanced prices,
and growing luxuriousness of the
people. Just now we needn’t both
er with the remedies proposed for
it is certain that such will not
be enforced But it certainly will
repay us to examine the reasons
given for the higher prices now
prevailing.
Wo will consider the first reason
last of all, for it seems to be the
most important. Prices control of
exchanges hardly seem to be suffi
cient reason. In isolated ca3es it
might be responsible for an en
larged price of certain stuffs, but
supply and demand will genrally
break all agreements when the pro
fits in the satisfaction of a certain
demand exceed normality. Abuse of
cold storage to help to corner
markets undoubedly has in cer
tain familiar clises been respons
ible for a:i outrageous inflation of
the prices of meat. But sooner or
later those will meet with compe
tition, and cannot whclly keep the
prices searing aloft ail the time.
Neither of these are responsible
. for the steady general upward
trend of all articles necessary to
human existence.
uecreasua moor on larnis is ..j
reason for a rise in the prices of
neccsasry articles. On the contrary,
if things can be produced i t leas
expense due to the elimination of
human labor power by the substi
f utiou of machine production, arti
cles will he cheaper. Excessive pro
fits to middlemen, due to many
small shops is a most extraordina
ry reason, f >r it is obviously not
in accordance with the actual facts.
Articles now reach ' t.'-.c . imer
much mere directly than c.cr be
fore, and the number ' f middle
men who are making money is
few and lar between. In fact
nowadays the manufacturer 5s
himself often the man who caters
to the eonsumeds waits, and the
middleman is now nothing else
than a salaried employoe of the
manufacturer paid to supervise
the distribution of the manufac
tured commodity. The growing
luxuriousness of • the people is
tommy rot. In those countries
where the standard of living is
100 per cent lower than in Amer
ica. there s the same unprecedent
eiAuse in the costs of living, and
no fool story like luxurious liv
ing inn impose itself for an in
stant upon thinking men. We
come finally to the increased sup
ply of gold.
The value of an article is the
amount of socially necesasry labor
used up in its production. It will
exchange with any other article
In which a similar amount of labor
socially necessary has been used in
its manufacture, expressed in terms
of a medium of exchange called
money.
To bo sure one article may be
l.adlv needed and ihe other not at
all. the one short in supply and ex
cessive in demand will have its
price raised by the competition
of the buyers, the other will have
its price lowered on account of
the poor demand, and the anxiety
of the seller to realize upon it.
But the value of the two articles
is identical efven when the price
varies, which can be seen i.. tho
fact that two articles having cost
the snruo amount of socially neces
sary 'a l.roamount of socially ne
cessary labor power to produce,
with the supply and demand
equalizing one another in both
cases, will have the same price.
Gold is like everything else a
commodity first; it is a medium
of exchange afterwards. It pos
sesses a definite value like all other
articles, and the value of this gold
commodity depends upon the
amount of labor uesd up in its pro
duction of gold pound for pound
In relation to former years has di
minished greatly, recent discoveries
in metallurgy, more numerous pro
ductive gold fields, increased out
put owing to improved machinery
has reduced enormously the labor
cost of gold and increased enorm
ously the amount produced in ex
actly the same ratio. The medium
of exchange has diminished in
value, and to express the exchange
value of an article which has not
similarly decreased its labor cost
of production, more monetary or
! gold units are necessary.
The real standard of value or
! exchange of a commodity in not
gold, is not money, it is the amount
of socially necessary labor power
congealed in ihe production of the
commodity, and as labor itself var
ies in value there cannot be any
| such thing as a constant unit.
Scientists for examplo measure heat
by thermal units That never
varies, for it takes an invariable
standard. A thermal unit, called
an English thermal unit, is the
amount of heat required to raise
a cubic foot of water at a definite
atmospheric presura one degree
centigrade. If we could have a
standard value similar to this, an
invariable vc'ue unit, p 11 Hits (roub
le concerning the costs of living
would bo easily handled.
Not only that, but in spite of the
relative lessening of the labor costs
of production of all commod.tics
due to labor saving devices, none
of the othtr necessary commodities
except in exceptionr 1 years and
under exceptional conditions equal
the relative amount of gold pro
duction at a reduced cost of labor
production. Furthermore under
this benign system what invention
procures on the one side of human
ay, capitalism takes away in an
other. For example a labor saving
m; ciii. 10 , produces so many more
bushels of wheat for so much le«ss
labor costs and at once the land
owner puls up bis rent. The reduc
tion in the cost of production re
sults net in I ho placing upon Hio
market of a commodity at a re
duced cost far the • consumer, but
n the incrcr.sing the profits and the
bank roll of the owner.
W-oritli production today is great
cr thru ever before, but tlio distri
bution is less general than ever be
fore. Where labor savnig devices
have actually lorsened the cost of
ari.ules, by demanding their greater
and greater share, the capitalist
has added to his profits Immensely.
This is for him tho golden rge,
for 1 he real producer, the ago of
stone. , ,
UNCLE HAW AND
LtUOTIiKK JONATHAN.
BROTHER JONATHAN— I’vo
boon reading a very silly pamphlet.
Uncle Sara—Some Democratic or
| Republican affair?
B. J.—No; this time it was a So
cialist affair.
U. S.—And silly?
B. J.—Yes. I don’t mean to s:.y
that everything was silly* No. it
had a good many pessc.^es. But
thero was a decidedly silly warp
i that run through the whole woof.
| Just think of Socialism in force!
1 Why. the stimulus for work would
j be killed like a doornail, and lie
flat like a pancake. It i3 for that
reason that I consider the Social
ist pamphlet to be a silly thing.
U. S.—And yould you mind ex
plaining why you think Socialism
I would have that effect upon stim
ulus.
B. J.—Because if everything is
provided for a man, he will not
have to display any activity for
getting it.
U. S.—Correct. But you have
not yet provod even this case. 'Tis
true that if everything is provided
for a man he need not bother
about getting—
B. J.— Just 80
U. S.—But you must first prove
that under Socialism everything is
so provided for the people that
they don’t need to bother about
getting it. Now go ahead and
prove to me that Socialism will
provide things without the people’s
having to bother about them at
all.
B. J.—Well, will it not provide
everything that people need?
U. S.—NEED? Under the Soci
1 alist Republic the people will have
r*ot what they NEED merely, but
! LUXURIES to boot.
B. J.—exactly. That’s what I
thought is the idea, and it makes
my caso all the stronger.
U. S.—Suppose you mention
somcof those necessaries and lux
uries.
B. J.— Among the necessaries—
shoes, clothing, hats, food, housing
medicine.
U. S.—And among the luxuries?
B .J.—Everything else: Pianos,
conceits, operas, pictures, books,
parks, librarea baths, gardens.
U. S.—Any more of either
B. J.—Isn’t that enough?
U. S.—Very well; we shall be
satisfied with that. Now answer
mo categorically; You have heard
pi hail dropping down from the
skies eh?
B. J.—Yos.
U. S.—Did you ever hear of
boots and shoes dropping down
from the skies?
B. J.—No.
U. S.—Or hats?
B. J.—No.
U. S.—Or beefsteaks and loaves
of bread?
B. J.—No.
U. S.—Or houses fully furnished?
B. J.—No.
U. S.—Or quinine pills and St.
Jacob's Oil?
B. J.—No.
t
U. S.—Or pianos?
B. J.—No.
U. S.—Or books, whole libraries,
and pictures?
B. J.—Nor these things either.
U. S.—Thi3 being thus, these
necessaries and luxuries, which the
Socialist Republic has in its fold
for the people, not being of the
nature of hail storms that drop
down from the skies, it follows
that to enjoy them they must come
from some other source, eh?
B. J. (Puckering his brows) —
Certainly.
U. S.—And what source do you
imagine that must be?
B. J.—What source?
U. S.—Yeo, what source?
B .J.—W-e-I-1
U. S.—Out with it!
B. J.—Well,—Labor. ,
U. S.—Yes, Labor. (Crossing his
arms and beaming down upon B.
J.) Now, if you are kindly disposed ,
would you mind enlightening me
how it is possilbe for people to en
joy all these ncccssaiies and lux- ,
uries in the Socialist Republic, all
these necessaries and luxuries that
require Labor to produce them, and
yet not need any activity for gett
ing them?
B. J.—(Remains silent.)
U. S.—I’m listening.
B. J.— (Mumbles.)
U. S.—Have you turned ventri
oquist? The sounds 1 hear seem
to come from the region of your
belly. No answer? Then, me gay
sailor boy, let me tell you this: The t
pamphlet you were reading wasn’t
at all a Socialist pamphlet. You
can’t stuff me. You have been !
reading some political parson’s or
professor's slush, and, like an un
thinking booby, you swallowed it
as you would a country sausage.
Wealth cannot exist without Labor;
to have wealth to enjoy Labor
must have been exerted. The Soc
ialist Republic is not a compend
ium of miracles. The stimulus to
work wiil be there, infinitely more
than today.
B. J.—More?
U. S.—Yes; I say more because
the stimulus to work consists in
the desire to enjoy wealth. Today
it is the saod experience that
wealth s the product of Labor but
the reward of idleness, seeing that
the capitalist grabs it all. Now
go and throw your wondrous
pamphlet into the fire.
—Weekly People,
DANCING SCHOOL.
At the Miners Home Club Hail,
Dancing Class every Tuesday,
Wednesday and Friday, evening
from 8 1*. M. to 11 P. M. Admis
sion to class $1.00. Private lessons
$1.00 per hour.
MRS. GKO WALDHKLM, Teacher.
uteT THE NEWS RIGHT. REA,
THE WORKER.
DO YOU WANT TO ECONOMIZE?
Buy a Lang Range, or Coles Heater and save
1-3 your coal bill
CARLETON HARDWARE CO.
410 Pronl It.
Pfcoaa Mala 11.
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This space reserved by
Cm Wm Lewis
-Formerly Delbar’s store—
The place where you can
reasonably buy anything
from a needle to an
anchor
Charles L. Ross
Milling, Lumber, Contractor
HAVING TAKEN OVER THE FREIGHTING Jt TRANSFER
BUSINESS OF W. STEIGEL MALER AND OF DEO KENT,
FREIGHT ORDERS AND TRANSFER CONTRACTS WILL RE
CEIVE PROMPT ATTENTION.
3RD AND B STREET. PHONE BLACK 162.
Nome Bakery
NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS
BREAD 15c. A LOAF, 2 LOAVES FOR 25 CENTS.
The HOME of all kinds of First Class Bread, Cake, Cookies and
Pastry. We will make it our Business to suit our Customers.
WE GUARANTEE THE BEST CUP OF COFFEE IN TOWN.
We recommend as a Speciality our VIENNA BREAD, for family
use, Fresh from the oven . at 5 o'clock every evening.
We serve Hot Cake, Ham and Eggs etc. from 7 A. M. <o 1 P. M.
Lunches from 12 Noon to 7 P. M. Every Day.
We are in bnsiness to satisfy our Customers.
•JUUL & NELSON, Propritors.
| * * * * * *** **+V****¥M M-k***+* •******** **•** ¥ ■* * ***********
NOME BREWING AND
BOTTLING CO.
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JANUARY 1st, IT ★
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The Nome Bottling Co.
AND WILL PUT UP A FINE LINE OF
SOFT DRINKS AND
NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER
Buy Shoes ]
19. A.M.TO 6 P.M. j
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Help maintain fail working |
! hours for everybody
P. A. PETERSON SHOE CO.
North
Pole
Bakery
& Coffee
House
BREAD
15c. per It a/
2 Loa\es 25c.
Anvil
Bakery
and
Coffee
House