THE VALl'.Y SETTLER is published
every Erl lay by the Matanuska Val
ley Far.: '.p’s Cooperating Associa
tion at Ealiner, Alaska.
ling. Editor: Irving Newville
Subscriiition rates: ^1.00 year
By mail: 1.75 year
hailed Anywhere ; .10 copy
This pa' r is iss\ied for.the pur
pose of Iving information and
news of the Iiatanuska Valley Far
mers Cooperation Associations
work, problems, accomplishments,
also news of local and general
interest and to foster the Co
operative spirit of the Farmers
of the I atanuska Valley.
Y/at time, the cost of living
goes xt, Poonle generally con
sider' th- retailor as the guilty
party. . 'chaps this is a logical
conclus°an as he is the one to v.hor
the cca.s’tmer gives his money. '.Ye
resent 1 aving to pay increased
prices y ,r our food, but the re
tail fo ' merchant,our Co-op as an
exampl , should not be blamed.
11: 'ood industry was the
first m: lor indxxstry to rush for
w a r d a n a 11 e mp t, w i tlx g o v c mine nt
^cooperation, to establish volun
tary pi' -o controls which would'
keep prices down. In September,
1939, at the suggestion of cer
tain fox : industry representatives,
the the locretary of Agriculture,
Henry A. '.'/allace, now Vice-Pres
ident of tho United States,form
ed the Agricultural Advisory Cou
ncil, Tho chief purpose was-to'
unite the'food .industry, farmer,
process; r, manufacturer and dis
tributor, into si voluntary group
to advise tho Secretary of Agri
culture on ways and means of keep
ing food supplies up,prices down,
and the industry as a whole func
tioning on all cylinders without
interrun ;ion and with minimum im
pact as a result of the war which
had just broken out in Europe,
Membership cn the Council was
by invitation,was voluntary,and
vms very effective. The sugar
scare of 1C39 was nipped in the
bud by very effective and swift
work of the industry and the gov
ernment. Thereafter, food prices
wore constantly in the minds of
all food industry people, and all
branches of the trade played down
"scarcity,'1 played up"abundance,"
and kept consumers from artificial
shortages, runs and panic. This
the industry did on its own inita
tivc and did it well. Of course,
hero and there speculators roso
who took advantage of the situa
tion. The food industry is the
most far flung in the 'entire world.
There- are more people directly
connected with it than with any
two other industries put together;
there are more billions involved
in the food business than in any
three other in dietries combined.
Naturally, there arc people con
nected with the food industry that
arc socially undesirable and mor
1 ally irresponsible, but they de
cidedly are net the food industry.
The price of automobiles goes
up, the price of gasoline ^ocs up
a cent (which, is about 5 percent
of the retail price) and people
whistle as they have their tanks
filled up, but they have them fil
led up just the same. The Auto
mobile Association of America. , or
the Automobile League, picks up
the howl'of increased taxes on
gasoline, but the public does
very little about it. The combined
automobile and gasoline expendi
tures of the peorle of the United
States amount to 20 cents, or one
fifth of the consumer dollar. Yet
food takes barely 5 percent more
of the consumer's total expenditure
than automobiles and gas.
Of course food prices have
g-no up to the consumer.
Farm prices have gone 'up'
more than 40!■> since September,
1039.
Wholesale prices have gone
up more than 29,o since September,
1939,
Rotai1 nricos have gone up
some liv since September, 1939.
. (Con't on page 4)