__ Smart) (Satmajj
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Published Daily, Bacept Sundsy* sad Holidays
Hurry V. flobcn. Owner-F. H. Clip Mtot
Ebtaiad ss Secead -Class Matter Septa—her Sad, 1IU. at the Ftd Office at
Seward, Alaska. Under the Act ef March t UH -
nwnt-4-i sad B-dncan Office —
|ffilinieM gp THE ASSOCIATED fe>RK8S~
Tbn Aispt**^ Press is esdusivety entitled W tbe uft fee republic—tieu
ef all aews dispatchee credited to it ar sot etberwias or edited la this I—per
«&d also tbe local news published ht'dsu
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TIMELY ADVICE
The movement of prices toward low
er levels has gained momentum lately.
An increasing number of commodities
are being affected and the whole spirit
of trading indicates a growing accept
ance of the idea that readjustment
must come eventually and that the
sooner it is over the better off the <
country will be.
* i
The outstanding feature of the |
present movement is the resistance of
the retail dealer to force which have J
brought manufacturers, wholesalers
and jobbers to an admission that busi
ness can no longer be done on the bas-;
is of war prices. While wholesale pric
es of wheat, com, beef, sugar cotfee,
cotton, wool, leather, rubber, copper,!
f
lead, steel, and other commodities j
have come down, the consumer is still <
paying more for flour than he did last'
vear, the retail price of com is still i
* j
up to last year’s level, beef prices con-,
tinue higher than last year, coffee fol- j
lows the same example and in the case j
of sugar, cotton goods, woolens, shoes, j
rubbers, and househould utensils the j
reductions do not in general reflect!
faithfully the cuts which manufaotur- j
ers and wholesalers have accepted.
If there is any force comparable to |
fbis resistance of the retailer it is the j
determination of buyers to refrain
ftom purchasing anything except ne- !
clssities. As described by A. W. Doug
)gs, chairman of the Committee on |
statistics, in the monthly report of the :
Chamber of Commerce of the United [
Rules,” demand in all lines is slack- ;
cr.ing,” it is everywhere “a case of j
most conservative buying rather than ;
any great increase in supply” and "we
are having a vivid illustration of how
our usual volume of business is made !
up largely of things people do not'
really need.’’
Thi> is trw* to an extent but the fact |
it that the American differing from'
his foreign brother, always has en
jmd in life the things he does not
Actually need, to carry on existance.
It is the higher standard of living that
■a
has attracted the immigrant to our
shores. It is the fact that he bathes in
an enamel or porcelean bath tub as
against a dip in the river that attracts.
One might say that he does not need
the safety razor. True, he could grow
a beard. But he is going to have the
safety razor, and the telephone and
He talking machine and the motion
picture and good soap and decent
s clothing and well made shoes and a
thousand other things that he could if
he had to do without. The luxury of
today is the necessity of tomorrow and
the development of these so called lux
uries form the basis of a gre*. * cell
ing American trade, the bulk of the
heivertised products in tius country.
Trite the luxuries so called will be the
first to feel any tendency toward busi
ness contraction, but also it is true
Hat He merchants will exercise poor
judgement if Hey do not play Heir
fcrt in keeping up to He highest pitch
Ha demand for the higher life in Am
erica.
It would be well if every merchant j
took one day a week and devoted it to ,
Hiking His problem of trade boosting
very frankly wiH other local mer
chants and He sound businessmen of
hft community. The pessimistic spirt
must not be allowed to find a place in
country America. The big halmme of
made la in Ha country. The d£ee
may feel a stump to some extent with
out it having a deep effect on in
dustry as a whole, but once let the
wave of depression hit thbleointry and
then the whole nation wifi be infer a
period of suffering. The United States
is a winning hand. Don*t; ioake any
mistake about that The trade is Hear
end the opposition negligible* but it is
the height of folly for merchants of all
men to ride the race and pull tike reins.
In many sections of the country
labor is showing a disposition to con
tribute to the support of readjusting
business to conditions. New England
textile workers have accented reduc
tions in wages rather than see the
mills closed! Forty thousand New York
... . » • , *
truckmen have voted to work ah ad-‘
litional hour per day at the ferine
wage. There has been a great Im
provement in the efficiency of work
era, prompted by the desire to forestall
wage reductions' and to h&d jobs
against the return of workman* from
war industries.
This tendency toward lower wages
and greater efficiency is being oppos
ed by the American Federation of La
bor on the ground that it presages a
strengthening of the open shop idea,
union workers are for oootribatioos to
** * s • %
be used for dosed shop propaganda.
The economic fact with which such
propaganda must collide is that there
are more men today than there are
jobs, and that there will be still more
* *'4* ' - ' .
mi n as war-time activities are grad-:
ually brought to an end and the tall
wide of immigration sweepe westward
from Europe. %
Alt of this means that the shirking!
workman is being compelled to give!
w_
an honest day's work for an honest
day’s pay rather than it being an in*,
dication of business depression. It
means that many prices will come
nearer to normal, and Hie sooner they
do the better. It is fuadamekthUy
wrong to assume that American busi
ness prosperity depends upon abbor
mal prices. It is the steady manufhe
ture of commodities and their steady
sale at normal prices thbt spells pros
perity in a nation. ; £
In spite of all of these facts, how
ever, it is true that the conversation of
gnorant people is making rather an
injurious impression on the minds of
some of Hie people. It is rsftectiddn
common conversation on the street
"Things are not good/*. .. "the banks
have drawn in on eiedits/*? *<the(* ak*
some rocky times fheed hour" and o*-.
er generally harmful v thoughts Jfrs:
bandied about to spread like wttdffrA
/ It will be well for
watch the coining
ington in connection
trade. Virtually
pressed with
slump,
cues from
This is wellI enqagft
l«tss legislative action
I
I
1
i
i
]
Pr.PafltlhwPlMoy
mj wffl do thot wrjr
tUai mtOf mad
quickly.
T^ONT W. "Poor
JL/HttleUddW.1 wWi
Fimsv what to do for .
Mike Bowels Normal
trade protection though there is a
i general disposition to do something.
Wise leadership emanating from the
country is likely to receive serious con
sideration.
Taxation undoubtedly, will come in
for a good deal of discussion. Efforts
will be made to repeal the excess
profits to tax, and to put the burden
of paying the war debt on a more
scientific basis. In these and other
matters legislators will listen atten
tively to thought from their home
towns, and it will be wise to remember
that whole sections of the country
nmy be affected f6r good or for ill ac
cording to the intelligence with which
such legislation is framed.
The merchants of the United States
v « \r ..*o » «
and Alaska can do no better service to
themselves and to their customers
than to check this talk of hard times.
The most simple and direct'way to
win the. confidence of the people is to
advertise consistently in an intelli
goat manner the merchandise they
have to sell and to sell it at prices
that keep pace with the reductions of
wholesale jobbers and manufacturers.
It may necessitate a loss on the stocks
that were purchased at higher prices*
but the loss will be offset eventually
by tiie confidence they established
| among their customers. One satisfied
! customer now is an assett worth while.
Keep your customers from sending
their dollars outside to the firms who
are selling merchandise at “Normalcy”
prices by advertising the fact that
your own merchandise has been mark
ed consistently down everytime there
was a reduction made by the whole
saler or manufacturer.
.. The publisher of a newspaper sees
that .if the price of paper does not
coma town* the shoemakers will have
lo go back to using leather.
Thk Bridge Club will meet with
Mrs. George Sexton on Saturday aft
ernoon at 2 o'clock.
COME TO
• • r ■■ J
for
A FRAMED PICTURE
NEW YEAR CARDS.
Vx v. ' *,v ->
fMMH HIGH GRADE
| candy;
PHOTOGRAPHS
| INDIAN CURIOS
OUR ICE CREAM IS
UNSXQBL1SD
\ THE BEST
| .V • ' > -
i PfcOM-AdMM-W
* *’■ . -
4 l- t-~ . * .-x i:*—■' . slu-i.'"- .is
,**«**llfcl
Sift % I
* • * ’* * ij 4 •. •
J?
1
7_ I
•
.j.jfiwt'.'i ,u..a _ 1
PERT PABAGRAPTH8 0# SENSE •
^ "• •" *
ANB NONSENSE FOREIGN AND i
LOCAL, CAUGHT ON THE
FLY BY “THE HUMAN
‘ TOOTHPICK *
| ^ '
The thirsty earth soaks up the rain
and drinks and gapes for drink again:
The plants suck in the earth, and are
with constant drinking fresh and fair;
The Sea itself (which one wbitld think
should have but little need for drink)
D. inks twica ten thousand rivers up,
so fill'd that they o'erflow the cup.
The busy Sun (and one would guesS
his du;nken fiery face no less)
, Drinks up the Sea, and when he's
done, The moon and stars drink up <
sun; They drink and dance by their
own light
Tl»ey drink and revel all the night.
Nothing in nature is sober found,
j But an iteraal health goes round.
| Fill up the bowl, then, fill it high,
j Fill all the glasses there— for why
Should every creature drink but I?
Why, Man of Morals, tell me why ?
SOME DROP
The pride of a city in its tall build
ings may be excusable, and sometimes
it teaches a lesson in the carrying of j
thought by deduction as for example j
the story of a baby that fell from the i
! top story of a New York sky scraper.
When the nurse let the baby slip from
the window it was two weeks old. It
reached the ground a beautiful girl of
1 nineteen.
On February Fourteenth, (St. Val
| entine's Day) the A. B. Hall will be
j the scene of a masquerade dance. This
j dance will be the dance **J)jE LUXE'”
| of all dances that have ever been stag
ed in Seward and when you say this it
means something because there have
| been SOME dances held here. This
! particular masquerade will be. a bene
I fit dance for one of the most wonder
ful things that was ever given to Sew
ard.
On Monday night there will appear
in the Gateway a list of the particular
things for which prizes will be award
ed. A detailed story of the benefit foi
which the dance is being staged. The
Community Tree brought a crowd, thr
Fireman's Ball filled the old hall to
capacity, the dance on St Valentine’s
Day will tiecessiate the couples taking
turns on the floor. Remember the day
and lay your plans accordingly. This
Ball will be a real honest-to-goodness
community affair and every man, wo
man, and child will boost for it when
they learn just what the receipts are
to be used for.
|
Congratulations Mr, Burleson.
The post office department improv
es every day. Horace B. Warrington,.
buisness manager of the Wilmington
Deleware Star, has Just received a let
ter mailed to him from Philadelphia
twenty five years ago. Phflade^la is
twenty eight miles from Wl^^gton,
so that Qie letter has traveleamore
than a mile a year. i
;■ 1 >
Her Ilea of No Fan at Ail
\ •• ^ ,'TX ‘ *
• tmm Ami
44 What could be mere aid than a man
without a country ?” feelingly ilfced
the high school literature teacher' Uf
her **fir
f
■ : • . ' j
Many who consider thwnoelvM
highly indulgent merely indulge them
selves. ‘ .
If tfcft good die yomtg, whitifcftti
nmujiPMi os ua jnusv nave sreu
. "*■ - ■ Jir, .»/ • 0 ' • • ... C
ference is now takinc a crack at the
I ■**••#••?*•» ft *1*0 fltdxtay.
e»:Fvn4a«*ft^
whoUeountif tiP tft to Ua dnUm*
*» to «w *****
'Vr** ?***
The Seward News Company
GEORGE PHELPS
, Booksellers, Newsdealers and Stationers
' Alaska — Washington — California ALASK A ROUTE
Safety Courtesy Service Speed
Leaves Seattle Leaves Seward
Steamer SPOKANE January 10th Jnuaryl7th *
Coapaay reserves right to change schedule without notice. *
Office in Admiral Building.
Wayne Blue, Agent. •_Sewaril Alaska.
I.
Ml M |M m Steamship Safety
A LA w l\ A c°mpiny s*rv,c*
Speed
SAILING SCHEDULE
The S. S. ALAMEDA will sail from SEATTLE on
the 14th via Inside Passage.
The sailing of the VICTORIA on the 10th of Jan
uary has been cancelled.
A. H. McDONALD, Agent.
I r
“ “JAu Star* ~
Drug Company
•»
; * • k. •
We have completed our Inventory.
Our Stock of Goods is Complete in All Lines.
Our A. P. Toilet Waters and Perfumes are a Revelation.
Our Stationery Stock is the most complete in Alaska.
Onr Candy is the Finest Obtainable and is Alway Fresh.
#
Our New Victor Records arrive regularly on every boat.
Our Drugs are the Purest.
Our Prescriptions filled by an Expert Pharmacst.
Our New Year Resolution the same as it has always been;
PROMPT SERVCE — COURTEOUS TREATMENT —
SATISFIED CUSTOMERS.
Seward Drug Company
—- 7Krn Storm
JOIN
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m
Circulating Library
150
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To Read a Late Book
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