154 THE HIGH COST OF LIVING 



fish from its own lakes. If bought at the lake shore 

 they were released at very low prices. From all 

 these transactions the city has sustained no loss. 

 On the contrary, it managed to make money, out of 

 which it bought a refrigerating-plant for the munic- 

 ipal abattoir, with a capacity for freezing 900 

 zentner of meat. The rest of the profits went to 

 poor relief. These enterprises of the city have had 

 a salutary effect on the prices of all food in the 

 town.^ 



The difference between the German and the 

 American method of controlling prices is this: Ger- 

 many realizes that the state must own certain 

 things, such as railroads, terminals, slaughter-houses, 

 etc., and operate them for service so that the cir- 

 culatoiy system of the nation shall be free from 

 private interests; while we in the United States 

 make no distinction between such industries, which 

 are natural monopolies and competitive business, 

 and cling to the idea that competition will somehow 

 regulate prices. And when we discover that com- 

 petition does not operate and that monopoly ap- 

 propriates the field, we attempt to regulate the 

 abuses of monopoly by fines, imprisonments, and 

 criminal proceedings against offenders. We create 

 and legalize monopoly by the methods we adopt; 

 while Germany uses a surgical operation and cuts 

 out the parasitical agencies that gather around the 



^ Kommunale Rundschau, October 11, 1915. 



