174 THE HIGH COST OF LIVING 



and opening up a direct connection between the 

 producer and consumer can the present monopoly 

 and high prices which prevail be broken down. 



(6) This leaves only the means of transportation 

 to be considered. And the railroads are the key to 

 the whole food problem. For the railroads are the 

 main link in the chain of distribution. And they 

 are not run for service but for profit, and largest prof- 

 its are to be made from unsocial methods of admin- 

 istration. This is the main reason why the trans- 

 portation agencies cannot be left in private hands. 

 Moreover, they are interlocked with so many other 

 agencies and so many other monopolies that their 

 operation by the government would automatically 

 break the power of the warehousemen, packers, ex- 

 changes, and other parasites that live off the in- 

 dustry of the country and contribute little or noth- 

 ing to it. 



If the government is not willing to acquire and 

 operate the railways, substantial freedom could be 

 secured by the expansion of the parcel-post into a 

 food-distributing agency as it is in all European 

 countries. The government could acquire express- 

 cars and refrigerator-cars and cars for package 

 freight and have them hauled by the railroads just 

 as are the express and fast-freight cars at present. 

 The limits on the size and weight of parcels should 

 be abolished and the post-office become a distribut- 

 ing agency for such commodities as are essential to 



