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W
HEN I
WAS
a boy, age 12,
10~
worth of steak fed our
fami ly of six. How well
I
remember my mother saying, "Go to
the meat shop and get a dime's worth
of round-steak. And tell the butcher
to put in plenty
of
suet."
Of
course that didn't, even then, pro–
vide a 12-ounce steak for each person.
But it did provide a small piece of meat
for each of us, plus plenty of gravy for
the potatoes. In 1900, round steak was
13~
per pound. In 1970, it is $1.25
and more.
Remember when milk was
5~
per
quart in cities? Remember when you
could enjoy lunch at the lunch counter
for
15~?
Remember when you could buy a pair
of men's shoes - high top covering
ankles at that - for $1.50 to $1.95?
Boy's shoes, $1.15 to $1.60? (Every
mother pay attention !) Mcn's all-wool
suits, $4.50 and $5? Men's stiff Derby
hats, $1.50, $2., $2.25?
Wheo I travelled over the United
States as the " Idea Man" in the edito–
rial department of America's largest
trade journal, 1912-1914, hotel rooms
were
50~
to $1.50. The same grade
rooms today would be $11 to $35. 1
remember, earlier as a boy, when
50~
was the price of a complete luncheon or
dinner at lcading hotels and the most
expensive restaurants, in many cities. The
same lunch or dinner today would cost
$7
to $10.
"What's happened through the years
to the purchasing power of the dollar?
''The Labor Departmeot's New Hand–
book of Labor Statistics cites this
example:
"In 1913,
$5
bo11ght:
3 pounds of
round steak,
pl11s
2 of cheese, 10 of
Rour, 3 of rice, 5 of chuck roast, 2 of
bacon, 1 of butter, 15 of potatoes, 5 of
sugar, and 1 of coffee - just as a
starter.
"You could also purchase 2 loaves of
bread, 4 c¡uarts of milk, and a dozen
eggs. This would leave you with 2 cents
for candy.
"In 1968, the
$5
bo11ght
you just 2
pounds and 13 ouoces
of
round steak
and 2 pounds of cheese. And nothing
left over.
"The good old days?
" In 1913 it took a factory worker
more than 22 hours to earn those five
dollars. Last year he had ooly to work 1
hour and 40 minutes"
(Christian Science
Monitor,
Nov. 5, 1969).
Remember the "mili"? 1 don't mean
a flour mill or paper mill. A "mil!" was
a United States coin - a tenth of a
penny. A copper
1~
piece was a pretty
respectable coin in those days. Yet 1
suppose most people today never heard
of the "mill."
A dollar today is worth less than
8~
was when I was a boy.
Yet, believe it or not - incredible
though it sounds - l'm going to tell
you the amaziog story of how - and
where - a single dollar today
goes
FARTHER than the 1902 dollar!
Many people write me asking: "How
can you publish and mail out such a
high-dass c¡uality magazine as
The
PLAIN
TRUTH, without
any
advertising
revenue, and not charge the subscriber a
subscription price?
Well, a part of the answer to that
question is found in this amazing story
of how - and where - a single dollar
today goes
farther
than tbe 1902 dollar!
It is the story of the founding, and
the growth, of this magazine and the
worldwide operations now associated
with it.
Most of our readers know that
J
had
chosen journalism and advertising as a
life profession. My uncle, Frank Arm–
strong, younger brother of
my
father,
was then the leading advertising man in
(Continueá on page 47)
In This lssue:
Whot Our Reoders
Soy
. . . . . .
lnside Front Cover
Personal from the Editor
The Bottle for
.
Economic Survivol
. . . . . . . .
2
Sick Soil-
o
Bosic Cause
of
Poor Heolth
. . . . . . . . . .
9
Advonce News
............
15
The Family thot Eots Together
Stays Together
. . . . . . . . . .
17
1970 -
o
Yeor
of
Disoster
..
21
The Solution
to o
No Deposit,
No Return Society
. . . . . . . .
24
Our Environmentol Crisis
. . . .
29
Whot YOU Con Do
. . . . . . . .
33
At Last -
the Missing Link- Found
35
TV
Log
............... ...
42
Radio Log
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
45
Ambouodor Cofloge Photo
OUR COVER
Danish freighter SINALOA unload·
ing Westem European goods at the
Pon of Los Angeles. In t:he back–
ground is the Japanese ship .KlN–
KASAN MARU.
Trade relations between the United
States and Japan are worsening as
the U. S. faces a nisis over imports.
Foreign confidence in the dollar and
the inflation-ridden American econ–
omy is fading. You need
to
under–
stand the crisis that is shnping up in
wodd trade. Read the article begin–
ning on page 2.