The question of the “excess of selling price over the cost of production” in these industries has been well ascertained. A cost of production according to economists, implies [SN: COST OF PRODUCTION.] cost of materials used; salaries, wages, rent, taxes, insurance, repairs paid; waste of machinery, instruments, and of other capital valued; in short, it implies all expenses, including reasonable percentage on stock and reasonable remuneration for the troubles of capitalists and entrepreneurs. And all these expenses must be collected by means of selling prices from consumers of the products. While what is unreasonable in such prices under ordinary circumstances is called an “excess of selling price over the cost of production.” This excess was raised by the trusts up to 12.95 per cent in 1890.[139] If then we take the selling prices even of the total profits of $1,116,000,000 of the manufacture and mechanical trades for the year 1890,[140] and subtract this excess from [SN: EXTORTION FROM THE PUBLIC.] it, we find that the excess amounted to $144,522,000 in one year. Admitting that the above percentage sustained some fluctuations, we cannot but think that, with the increasing activity in combinations of the trusts, this percentage of the excess must have increased soon after that year. So that the average of it, from 1891 to 1897 inclusive, must have been carried on by the trusts in different ways and means. If so, then they must have exacted from the consuming public fully $1,011,654,000 worth of its wealth, as an excess of selling price over the cost of production of the goods consumed. This loss of the public wealth, of course, does not exclude the losses of the families worth $5,000 and over; nor does it include any relation to exports of the products of these trades. The loss simply indicates an extortion from the public by perverted morality and profound selfishness of the combines. The next item in the concentration of wealth has been drawn from the agricultural regions. It has been estimated that the wages and earnings of all farmers from 1890 to 1895 have fallen over 20 per cent;[141] and that 8,497,000 persons engaged in agriculture [SN: SPECIAL LOSSES OF THE FARMERS.] have suffered from the fall, according to the estimates of Dr. Spahr,[142] which he based upon various reports. If, however, we admit only 10 cents of this loss from every person, every labor day, in favor of the various monopolies, trusts and combinations which use the raw materials and transport the agricultural materials and products, we find that in about 266 working days in one year the above people lost $226,020,200 worth of their products. Distributing these losses equally over seven years we find that these people have lost and the monopolies, etc., have gained about $1,582,141,400 worth of their wealth for nothing. And this is only the minimum loss that was carried throughout the period of seven years, as constant drain.