The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-02-15 00:00:00

tlje <stour4rittge 04serber.

TURBAN, FEBRUARY 15, 1873.

THE HIGH PRICES OF FOOD AND
FUEL.

The continuance of high prices for food,
especially animal food, and for fuel has be-
come very serious. The classes of society
are so commingled, and the boundaries are
so indistinct, that when we speak of any
particular class it is not easy to convey the
exact idea intended; but it may be stated
that the lower-middle class and the poorest
section of the working-class suffer the most
by these high prices. As to the rich, high
prices for food and fuel make little difference
to them; there are greater demands made
upon them, but these demands are readily
met. The gentry, the more successful of
the professional classes, our merchants and
high-class tradesmen—all these, too, cannot
be said to feel acutely the present pressure
of prices. But when we come to classes
below these, this pressure weighs heavily.
Out of the latter classes, however, there is a
large section of the working-class whose
wages have, during the last year or two,
been so increased that the high prices of food
find fuel are Compensated for by higher wages
than they formerly had, and the utmost that
this class can assert is that they are now no
better off with high wages than they were
before. But there is also another large
section of the working-class whose wages
have not been raised, all this section must
bitterly feel the present pressure of prices.
The section of society. however, that has
suffered, and is suffering most, is the poorest
section of the working-class—labourers, and
their wives and families. The distress
amongst this class is becoming severe. As a
rule, all those who have had fixed incomes
have suffered severely through the pressure
of high prices, and there does not at present
app,..;.e hay- probability of a reduction in the
cost of household necessaries. Many schemes
for increasing our supply of animal food
have been talked of, but with the exception
of a large export of preserved meats from
Australia and New Zealand, but little has
been accomplished. What we owe to these
supplies it is impossible to estimate. But for
them our butchers' meat, fish, dye., would
have been far dearer than they now are.
The continuous supplies from our colonies,
and the prospect of supplies from South
America arc however, hopeful signs, and as
the prejudice against preserved meats is
decreasing, we may fairly expect that our
imports will increase, and this will tend to
keep down prices. What is wanted, how-
ever, is the importation of live cattle, and
there is a feasible scheme for importing
them from parts of the United States. We
believe that it is simply a question of money,
energy, and judicious management; and it
is hardly likely that while thereis such an
enormous demand for meat in the United
Kingdom and such vast supplies in other
parts of the world, the natural law of supply
and demand will long remain, and will con-
tinue much longer unapplied.
The enormous prices of coal are having a
serious effect on many branches of industry.
Coal is an absolute nevssity of life. Our
railways and shipping, and innumerable de-
pArtinents of trade and commerce, are greatly
dependent on our coal supply, and the de-
ficiency- of this supply is telling somewhat
alarrailigly on our productive and distrilan-
tive industries. Coal and iron are intimately
associated, and high prices for both have
eep,OSA 41 energy, limited production, and
have had a generally deadening effect on
trade, while numerous failures are attributed
to these high prices, especially that for coal.
The greatly enhanced cost of coal may be
partly attributed to the enormous demand,
esp iallv in the part of the iron and metal
; pray to the increased wages of the
colliers; part'27 ta the diminished output,
ti diminution in the hours of
ii p irtty to the strikes and other
disturlsinces in the labour market. Con-
sidering tilor..‘foro the intiniate connection
cod ,Lial iron, it is matter for con-
ulat:,.a that the (lis, grow . strike in
Wales i- —dile brought
linf"rtn-

O\V I

in the dis.

tricf, itd indirectly 4)n 11,1111i•rons branches
or iinittstry--is beyond Ali calculation. It :s
irne:tly to be desired therefore that some
mans could be adopted to render such
Tikes, if not impossible, at least, very im-
p-To-00x +ll, future. A permanent board
;trh;tratk»,i.omposed of equal numbers
an 1 7:1,n. nlizht at least be tried!
-11,1•31

e " ,1 • Po 1

1:1.1...:•i1g our
eupply It has been ouggoatetl that the

State should purchase and work collieries
for the benefit of the nation. This would
never do. It is a reproduction of the old
idea of national workshops which so signally
failed in France. Another and more prac-
tical thing might be done by the sanction of
Parliament. We might have a commission,
composed of scientific and practical men, to
search for new coalfields at home. Govern-
ment has lately been urged to send out
another Arctic expedition, and has wisely
declined to do so. An expedition in search
of coal at home—where there is good reason
to believe it exists in unexplored fields—
would be much more to the national taste.