The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-02-20

he most absorbing topic Of the day, bsssass IL n
that which svsy one she high price Of sssr
TAis 10 said caused By the real Anticipated do
nand for II In EUROPE but whatever nay ~ the cause
Assigned for IT, there II question 10 the fact that
brAdss have AIN os doubled in price wthia the past
year. The poor mas who, perhaps II profoundly igno
rant OF the drsat sgsnsss which have produced this
result u made painfully OF 1t in the diminished
siss Of his leaf He nnds that alost every article Of
food has also increased In price, and that his earnings
are barely adequate to his support. few fast And
figures viii show more clearly what eject this alarming
insrsass In the psinspsl article OF food, somsaed with
other sircunstaasss mutt have upon his condition. and
In fact Hpos that Of the whole community, for AL
affected BY the prsvailiat high prices.
The pfics Of -four In New York now varies from Ten
dollars And hA 70 eleven, while In 1887 the year Of
the great riot II selling ct thirteen doIars Then
II In the hands Of spectators, H. to great sx
test Of pres nt In that year, however, the speculation
was not confined to our own State, but extended to
Nans Maryland, Virginia. and Psnnsylvania, where pub
Ito meetings hsd to protest against the imposition
New York the last to snr the aisst III
but when aroused she rstaAtsd upon the spssula
tors. The people had losg and patiently endured the
sxtortiona which prso issd spou ths till sxAspsat
ID to the highest degree, they broke iato tbs stores
OF several Of the obnoxious msrchan and scattered their
the speculation IN hour that tended TO create ths high
ats Of public feeling speculation In al the nsssssarss Of
life carried that the working classes
could with disulty subsist-it matter o. life ard
essth with them The following extract from tas HERALD
Of Feb 1887, may be regarded ~ graphic and lie like
sketch Of the condition Of city during that astrous
year.
Rents, provisions, fael, hour. money, work,
absorbing the attspion Of ell sasxs very houses
deeply I'M portant matters OF The present moment
M ~: j. 81 II. e ,.
working mAs. Even the corporation, that aroma OF
spscu alton Ia ksgued with spectators against ssan
They opening streets In ell dirsotions This ouy
to increase the value Of HOUSES AM drive tenants
nom the city.
Rents however, at that period were NOT 30 exorbltany
high ~ they are at present. house which cannot
b had for less than eight hundred thousand dollA
might then ss procured for thrss four hundred The
wages Of nearly a the industrial classes wsrs usvs
at lower rate aud they less abba endure the
tortions Of the Spectators than they There H.
therefore, little reason to apprshsnd that the present
high prices win be attended with the same
serious consequences 10 the public peace. Floar
have already stated IL selling At from tan dol
lars and half 10 eleven dollars barrel while potatoes
and Ill kinds Of vegetables have also inersaed In prio
though not in the proportion The following table
gives the present prices Of Of the praopa siclss
Of food -
Potatoes ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS psr barrel
Butter. 500. TO $50 per ID.
The riae In these articles II will be SEEM does no.
respond with the rise In the prios Of -FOUR but thay
Affected by 1t to comfortable extent The loaf which
ID BOW sold for six oants, weighs about pound four
ounces while nall aysAr ago 1t At least four
heavier Last August nour dollars barrel;
IN IN tam
dollars, loaf Weighing two pound sold for shil.
ling Tho fsllsSing comparative statement presents 1t
glance the dsrsaos In the price Of both bread and
at present. and At the time OF the Asur riot 1887
Flour, PER barrel In 1887
Flour. Pc. b,rtel in 1854 .....sloh
Weight Of sxpenny loaf In 1897 .............. h.
Weight Ct sixpsnpy Loaf In l8t4.........1lb OF
From this appears that -four is two dollars and half
less than 1t in 1887; but rents, have sho 1n
double what they In that year. and nom present
dications they Will BE- considerably Increased before the
brst Of Nay ns1t the poor 6suld b. induced to emf
crate to as country to other oss there would Of
oesity b reduction in this respect; but the populA
10 constantly iAorsassg from sngrAtIen and the
for houses great hat builders hardly crest ths
IS proved BY tbs fact that
. dweniss 4 sreesso, old ,st
| there are twenty more applicants for 1t, House
| rents, therefore, will soatnus to increase while
| limits to them, for II they increase in the
| same proportion during the next thrss or four
years that they have within the last year or two 1t
win b. Impossible for the traeesnsn and thoss who are
dspsadsnt their weekly earnings support themselves
and families 1--we inquire iato the sxpsnss Of living At
prsss. viii nnd that there srs thousands Of
and tr,dssmsn living Ia New York who oan Only By the
nost I'D domestic economy keep themselves and chill
drsn from starvation. The weekly wages Aborsr 70.
esivss does not exceed seven dollars and With this
many Of them are com PEELED to support q wife and
Large family. Lot u 80 hew they do It, A man with
wife and four children must have at least rooms
Of which W Occupied bedroom, and the other
made TO serve the general purposes OF kitchen and
sitting room. For these hs pays at least ak dollars
month, or one dollar and half per week. which leaves
him i've dollars and . half for food, fuel clothing
and oil the expenses Incidental to houssks sping.
Five dollars and halt for the support Of SIX less than
dollar wax for eaeh person. exclusive Of fuel hing
&c.. which, ct the lowest calculation would amount 10
two dollars week What aytsrrble and orusbins
effect most the rise Of hour three or four dollars barrel
have upon him, and Thousands In the same ooDditiou
But this may b. regarded An extreme case.
Bow many ARE thGs whose labor II not well requitsd
and upon whom tbs results OF this speculation In brssi
stls disssrous Tbs poor does not a. 70 have
aad understand the various agencies that have operated
to produce this result he that the loaf does not
make thsn nvs six slices whore It formerly male
eight or ten and TO him this Ia Of Immediate IN.
esrn than the question whether the Gar Sultan shall
reign ever ltsmboul Hs imsgines perhaps that
both Turk and Russ have doas much towards rsduosg the
size Of his loaf that the expansion Of the credit system
among Individuals has helped 10 dimiaish ths number Of
siess snd that speculation growing out OF both these
causes has combined with them to reduce his means OF
vsg He perhaps thinks the baker the principal per-
10 blame and that the xs Of the sducsd his
PROFITS are increased The following oommuncAtss sh,ws
that this u the opinion entertained By psrsoas:
IMPOSITION OF THE sAKKRe.
Wheat flour selling fer $40 60 and buck whsst At ~
per barrel This Ia al speculation there millions OF
bArrah - tbs INTERIOR and vhsat must and win fall TO
the old prices let the demaad for shippinR b what Il
may. The ersp thS year saornous II farmers aud
msrs have heard Of the Aigh prices and the quantity
Of nour on the way 70 New Ytrk unprecedented The
spsoulAtors will catch It this hns n mis,aks rhs
present high prices sssnot stasd two weeks Look ont