The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-09-29
The Cost of Living IN England.

The OPINION Is very prevalent IN the United
States that the cost Of living in Great Britain
is lower than in our own country In time past
this may have been the case; with families of
moderate means, it certainly is not so now.
say families of moderate means, for up to n
certain amount of income, the one item OF food
inevitably consumes half or nearly half, the
entire amount; but, when the yearly income
passes above five or six hundred dollars, the
part expended upon the table is no longer half
and the per cent so laid out constantly dimin-
shes as the income increases hence the cost
of living would then mainly rest, not upon the
price of food, but upon the cost of rent, cloth
inc, and luxllries In Great Britain food is
necessarily always high; rents are by no means
low; and clothing and other manufactured ar
ticles are generally cheaper than in the United
States. Some time sincea New York paper
noticed the departure o. tOrty-siX skilled car
penters and joncrs from New York for the
English city Of Manchester, and cited some
authority ~ saying that Sl.15-thc stipulated
wages per day IN Manchcstcr-has II purchas-
ing power equal to $3.50 in New York. There
is really no such difference. One dollar and
scvcnty-fve cents per day is the m;Eimum of
mechanics wages in England, and after stay
of nearly Il year in this country, | have no hes
itatiOn in saving that families live quite as
Chcaply in the eastern and central parts of the
United States as anywhere in England; and
with this advantage in favor of the former that
the climate gives great variety of fruits and
vegetables, most of which are to be had here
only by paying very cXorbitant prices
When Americans come to England they al
ways notice the mcagrc variety of the average
bill of fare as compared with the generous
American style to which they have been accus-
toned. Here is "A dreary monotony Of bread
am srra M finn nt mn
green corn, little or no fruit, and generally
none of the nnumerabc toothsomc rclishcs
that American and French housewives under
stand so well
The British food supply comes mainly from
abroad From year to year constantly and
rapidly increasing amount Of the great staples
is brought from various Continental countries
and the United States. In 1876 cereals were i'm.
ported to the value of $259, 600 600; meats of
all kinds, SGG,00O,000; live animals, $4,000,
600; butter, $4S,000000; cheese, $2l 100000
eggs, Sl300000O; potatoes $S,i0O0O0; lard,
S1SOO000. The chief contributor is our OWE
country. | mention these items 10 show the
dependence of Great Britain upon other Coun-
tries, and because they naturally teach that
consumers must pay higher than in the coun-
tries from which the supplies are drawn.
Tie average Wholesale price of wheat for ten
years has been about $l53 per bushcl; the
present price about $220 The present retail
price of flour is about $3.50 per barrel Corn
meal is 3 cents per pound. Meat of all kinds
is much higher than in the United States. Beef
IS nearly double the price | have known in
Ohio and Michigan for many years past, and,
in general, is from @ cents TO 10 cents per pound
higher than in the Eastern states. The intro
duction Of American fresh meat made re
dIction of, perhaps, five cents pound general
Ia EnnliSh hufpharc fnn,rht anaiput and
tried 10y every means, both fair and foul, to dis
courage its use but il won its way into pub
lie favor, nevertheless. Meat holds an impOr
tant place in the diet of the British people, and
the high price of this one article is "a large fac
tor of the entire cost of living.
Vegetables of all kinds, when compared with
American prices, are also high. The universal
potato rarely gets below 1926 per bushel.
American housekeepcrs are often able 10 lay
in their winters supply of potatoes at forty or
fifty cents per bushel, but no such prices are
ever known here. OF all kinds of garden pro
duce, il may he said that prices are often reas-
enable, but never positively cheap. There are
a great many mouths 10 feed in this little is
land country. Land is very valuable, and the
products Of the soil are always in demand nj
good prices
Butter and eggs also command high prices.
Prime butter during the past year has been
about forty cents per pound; good article
may now be had for thirty-eight cents. Fresh
eggs are thirty cents per dozen. Immense
quantities OF artificial butter are sold in Eng
land, though II is rarely sold as such. Com
PARSONS Of the quantities of real butter made
and imported, with all sold under the name of
butter. show this To be the fact Ii is estimat-
I'd that IL only genuine butter were sold here,
the price could not bc less than 81 per pound.
Fruits, except apples and pear command
such prices "a 20 make them mere luxuries.
Even those | have excepted have not sold at
any time for a whole year past at less than So
per bushel for sound, NOT extra, qualities.
Choice apples are never 10 be had at less than
% per busllel. Grapes are worth no, less than
- cents per pouDd in their season, and choice
qualities would meier be less than % or 30
cent?. The small fruits such "a cherries, straw
berries. curran's goosebcrries and raspberrics
may be quoted at the minimum price all
round Il - cents per quart, though firstraie
quality II Strawberries and raspberries i by no
means 10 he had as low as thai-40 cents per
u--t woala he more nearly their usual price