The sun., 1879-05-01
LOW WAGES AND DEAR FOOD
H1RD LINES ron MEN HHO WORK
FOR THEIR DIILr BREAD.

really not deserved that name; not for some
decades past. at any ratc. Certainly many
things have been very low. and nrr So even now;
but it IL somewhat remarkable that amid all
this supposed cheapnrss the very things that
are most absolutely necessary and Of which
mon need tho most are invariably dear. and
have been so these many years past What mat
ters it that n man may get shaved for u penny
and his hair cut for twoprncr. II he must at
the same time pay 81 80 hushrl for potators ms
an average price for many years past. and $50
or t2 bushr for the most ordinary qualities Of
apples These are. in fact, minimum prices
Hero is the secret of the whole matter: In
whatever department prices are low, the cheap
ness is almost wholly due to the paupcr prices
paid to tho workman who makes the article.
Whero human labor is the principal factor in
the product. the price will bc low. ns in the case
OF manufactured goods Of nearly all kinds; but
where tho masters or the landlords interest
becomes tho chief factor, as is the case in the
land owners hold upon the soil. the price cf thu
product is sure to be high. The type setter may
get shaved for a penny because lis brother
workman the BARRIERS gets very paltry wages. and
the barber in turn may buy Bible or prayer
book for very trining sum. because his brother
workman. the type setter. gets only starvation
wages for setting up the type. Each ono nb-
surdly thinks himself fortunate In being able to
get these wants supplied at so low a price, and
landlords and capitalists are very glad to have
tho working millions believe thus that they are
benefited by robbing Peter to pay Paul. and
then in turn picking Paus pocket to recon-
pensc Peter for his previous loss.
Twill mention few things which certainly
are cheap. Tho current price for shaving il
two cents. and for hnir cutting four cents.
There are shops where four cents Is the charge
for ths uul six or aitrlt for tho
latter; but where one person pays these rates
half dozen pay tho lower rates named. Tho
few shops which charge 10 or ~ cents for hair
cutting are considered quite eXtortionatc.
Newspapers are very cheap. The Times and n
few other papers are indeed a trine high. but
the nearly universal price is two cents. The
Telegraph. which claims the largest circulation
in the world the Standard, the Daily Neios,
and Chronicle all sell attwo cents. In such pro-
vincial towns as Manchester Liverpool. Bir-
mingham. Sheffield. and Leeds the best daily
papers also all sell 1.-two cents. Books are also
very cheap. rs compared with their price In the
United States. Books on which there is still
copyright are often as high "a in our own coun-
try but on the mass II literature tho copyright
has long since expired. and on such books the
usual prices ars hardly moro than half the
prices common in the Uni.ed states,
The heavier and finer kinds Of clothing are
also cheap. Merchant tnilors in London seem
able 10 make their goods at astonshingiy low
rutrs. Excellent trousers of Scotch tweed are
made to measure Mt about 81 aud entire suits of
the same-also made to measure-ior $40 or sl2.
Omnibus and cab fares are also very low. and
this is tru- OF nearly all the lnree towns OF Eng
land. II all these cases OF chrnpncss le closely
examined it will be generally found that the
paltry wages paid 20 the workman are the chief
cause Of such cheapness Tn" barber will shave
you for two cents for the reason that where he
Ia an employee he rarely gets above 81 a day.
and whore he owns the shop the public is will
ing TO allow him only about the same pay rs m
unskllled workman, Tor such ha il considered
here. Your newspaper and book cost very little
money. because tue workmen who make the
paper set the type. and stitch and bind the
books are men, women, and girls who get
barely enough to buy bread, The merchant
tailor also sells his goods low, because the
pary % wages. @ s NV Yors ionrnryman % YIN n tailor iir
would not look at the wages paid to such work
But nearly ali the substantial necessaries Of
life except clothing. are very high here. Tho
twenty-six shillucs about 1925. the ton Of 2. .2iO
pounds. ana one or two shilings less
for meilum quality. II Is not at all
OF 1000 pounds the best coal here would be-
at the rate of about $500. Tuis Is n high price
for coal, bat IL about the average for some years
past. Two months ago tho price was IS cents
higher than at present.
from rents in New York and taxes are no doubt
about the same. A house renting for $50
AS taxes. and this will include the water rate,
The occupier always pays the taxes, THIS Is
the rate in London, and such house Is usu-
ally occupied hy families whose incomes are
from $500 To $500 a year.
Bread is now selling at twelve cents for tho
four pound Loaf. that is, NJ three cents pound.
The present price is unusually low. however.
and II has not been 80 low more than three or
four times n the last forty years. The average
price for the last ton yrHrs has been Just about
four cents pound The average wholesale
price OF wheat Is now about $40 a bush"l as
compared with fl.75 throughout the year 1877.
The price OF m"nt Is fully as low IN London IA
In any Other large town OF either ENGLAND or
Scotland. TIL" rhoi '"st cuts ot br"lateak are
never under thirty five cents n pound, and good
ordinary steaks average about tuirty cents.
joints oi beet are now eighteen or twenty cents
pound. against about twenty-five cents two
years ago. Mutton is only ~ Little lower than
beof Am.riran fresh beef and mutton have
had the effect OF lowering prices mere very
much. but American la ON and hams have low
cred the prices of these articles much more
than in the case OF fresh beef and mutton. The
tremendous Imports OF bacon and hams IN the
past two yenrs have forced down prices at retail
fully ten cents a pound. and tho wholesale price
has been AFT ctri even nor" The Dealers seem
TO have made rich harvest out of the reduc-
ton. for they have held retail price = as high ns
they pOss bly, could. although their goo Is have
cost them hardly hat the prices they formerly
paid for English and Scotch meats. The Amrrl-
can canned meals are now becOme very pnpu-
lar ana all good prov sion stores keep them.
The canned corned berf very universally sells
at sixteen cents u pound. 10 comes mostly from
Chicago and ~. Louis.
Eggs are mostly imported from France and
Ireland. Ii Is hard 10 get them absolutely new.
II the dealer tftn warrant them 10 be absolutely
new he may always g"t cents aulrce iuI them.
Ihe ordinary Eggs. which are called fresh "
hut which are reulIy not 50. commonly sell at
about 30 cents or 35 cents duzrn. Butter Is
also mostly imported from France and Ireland.
and there is the SANE un 'rrtiiuty about getting II
fresh, or IN fact In getting what is really butter
at all, AS in the case ol eggs. Probably more
than three -iourths Of the so-rill,ri butter" is
not real butter. This sells nj all prices from
20 cents To- 35 cents a pound. None can be
bought under 40 cents At any time in the yoHr
that is fit tp be- eaten. Anything that can lay
the least claim to being real English farm but.
ter" sells here, m we'll HS In most other places
In England, nt 30 cents n pound aud upward.
Foreign cheese. mostly American, has fairly
flooded the country IN the last lew years. Ordi-
nary prime English cherse still sells M about
20 cents II pound; but people Hr" discovering
that the American article. which cun he had at
about is cents, - Just as good. The universal
price for milk II 10 cents quart. INT II is al
most universally much diluted with water.
Vegetables Of all kinds are high An ordinary
quality of potato can never be had under 81 rs
bushel and the average price tor years pnst
is fully tl.5O. Carrots and turn Us are about rs
cents q bushel higher uian potato These
Were the prices about the first o. the yrHr. when
they wore abundant. They are higher Just now.
Other vegetables arr proportonntely high.
The prices Of fruit are simply prohibitory for
most people. A few year- HgO, when American
apples were hardly known here. an ordinary
quality of homegrown apple could seldom be
had under 10 cents u pound-sny "a a uushrl-
In their seasOn, and surh hs were really not fl