Sharp County record., 1881-03-24
Some Curious Effects of the PrOtracted
War With Chill.

A gentleman who has Just arrived in
this. city from Lima, told Sun report
er Yesterday of the curious effect that
the war has produced upon the prices
of commodities in Peru. The paper
currency of the country has deprecated
to such degree that it takes eleven
dollars of that money to buy one of
gold, and many articles being purchase
Bile only with gold coin or its equiva-
lent, their cost has been in consequence
enormously increased. This is the case
with all articles sold by the foreign
merchants of the country, they having
determined to conduct their business
onlyupon coin basis. A pair of shoes,
for instance, will cost all the way up
from twenty-five to sixty or seventy
dollars. The gentleman who impaired
this information said that the passage
for himself and his wife from Callao to
New York cost $4,000 in Peruvian cur
rency. Ordinarily the passage would
cost in gold for two persons something
over 800.
With the price of native products,
however, and with the wages of labor,
rents and hotel and restaurant charges,
the case is different. While these have
advanced somewhat the increase has
been more trihing in comparison with
the depreciation in the currency. Board
at the best hotels is not over four dollars
a day in paper; restaurant charges are
in the same proportion and rents have
advanced but slightly. The result of
this singular disturbance in the equilib-
rum of prices is condition of things de-
cidedly favorable to the foreign mercan-
tile community and to strangers well
provided with coin. A shopkeeper will
sell hat for thirty dollars in paper and
get two weeks board for the same
amount at good hotel, or he will sell a
fifty dollar watch for $3.50 and pay a
year rent of good house with it,
The experience of party of officers of
the United States war vessel Lacka-
wanna, who took an excellent dinner
shortly after their arrival al the best
restaurant in Lima, was mentioned in
illustration of this peculiar discrepancy.
There were six in the party and they
had, besides very good dinner, several
bottles of wine. The bill for the whole
entertainment was sixty dollars, paper,
which they settled by paying less thal
six dollars in gold. The wine alone
would have cost more than that in New
York.
The native population are compelled
to yield to the necessity of the situa-
ton, and accept the paper currency
without changing their prices in pro-
portion to the market value of the
money, but the foreign population re-
fuse to do so. A foreigner going to
Lima now with little gold could live
comfortably for a small outlay. He
could board at a tirst-class hotel for
thirty-fve cents day, hire horse for
the same amount, "a servant for that
much week and rent a house for three
or four dollars month, The Peruvian
house owners who remain in Lima can
get along for the present, since, il their
rents are cut down so is the cost Of
food and service; but those who have
quit the country in consequence of the
Chilian invasion do not fare so well,
with their incomes, reckoned by the
gold standard, reduced to about one
tenth of what they were a year or two
Aaan-Ka4k- -SaLaa--------- -------.-------------
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