The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-05-20
.Q {. u Q|,',;tI !:
WAGES AND LIVING. I

I y /,
Consular Reports and Statistics RclntIn,
TO tho Subject from France aud der
many. N+ ts}ssy X y
The volume Of consular reports last pub
l!shed contains some information concern
Ing the cost Of living and tho amount o.
wages paid in European countries. Consul
II. A. Taylor, writing from AIarseiles
France, says: g5.,5.so
u find that It Is the general impression
among Americans-in fact, shared iho
same belief myself before coming here.
that me cost Of living here Ia quite moderate
considerably less than In The average com.
munities OF tho United States This IL n
great mistake. Nearly ali tho necessor ic =,
~ ne command higher prices here thun
~ .ns states. The so.callcd delicacies,
luSnrles OF life" su"h as fruits wines,
etc. are somewhat clltaper than in Amer.
ica. As a sample ofprices here will men.
Iloh mat Hour Is worth So to s. per 100
pounds; beet, 20 to 10 cents per pound; pork,
:. 10 ~; mutton, % to 30; hun, 10 10 60;
butter, 40 to 90; eggs, 30 cents; poultry Is
very nigh, % to 10 cents per pound; fresh
tisl', excepting mackerel, very high: po,a.
toes, ~ cents toSl per bushel. give our
weights aud measures. Everything here
ts sold By weight, even to wood. Wood i
extremely high, $50 to $40 per cord, and
not Of the best quality. Soft coal is used
considerably for heating purposes, although
o. u very. poor quality and giving out Il
disagreeable aud unhealthy gus. 1t is
worth s. per ton. Charcoal Is used almost
exclusively for cooking purposes, and costs
81 ~ per 100 pounds. Persons ut home.
familiar with housekeeping expenses, will
readily SEQ that these prices are materially
in excess OF those they have been acc,ls.
toned TO pay. Assn result, it will be found
that the expense OF maintaining plain
table for family, say OF five, with two ser.
wants, Is about s. per day. Servants
wages are somewhat less here than in
America. Cooks Gun be obtained ut from
81 to - per month, and maids ut from So
10 -. Rents are rather reasonable,
a house containing say seven 10 eight
rooms beside those for the servants, can be
had, rather sparely furnished, af $500 to
$500 per year, and uniurnsihcd at $50 to
$500, Flats can be had considerably less, o5
per cent at least Washing and ironing is
never done in the house, and so, OF course,
IS an extra expense. 1t can be obtained,
however, quite cheaply-for Il family OF
five at from IS to $40 per month. It is
necessary to have Mt least two servants, rs
"malds.oi.all.work" can rarely be found
4 cook expects to do nothing but the cook
ing. and kitchen work, and therefore n
maid is necessary for waiting on table. do
ing chamber work, etc. From these tig.
nres 1t will be seen that the expenses OF Il
family Of five persons, living plainly but
comfortably, exclusive OF carriage. coaci.-
man and all extras, such as schools, aln,,se-
men's, gratultles to servants, etc, will foot
up about rs follows:
cent ............S SEQ
tao1e tS leicA...... 900
$50
Wood, Cal and light Go
9J0
Clothes are somewhat cheaper here
than in the United States, especially gen
,lemen's wear. There is not great diff
ference in ladies' goods ..;:ie from silks
and velvets. Boots and shoes and gloves
are quite cheap"
Commercial Agent Vim. D. Warner, OF
Dusseldorf, gives some statistics Of tho
wages and expenses OF working people.
He says OF his inquiry at one OF the largest
paper-hanging manufactures in Germany:
The result OF my examination revealed
that the average weekly wages paid 10
each common laborer, exclusive OF board
and lodging, amount to 1875 leichmarks.
or ST IS. Anxious to learn ho,v much nj