Connecticut western news., 1884-08-20
WAGES AND LIVING.
Report of the Massachusetts Labor HureHu -Compnrison Between AIRssRehuHetts and Great Britain.

Part " of the Report of the Massa- chusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor contains the comparative prices and cost of living here and in Great Britain for the period 1860 to 1883. The details furnished are very elaborate. The cost of living is acknowledged to be higher in Massachusetts than in Great Britain, and the report aims to show in what re- spect. In Great Britain in 1883 grocer ies were .S3 per cent. higher than in 1872; provisions 10.32 per cent. lower and fuel 41.26 per cent lower. In 1872 groceries were 23.03 per cent. higher here than there; provisions 25.7l per cent higher there, and fuel 60.l9 per cent. higher here. In 1883 groceries were 16.1S per cent higher here; pro visions 23.0S higher there, and fuel 10L96 higher here. In 1883 for all grades of dry goods prices were 1926 per cent. higher here, but for medium and lower grades used by workingmen Great Britain had an advantage of only @ of l per cent. All grades of shoes and slippers show an average of 62.59 per cent. higher here than there, but con sider1ng only medium and low grade, the price is only 42. 75 per cent. higher hero. In 1883 in all grades of clothing the ay- craze price was 45.06 per cent higher here, but medium and low grades aver aged only 27.36 per cent. higher, while the better grades averaged 5657 per cent. higher. Rents in 1883 averaged S9. 62 per cent. higher in Massachusetts than in Great Britain. Here the average rent of one room was 66 cents week, S2. .S6 a month and S343s Q year, while there it was 35 cents week, Sl.51 Q month and S1S.02 a year. Returns for board and lodging are very complete, and show m average of 39.01 per cent higher here than there, In 1883 board and lodging here for men averaged S4.7 a week, and for women S3.19. Board alone averaged S3.s week for men and $2. 56 for women. Lodging alone aver aged S2. 20 a week for men and S1.46 for women. The Massachusetts family av- erages to earn 55.27 per cent. more than the family in Great Britain. The head of the family averages S0.3l per cent. more here and the total family expenses here are 4S.H per cent. higher than there. Here family averages to spend 93. .s9 per cent. of its income and to save 6. II per cent surplus. There fl spends 9s.24 per cent, and has only 1.76 per cent. for savings.
 The report corroborates the economic laws of Dr. Eugel, of Prussia: "The greater the income the smaller the rela. tive outlay for subsistence; the percent age of outlay for clothing is approxi' mately the same, whatever the income
 the percentage of outlay for lodging
 or rent, and for fuel and light is inyari
 ably the same, whatever the income
 as the income increases in amount the percentage of outlay for sundries be
 comes greater" The average nnnua family expenditure in Massachusetts fol
 1883 was S75i.42, and in Great Britain
 was S50S 30. Items of expense herr were as follows: Subsistence, 51.76 pc
 cent. clothing, 16 g.; rent. 1925; fuel ,. 10; sundries, 10.57 In Great Britain
 they were: subsistence, 56. 45; clothing
 15. 54; rent, 13. 66; fuel, 4.S3: sundries g.52. Conclusions of the comparison are
 ''that, on any basis of yearly expendi ture, the prices of articles entering int the cost of living were, on the average 1729 per cent higher in Massachusett in 1883 than in Great Britain; that of thi figure II. 10 per cent. was due to highe rents in Massachusetts, leaving 5.S0 pc
 cent. as indicative of the higher cost c
 living in Massachusetts as compare
 with Great Britain as regards the re
 maining clements of expense" Tn
 ''grand result" of the comparison
 "that the higher prices in Massachusett
 are represented by 5.s0 per cent; tha l the increased accommodations in houi 3 ing and the general higher standard ( b living maintained by Massachuseti workingmen as compared with the stand
 ard of living of workingmen in Grei
 Britain is represented by 42.61 per cen out of the total greater cost of 4s.H p' cent. or stated as directratio, tho stan' ' ard of living of Massachusetts worlSinI men is to that of the workingmen . Great Britain as 1.42 is to l"