The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-09-12
PRICES IN SAN FRANCISCO.
dow the Once Despised Nickel Has cheap
ened Some Things.

ened Some Things.
Among the recent contributions to
the hodge-podge of attractions on the
side of Market street are
several little ''holes-in-t he-wall," where
any of the articles displayed may be
purchased for five cents. The array
and variety of the goods are remark
able when the price is considered. On
the walls and shelves are walking.
sticks, tinware, collars, neckties, soap,
pipes and, to quote the usual tag of an
auctioneer's catalogue, "other things
too numerous to MENTION" all at the
low price of half dime. The novelty
Of the venture and the fact that the
once despised nickel had grown to be
purchasing factor of some consequence
led Chronicle reporter to put together
the results of certain observations on
the gradual tendency of small prices to
become smaller The change has been
especially noticeable during the past
five years, and while the greater items
of expenditure have not been affected,
and while housekeeping remains just as
expensive as ever, the little things and
the luxuries have been cut down sew
eral notches. The tive-cent piece has
been called the "despised Nickel" and
it is fact, as everyone knows, that I'M
til within comparatively recent date
San Francscans looked with supreme
and most unreasonable contempt on
anything that was not gold or silver.
The street car companies were mainly
instrumental in breaking down this
prejudice. Silver half-dimes were get
ting very scarce, owing to the discon-
tinuance of their coinage, and large
importations of the nickel were made.
Once put into circulation, new uses
were naturally found for it, and while
it would be impossible to give the gene
sis of these new uses, it will be just as
interesting to point them out. With
the reduction of internal revenue on
tobacco, smokers were not slow in dis
covering what could be done with the
nickel. Five-cent cigars came strongly
into fashion, cigarettes went down to
five cents pack, and chewingtobacco
followed in unsavory suit. Before the
change the "bit" cigar was the cheap
est, and when a man wanted to do the
swell thing in treating he put up dol
lar for the two. Now, not only is a
five-center considered good enough for
the ordinary puffer, but moderately
good cigars can be had at the rate OF
six for quarter, and when treat is to
be made none but The extravaganza think
of taking anything but two for 25
cents. Reference is not made here
to Chinese cigars, which can be bought
at almost any price, peddlers in China
town offering them as low as ten for 1C
cents.
Plush-covered chairs set in rooms OF
wooden sheds, all the daily papers to
read and brush-off are among the in
ducements to shine. Ten cents used
to be the lowest price for all these COM
forts, while il quarter were rendered
:here would be but 10 cents change,
and the shine would cost IL cents.
Some Italians started new order Of
things in Pauper alley (Liedersdorf
street,, with a fixed charge of five
cents, and though there was vigorous
attempt made to crush out the danger
Gus cheapDess, patronage went all tina
way, and now the l0-cent boot-blacl
stands can be counted on the fingers o
one hand. Closely allied to the boot
blacks are the barb RS, and though TIT
tive-cent regime has not yet reached
the "tonsorial artists" material re
duction of charges obtains among them
Twenty-Five cents was at one time thu
ruling price for a shave and so cent
was no unusual price to pay for hal
cutting. Now there are plenty of place
where man can be well shaved for
cents and shorn for rs cents, Will
those WHO are on stricter economy ben
could furnish one with the addresses Q
BARRIERS who shave for dime and Gu
hair for Is cents.
The "bit" was for many years on
of the local monetary peculiarities G
San Francisco There were, as ever
one knows, two "bits"-the ''long" an
the "short" The short bit" was II
cents, and the "long" Is cents. Lik
the York shilling, the 124 cents was
fiction. There never was such coir
and the difficulty here was that ther
were no copper cents to make up tn
change. The result was that the pul
chaser, whenever the price was in cd
bits, invariably contributed p cents
the illegitimate profit of the selle
Especially was this the case at restal
rants Checks were made out for tire,
four, five or six bits, and so on. I'll
meal having cost three bits, say-ths
means 374 cents-a half-dollar woul
be rendered and 10 cents given
change, which meant that instead of 81
cents the customer paid 40 cents. No
the checks are in cents, and if the lunc
costs IS cents the customer pays g,
actly that amount.
With all the mulcting of an occ
sional p cents, San Francisco mail
tanned well-founded reputation fl
being one of the cheapest places fl
food in the United States, but latterly
new order of cheapness has come in.
few years ago frugal Dane opened
10-cent coffee saloon on Californ
street. The customers used to sink
there afraid of being seen, but the ia
that good cup of coffee and a plate
cake or doughnuts could be had the
for dime was something that owe
came false pride, and 10-cent coffi
houses are at present to be found
San Francisco by the score, if not
the hundred, while the patrons of Il
places walk in with head erect and i