The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-22
THE COST or LIVING.
Present Prices Compared With Those Of
Eighty or Ninety Years Ago.

THE COST or LIVING.
Present Prices Compared With Those Of
Eighty or Ninety Years Ago.
In view of some curious efforts to in
crease the emoluments Of Government
officers, On the ground that it costs two
or three times as much 70 live now as it
did when these offices were created, i;
may be well to recall sundry statistics
given by Senator George, of Mississip-
pi, in a recent speech. Having re-
peatedly found his objections to the
modern increase of official salaries met
by the broad assertion that costs three
times as much TO live now as it did
when the Government was founded, he
determined to be no longer put down by
this statement, without finding out eX-
actly how far L was true. He deived
among the books of the Congressional
library. aud the conclusion he reached
was that lin all the subStantials ofl;fe. all
the neceSsaries and the comforts of life,
tie prices were higher during Washing
tons ard the elder Adams adm;n;stra-
ton than they are now. | allude es-
peciaily 10 prOvis OnS. things consumed
b. men. CT course. we all know as to
clothing that TIE Improvement in labor
saving machinery, the invention Of the
sewing machine, have greatly reduced
the prices of those necessary articles.
As TO fuel, have looked into that, and
the price Of coal s row less than it was
during the administration of Washing
tom
Rents, of course, are enormously
greater now in the large cities than
they were in the beginning OF the cent
ury; but, while this fact must be kept
i'll mind for those places, Mr.. George
insists that even rents lin the rural dis
trictS in the nOn-manufacturing and
rOn-commcrcial States are as low now
rs they ever were before in the South"
Here are some of the statistical compar-
EsOns of Senator George:
Beef per barrel was worth in 1895
S13, III 1897 it was worth S14, in 1884 it
was worth $3.50. and the average price
of beef for the forty years com
mencing in 1895 and ending in 1884
was S10.95 per barrel. In the last ten
years the price of beef has not been less
than Sl0.25 per barrel.
Take the article of corn, very nee
essary article. In 1895, 1886 and 1897
it was worth 81 per bushel and over.
That was the lowest price. The aver
age price for forty years from 1874 to
1854 was So cents per bushel. In the
last ten years it has never been as high
as this average, except in 1882, when
there was drOuth and corn was eXcep-
tionally high.
Take the article of coffee. In 1895,
1896 and 1897 it was worth, respective
~, q, % AID % cents per pound, and
the average price for the forty years up
TO 1884 was % cents For the last ten
Years it has not been up to that average.
Take the article Of sugar. In 1875
it was worth IA cents per pound. 1t
went as high as II cents in 1916, and
never got as low as 10 cents till 1870 !
Now the price is from to cents. SO
there has been a fall in the price OF /
sugar
Mr.. George at that point noted that
it was shown a year ago in Congress |
That sugar was a leading item OF ex-
pense in Il boarding house for factory
operatives. He then added these fig !
ureS:
Take pork. sir In 1895 it was $iG |
per barrel; in 1901 it was :32G. In 1S05 !
it fell to 80. and was never as low rs
So again until 1920, and then it was
$3.50. The average price for the forty
years from 1875 to 1884 was 1859 per
barrel. 1t is less than that now.
Take -four. very essential article
Of support. The average price OF a
barrel of flour from 1895 to 1884 was
1891. in 1895 it was S12. in 1896 if
vas SIG, in 1901 it was $13, in 1917 it
vas SAD, the average being, as I have
stated. ssh. 1t is now. ard has been
or long time, much lower than that.
Take wheat. My statistics of wheat
10 not 90 beyond the year 1906 | can
lot find them beyond that time. In
hat year the average price of wheat
vas S1.35; in 1907, 1903 and 1909 it was
1.25 per bushel; in 1910 it was $l.jO
ler buShcl; in 1911 it was S1.75 per
oushel. whereas the price to-day in
chicago is about 9S cents. Since that
-ime wheat has fallen lower, but tie
fluctuations through speculation do not
lflect the general comparison.
Take rice, another article of con-
In 1895 it was worth cents
'er pound: in 1896 it was worth cents
'er pound, and the average for the
Orty years from 1895 TO 1854 was S4.61
Ter huadred. 4.61 cents per pound, and
his was caused by the low price from
$50 down. Before that time it was
higher. The average for the last ten
ears would be but very little more"
These figures may in some particulars
e attacked. and there are other con-
iderations that should be taken into
ccount. 1t is no doubt true that the .
lumber OF things classcd as necessaries !
nd comforts, or, in other words. the
lumber OF things deemed ordinary :
equsites for given condition or cali
lg in life. has been multiplied of late .
ears. Doubtless food is not relatively
D great IN item of the total expense in
AMY families as it was in former gen
ratiOns. Nevertheless, Mr.. GEORGES
lvestigations are interesting. and per- I
APPS may lead to some caution here S
in accepting assertions hitherto so E
tile challenged as to have almost be-
pnle aN;ons.-hlGdclphja Record.