The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-01-29
COST OF LIVING.

Few days ago THE HERALD noted
the fact that If wages had been reduced
the cost of living mad also gone down, the
purchasing power of wages being about
as great now as when labor commanded
better prices. 4 city correspondent
took issue withsthe statements and en-
-deavored to show by picking out few
items that the assertion was incorrect.
He also tried to convey the impression
that THE Herald was an advocate Tor
low wages for che wocki2gmen, when
ibis journal has. never from the day OF
its first issue varied the slightest from
the course dictated tby friendship and
the best coco COR the laborer. 1t has
been the peoples paper; was established
as the peoples paper and proposes to
continue the peoples paper.
The ARericaH Grocer, New York
one of tape Iea&ing trade 5oTc-'
mails of the country. lately
published carefully prepared tables,
showing the course of wholesale prices
of food staples frem 1870 to 1884, and
these tables make it appear that there
has been a sseadyjgseline. 1t IS further
stated that the great staples are Rg=er
in price to-day than they have beer for
thirty years. A Flew instances VIII il
lustrate how great the downf&H das
been. At the close OF last year, fair
refining Cuban sugar was sold for 43l
cents, the iovestP1iee since 1854. Fiji
teen wears ego the cost of FekRjng
sugar was ever 47ceats per pound, and
to-day it costs less than Il cent per
pound. In $50 the price OF fair Rio
coffee YVES from :1ITs to 1211z cents, and
in 1874 st wes 22.cents, but in 1884 1t had
declined to from 599555 to 111l cents. In
1870 the tea which sold at from 565z to
60 cents, was soldin 1884 at from 4215
TO % cents. eciTanuIeted sugar declined
from Il ,oeuts,in. $50 to SO in 1884. In
1870 the average price OF mess pork was
. $685. IS; 0in 1884 it was $3.50 land in
1870 aveiaged&157. and in 1881 it,sold
at from $3.50 to $IGte2; butter IN 1870
ranged from.s2 toss. and in 1884 from
20 to %; cheese, I7115rto 1S1I in 1870, and
l2L to 12sl in 1854. Canned coTn cost
IS in 1S7Oand. 90 cents to 81. 20 in 1894;
canned tematees, 500 in the ferEser
wear and so cents, last year. The same
ratio of decrease is-shown as to @ther
canned goods. II was thought that
prices had touolaed bottom in October;
1878, when there was an upward
tendency, but 3 careful computation
shows that Slee will.kuy as much now
as sos woQld daave done in October,
1878. In 1873 the resumption OF specie
payments was accomplished, and the
readjusted priaespf the necessaries of
life,shcwed an averagesdecrease OF is
per cent, below those of 1860, but the.
prices ef last nsSEth which are praeti
cally Tthe same as those of to-day,
show n still greater falling off.
as compared with 1850. What
would. have cost $125 in August, 1850.
can be bought no@ for $l00. The Grocer
says, and prove it by figures, that tax
ing sRrveY of the various articles of
necessary daily consumption, there is
an average. falling of in prices of 20 per
cent, as compared E5th 1855. The de-
cline in bHsadstuffs has been 80 per cent.
in sugar, tea and coffee per cent. in
clothing y Der cent, eaaIoil.z5 per cent,
metal IL per cent. Only in three
classes of articles Of general, con
sumption do the price lists sRew an in
crease over s1hose of the lowest-priced
month in tue history of 4heSozntrv-
August. 1880. Liquors and tsbaccos
are 80 per cent higher nov than then.
due to the internal revenue tax; meats
are per cent. higher, and dairy and
garden pzodnce are Z per cent higher,
The Boston Tcqseller. which publishes
the showing made by the american
Grocer, thus comments on the same:
These figures convey their encouraging
lessons alike to- traders and consumers.
IRey show that the conditions of life.
as indicated by. the cost of its neoes-
sarEes, have been steadily growing better
for the great mass OF our people. If
they are being obliged tfaccept slightly
lower wages as compared with wears
gone by. they have the compensation
T o, 4 Sbh larger reduction IN the prices i
Of food staples. and OF clothing. Foj
our merchants and traslesmen they.
show that il iSFa time at, syhich they
aeed not be afraid Of carrying large
stocks The ruling prices are Ear below .
the average of the past fifteen years.
3Ed from this time on the rsk OF buy
ing literally Is small. SIS a reaction to
higher prices is 10 the natural course
81 events t) be looked for. When the
pendulum has swung to the extreme
limit OF its arc It's next movement must
be back again.
1t will be understood that the figures
luoted are the wholesale prices in the
great market Of Amerirs New York,