The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-21

nm English woman on the eve OF departure to
Join her husband in Trenton, N. D., spologized
20 me for the rather seedy appearance or her
bows clothing. aud explained that her husband
had written to her to buy nothing for them IN
England, as It was just as cheap In
Trenton. and ''the cut was so much better"
About smaller articles of clothing / can speak
With more confidence, having experimental con.
siderably since coming here. L bought q pair of
shoes in Birmingham-to replace q better pair
which cost in New York $5-for 81. 20, which
promise TO wear well but are very clumsy. /
had previously searched in three or four Liver
pool stores for an approximate Mt, as English
Yeady-made shoes seem to be all OF the same
width. My final purchase were workingmen's
shoes. At least / afterward saw q pair Just like
them and costing the Same sum on the feet of
Birmingham tailor, who told me he earned 1927
O week when in work; that he had lost eight
weeks time last year and expected 70 lose as
much this; that his friends In America could
earn los. Cd. for work that would bring IS. here,
and that he was going to America himself when
bis term of enlistment in the militia ran out.
Men doing hard out-of-door work wear cheaper
shoes, generally ob-pailed, the clatter whereof
on the sidewalks in early morning sounds like a
cavalry charge. These run from Sl.50 up. Chill
dren wear smaller editions OF the
same shoes and walk fatfoofed or 60 bare
footed-women. too. Barefoot women on
the streets are common enough to excite no
wonder. though certainly not usual. The north
of England variety OF the hob-nailed shoe has q
peculiar spade-shsped elongtion at the toe,
sometimes tipped with metal. and recalling the
copper toes which Old boys In America remem-
Der.
Understanding differs very little in price
from American, being somewhat cheaper only
when nearly or quite all wool. Some prices:
Cotton vests and drawers. very ''slimsy,' 60
cents; wool mixed undershirts. London, Man
chester and Liverpool, IS cents; oight-shirts.
very coarse and rough. % cents; white shirt,
Numbered. cheapest quality in q big London
store, So cents; stockInes, fairly good. 90 cents;
,4A.ap (DnnA To- ohnrf ffrna nn1vl 9c eanfa. hafz
probably cheaper. quality for quality, than In
New York.
Women's clothing 1 cannot judge OF. but an
American lady whose business it 10 TO know
about these things says: in the price OF small
articles, shoes, stockings, underwear and the
like, there's precious little difference. Wool
dress goods cbsviots aud the like are cheaper,
possibly % or 30 DER cent Cotton dress goods
and domestic stuff about the same, or u trihe
more; silk cheaper. Ready-made clothing such
as the swell shops exhibit is cheaper, but this is
not for wo~rkingmens wives"
The cost of furniture depends on quality.
Wood being scarce and costly. brass and iron
are used much in fine aud cheap. goods respect
lively. Silk umbrellas sell about as low as at ''spe-
cisl sales in America, and rather below regular
rates. They are too slightly built, however, for
use in American rain-storms. and are rather
small. i have seen no good alpaca or cotton
umbrellas, which are certainly better than poor
silk ones. Umbrellas worth buying do not run
lower than So or $3.50, though. of course, they
are sold at al prices, even below 81. The cheap
est watches and clocks are from America and
sold st American prices. Trunks and travelling
bags 90 at no lower rates for ordinary grades.
though i suspect that extra heavy ones of solid
leather and stitched heavily are cheaper, though
not cheap.
Before leaving New York last August 1 bought
in q small store, on an unimportant street, little
purse for sovereigns and arr sovereigns for the
N ~ "a : n.nfz L - 49, oNoA frAAa6 narfaef-
ly firm. ball clasp, steel frame. leather body,
and will wear an indefinite period. In England
i have looked long for q similar. though larger
purse, for snillings and sixpences. but without
success have seen Eo purse sold lower than
3 cents. That which l finally selected cost SO
centsL IL is larger than the American one, but
neither 80 handsome n OF durable The English
seem to have very little krack at turning out
small but useful notions very cheap. As to
purses, the theory is that poor people carry their
pennies in cotton or leather bags with pucker
strings, and that rich people don't want to pay
less than a shilling. The same thing Is noticed
with regard to other articles. Childrenis toys
are neither so numerous, so ingenious nor SO
cheap as in America A child's watering pot.
worth 3 or 10 cents in New York. would be hard
TO find here, and would probably cost 10 or Is
cents. The only one | remember seeing was Is
cents. Small tools for odd jobs OF tiSkering
about the household are scarcely seen for sale
except IN Birmingham. Cutlery is, OF course.
eheab and good, though the Differences in the
pLAC0 &c nOI klCoL VI
some sorts simply can't be had at any cost
Personal services are undoubtedly cheaper in
England. The amount Of attention which can
be purchased for a six cent tip-if you're not an
American or not taken for ons-is amazing.
Easy shaving, 1 penny" q cents) is q sign
common in all English cities. The boot blacks
OF London have formed q combination to keen
the price Of a shine up to 2 cents. Repairing
49, - - co
soling. Street-car and bus fares are lower for .
short distance, but far higher for longer ones.
Many lines in the north of England run "work-
mems cars or buses morning, noon and night
for 2 cents. Railroad fare is higher except for
third class. Cab fare is lower. but from the
workman's point of view, what Of i'll Newspa-
pers cost about the same, books no less, and of
cheap paper reprints OF really good works there
are, 1 should say, not so many. Professional
services. legal, medical and the like, are said to
be higher, though OF this / know nothing per-
sonaliy.
Finally. the British workman has to pay
school fees for his children. from 2 to Is cents
each weekly. The income tax be avoids by hav-
ing no appreciabls income. but the poor rates
and local rates and other taxes catch him IL he
owns a house or rents one by the quarter, with
an agility and frequency that are described as
amazing.
United States Consul Wigfall, of the Leeds
district, in drawing a comparison between the
workmen here and In America said to me not
long ago. THE cost of living 70 an English
workman Is less than IN America, but not 10 the
extent OF the difference ia heir wages. That is
TO say. the American wages will go further than
the British, and the American workmen insist
upon a better scale of living"
Nearly all the consuls with whom / have
talked seem anxious to make ont the best pos
sIDle case th-y can for the British workman in
this comparison. One or two have deemed il
their duty 70 lie to me in the interest of the free
trade propaganda. One made a free-trsde
stump speech at me. walking up and down his
ofhce. Mr.. Wigiall is not OF this kind. but is
an intelligent, courteous aud fair-minded man,
who would not, | think. seek TO mislead
q political opponent. The opinion which
1 nave Quoted IS undoubtedly sincere,
but | think mistaken. Mr.. WigfaIl mentioned a
certain beef that could be bought for a low
figure in the Leeds market as an instance TO
show that the English workineman's food WAS
not expensive. unconsciously comparing poor
beef IN England with good beef in America. He
mentioned the low rents of Leeds, but Heaven
pity those who live in its cheap houses! The
comparison of an English aud American work
ingmsns weekly expenses is not the way to get
at the relative cost Of living. The question of
quality cannot be left out. Ny own opinion,
after an examination OF prices, long-continued,
laborious. and prosecuted in many
different places, il that, on the whole,
there is really very little difference liz
the actual cost Of living. The Enelishman
spends lees and gets less for his money.