Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-08-23

cheaper than the carpenter.
Jones-Yes, by nearly $40. Couldn't
we make money if we could live as cheaply
as thatf
smith-As we could, l suppose. if it
was not for that tariff. Your expenses,
| should judge, are very much the same
as mine.
Jones-Yes, very much the same. I
have a house of five rooms, for which /
pay $50. / pay for groceries 1000; for
meat, 500; for milk, 500; for fuel, $35;
for clothing, 800; for boots and shoes,
$25, and for incidentals. 500. You see
this tariff, with its high prices, robs me
of about the same it does you.
Smith-Let me see, groceries are about
the same price there that they are here?
Jones-Not much. Everything is higher
here. Groceries, or an average, are 10
per cent. higher here.
Smith-Sixteen per cent. higherl Well,
well, let's see how much more groceries
they use han we do. You are good at
figures:
Jones-very good. The English carpen-
ter and shoemaker spend about the same
for groceries-$145. To buy the same
amount here we must add 16 per cent. to
$145, which makes $16S.20, which we
must pay for the same amount of grocer
iSS. l. pay PSUO " ny SioSSilcS niu w
1926 for yours; 5000 from $16S. 90 leaves
Harvested, Smith, there's something
wrong here somewhere.
Smith-Ehl what's the matter? l
thought you were good at figures. Can't
you find the difference between 5000 and
1852?
Jones-Ohl Yes, here it is: $16S.20
from 5000 leaves $3.50, and from 1925
leaves $56.S0. That's it. You buy $3.50
more groceries han the English carpen.
ter, and | buy $3.50 more than the
English shoemaker.
Smith-Whatl Notwithstanding the
higher price we have to pay here2
Jones-Yes, that's it, / guess. But
here, we will have them on this. Fuel is
105 per cent. higher here than it is there.
The English carpenter pays SIT for his
fuel. The same amount of fuel would
cost you-let me s~ee-$S4.e5. You buy
nearly q bushel moro coal than he does,
after all. While let me see--to $50
add 105 per cent, gives $2e.75. Whewl
! buy $4.25 more coal than the English
shoemaker even at that higher rate.
Strange, isn't tt2
S~mith-It does seem a little strange.
But let's try some other of the items
clothing, for instance,
Jones-Very well. The estimates pre-
pared from the statistics give clothing as
as per cent. higher here than in England.
Mr.. Taylor gives it as GO per cent. higher
than it would be if there were no tariff.
We will take Mr.. Taylor's figures. The
English shoemaker pays $50 and the Eng
lish carpenter $50 for clothing for their
families. Fifty dollars plus Sc per cent.
gives $s3 / should nave to pay for the
same amount and quality of clothing.
Sixty dollars plus sc per cent. gives 500. go
you would have to pay for the same
amount and quality Of clothing the Eng
lish carpenter buys.
Smith-But you buy 800 worth and l
buy s114.
= jones-yes, there is certainly that diff
ference in our favor either in quantity or
quality. or both.
Smith-So the difference is really in our
favor even with cloth at $1.20.7 per yard
which Mr.. Taylor thinks such an enormity.
Jones-That is certainly true as appears
from the statistics.
Snith--WcH now, about rents; how dc
they comparef
Jones-Rents are about SO per cent.
higher with us. But there is nc doubt we
have better houses, larger rGoms, more
room and more fresh air than they have.
The English shoemaker pays $75 per year
rent. SO per cent. added to this gives
, $14t.75. | should have to pay here for
similar accommodations. But there is nc
doubt the rooms or house / would get fol-
|, that money would be pleasanter, larger
more comfortable and more desirable thar
that occupied by the English shoemaker,
! Smith-There is another item, provis
|, ions, especially meat; we hear SO muct
, about it, that those foreigners get little
-. ~ ro.,% fror, o,o xuaah'o prl fn III,
J other. Do your statistics show anything
about that?
: Jones-Oh, yes, they show that provis
ions, which include meats of all kinds, q
beef, mutton, pork, veal, ard, butter
~ cheese, milk, eggs, fish and the like ar
4 % per cent. higher to the British work
man than they are here.
n Smith-Twenty-three per cent. higher
Well, that's considerable,
Jones-Yes, it amounts to this: th
English carpenter and shoemaker pa
II each $50 for meat. We could get til
70 sama amount of meat for $40.65. BIZ
), we use each 800 worth Of meat a yea
~ which amount would cost them $12
Hence it appears that we use more tina
three times the meat they do. And wit
is ont doubt we use a far better quality
meat, for, with the small amount thu
~ uSts tuCN SCp SAo ShSoESA 39A
~ which are always of poor quality.
at Smith-Well, that is q showing on o
side decidedly. But say, can you tell I
how it is that when we pay SO much high
prices, we can, Notwithstanding, buy
much more han they cant
Jones-I don't know. Let's see. May
- we can find something about 1t hel
~ How much do you get q week for 20
su work.
~ Smith-Fifteen dollars per week.
Jones-Fifteen dollars per week; til
~. is $3.50 per year. oh, yes, here l see t
Il, carpenter In England gets IS per we,
or $416 per year; q difference of 1884.
a. S~mith-Quite a considerable differen
1s+ Jones-I should say SO. As much
"a some of them over there have to live
the whole year. The shoemaker tn
gets $3.50 per week or $379. go for
years work, while / get $14 per week
~ S72S per year, q difference of $348.40.
~. get nearly twice as much as he does.
Smith-But does not the tariff h,
anything to do with u getting tn
,s higher wagess And If SO, what
how2
Jones-Well, l don't know. l rat
suspect it does in this way: If it W
90 70 not for the tariff the things they ma
~. the product of their cheaper labor, wo
W. be brought in hero and sold at just t
at's much lower price than the things
and make, the products Of cur labor. Ii
des word they would undersell us or drive
out of the market altogether.
low Smith-And what would become of
loes What would we do In that event2