The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-01-29
PRICES NOW AND IN 1855.

PRICES NOW AND IN 1888.
How the. Farmer has been Benefited-
Everything He Buys Cheaper-rranspOr-
tation Rates Lower, Too.
A correspondent who has been vindi-
eating the honor of the United States
before the Canadians writes thus:
TUsCARonA, BRANT Co., OST., Nov. q.
To the Editor:
Having come over here on visit
and got into political dispute in regard
to our protective tariff, l being wholly
and entirely a republican and believing
in protective tariff, made the asser-
ton that owing to our protective sys-
tenn could buy lots of new things now
for quarter of the price I would have
to pay twenty-five years ago. Would
you kindly please to enumerate a few
of the articles on which there has been
the greatest reduction in price in that
time. Include railroad rails
In reply we give comparisons OF
prices of few staples:
Anthracite coal. per tom. 3 s. So gsh
BitumilOus coal, pei ton -...---. 81 %
The prices of anthracite coal are
taken from Reports of American Steel
and Iron Association" those of bitumin-
Gus coal from Saward's Coal Trade"
1855 fs90
Cut nails. per keg Sc. ........... SISj 20l
| Steel rails, per ton n--........-... $500 3l-71
The prices for steel rails are for 1867
and 1890, few or none being in use in
1865.
ls9. 1880.
Granulated sugar, per pound. lNs9 627
BY operation of the Mckinley bill the
price fell to cents in 1891.
| Now let us look at some cotton goods;
1865 1894
| Cents Cents
| STANDARD sheetings per yard. 3s.Gi l0O5
| Standard drillings, per yard. 3i8 50
| y. Y. Mills Sheetings, per yard IS - 1879
Standard prints --..-.-.-.-. -v-uJ ID
Now that we have seen how prices of
what the farmer buys have been re-
duced. let us see what has been Gone in
enabling him to get what he has to sell
more cheaply to market. 1t cost very
nearly 26s4 cents to carry bu-ihel OF
wheat from Chicago to New York by
way of the lakes and the Erie Canal
in 1865, and Just 54 cents in 1S9l In
| 1868 it cost % cents to carry buShel of
wheat between these cities by lake and
rail and it cost 81 cents in 1890. It
cost ~ cents to carry it by all rail in
| 1868, and less than 14lI cents in 1890.
| There is, on an average, very much
more than the difference assumed by
our correspondent between the prices
of to-day and twenty-five years ago.
Effect of the Tariff ON Wool and WOolens-
The effect of the tariff of 1920 upon
| the imports of woolens is noticed in the
values of these goods imported for the
IL months prior and subsequenJ to
October !, 1890. For the u months i'm
mediately prior to that date, the value
of imported manufactures of wool was
S55. .9T2, 03i, and for the II months inn
mediately subsequent to that date the
value of such imports was So, 5,GO1, ,21O,
showing a decrease of $50, $40, sci, or
nearly SO per cent The decrease was
the greatest in the value of dress goods
and cloths; in fact. 81 per cent. OF the
decrease was in these goods. PreSum-
ing that the demand for wooden fabrics
was as great for the IL months succeed
ing October 1, 1890, as for the same
period before that time, it would appear
from these figures that the domestic
manufacturers were benefited to the
extent of what this decrease repre-
sented If this decrease represented
pounds of wool to every dollar in value.
it signifies that this quantity more wool,
or 81, 112, 465 pounds, was required for
our domestic manufactures. This
amount had TO be supplied from some
source. and it is very evident TO every
one familiar with the supply of domestic
wool that it was insufficient for the in
creased demand; and in order to meet
it wool had to be secured from foreign
markets. The wool imports reflect this
condition of things, by the increase in
imports of 29,71S,31G pounds. The diff
ference between this amount and the
foregoing 81, liz, 4G3 pounds represented
the additional demand for domestic
wool-that is, about So 0O0,O 900 pounds
To this extent the wool growing in
dustry of this country was benefited -
Boston Journal of Commerce. Nov. 2l.