The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-07-20
The M'KINLEY TARIFF.
Senator AIdrich's Report for the Fl
nance Committee.
PRICES LOWER. WAGES HIGHER.
A Complete vindication Of the Republican
Posision-The First Results OF . Patient
and Impartial Inquiry Democratic
Lies Nailed Fast.

WASHINGTON, July Ex-senator Aid
rich, chairman of the subcommittee OF
the Finance Committee of the Senate,
which has been investigating for the last
sixteen months the effect of tariff legisla-
tion In this country upon prices and
wages. submitted to-day, with the formal
Endorsement Of the full committee, the
first results OF the long. patient and i'm
partial inquiry conducted under the sub
committees direction. No labor Of such
magnitude or of such economic and
political i'm port ance has ever before been
ndertaken in this country, and the facts
established by the present Investigation
are likely to remain for years the un-
doubted basis of all speculation as to the
effect OF tariff legislation on national
prosperity In general or on individual
earning power. or cost OF living.
The members of the subcommittee who
have taken . personal share In the in
quiry are Senators Aldrich, Allison, His
cock, Jones, of Nevada: Harris and Car
Isle. They were assisted by Carroll ID.
Wright, commissioner Of the department
of labor; Gen. Francis A. Walker, Prof.
Henry G. Adams, Prof: Edmund j.. James,
Of the univsrsity ysnS q Rsnnsylvsaia Ed
venor. DIR. Roland p. Falkner, of the
University Of Pennsylvania, was selected
as the official statistician Of the commit
tee.
The report made is a unanimous and
unimpeached one in every particular.
Nevertheless 1t demolishes at one stroke
the whole fabric OF misrepresentation and
criticism on which the Democratic cam
paign of 1890 was fought, and vindicates
triumphantiy the predictions of the ad-
vocates of the Mckinley act. Prices havs
not risen In this country as u result OF the
tariff legislation Of 1880. On the contrary
they are lower now ~ than Sy they were re-, before
"rhe committee decided to divide its
work into two parts; the first part to
include the investigation into prices and
wages on the first Of each month for the
period from June /, 1889. to September 1.
riod was directed TO the ascertainment:
First-Of the course Of retail prices OF
215 articles OF general consumption in 20
cities aud towns in different parts Of the
country.
Second-The course of Wholesale prices
for the same articles at seven principal
centres.
Third-The farm prices of leading agri-
cultural products at representative points
selected by the Department Of Agricul-
ture.
Fourth-The relative rates of wages in
the cities and towns where price statis-
tics were collected in fifteen general occu-
pations.
Fifth-The course Of wages in special
industries.
Sixth-Similar statistics for retail
prices and wages in Great Britain cover
ing the same period.
The report of the committee submitted
to-day relates exclusively to the first part
OF the investigation.
The second part of the work, in the
prosecution Of which a large amount Of
data has been collected, relates to the
course Of wholesale prices and wages dur
ing the years from lS40 10 1891, inclusive,
and will not be completed for some time.
The report says:
the weight OF undoubted authority, the
committee decided tnat the inquiry should
be extended only to such subjects, aud
this carried on through such agencies,
and by such methods as were approved by
the unanimous voice OF the committee,
and this plan was scrupulously followed.
The first step in the retail price investi-
CATION was the preparation Of the list Of
articles for which prices were to be OBJ
tanned. AS the purpose OF this particu-
lar inquiry was TO ascertain the changes
il any, that had taken place in the cost Of
living of the great mass of the people of
the country, Chose with incomes varying
from $500 to 81 200 per annum). 1t was de-
termined to make such selections as
wolld fairly represent the entire expen-
diture of families in ordinary circum-
stances for all the articles entering di-
rectly or indirectly into the cost of their
living. The collecting and tabulating Of
the statistics was committed to Carroll
ID. Wright, Commissioner of Labor. DIR.
Roland p. Falkner, Professor Of Stats
tics in the University Of Pennsylvania,
was selected as statistician Of the COM
miJtee.
The average price or wage in the months
of June, July aud August, 1889, was
taken AS the standard.
The report states that the summary for
Sept. /, 1891, at which date the inquiry
closed, shows a decrease in the retail
prices Of the 2l5 selected articles of "a
of Que per cent. by one method of compu-
tation, and of 1-S per cent. by another.
The final result announced by the COM
mittee OF the compution Is that thu cost
Of living OF family in ordinary circum,
Sept. 1, 1891, than it was Sept. 1, 1889.
TIE inquiry was pursued until May |,
1892. in the cities of Fall River, Mass;
Chicago, Ill. and Dubuque, Ia.
The result OF this latter inquiry" the
states, ''shows further de-
Cllut III tut COsJ VI llNlux III May, loSS, rs
with September, 1891, of 81
per cent, and as compared with 1886 of
34 per cent. This supplemental inquiry
discloses the fact that the tendency of
lower prices and to lower cost Of living
still continues"
The decline in Wholesale prices or the
selected articles in the term covered sub
the same rate as in retail
prices.
As to the prices OF agricultural products
the report SHOWS that the average OF all
products Except fax seed) was IS. S3 per
cent. higher sept. 1, 1891, than on the
same day two years previously.
In the fifteen general occupations Sc
lected by the committee wages were q OF
1 per cent higher on Sept. 1, 1891, tnan
two yeas before. These occupations were
those Of bakers, blacksmiths. bricklayers,
cabinet makers, carpenters, common
laborers, farm laborers, mschinists, ma
sons, iron moulders, painters, plumbers,
stone cutters, sailors and tinsmiths.
Relative to prices and wages ia Great
Brit ain, statistics Of which were collected
by the same agency as in the United
States, aud applying the same formulas
In the computation, the report says that