People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-10-08
As to the cost Of living Ia MszasA I find

As to the cost Of living Ia MssAeA l find
1t in many respects much cheaper than in
the United States. The manner Of life
made possible and even necessary by the
climatic conditions simplifles the problem.
Fuel, for instance so considerable an item
of expense in the north, is an unimportant
feature here. doubt If many families eI-
pend so much as S15 per year each for their
charcoal The average expense for fuel for
the better classes is about $l.25 per week
The use Of fires for heating alone is almost
unknown. Meats and fatty foods Of what
ever kind, heavy wooden clothing and 9TH
er items absolutely indispensable to life
and comfort in northern climates, are not
needed here. On the contrary they are
even detrimental to health. In general l
find living in the City Of Mexico about as
reasonable as at my home in Kansas City.
There are many articles that enter into
home consumption that are much higher,
especially those not grown or produced in
Mexico, but when those are considered the
costs average quite we'll Servants are
much cheaper, and when good ones are OBJ
tanned they are as serviceable and more
contented, seldom leaving the premises and
never complaining Of the work. Hotel and
boarding house rates reabout the same in
Mexican money as they are in the United
States in American coin. have heard
tourists say they could get meals here as
good as and cheaper than in cities in the
United States.
Wheat, 81 for $50 pounds; cotton, IS
cents per pound; wool, 81 to So per arroba
Of % pounds. The cost of foodstuffs is
given below, the price, unless otherwise In
dictated, being at the pound rate:
Coffee, retail, 40 cents, roasted and ground,
80 cents; wholesale, 10 cents to 81 cents.
Beans, American, cents; Mexican frijoles
7cents.
Corn, 81 to sla40 per bushel. 1t is now high
on account Of the short crop and is worth or
dinarily cent per pound.
Cornmeal, American, Is cents.
! Jerked beef, 65 cents.
! Salt fish, IS cents.
! Salt pork, 30 to 40 cents.
Ham, American, retail, s. cents; wholesale,
AZ cents Native retail, s. cents; wholesale, q
cents.
Eggs, average, Is cents per dozen.
{ Flour, American, retail, Is cents. Native,
retail, cents.
Wheat, retail, from $50 to $3.50 per bushel.
Butter. American, 60 to 70 cents. Native,
unsslted, IS to 50 cents.
Sugar, imported, all classes, % cents. Ma
tive, uncut to 10 cents. Native, cut or
cubed, II cents.
( Molasses, ordinary, native, 81 per gallon.
Strip, maple, 81 per gallon; dripped, Of all
classes, when imported. So per gallon.
Salt, table, 10 cents; coarse, cents.
Pepper, ground and unground, 70 to so cents.
Tea, $l.25 to $3.50.
Manufactures and Agriculture.
Mills for the manufacture of cotton and
wooden yarns and textiles increase in num-
Der yearly, and the capacity Of the old ones
has been added to greatly. Five years ago
the number of factories of this character in
operation was 80. There are upward of 14O
of them now and about 5000 factories for
the manufacture Of sugar and its byprod-
uct, brandy. Various industrial concerns,
including paper mills, tobacco factories,
the new shelters and metal mills, will
reach 4, 900 in number. The establishment
Of these mills has caused a demand for
skilled labor which is met by foreigners
and by the training of the younger native
element. The coming generation of Mex.
leo will show a marked improvement on
the old in the matter of skilled labor.
1t may be said, further, that there Is nc
lack Of work. Those who are idle in this
country are usually so from choice and moi
from necessity. This is true in every con.
dition of labor. On the windows or doors
Of more than 30 establishments in this city
are posted today this notice:
"De solicitan oficialis," which, being
translated, is the familiar Help wanted. -
Thousands of acres of land have beer
brought under cultivation, practically re-
claimed from desert, by the railways tap
ping new sections, and the increase In fruit
production, as well as other branches Of
agriculture, makes heavy demands yearly
for labor. In the production of fruit and
coffee there has been great development,
and greater possibilities exist. Last veal
the orange export was 400 carloads. A con
sentative estimate places it this year at 500
cars or mora The coffee trade five year,
ago was inconsiderable Last year the ex
ports Of coffee exceeded $12, 900, 900. 1t Il
believed the product will reach s25, 900, 00(
in 1900. The United States is Mexico:
heaviest customer and buys more largely
with each year. In the fiscal year Of 1884,
the imports from the United States vert
1851, 7S5, and the exports to our country
were $50, 500, 248. In the fiscal year Of
1S94-5 the United States sent to Mexico
SIS, 1906 worth of merchandise ant
bought s67, 1922, 9S6 worth of Mexican prod
ucts. The increase of Mexico's importa
lions from the United States in the veal
was less than 81, 900, 900; the increase Of itl
sales was more than 5000, 900. The Unit.
ed States occupies the first rank in the for
eign trade Of Mexico, receiving about Il
per cent of its exports and sending about
go per cent of its imports. In 20 years thu
value of United States goods shipped t
Mexico has increased three times. In thu
same period the merchandise shipped from
Mexico to the United States has sextupled
In value THOMAS I. CRITTENDEN.
A Misft Metaphor.
"Talk bout yoh bein hongry," said thu