News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1896-08-06
The shorter silver Catechism.

The Shorter Silver Catechtsm.
@. Mexico has been a silver-stand-
ard country for four centuries. What
is it's present monetary condition?
A. 1t is on the silver specie basis.
Ten banks issue notes-$2S, 427, 900
in ALL The specie (silver) reserve to
pay them is $30,500,00O. There is
SIS, 100000 in silver dollars in cir
culation, and-the country has about
$55, 100000 of money 10 use, count
ing in gold and subsidiary silver.
The population is II 100, 00O-$4.50
per capita There are no govern
ment notes.
Q. What has become of the 49,
321, 100000 coined by it's eleven
mints? A. 1t has been exported as
fast as it was coined, as bullion, to
pay for imports, at its commercial
price as bullion.
@. What is a Mexican dollar equal
to in our silver coinage? A. $1.094.
1t contains 406 80 grains of fine sill
yer; ours 81 25.
@ What is it worth in Mexico in
gold? A. Exactly So cents when sill
yer is worth IS cents per ounce, as
bullion, and 63 cents for a legal ten
der-fve cents being the cost of coin
age. 1t fuctuates from day to day
as bar silver fluctuates in London.
@. Then a Mexican silver dollar is
worth no more in Mexico than it is
anywhere else In the world-its mar
ket price as bullion? A. Yes, five
cputs-the cost of coinage. 1t has no
other fiat value III Mexico.
Q. Then it's practical "iree and IN
limited coinage" adds nothing to it's
value? A. Only the legal tender fiat
value in Mexico of five cents over the
bullion value. If free coined this
would disappear and it would only
be worth in Mexico its weight ia
silver.
@ What is the cost of living in the
city of Mexico? A. About one-fourth
more than in New York city-in Mex
lean money. Hotel rates are S. per
day. Cabs cost $3.50 per hour.
Street car fares are 81 cents. Rents
are higher than in New York city;
board is dearer; restaurant meals
cost more.
@. What is the cost Of food? A.
Flour, 512 cents; sugar, 10 cents; beef,
Gh cents; pork, SR cents; coffee, "a
cents; tea (cheapsst,) 81; cheese, %
cents. All staples imported cost gold
prices in addition to duties.
@. How much of this Mexican
money can a man earn? A. The
street car companies pay conductors,
drivers and collectors from so cents
to ST per day. The highest wages
paid hlacksmiths is 50 so; bookbind-
ers, 81; carpenters, 81 so; harness.
makers, hatters, locksmiths, silver,
smiths, plumbers and turner's, 81;
machinists, $1.75; bricklayers, stone.
cutters, house painters, ST. .25. Many
work for half these rates.
Then the cost of living is much
higher and the wages OF craftsmen
lower than with us. A. Decidedly. A
craftsman in Mexico receives practi
cally one-half American wages, ara
his living in the same way as here
costs much more.
Q. How is it with laborers? They
get from 37R to so cents per day il
this Mexican silver money.
@. And how do they live? A. "At
less expense than a farm horse ii
New England" and not so we'll Johr
Bigelow once remarked. THE labor
ing classes" says a Mexican news
paper regard themselves as plant
which moves by extaneous aids only
and has no power of volition, anC
no desire to exercise it if it had. >
New York World.