The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-04

mer price meals are furnished by the
employer; if wood is not furnished an
allowance of 10 to Is cents per
day is made for rations. The
average laborer will live and
be in good strength on 10 to IL cents
per day, and support his family on
about IS cents. OF course, he will have
a little patch of corn and beans planted
near his hut, and these will constitute
the largest part of his daily bill of
fare
Factory laborers, unski1led, so cents
to 81; skilled, 81 so to $3.50.
Mechanics in factories, $3.50 to S..
Machinists, railway shops, $3.50 to S..
Miners, so cents to $3.50.
Plumbers (native) So to $3.50; plum
bers (American,) Sc to So.
Blacksmiths, $3.50 to $3.50.
Stone masons, 81 to $3.50.
Smelter men, 81 to $3.50.
Boilermakers, 81 to IS.
Bricklayers, 81 to $3.50.
Carpenters, $3.50 to $4.75.
Furnace men, 81 to $3.50.
Iron Workers, So to $3.50.
Jewellers, So, to S..
Stationery engineers, $3.50 to $3.50.
Sectionmen, $3.50.
Railway employees, who work by the
month, have the following range of
wages:
Locomotive engineers, $3.50 to $3.50.
Locomotive firemen, SIS to 500.
Passenger conductors, $160.
Freight conductors, 1925 to 5000.
Freight brakeman, $35 to 500; some
times $75.
T~oIs,
Railroad station agents, $50 to $500.
Railroad division superintendents,
$3.50.
Trainmasters, $175.
Other wages are:
Office clerks, $40 TO 5000 per month.
Stenographers, 500 to $175 per
month; average, 1925.
Travelling representatives, from
1925 to 5000 and expenses.
Agent from SIS to $50 per month.
COST OF LIVING IN MEXICO.
AS to the cost of living in Mexico,
find it in many respects much cheaper
than in the United States. The manner
of life made possible and even neces-
sary by the climatic conditions, simpli-
fies the problem. Fuel, for instance,
so considerable an item of expense in
the north, is an unimportamt feature
here. I doubt if many families expend
so much as SIS per year each for their
charcoal. The average expense for
fuel for the better classes is about ST rs
per week. The use of fires for heating
alone is almost unknown. Meats and
fatty foods of whatever kind, heavy
woollen clothing and other items, abso-
I al
fort in northern climates, are not need
ed here; on the contrary, they are even
detrimental to health. In general I
find living in the City of Mexico about
as reasonable as at my home in Kan
sas 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 aver
age quite well. Servants are much
| cheaper, and when good ones are OBJ
tanned they are as serviceable and more
contented, seldom leaving the prem
ises and never complaining of the work.
| Hotel and boarding house rates are a.
/ bout the same in Mexican money as
they are in the United States in Ameri-
/ can coin. / have heard tourists say
! they could get meals here as good and
cheaper than in cities in the United
States.
| Wheat, $11 for $50 pounds; cotton, 1s
cents per pound; wool, 81 to So per ar
roba of 25 pounds. The cost of food
stuffs is given below, the price, unless
otherwise indicated, being at the
! pound rate:
Coffee, retail, 40 cents; roasted and
/ ground, so cents; wholesale, 10 cents
to 81 cents.
Beans, American, Q cents; Mexican
/ friioles, cents.
Corn, 81 to $1.40 per bushel IT is
now high on account of the short crop,
and is worth ordinarily one cent per
pound.
Corn meal, American, IS cents.
Jerked beef, 65 cents.
Salt fish, As cents.
Salt pork, 80 to 40 cents.
Ham, American, retail, So cents;
wholesale AZ cents Native, retail 35
cents; wholesale, 81 cents.
Eggs, average, 25 cents per dozen.
Flour, American. retail, IS cents. Ma
tive, retail cents.
Wheat, retail, from $50 to $3.50 per
bushel.
Butter, American, GO cents to IS cents
Native, unsalted, 25 cents to so cents.
Sugar, imported, all classes, 25
cents. Native, uncut. 8 cents to 10 cents.
Native, cut or cubed, IA cents.
Molasses, ordinary, native, 81 per
gallon.
Syrup, maple, 81 per gallon; dripped,
OF all classes, when imported, SIS per
gallon.
Salt, table, 10 cents; coarse, 3 cents.
Pepper, ground and unground, 10
cents to so cents.
Tea, $1.25 to $3.50.
FACTORIES AND FARMING.
Mills for the manufacture of cotton
and wooden yearns and textiles increase
in number yearly and the capacity of
The old ones has been added to great