The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-03-09
CURRRVCY sYgTRNs
OfNInsison Countries, and Their IsHsot0n
prIula md Wage


PFIOtA and Wages
WASHINGTON March $. = The
state department has just completed
the work Initiated by Secretary olney
OF collecting and publishing in book
form u complete set Of reports by
United States ambassadors, ministers
and consular officers abroad, exhibiting
in concise form the financial systems
on all the civilized countries OF the
world with full explanatory notes ny
the officials Of the effects Of the aHieT-
eat kinds OF money used as st1ndaruS
OF value upon the agricultural ana ~
dustrlul population OF the respective
nations. One volume OF this work mas
been already published and the second
volume tx Just coming from the hanus
OF the printer, completing the work:
The reports have been completed ana
carefully ligested by Frederick Emo.
Ty, chief of the bureau OF statistics OF
the Etnte department, which Is heTeat-
ter 20 be known as the Bureau OF For.
eIgn Commerce"
Nineteen nations are treated In this
Inst volume and from a summary OF
The conditions IN these countries pre-
pared by Mr.. Emory, the following
facts are extracted:
Argentine Republic uses inconverti-
BILE paper us standard OF value,
though the mints are open to gold. In
the past ten years prices have adHahe,,
nd as measured in this standard and
wages ns we'll. The BritIsh-Australn
SIa1 colonies with the gold standard
show n mixed result. Prices Of aBrl-
cultural products advanced In the dec
ade IN New Zealand, while they de-
cllned in Victoria: wages declined IN
the first case and remained stationary
and higher In the latter. In Bolivia.
with a single silver standard, though
there was no data on the effect OH
wages Il appeared that food supplies.
except for imported articles, were
cheap. while clothing. house rents,
drugs and hardware were high. Cape
Colony has the single gold standard.
though without mlntGge. There the
wages have Increased 10 per cent In
the decade and there has been an In
crease In the cost OF living. with heavy
fluctuations in the export commodities.
In China, without any legal standard.
silver weighed for large transactions
and copper for small sales, are used In
business. There has been an increase
In the silver price OF imports: no differ
ence Ia the price OF Chinese products,
and wages show no change, though
new avenues of employment have been
opened up in manufacturing.
Denmark, with the single gold stand
ard. shows nm Increase OF 10 per cent
In wages since 1854. India, with a sill
yer standard, though with mlnts closed
except to the government, shows an
increase IN the price OF some articles
and q decline in others; wages show
the same variation. The increase In
prices Is In raw exports, and IN lin
ports except tea. and the decrease IN tea
and sugar Japan with silver stand
ard. shows general advance In prices
and In wages as well. There was de-
cline in prices between 1884 and 1851
attributed TO the Curtallment OF paper
money and u general advance from the
latter date up to 1895, The increase Is
said to be due to a scarcity IN the
crop
Persia has n silver standard, and in
that country wages and prices both ad-
Vnnced In the past ten years. The
currency is. however. greatly deprecl-
nted and the country Is much poorer
than It was y years ngo.
Peru uses silver only and prices In
creased as measured in that standard,
while Portugal with n gold standard.
showed a Is per cent increase In prices.
attributable to the fact that the actual
money in use Is paper. Salvador Is
now using silver. but steps have been
taken to substitute gold. Meanwhile
prices were advanced In a marked de-
gree, owing, II IL said. to deprecated
currency. The only labor in Salvador
is employed on farms, and wages In
that case were advanced slightly. Gold
is the standard in Sierra Leone and
prices generally declined, owipg. II is
SAID, TO Overtrading. and the falling
on In exports TO Europe. In the South
African Republic. with gold stand
ard, high prices obtain for domestic
products: Imported articles are said
10 be reasonable" and wages are high
in the skilled trades mining and build
ing, Spain uses a double standard.
gold and silver; prices have generally
advanced and only expert labor has
advanced It's wage The high prices
are attributed to the fact that spain
Ia constantly Importing large duanti-
~ OF the necesSaTies Of life, and be-
cause OF the premium she must pay
on them: prices OF living are II to 20
per cent higher than II the currency
were at par.
The gold standard in Sweden was ac-
,companied by declining pIrces. but id
vancInE wages, while Venezuela with
the double standard, though with clos
ed minis, showed a mixed result;
wages stationary and prices advancing
in some articles and declining in 9TH