The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-24
THE WAR AND PRICES.
Government Buys Food and Clothing
as Cheap as Ever-Why Not Citizens!

New York Sum-
The prices of food and clothing have.
am told, taken. big jump upward since
the war began" said an army officer yes
terday. From personal knowledge l cannot
say whether this is true or not. have no
small children to provide for. and since the
war began neither my wife nor myself has
happened to purchase enough clothing to
speak of. AS we prefer to board rather than
to keep house, 1 don't know about the
prices of the butcher, baker and candlestick
maker / do know though, that the price
of board at my hotel hasn't gone up
Furthermore. 1 know that merchants
have no reasonable excuse for putting UP
prices of food and clothing because of the
war. 1 know, perhaps, more than most folks
about the prices paid for army supplies, be-
cause / buy many of those supplies. There
fore. Won NAV bank on il when I tell YOU
that although the purchases of the govern.
ment along all lines have been greater dur
been before in thirty years, there has been
no material advance in the prices of the
goods purchased. We have bought great
quantities of hard bread. for instance. The.
price of hard bread has not advanced since
the war began. The same thing is true of
bacon. There are a few instances where
canned goods have gone up. but few OF
these goods are very generally used eX-
cept canned tomatoes.
"Outside of food supplies, we have bought
large mount of clothing, hats, caps, shoes
gloves, Undertaking. tents beds and bed
ding 1t costs less to buy a suit of the regu-
lation uniform now than it did a month ago
ana 1t ulun cost any more month ago
or two months ago than before war was
declared Not until the present war did the
government clothe any Of it's soldiers IN
canvas and helmets. So far $1,000 canvas
uniforms have been bought and about the
same number of helmets. These purchases
have not in the least affected the price of
either canvas or helmets. AS for hats, caps,
shoes and underclothng, the government
never bought these goods, so far as / can
remember, so cheaply as it mas bought them
since it has had q war on its hands.
20 nj in nViO he
cause of the war is canvas for tents. The
government awarded a large contract for
tents. and the price promptly increased by
30 per cent Last week. however, the price
cropped 20 per cert. Aside from canvas,
horses and mules are the only things in
the way OF army neceSsaries the price of
which has risen during the war. AS every
body knows, there is plenty of horses and
mules. The price went up not because the
supply was less than the demand. but be-
cause men with horses and mules to sell
concluded that the government would have
10 pay any price that was asked. ST. Louis
and New Orleans owners found out their
mistake when the government refused to do
business with them, and the price of even
horses and mules has dropped.
me government war purchases are along
certain well-known lines. If the prices for
the articles which the government needs
nave not risen, there is no good reason why
citizens should have to pay higher prices
Tor the same articles for their own use."