The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-23
NO CAUSE FOR HIGH PRICES
Mercantile Men Are Taking Advan-
tage of the Situation.


Much attention has been given of late to
the striking coincidence of war and high
prices. An analysis of the situation, how
ever, has shown that the connection be-
tween these two things is neither as di-
rect nor as necessary as might at first
have seemed. Price students declare the
statement that war has caused high
prices is a hasty generalization that will
not bear analysis.
1t is likely that the price of bread will
go from to cents a loaf. It will be a
vast tax upon the common people, but it
does not appear that the advance has been
caused by war.
The price of all breadstuffs is ultimately
determined by the price of wheat. The
facts show that the high price of grain Is
due, not to the war, but to the shortage
in the foreign market
L. Everingham, one of the oldest oper-
ators upon the board of trade, says:
Il don't think the war had anything TO
do with the price of wheat. 1t was simply
a matter of supply and demand. For four
years there had been a falling on In the
worlds crop. Europe had consumed It's
supply. Europe had to buy. That was
what fixed the prices.
The only unfortunate thing about the
rise in wheat is that the farmers got but
little of il. The greater part of the ad-
vance went to the dealers and price stu
big crop in the United States, were going
to make American wheat valuable.
AS to the price of bread. At the present
moment bread is selling at the same price
in Chicago that it did when flour was SELL
ing six months ago for $3.50 per barrel
Now flour is selling at $3.50
Kohlsaat bakery, barrel of flour will
make 275 pound loaves of bread. When
the. flour in loo pounds Of bread is $1,72,
and when flour costs. $3.50 the cost of the
increase in the cost, therefore. is some
thing less than one cent loaf. ala
not reduce the price of bread when wheat
was down. to 60 cents a bushels, propose
amount of the present advance in wheat
and a little more besides.
all the retail merchants to take advantage
of the talk of war as an excuse for in
The only advance in the price of meats
that has been justified by the war is due
eminent has given large orders for canned
meats; In preparing canned meats It Is
has had a tendency to increase the prices
of the cheaper meats.
no advance in tenderloins, an advance of
IL cents in sirloin and porterhouse steaks.
dn nd an th eand Of he farmers for
feeders" indicating that since the new
tariff farmers are going to raise sheep
Pork has advanced a cent a, pound in
to a speculative tendency in the market.
But pork tenderlofns have gone down
for dry salt sides for the army. In cut
ting the hogs for the dry salt sides the
tenderlOin is not used. That has thrown
a quantity of this sort of meat upon the
market.
In groceries the advance in canned goods
has been impercepubIe, according to W.
T. Chandler of Franklin MacVeagh & Co.
vanced as vet have been corn and toma-
toes, principally the latter The govern
But the advance in tomatoes was to
have been expected" said Mr.. Chandler.
T11a0 oil lJNT1Ixy la ST n
pretty well exhausted and the new crop
has not come in yet.
Navy beans have gone up, but even at
$l45 bushel they are very low; nave
seen them as high as So and s. 80,
the natural reaction from the very low
market that has prevailed
The advance in the price of cheese was
due not at all to the war but to the fact
that the supply is light, We will not get
will lessen the demand somewhat, but the
June cheese is not the best
II should say that what slight advance
there has been in groceries has been due
to the return of prosperous times md the
People remember that during the civil war
prices went up, but at that time, we had
to furnish provisions and men for both
The only thing that seems to have been
seriously affected by the W. has been the
price of certain drugs
: Quinine has gone up from IS to % cents
from sis5 to S2S5; gum Opium from Gne S.
to $3.50 in case lots. This rise is due to
ed, ana in the case Of sulphur. which is
made from birthstone, the source of sup
ely The rise in the price of opium.
however, is due entirely to the shortage of
On the whole. an analysis of prices
shows that there is very little in the war
as yet to cause rise, and that if retail
goods they are simply using the war as
not Justified by the condition of trade.