Barre evening enterprise. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-1898, 1898-05-06
no WAR PRICES IN VIEW
Recent Advances on Som.
Things Due to Other Causes
OPINIONS OF LEADING DEALERS

rhey Have Been Shown Chiefly In Food
by the Situation In the Far East-Price
of Goods For Government Use Likely to
Advance--American and Cuban Flags
Are the Dearest Things In the Market,
Among the important questions which
people are asking just now is whether
the war with Spain is going to help
business or hurt it and whether the
cost of living will be materially in
creased through the same causes 1t is
Il fact that great many of the things
used in the household have become
dearer in the last few days, and this
has led retail dealers to suppose that
the war was going to advance prices
still more. Many housekeepers are al
ready frightened at the prospect of
return of such prices as existed during
the civil war and for years following
it.
Inquiries among representative deal
crs in the wants of the household, made
in New York recently, would seem to
indicate that any alarm of this sort was
without foundation, although there can
be little doubt that the prices of some
things have advanced, to stay at least
for time, and that these prices and
some others may be still further adj
vanced a few points All of these men,
however, agree that the advances with
few exceptions have little or no connec-
ton with the war or approximations as
to it's result, but are the result Of natu-
raj causes and would have taken place
whether we had gone to war or not.
Some Of the advances in price are, in
fact. an indication Of all improvement
in the general condition of trade, and
have come with increases in the value
Of tho productions of our own country,
which should be matter Of congratu-
latiGn rather than alarm. This is true
Of the higher price for -four, and with
that an increase in the market price Of
all of the cereal products.
The conditions which produced the
war prices of 1868 are not likely soon to
be repeated in the United States, and it
is not probable that anything like them
would be repeated even if the war
with Spain were to last for an indeti-
mite time. In those days when flour
went to $l4 q barrel the north was
maintaining in tho field an army of
1000, coo ablebodied men, who had
been withdrawn from their ordinary
occupations, producing food stuffs and
all the other articles of common use.
We wero waging a war in our own
country in which the ordinary opera
lions in the field often involved enor-
nous losses and the destruction Of food
and equipments even beyond the ordi-
nary needs of the army. Besides this
the credit Of our nation was SO impair
ed that our bonds and hence our curren-
cy were deprecated until the dollar in
which we reckoned prices was worth in
the markets of the world only about
one third of its face value. This fact of
itself would have made prices advance
to three times their normal level, and
it is significant fact that during even
the darkest period Of tho war most CT
the staple articles of use did not ad-
vance at all in price when their value
was reckoned by the gold value Of the
currency. The Spanish are already suf-
fering from such causes both in Cuba
and at home, land they are likely soon
to see prices go almost out OF sight, as
in the southern Confederacy; but the
United States is in no such danger.
The taking away Of 100000 or 2OO,-
900 men to war is not likely to inter
fero in any serious degree with the pro-
ductivo capacity of our country OF TO-
900, 900 people, nor is their malnte-
nance, even in these expensive days OF
warfare, likely to impair the credit OF
the government particle. Still we
Shall probably have "war prices to
certain extent, just as the prices of GER
tain imported goods have advanced with
the imposition of higher tariff duties.
The government has got to have lar
ger income to meet the direct cost OF
war and to pay interest upon the bonds
which may he issued, and in whatever
form this is raised it will add some
thing to the cost of the things which
are consumed in the household When
the bill now being considered ny con-
gress becomes q law, we shall know ex-
actly what articles will be increased IN
price through this war measure.
When, a month ago, it became near
ly certain that there would be war, a
great many retail dealers throughout
the country, and especially i'll the south,
decided that prices would 60 up, and
some of them advanced their prices at
once, while at the Same timo buying new
goods freely to reap the advantage OF
the advance. In our own markets prices
have advanced on great nany things.
Beef has gone up about cent a pound
ut wholesale, and retailers have ad-
vanced its price considerably more than
that. Potatoes are selling for $2.50 to
So a barrel as against about $ less a
year ago. Apples are dear, aAd there
has been slight advance i'll the price
of quite number of groceries. Among
the representatives of the great meat
houses who were seen recently 1t was
declared that the advance in the price
of fresh beef was not due in any way to
the war.
Beef" said one of these men, al
ways goes up about the same amount
at this time of the year, and there has
been no advance in the price OF o.her
fresh meats. Canned and corned meats,
however, have been affected in price
and arc likely to be higher. This may
finally put the price of fresh meats up
little by sympathy. 1t is not our war
scare alone that has affected the p.ice