New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-05


Certain Of the building trades in this region,
il e stated, have decided 10 demand a general
advance Of wages from So 20 to 81 per day,
with q half holiday on Saturday. on The ground
that the COST Of living has been so greatly In
creased by the recent war and tho high prices
which haze followed that srch m addition to
wages is necessary The right Of any section OF
workers 70 ASH such compensation they wish
VIII not be disputed The wisdom II doing SO
will depend largely upon the prospect II caus-
ing matcgia decrease Ia the buildings erected.
as a natural consequences Of making them more
costly. The changes said TO be proposed make
an advanc" Of 2i6 per cent in the cost Of each
hal days WORN. There are many proposed
buildings which will be indefinitely deferred on
account Of the large increase IN cost of iron and
other materials and II there should be addcd
an increase Of nearly quarter IN cost Of labor
# is probable that many more would be de-
ferred Bur that IS n question FOR the working
men 10 consider
The public may fairly be heard however, re-
garding the reason given for The reported de-
mand II is not the fact TINT the cost Of living
in This city has been increased 4G per cont
nor any considerable part Of that As summer
prices now cannot he fairly compared with
winter prices before The war with Spain broke
out it is II .ccSsary FOR honest comparison TO 20
hack little further. 10 The beginning q Sepcm
her 1897 Prices Of brcadStuffs were then per
cent higher than they are now: prices of all
meats taken together . per cent lower: prices
of dairy and garden products about per cent
lower and prices of articles in the sugar class.
including fish salt. spices tea and coffee. liquors
and tobacco taken together. were : per cent
lower Thus there is an actual advance IN
prices Of all articles Of the food class taking
each according 10 is relative importance.
amounting 10 loss tnan per cent. \ great deal
IS said about The cost If beef but II Is not the
average carpenter or mason who consumes the
porterh0usc steaks and other most costly cuts
which have especially advanced in price Mar
ltet reports show tle other hand. that the
cost Of common beef such rs is consumed by
the great majority and may be by all who SEQ
fit. has advanced only a little
The great rise in prices has been in iron and
other mineral products. But coal an lmpor
tant article in that class. Is 50 much lower
than in the fall Of 1894 then 81 30 met and
now So 95-that IT far ouiweighs the slight nd
vance in tho cost Of oil The important fact Is
that pig iron. steel rails. bar iron beams and
angles steel plates. wire fences and roofing
plates are nor consumed directly by The work
Ing people. nor are their expenses Of living
necessarily affected in the least 10y the prices Of
such articles. II Is the plain fact that the cost
Of transportation steel rails elevated strnct
urcs bridges or ferries has not increased. nor
hns the rental Of buildings generally occu
pied by The workers. An advance TN rent Is dis
cussed as not improbable in the future. but II
1t should be as much ms 10 per cent ii would
rot amount 10 per cent Of the cost Of living
Meanwhile the retail cost Of implements and
tools tinware household utensils and articles
Of that class has not risen in any appreciabe
proportion to the advance in wholesale prices OF
metals
There remains the cost ~ clothing. which has
somewhat advanced Two years ago II was not
~ per cent ~ the total cost Of living for the
great majority and most Of the recent advance
has been in articles Of fashionable preference.