The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-22

Building material ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 50
NOolens ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .
Agricultural implements .................. %
1ODaccO --.-----. -
CoalOil %
Iaple SAT- .'..-..'-.........'-'''.-. %
Coal. 50 cents per ton.
But the whole story is not yet told
It is not sufficient to state the prices Of
what the farmer has to sell and the
prices of what he has to buy. The value
o. the purchasing power of any COM
modify IS determined by ascertaininS
how much Of the necessaries Of life a
given quantity of that commodity viii
buy. Wheat is as good a standard as
there is among the agricultural pro-
ducts of Utah.
a Simple Explanation.
In 1893. before the great era of trust
prosperity set in. wheat in Salt Lake
City was bringing 90 cents per bUshel;
now it is bringing as cents. But TO
make the computations simpler it may
be assumed that the price has not
fallen; that it is as high now as it was
two years ago On this basis a farmer
could have come to salt Lake two years
ago with ten bushels Of wheat to eX-
change for manufactured products. The
amount of hardware he could have got
for his ten bushels of wheat then would
now cost him fourteen and a half bush
els of just as good wheat
The amount of barbed wire that he
would have got then for his ten bushels
OF wheat y. ouid now cost him twenty
bushels. The carpet that he could have
sot then for his ten bushels Of wheat
would now cost him twelve bushels.
The glassware that he would have got
then with his ten bushels would now
cost him fifteen bushels. The wrought
iron that then cost him ten bushels
would now cost him twenty bushels.
The two-inch iron pipe that cost him
ten bushels Of wheat in 1898 would
now cost him thirty bushels. The pine
lumber that cost him ten bushels then
would now cost him twelve and a half
bushels. The cut nails that cost him
ten bushels then would cost him TWEEN
ty-One and 2 half bushels now The
stove that cost him ten bushels Of
wheat then would now cost him thir-
teen and One-third bushels The furni-
ture that cost him ten bushels then
would cost him thirteen and one-third
bushels now. The structural steel that
cost him ten bushels then would cost
him twenty bushels now. The same is
true of tinware, iron bolts and screws
and wire rod. The horseshoes that cost
him ten bushels of wheat in 1898 would
cost him twenty-four and one-haIf
bushels of the same quality Of wheat
now.
Everything Costs More.
In the line of general groceries the
amount that this farmer could have
got in 1888 for his ten bushels of wheat
would cost him twelve bushels now.
The building material that cost him
ten bushels then would cost him fifteen
bushels now. The wooden cloth that he
could have got for his ten bushels then
would cost him twelve and half bush
els now. The suit of clothes that he
would nave got for his ten bushels then
would cost him twelve and half bush
els now. The agricultural implement
that he would have been able to buy
with his ten bushels then would cost
him eleven and a half bushels now. The
tobacco that he could have got for his
ten bushels then would cost him twelve
bushels now. The coal oil that he
could have got for his ten bushels then
would cost him twelve bushels now.
The sugar that he could have got for
his ten bushels of wheat then would
cost him thirteen bushels now.
This computation could be carried on
through the whole list of articles that
enter into the life of the farmer of
Utah 1t need not be confined to wheat
alone Any staple article, such as wool,
hides, beef or dairy products may be
taken and the same state Of affairs Will
be found. And after the whole ques-
ton is sifted down to its essence it
VIII be seen that While what the farmer
in price, but on the contrary decreased,
the things that he has to buy in the
way Of food clothing. tools. imple-
ments, building material, furniture
barbed wire. pipe. lumber and even
collins has increased in price all the
way from Is to 200 per cent
This IS the reason that the Utah
farmers smile when the full dinner
pan argument is prevented to them:
this is the reason that they grit their
teeth when Mark Hanna. the OOss Re-
publican. announces that there are no
trusts; ~this is what makes them I'M
terstand why all the big corpora tons
are supporting the RepuhlIca-l ticket
in this fight.
1t is stated that atonc time a certain
wise man put green goggles on his
horse to induce him to eat shavings
Tor grass. This is as Sc lsibIe a game
as the one the Republican leaders are /
now trying 10 play on the farmers Of
Utah.