The Forrest City times., 1902-01-24
COST OF LIVING AND WAGES.
some Facts Regarding "Prospcrity' Cleaned from n Reliable
 Source.

each. showing that the cost of iiv- ipo is now greater in this country than ever before. The following are the .'index" figures for January I, tseo. July 1. 1897, January 1, 1900. and January 1, 1902:
 1,ge. January 1-Breadstuffs. l3.765 meats 7620. dairy and garden, 12615; other food. eas5. clothing, 14.Si5; metals 16 20: ms cetlaneous. 15.111. Total, 90 i91.
 Julv 1 dow)-Breadstuffs l05S7; meats. ,52e dairy and garden, STA; other food. N: clothing. 13.S sos: metals 11642; mis- reIaneous. 12.2SS. Total. 72 455
 I9Oo January f-Breadstuffs, 13. 254: meats 7G5S; dairy and garden, l3.702; other food goo; clothing. 17.4S: metals lSOS5: mis- cellaneous. 16.312;. Total, 5.2e5.
 l902 January l-Breadstuffs. 2o.002; meats 9s70. dairy and garden. 15 24S: other food S@2; clothing. 15.547: metals. l5.375; m.s- cellaneous, 1679S. Total, lOl5s7
 The totals show that the cost Of living was six per cent. greater n 1900 than in 1890; 3f per cent. greater in 1900 than in 1897; and 40 per cent greater in 1902 than in 1897.
 Judging by the cost of living we are certainly in the midst of record breaking prosperity. This k also in dicated by the distribution or Inc first of the year of the greatest dividends ever made on the bonds and stocks of railroads and industrial companies. We may also observe what even the blind can see-that the last four years have been the greatest transforming period in our history. Nearly every commodity is now controlled by some trust and is carried by railroads working " harmony. Of course. we know that trusts cheapen production and low er the cost of living, and that that k their chief reason for existing; but somehow prices nearly always go up when a trust is formed, and here we are at the beginning of 1g02 wlth more trusts than ever before and prices at the highest notch ever re corded.
 But of course we are enjoying uI heard-of prosperity. Let no one deny this statement. If some pessi- mist tries to stir up antagonism be- tween wage-earners and employers by pointing to this remarkable IT, crease in the cost of living and by telling the wage-earners that the manufacturers are pocketing all the difference in price and that the wage earners are not earning or getting more money now than formerly. tel this old croak that mot only are the wage-earners receiving much better pay than at the earlier date, but they are we'll employed.' This is the lam guage of Dun's Review. which fur ther treasures us that ..the rate of wages is of trifiing importance when there is no work. Ii was estimated by labor experts al the time that 3.00O,000 men were unable To find em- ployment Thls means that T., 1000, ,000 persons were living on as little as possible. and consequently the con sumptiye demand was reduced to the lowest point. At the present time there is little difficulty in meeting the higher level of quotations, for there is full employment, and each man has only his own family to think of instead of a host of unfortunate relatives and friends, as was the ease during the earlier period" ' On the other hand, the wage-earner benefits by lower rents and better accommodations, which have fol- lowed the increase of money seek ing investment and consequent fall in interest rates"
 The Review also hastens to remind the wage-earner, who may not like the look of Dun's figures in regard to the cost of living, of the phenome- nal growth in the deposits in savings banks and the increased amount of life insurance policies. These it says do not indicate that the manufac- turers and the capitalists are pocket ing all the profits
 These statements are very comfort ing to the millions of workingmen who are too busy to read eensus statistics but who, although they are working harder than ever. find them selves falling behind from year to year and who are becoming so troublesome that some of the rail roads are raising wages slightly to prevent strikes. In fact, not only has the cost of living greatly in- creased during the last ten years. but wages, money wages, have been de clining.
 About the middle of December the Journal of Commerce and Commer- clal Bulletin of New York contained the following statement:
 Census bulletins for the manufac- lures of 24 territories, agricultural states and four small manufacturing states = Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and DeIaware-show Tn ten years an increase of 62 per cent. in capital invested and 61 per cent. in the value of output. of 37 per cent. in the number of wage earners and B per cent. in the amount of wages"
 According to census statistics then money wages were about three per cent. lower in 1900 than in 1soo pa