Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-09-23
WoRkINGMEN BETTER OFF.
Increase in Wages Exceeds the In.
creased Cost Of Living.

creased Cost Of Living.
Frederick w. Job. the secretary OF
the Employers association of Chica-
go, has been spending many months
in iabulating facts and figures rela-
tive 70 The cost of living for laboring
men in Chicago from 1898 TO the
present; and he has just finished a
most thorough and exhaustive report
IN the subject, which, however, is not
10 be published for the present. be-
cause the facts contained in IL are to
be used in any cases of arbitration
concerning wages that may arise with
workingmen in Chicago. and previous
publicity would tend to lessen their
force. Those who have seer this re.
port, however, say that 1t furnishes
a complete answe to the free trade
assertion that protection has increas-
ed tine cost OF living to the working
men. That there has been an increase
in the price of provisions during the
past five years Is not denied. But Mr..
Jobs report proves from actual mar
kct quotations that il costs the aver
age workingman today no than
II per cent above the prices i'm 1898
for provisions. while this increase is
much more than made up by the high
or rate of wages now paid. as well as
by the fact that work is more plenti-
full. Ii must also be remembered that
in a time of high wages and steady
work w~orkingmen purchase more eX-
p~ensive and better grades of food.
When wages are low they are content
with cheap boiling beef and round
steak, but when wages are high they
insist on having sirloin roasts and
porterhouse steak. Indeed. many
w~orkiugmen go to a foolish extreme
in this respect. and in flush times.
for instance. will buy the most eX.
pcnsive brands of fancy pastry flour
with which TO make bread. declaring
thai the best is none too good for
them. whereas the cheaper grade of
-four would really be better and more
wholesome for them. II is this de.
sire of the American workingman to
provide his family and himself with
the best food obtainable. that largely
reduces the margin between the rate
OF wage and the cost of living. a re-
duction which is falsely attributed to
a protective tariff.
Referring to Mr.. Jobs report there
is shown an increase IN the price OF
groceries of 3 per cent. due largely to
the increase of 30 per cent in the
price of butter since 1898, IN increase.
by the way. we observe In passing.
that directly benefits the American
farmer. so that il IA not be regarded
as an unmiXed evil. II the item OF
butter is omitted an actual decrease
of more than IL per cent in the price
of groceries Is shown. The average
cost of -four per barrel is as follows:
1898. $500: 1899. si.22; 1900. $4.53,
1901. $3.50: 1902. Si.52; 1909. si.52.
Other articles show either "A decrease
i'm price or no change. In the case
of meat there Is an average increase
in price OF % per cent; hut the in
crease is very largely for the more
expensive grades. the prices for round
steaks for the six years. for instance,
being 10. 10. lOia. II, IL and II cents.
In the opinion of many there Is really
more nutriment in round steak than
in purterhouse steak. so that the
%workingman who increases his living
expenses by buying the latter has on
: ~ himself to blame. II is not, how
ever. the higher pr - If meat whicE
+ concerns the workingman so much as
? the fact whether he Caa "arn 'nunSh
to buy il. Meat at ) cents i pound
; would have no interest for HIM II rs
r wages did not permit him to by 1t.
; And on the other nand. the ncrafse
Of % per cent can be borne by him
/ with equanimity when his higher rate
J. of wages easily permits him to buy
l. even the most expensive grades, as
; in point nf fact. he admittedly does
There are no w~Orkilgmen In tic
world who eat as much meat as Do
the American workingmen.
Nevertheless. the meat expenditure
;. of the average w~orkingman's family
t is only half OF its grocery eXpenGI
ture. which, as we have seen win The
S single exception oi hutter. Il t1Gdy
. considerably less than II was in lsGS
= The United States Department of La
: Dor Statistics gives the average eX
I penditurc OF "a w~orkingman's family
n for food as about half OF its total TX
[ pcnditurc, the percentages being as
$ follows: Grocery expenditure 80.
! per cent. meat, including fish. 1916,
I per cent. and milk, 3.ll per cent, {
total of 1928 per cent. The othel
items are: Rent. 1874 per cent fuel
i.30 per cent; clothing and dry goods
1886 per cent. and sundries, 1913 PEI
cent. From the figures gathered ID
him Mr.. Job deduCts that il would cosI
\ a workingman today about sl.l39.5'
$ to live substantially as well as he liv
e ed on 81 900 in 1898. And that is {
true statement of the increased cos
q in living. as Seems proved, the IN
crease has been more than offset b'
e the higher rate Of wages. But whai
then. becomes Of the parrot cry tina
the trust breeding tariff is increas
ing the cost of living TO the worklns
man. As a matteT Of fact. II Is INT
tariff" that ensures such good wages u
k the American workingnlan that ~
Can cat better and more food. veal
i better and more expensive clothe.
and surround himself with more o
I the Injuries. not to speak of the CON
J. forts of life. than any other body o.
~workingmen on the face of the giun"
I American Economist.