The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-08-04

American laborer feel that ne Is earn
Ing his money.
Soda crackers have decreased 1915 PER
cent. in price, and about so per cent. in
size. Fresh vegetables cannot very
we'll be kept for next years consump-
ton. consequently they have decreased
naturally in price with the advance in
truck farming.
Coal has clambered up the scale
about 81 a ton since 1890. without
counting the extra high figures reached
in 1903.
Increased Cost, of Cloth;,a.
AS for clothing. cotton lannels have
increased 1873 per cent. common suit
inss AL per cent. common boots and
shoes 1862 per cent, women's dress
goods 1863 per cent, blankets 1873 per
cent. and thread col pur cent.
The laborer pays more by Is per cent.
for his furniture now than ten years
ago. He pays about 10 per cent. more
for the commonest kind of dishes and
table cutlery, and for the luxury of to-
bacco II per cent. more.
On top Of all this. the wage-earner.
in this city at least, is called upon to
pay an van in rent from Is to 80
| per cent. and when he moves into his
humble quarters the gs.3 trust gets in
on his pocketbook. If not through high
er prices. by forcing the pressure until
his meter works like a Waterbury
watch.
1t has been charged by those who are
disposed to find Excuse for the raise in
prices of almost all the commodities Of
life that housekeepers are more ex-
t%ravagant then they We're ten years
ago. This assertion has no foundation
in fact. The wife of a day laborer with
a family of four cannot be much of a
spendthrift on $l.50 a day and make
both ends meet.
If she would have a decent quality Of
butter on her table she must pay 80
cents a pound for it,, Where four or
five years ago she could buy it for "a
cents. and other necessities OF life in
proportion.
Instead of Increasing extravaganza
among houSekeepers, it is a noticeable
fact that the standard of living among
salaried men and wage-earners is
steadily declining, principally owing to
the high price of living.
The big corporations arc always on
the lookout for a chance to pinch sal
aries and raise prices. They control
nearly everything, and while they are
constantly growing richer the poor are
growing poorer.
On July l, 1897, the per capita cost
Of clothing in the United States was
$13.S0S. Last year it was Js17.425. Thus
on this item of living alone the cost has
DetH lIltIedStu ny oNGI 20 per teIll., Ut
about SIS per family. throughout the
United States.
On July l, 1897. it cost at wholesale
S34.T1 to buy a years supply of food for
one person in the United States. 1t
now costs s4S.7S, an increase of over 40
per cent.
1t takes a salary of about $1,4OO a
year now to buy the same household
necessities at a salary Of 81, 900 would
have bought eight years ago. In other
words, it takes $1.35 now to buy the
things a dollar would have bought in
1897.
In 1861, when the civil war had just
begun, the annual cost of living was
1921. GO, and in 1864 it had risen to $312.73
The year 1870 saw the allowance fol-
each person reduced to S165.47. There
was a gradual decrease, until the low.
est mark, SEAS, was reached in 1897
The cost for the succeeding years was;
1898, 1894; 1899, $S0.42: 1900. $95. 30; 1901
500. IS; 1902, SOL. SO; 1903, $l00. So, and 1904
$100.14.
The income Of the average day la.
borer or mechanic is about s7OO a year
Out of his he pays about 5000 a veal
for rent, $50 for gas and fuel, $32 ca
fare; clothing for family of three, SIS
incidentals. housefurnishings, etc, $50
This caves about 81 a day for food
which is not much of an average foi
three healthy persons.