The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1905-04-21
INCREASING IN COST.
PRICES OF FOODS IN UNITED
STATES ARE GOING Up.
Various Articles of Daily conSump-
ton That Have Gone Beyond
the Purses Of Poor
Folks.

Most exasperating Of all in the in
creased cost or living is the increase In
the cost of food. When 1t is considered
that the average American family
whose income does not exceed $1,200
spends Gas has been ascertained by gov
ernment investigators) nearly IS per
cent Of its entire income on food, it is
easily seen, says Pearson's Magazine,
how a great difference is made by rise
in prices of ten to twenty-five cents on
every dollars worth Of edible supplies.
covering meats, vegetables and practic-
ally all eatables. AS compared with the
average prices governing during the
period OF 1890 to 1900, it is reckoned by
the United States bureau of labor that
hams and salt beef have gone up - per
cent, salt pork and bacon 80 per cent,
lard 35 per cent, fresh vegetables, 13
per cent, corn meal 16 per cent, crack
ers 10 per cent, New Orleans molasses
20 per cent, beans 81 per cent, herrings
81 per cent, salt 21 per cent, pepper ~
per cent, and currants 121 per cent.
Poor Mrs. Benedick, when she goes
to market, finds that her housekeeping
money does not go very far. She does
her best pricing various articles from
stall to stall and buying each thing
where it is cheapest-or, one would
rather say, least dear-but the result is
very discouraging. Less beef than is
really wanted, and inferior cuts at that,
must be made to do. AS for fresh veg
stables, they are likely to be SO high as
to be impossible. Eggs have climbed
nearly 30 per cent, and the best ones,
which are the only kind worth buying,
come at 28 cents dozen in summer,
whereas half dozen years ago they
could have been purchased for 21 cents
or % cents. Sometimes, indeed, they
went lower, but we are speaking here of
average prices.
In those happy days choice chuck
roast could be had for six cents
pound; now it costs nine cents. Prime
roast beef was 1914 cents; now it is 171a
cents. Soup meat came at 81s cents;
now 1T is IL cents. Porterhouse steak
was q cents; now it is 25 Sirloin steak
was II cents; nowiit is 2O Round steak
was 16 cents; now 1t is 18. Meanwhile,
chickens have gone up enormously.
Fowls that used to cost IL cents pound
are now 1S cents, while roasting chick
ems have ascended from 20 cents to 25
cents. Turkeys are no longer for poor
folks, even at Thanksgiving and Christ
mas.
No wonder that Mrs. Benedick finds
that her market money runs short. If
she would have a decent quality Of but
ter on her table, she must pay 30 cents
a pound for it, whereas only four or five
years ago it could be had for "a cents.
The cheese that used to cost Is cents
now comes at 18. Molasses is 60 cents
gallon, instead of 48; milk is eight
cents a quart instead Of seven; lard is
l3 cents a pound, instead of nine; and,
when it comes to fish, the rise is pro-
portionate. Cod steak. for instance, has
climbed from Is to Is cents a pound.
Bread, luckily, still remains at five
cents a pound loaf IN most places.
Mrs. Benedick'e marketing account,
only the othaT day, showed that potatoes
cost her 25 cents peck, whereas the
price five or six years ago was only Is
cents. But, of course, one cannot get
along without potatoes Rice is an
economical vegetable, but 1t has gone up
a cent and half pound incidentally to
the general rise in the necessaries of life.
She buys a good deal of pork, because
it is cheaper than other kinds of meat;
but the fact is that it is pretty nearly as
dear as beef used to he, chops having
gone up from II to Is cents, and roast
pork in nearly as great proportion.
Hams that were formerly IL cents a
pound are now 16 cents. Most kinds of
groceries, happily, do not seem to have
increased much in price, but it is GER
tainly true that the quality Of tea which
brought 40 cents a pound in the 9O's
fetches so cents to-day.