The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 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.


the Purses of Poor
Folks.
Most exasperating of all in the in.
creased cost Of living is the increase in
the cost of food. When it is considered
that the average American family
whose income does not exceed $1,000
spends (as has been ascertained by gov
ernment investigators) nearly As pei
cent of its entire income on food, it is
easily seen, says Pearson's Magazine
how 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 IL pei
cent, salt pork and bacon 80 per cent,
lard IS 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 81 per cent, pepper 72
per cent, and currants 121 per cent.
These are only few illustrative items.
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 1t 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 % cents a 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 q
pound; now it costs nine cents. Prime
roast beef was 15% cents;' now it is 17h
cents. Soup meat came at 81 cents;
now it is II cents. Porterhouse steak
was 21 cents; now it is 25. Sirloin steak
was ~ cents; nowiti is 20. Round steak
was 16 cents; now it is 18. Meanwhile,
chickens have gone up enormously
Fowls that used to cost ~ cents pound
are now 18 cents, while roasting chick
ems have ascended from 20 cents to rs
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. II
she would have decent quality of but
ter on her table, she must pay 80 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
a gallon, instead of 48; milk is eight
cents quart instead of seven; lard is
13 cents a pound, instead of nine; and,
when 1t comes to fish, the rise is pro-
portionate. Cod steak, for instance, has
climbed from Is to 18 cents a pound.
Bread, luckily, still remains at five
cents pound loaf in most places.
Mrs. Benedick's marketing account.
only the other day, showed that potatoes
cost her Is cents peck, whereas the
price five or six years ago was only 18
cents. But, of course, one cannot get
along without potatoes. Rice is all
economical vegetable, but it has gone up
a cent and half a pound incidentally to
the general rise in the necessaries of life.
She buys 9 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 be, 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 pound in the 9O's
fetches so cents to-day.