The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-14
BIG INCREASE IN
COST OF LIVING
Scarcity of Wool, Cotton and Leather
Causes an Advance in
Prices.
AVERAGE RISE 20 PER CENT
MANUFACTURERS CANNOT MEET
TRADE DEMANDS.

+ Advance of prices within six =
= months:
+ Wool, 40 per cent.
= Cotton, 20 per cent
+ Leather, SO Is per cent.
+ Suits formerly selling for Sl5, viii ?
4 bring SIS and $50 next fall.
= Cotton piece goods are selling s ?
+ cents more on the yard than ever >
= before.
+ Shoes selling for $3.50 formerly =
= will sell for 81 in future.
+ Gloves are being sold to retailers
= at from % cents to 40 cents more
/ + per pair than a year ago.
= The entire cost Of living has ris- =
y Ell approximately 90 per cent in =
= three years
! From reports brought home by Salt
Lake merchants who have been east
during the past few weeks buying
spring and summer goods, all classes
of wearing apparel will be advanced at
| least 90 per cent before fall arrives
| Manufacturers have raised the prices
on their output one-ffth within the
past six months. This has an immedl-
| ate effect upon the retailer, as he is az
| all times working on small margin OF
profit 1t is claimed. Retail prices VIII
go I'D in proportion to the lncreaNe
made in the wholesale figure.
! It is stated that shortage of supply IS
responsible for the increase. Wool
/ hides and cotton are all scarce ana are
much higher in price than they were a
| few months ago. This will have ten
! dency 10 increase the cost Of practical
/ Iy every article worn by men and Wo-
men.
Not only is there an increase in wear
/ ing apparel, but there is also rise IN
prices of food. The cost of living Is at
] CT
was year ago.
Big Rise by September.
One of the prominent merchants m
Salt Lake discussing the general in
crease in merchandise, said yesterday:
! "By September eYerX1OdY will be
! paving a greater prfce Tor what he
/ wears and what he eats than he has
| ever been called upoH TO nay before
] Those who have been buying 80 mats
will be asked to pay $3.50 for the same
grade Of goods. Those who have been
! getting an excellent suit OF clothes for.
say, ST or SIS, will not be able TO get
the duplicate in quality OF the article
| under $40 It VIII be So ali along the
| line. Everything will be up
! MANY persons VIII think that this
| increas sc is an arbitrary one on the part
Of The big manufactures. That IS
wrong. The makers are crying out
/ against the increased cost Of DrOduc-
| ton Just as the users will cry out
| against the rise IN the retail price or
| materials The greater the cost OF pro-
ductiOn the less chance there is for easy
competition. The manufacturers who
/ did not buy their supplies early will be
! forced to cease business in many in
/ stances until normal prices are re-
stored.
! Wool Advances 40 Per Cent.
zone of the chief causes for the In
creased cost of clothing, both outersand
under garments, is occasioned by the
advance in wool. One year ago WOOL
could be bought as low as - 10 10 cents
/ per pound To-Day medium grades are
| selling for n to % cents per pound. The
| better grades are bringing % cents The
| advance in wool has been within the
/ past six months nearly 40 per cent
/ Even at the increased price little stock
! is being offered. The fact Of the mat
| ter is that there is not an overplus Of
wool to be obtained
Wool shortage is being caused by
! the ever narrowing Of the ranges for
! the sheep. Time was when nearly the
whole western country was for the ami
mails to Craze upon. Greater consump-
| ton of mutton, without an increase IN
the production Of lambs has also con-
tributed TO a large extent IN decreasing
/ large herds.
Reserve Used Up
scD,1rfng the Russian war
| America was called upon to furnish a
! large quota of the supplies for the sol
diers What small reserve OF wool.
| leather and cotton there was IN this
country was used in supplying the
needs Of the fighters. For lending a
/ heIpfng hand and incidentally reaping
| great profits, America will pay the
/ price of being short herself. We shall
| be called upon to add at least 20 per
/ cent to the cost Of our living because
we have sold out our reserve supply to
q. foreign nation.
Most of the larger factories have re-
fused orders for wooden products since
the first Of the year. With the posi-
! Bile exception Of a few very small con-
! Germs there have been no manufactur-
! ers' agents for wooden houses in the
| field during the past SIX months. Buy
ers have been compelled to go to New
York and almost beg for goods. Large
| orders are not received. About half
| the quantity asked for was given buy
! ers.
Mercerized Cotton Boon.
cone of the saving graces for wooden
makers is the advent Of mercerized cot
ton This product may be worked into
wooden goods, cheap ening the cost Of pro-
duction. The article produced is. Of
course, not so good as the pure WOOllen.
What manufacturers are now striving for
IL not quality. but quantity The demand
/ for clothing and woOllen goods must be
| met. even at the cost of quality.
''In the cotton market conditions SINH
lar 10 those in the wool market pre-
vail Cotton is short. Cotton piece goods
] are at least . per cent higher than a
! year ago. Spot cotton is worth u cents
more than 1t has been since the Sully
corner. The supply is limited. and the
demand great. The natural result Is stiff,
! high prices,
I'm the south all cotton raisers are
rolling in money. During the past year
/ a smaller acreage than for the past five
years has been cultivated Money seems
/ to be a bad thing for the cotton raiser.
Continued IN Pare