The Washington herald., 1906-11-23
PRIDE RAISES PRICES
High Living Expenses Due
to Vanity, Says Expert.
AVERAGE MAN EXTRAvAGANT
DIR. lie Grand Powers, Statistician,
Declares Prevalence of n Desire for
OstentatiOn Has Caused Increased
Cost of FOOdstuRs, Rather Than an
Advance in the Products.

Pride and vanity on the part of the
average individual. rather than an in
crease in the cost OF raw products or
ent high price of foodstuffs, according to
Or. lie Grand Powers, agricultural statis-
tician Of the Census Bureau.
People nowadays mean the average
people. common people, if you will-insist
upon having the best Of everything" said
DIT. Powers. The wOrkingman demands
the finest cuts Of meat and he buys bet
ter meat perhaps than the salaried or pro-
fessional man. He does not subscribe 10
the shinbone doctrine of Edward Atxin-
son. He has a feeling that he is as good
as anybody else. and this asserts itself IN
his purchases. That Is vanity
You remember the time perhaps when
q man who wanted TO buy a steak threw
his basket over his arm and went to the
grocery after it. But he won't carry a
bundle now His meat must be sent 10
him. That is pride.
1T is safe to estimate that it costs >
cents a steak for every cut that Is deliv-
cred TO a house. The same is true with
other commodities Of everyday necessity.
The man whose food is delivered to him
by the green grocer or the butcher pays
the freight.
Dealer Is the Gainer.
You may take any article YOU please.
continued DR.. Powers and you viii find
that the margin between the manufac-
turer and the consumer is constantly in
creasing. The middleman or dealer is the
gamer to- a considerable degree. although
he is not responsible altogether for the
high prices Of foods. He must meet the
consumers fancies; he must make his
goods look attractive. and he must lay
them at the door Of the household. All Of
this costs money. and. Of course, the con-
sumer pays the freight.
People want prepared breakfast foods
now. They used To be satisfied with Oat-
meal and mush. or possibly dishes or
cakes made Of -four. a barrel of flour
sells anywhere from 81 10 IS for 1s6 pounds.
20 the price of wheat But
people do not buy barrels Of flour as Of
yore. They demand it in fancy packages
and sometimes get fl in the form Of pre-
pared foods. The -four that goes into q
ona-pOund package costs about a quarter
0f al cent. The consumer pays much
more. Of course.
Pays for Fancy Package.
-'The price for this one-pound package
is higher than II ought TO be. It proba-
bly, costs eight or ten cents where Il
should not cost more than five or six
The higher price TO the consumer is the
result OF the fancy package. demanded
By the widely spreading national vanity.
and. further. 10 the fact that the article
must be delivered, a service that Is de-
maHded by the pride Of the purchaser.
People are spending money nowadays.
and they are spending it fast Our pros
perity depends upot the spending. II
everybody boarded what he earned. pros
Derity would ce e. We would fry in our
own fat.
IN speaking Of the statements OF Or.
Powers. Charles w. Needham. president
# the George Washington University,
said.
1T is undoubtedly true that the wage f.
aarners OF this country maintain a higher
and mere expensive standard OF living
o-day than ever before. It is also true .
it--- -i-- 'AtffiI "a EpdEFl EtHQS +.
s greater than at any other time. and 4
hat the fancy packages in which they .
ire prepared are paid for out Of his 4
pocket But it must not be said that
hese facts are SO because Of mans in 4
,reased pride and vanity. 1t is because I
he has the money 10 pay for a convent .
.nce that was formerly denied him as a .
luxury.
In the past few years the whole econ 7
'my Of living has undergone a ch-nge.
iUe to no one cause. and not to be un- 4
lone by closer supervision of domestic
accounts, although expenses might be |
owered somewhat IN this way. The aver /
ge man is living on a very close margin.
md has not the means TO practice econ
'my by making wholesale purchases Of .
provisions. even II the nature OF his sur
oundings in apartments or small tene-
nents did not prohibit such a practice.
As for the cost Of delivery service, to
which the public is welded. its excuse is
.galn found in the convenience il brings.
Universal delivery is a system that saves
he public hours of time, and the public
S willing to nav"