The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-17

would be corner of eggs went glim-
mering, exit profits ditto
All of the staple products usually
sold from a. grocery store are higher
than they ever have been for seven
teen years past. AS an instance of
some of the increases beans have gone
up 100 per cent since 1898. Canned
goods have in some instances increase
In price over last year and in others
have come in for a slight decrease of
about 10 per cent. Flour has remain
ed quite steady though slightly cheap
er this year than last.
Effect of Pure Food Laws.
Though the enforcement of the pure
food laws, 1t is said, will not tack on
extra prices it will lead to the con-
sumption of higher grade of goods and
the same result will obtain as far as
the pocl0etbOOk is cOncerned-it will
succeed in emaciating it. When the
packer puts up ham now that isn't, he
Will have to put on a label that will
say Beef with ham flavor and when
you are buying chicken that is some
thing else, you will have a label show
you that it is simply favored with
chicken. The natural result of all this
is, that people who want chicken and
not simply the flavor Will buy the gen.
uine and the grocery bills will loom
larger for this reason.
The bulletin of the bureau of labor
in a compilation of the cost of food
stuffs prepared and issued DUNG July
prices of % out of 80 articles of staple
foodstuffs are higher than they have
been since 1S96-the two that we're
not affected were prunes and coffee
Not much choice between them.
The advance in bacon since 1896
was 43.5 per cent; potatoes, 43.1 per
cent; eggs. Ais per cent; flour. 29.3
per cent; fresh beef, III per cent
In 1890 with but few fluctuations
the prices remained about the same
until 1898. From that time until 1886
the cost dropped down and then start
ed to ascend and they have been at it
ever since The rise from 1900 to
1902 was especially pronounced.
Wholesale prices on the same arti-
Giles are less this year than 1902, the
year when they reached their maxi
mum point since 1891.
Supply and demand and concentra-
ton of business interests are offered
as explanation for the increased cost
of living for every succeeding year of
ate.
Cold Storage EquaIizes Prices.
Cold storage mas not materially
raised the prices of eggs nor are
creameries responsible for any. mater
ial increase in the price of butter, say
those who claim to know. They sim
ply result in maintaining a uniform
price the year around. Il remember
that we used to get eggs almost for
nothing and butter for about one-haIf
of what it is now during the summer,
but in the winter both eggs and butter
would go way out of sight. sold
eggs one winter back in the seventies
for so cents a Dozen said one dealer.
Now they sell the eggs and butter al
about the same price winter or sum-
mer. Weather has a great deal to do
with the market and if the winter
should remain moderate it wouldn't
be possible to run the prices way up
Cheese is way up over what it was
Is years ago, and If we sold butter to-
day at the same rate that we do cheese
it would cost 40 cents a pound"
Fresh vegetab les are really cheaper
than they were 16 years ago. It is
possible now to buy vegetables at all
times in the year and it is one per-
petual vegetable season due to the
shipping facilities now enjoyed.