Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-08-09
HIGHER COST OF LIVING.
RAPID ADVANCE IN PRICES STARTL Es
EVEN GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN .

RAPID ADVANCE IN PRICES STARTL Es
EVEN GOVERNMENT sTATIsTICIAN
Living expenses are increasing at 8
rate that finally has startled the gov
ernment statistician-and he is the
last man in the world to be startled at
anything.
For three years the average Ameri-
can housekeeper has felt the strain of
increased household expenses, but, un
til within few months, the matter has
not appealed officially to the statistical
agents of the government. Indeed,
less than year ago figures were made
public by the bureau of labor which
seemed to Indicate that there had been
no increase In the living expenses of
| the average American citizen. The
| figures showed that some articles of ev-
eryday use in Am ericaD households had
gone up in price, but the general per
centsge of increase was 80 small as to
be incOnsiderable. At that very time
it was known to every householder In
the land that bis expenses mad inereas
ed materially and chat he was paying
more for the support Of his family
tnan he ever had paid before.
Now these facts have dawned on the
government officials. The latest in
vestigations made by the bureau of
labor have thrown some strong light
on the subject. The criticism made of
the reports made about year ago in
duced the officers of the labor bureau
to institute an inquiry into the cost of
wholesale amounts of commodities
generally used in housekeeping. The
comparisons instituted covered per.
iod of seventeen years. The inquiry
into the wholesale prices of such arti-
Giles had been completed and now an
Investigation into the retail prices Of
the same commodities is beng made.
The latter will not be completed for
several months yet; but the statistics
respecting the Wholesale prices has
prepared the statisticians for what
they will find in their irquiFy into the
retail prices.
In the inquiry only recently complet-
ed it was discovered that the wholesale
prices of 25S ordinary commodities had
reached higher level in 1906 than at
any previous time in the history of the
country. Of course, the period cover.
ed by the investigation was very sew
enteen years. but at no time prior to
that had prices 30 high been attained
as to any considerable number Of the
articles Investigated. On the whole |
number of articles the average price in |
1906 was 5 per cent. higher Lban it
was in 1905. and 36.5 per cent. higher
than in 1897, the year in which the |
lowest prices of all the commodities |
were reached IN the seventeen year |
period. The statistics show that the
highest lever of prices was reached in |
OSColu UcI. 1ooH, VIC hFOidSC III oh~b |
month being A per cent. higher than
for the entire year of 1906. and per |
cent. higher than for the correspond |
ing month of the previous year.
1t is stated by the bureau of labor
that the inquiries covered farm pro-
ducts, food. clothing, lumber, building |
material, drugs, house-furnishings and |
miscellaneous commodities. Farm |
products and chemicals showed. a slight |
decrease from the prices of 1908, but |
all other products indicated material
increase. The average price of farm |
products showed, in 1905. only slight |
change from 1905, while food products,
as a whole, Increased per cent over
1906
Sixty.six of the seventy-fve articles
of clothing showed an increase in price,
while only four indicated a decrease.
In the others there was no change.
In submitting the figures the bureau
of labor makes no ats mpt to discuss
the causes of the rise and fall of prices
contenting itself with a simple state
ment of the facts as il finds them. 1t |
Is significant, however, that an inquiry
is being made into retail prices on the
very heels of the other Investigation.