The Irish standard., 1907-09-14
THE COST OF LIVING.

THE COST OF LIVING.
The cost Of living is question that
Republican politicians will have to give
some attention to next year. They
may talk about deferring a revision Of
the tariff until after election. but some
of the voters will fail to understand
Why they must pay for this little ac-
commodation to the Republican party.
The New York World presents the fall
lowing figures which show how out of
proportion the cost of living has in
creased:
Up to about 1898. while the high tar
if was an insidious means of taxing
the majority for the benefit of the
minority, it was claimed in it's defense
that workingmeh in protected indus
tries received the greater share Of the
steady increase in production. That
is no longer the case.
BY 1900 the trust movement was get
ting into swing, but had not fully
wrought its astonishing changes. In
ten years the number of manufacturing
establishments had increased a. per
cent, the total capital IS per cent. The
increase in value of product less the
cost of raw materials was "a per cent,
the increase in total wages only %
percent. Production and capitalization
had both grown faster than the wage
fund. ~
miscellaneous expenses" a sinister
term. rose So per cent.
The next five years saw the great
American invasion" of Europe by cut
rate prices, while high prices We're
maintained at home by trusts.
In 1905, at the end of this eventful
half decade. combination was in full
swing. The number Of establishments
had increased only per cent, capital
ization by II per cent. None of the
promised economies Of large produc-
ton had appeared. The large factories.
controlling s1.5 per cent. of the noni
iidI CoPledA' euiP'oSeu oAAly 'A'o peA Seiit
of the wage workers. The salaries ac-
count had risen by 20 per cent, and the
sinister miscellaneous expenses by 81
per cent.
Wages and product had grown by al
most the same increment, 1913 and 29.7
per cent. respectively, but both were
far surpassed by the rise in salaries.
superintendent and miscellaneous ex-
pense. and by the swollen capital
which demands it's profits either in
dividends or by unloading" stock upon
the public. In Canada within the same
period the total of wages paid rose by
As per cent. But value product per
employees" rose 81 per cent. The aver
age individual wage only p per cent.
There also the wage Garner under a
tariff did not get his share of in
creased production or Of the economies
Of invention
Mr.. Haldane. the British war secre-
tary has just placed an order for
100000 horse shoes in this country.
Horse shoes are protected by tariff
of one cent pound. Under that duty
, the American buyer of horse shoes
pays considerably higher price for
! them than the British army. This is
only one recent example Of the familiar
fact Of high prices for home consump-
ton, low prices for foreign buyer.
The Standard Oil monopoly is fat
tened child of the tariff. Oil itself is
duty free. In practice the Standard
would stamp out foreign competition
as it stamps out domestic competition;
and upon many of its more than a
hundred by products 1t is heavily pro-
tected. So it. too. sells abroad far
cheaper than at home.
The tariff duties on potatoes. blan-
kets. knit goods. tin plate. woollen
yarns. and clothing. soap, oilcloth,
linen. glassware. affect directly every
shopping woman: upon thousand ar
ticles they affect her indirectly. A
reasonable reduction Of the tariff. not
in 1909. but now. would reduce in every
home the cost Of living.