Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-18

teal articles are not only not more cost
ly in Washington than they are In Ne"
York, but that exactly the reverse Is the
case And their facts and figures are
convincing.
do not, however, rely solely upon what
I am told by the woman folks In TINS
matter Speaking from the necessarily
experienced point of view of a man who
has bought lot Of occasionally frivolous
haberdashery gear both in Washington
and New York during period covering
in both instances quite an appreclapie
number of years. l know because know
that mems gear is decidedly cheaper IN
Washington than it is in New York. l
have had ample opportunity to make eX-
act comparisons of goods Of the same
identical sort sold in both cities, and l
know that I am not wrong. I don't know
why this should be So considering what
an enormous amount of haberdashery is
manufactured right here in New YORK
city; but figures can't be misleading, ana
/ have compared the figures. At the pres
ent instant Of writing ] am wearing uo
tunic, otherwise denominated as shirt,
which I purchased in Washington last
spring for the sum of three iron dollars.
It's pretty nifty, gay. bithe KIND or a
shirt. and 1t made such pronounced mt
with me after l got looking 1t over, upon
my return to New York. that decided
that I'd have to stake myself to a
replica or two Of the same. I didn't have
any trouble in finding the duplicates;
found precisely the same shirt made by
the same maker, identical same goods.
same size. everything: and the rock-bot-
tom price in this mans town OF that shirt
was four (NOT three) metallic men otner-
wise epluribus kopecks. The nice, neat
but-not-gaud cravat that you aggregate
unto yourself in Washington for dollar
very. often costs half as much again as
that in New York; and so on down and
up the list.
As to things to eat. know that Wash
ington takes pretty high and solid rank
in respect Of its prices In that matter;
but Washington doesn't equal New York
in that respect, either. OF course, there
is necessarily vast amount OF second
and third rate market stuff purveyed in
il there were not something like three
fourths of the population of New York
wouldn't be able to get enough to eat to
sustain life.
Washington, comprises the bulk of the
eatables sold on account of the superior
grades OF population there), costs more
money here than it does or ever did In
Washington. High above the rattle of
this typewriter. about half an hour ago,
came the peal Of the apartment bell,
being rung by a market delivery boy.
who is learning to be a Swiss bell ringer,
and therefore needs the practice; and.
thus knocked off my stride, repaired to
and took a look at the basketful Of stuff
the boy brought Among the things In
the basket, and their prices, We're these:
Butter, So cents a pound; eggs Chey sell
'em here SO many for a quarter. on a
sliding scale basis, instead of by the
dozen), at the rate of Sc cents dozen
steak (not particularly fancy, just a
regular kind of an eatable tenderloin
steak, at the rate of 80 cents pound
a turkey purchased ag'in the approaching
Sunday, S3.S5 for the bird. l hefted the
turk and looked him over; / don't know
how much he weighed. but he was pretty
he was just about q second cousin. in
size, heft and SO on, Of the bird l used to
be able to annex in Washington for one
dollar and say six bits, or $1.75, or s.
at the outside. There was other eatable
stuff in the basket in proportion. Where
fore, question which l am never through
propounding unto myself, and for which
haven't ever been able to evolve even the
vaguest symptom of an ineligible an
swer, is this same: How does man,
say who earns about 81 day OF $12 a
week, and who has wife and. say four
or five children las a good many of them.
of course. Individually have). to feed and
clothe and educate-how, with prices as
time-how in the name of all the Con-
federate money that was ever turned out
of the hopper does such man ever con-
trive to. get by, so to speak. at all?
have a habit of propounding hard ones
unto myself IL for no other reason than
for the practice gained in not answering
them; but this is the toughest one / ever
inquired of my subconsiousness.
Restaurant prices in New York are