Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-16
Looker-On In Iona

Belle PLANE, Feb. 16.-Probably as
large percentage as in any Iowa
town is here, composed of men work.
ing for wages. Being a division point
of the G. & NJ w, having a round
house and machine shops. there Is Of
course large number of wage earn
ers here. on the pay roll of the G. ~
N. W. And it is a fact that this rati-
road company pays as big wages Tor
the same kind of work as any railroad
corporation. But with all this, there IS
general complaint that right here IN
central agricultural Iowa. the present
high prices of food. a large percentage
of which is raised, grown or manufac-
tured right here, make it difficult for
a man working by the month TO save
anything for the proverbial rainy day,
or the meritable old age. Philosophical
wage earners admit the general propo-
sition. that when the Iowa farmer
prospers, we all do, but they add the
Cummins creed. that the consumer
has rights as we'll as the producer.
All of us know the present prices of
butter. eggs, poultry, flour, meat and
vegetables. One railroad man says it
than ten years ago. to put the neces-
sary food for himself and family On
his table for the three daily meals.
Rent, clothes and fuel fortunately nave
not advanced in the SAND ratio as food.
And this same wage Garner sadly ad-
nits he knows of no remedy for the
present condition of affairs. He regis
tered a big kick on our present laws,
on oleomargarine. Says it's all right
to compel dealers in oleomargarine TO
sell it for what it is, but to tax it and
prevent the use of harmless coloring
matter is an outrage on the consumer.
He wants it colored because his family
relish it better but claims under the
present system he is compelled to pay
nearly twice as much for butter as he
would for colored oleomargarine, with
the present revenue laws changed.
1t so happened that on the day this
railroad man was talked with the
writer saw the following in the New
York Sun. There are several thousand
railroad men living in and around New
York City. Their wages are the same
as in Belle Plaine. Rents in New York
house rents-are twice and three
times as much as in Belle Plaine. Read
tits and see what a wage Garner in
New York has to pay--or go without:
Prices for the necessaries of life in
New York and especially in the area
bounded by Seventy second street and
One Hundred Thirtieth street on the
west side are brighter than at the
close Of the civil war, when people
paid 20 cents pound for sugar. Six
ty cents a dozen for eggs, guaranteed
fresh laid; was the average retail price
Yesterday, and so cents O. dozen for
eggs which have been in cold storage
since last June and are known to the
trade as June eggs.
They will not keep more than fifty
six hours after being exposed to an in
terror temperature Cream-real golden
tinted cream-was sold in New York
ten wears ago for 25 cents quart. The
present price for whitish cream
thickened by an artificial process is
50 cents q quart 1t does not resemble
the cream Skinned from the SHALLOW
pans of milk in the old fashioned dairy
and doesn't taste like it.
The price of celery is higher than
ever before known-30 cents bunch
of three stalks. A great part of the
celery sold in New York is bleached
artihcially and Its delicate flavor de-
stoyed. A small head of cabbage costs
Is cents, against 5 cents head two
I wears ago. Caulinower Is 25 cents