The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-12-30
THE COST OF LIVING.

1t IS Lower In the United States than R,..
where. Prices Have Advanced an ove,
the World.
Every day or so some one tells M that
the cost of living has doubled and anad d'
rupieo until this country is now the most
expensive place on earth. These state
ments were made by free traders ana
tneir allies day and night SO persistentlv
mat II Jared on our nerves, so we have
neen gathering up reliable data. which
presented to our readers with conf
oence that they are correct, and that
somepody has done heap of living. .
Mr.: George Paish, editor of the Lon
1on Statist, free trade organ, has recent
~ visited this country and he wrote in
MS paper on October %, this Statement.
before leaving for the States | was
asked to ascertain if it was a fact that
the wage earners of America were really
peter Off than the wage earners of Enc.
land, or whether the higher rate of
wages Tin the United States was NOT
entirely neutralized by the higher cost
OF food, clothing and rent. | have
mace great many inquiries on this
point, and have come to the conclusion
that the rate of wages in this country IS
much higher in proportion than in Great
Britain, after taking into account the
purchasing power of the wages, and that
after meeting all expenditures the wage
earners here have substantial AVERAGE
sum to place in the savings banks, or to
use for the purchase of securities.
houses, land, business, etc. There can
be no doubt that the savings of the
masses in the United States reach large
sum in the aggregate, and largely con-
tribute to swell the savings of the
union
The London Standard quoted the state
ment and commented as follows:
The annual savings of the nation are
estimated at about 81, 600, OO00, 900 in the
United States; the most sanguine esti-
mate puts it no higher than 500, 600. 900
annually for Great Britain"
Here are some prices for board, COM
piled by the National Association of
Paris:
Boarding in London and other large
English cities, lunch and washing not
included, $3.50 per week; Berlin. full
board, washing not included, s35. 10 per
month; France, excepting Paris, where
the cost is greater, about S29 per month;
Madrid, $3.50 per month; Lisbon, SIS. 95:
Rome, S28. go; Milan, S29 to S39: Vienna,
$4,000; St. Petersburg, S38. so to $52. IL;
Odessa, S52.11; Moscow, $50. 81; New
York City, $7.72 to SO. IS per week; Mex
leo City, SAP. so per month.
}. W.. Kelley writes in the Boston Her.
aid, after investigating conditions in
Europe for two years, the following:
Americans can live far more cheaply
than can the English or the German.
An income of So per day in this country
will give from 20 to 40 per cent better
living than the same income would in any
part of Western Europe-frst, in the
way of. more meats; second, greater va
riety; and third, purer foods. Rents are
also lower in America. In fact, a man
earning 81 day cannot possibly find in
Europe Accommodations equal to those he
would be able to secure here"
Prices on all necessities have risen all
over the entire world. Rice has advanc-
ed in Marking, China, $50 per cent.
When wages paid and the cost of living
are considered, the United States has
the balance of the world beaten COM
pletely.