Evening journal., 1909-09-07
PRICE OF LIVING
GOES UP AND UP
Everything we Eat And Wear
is Advancing Steadily and
End Not in Sight

The cost Of living is steadily incrcas-
ing. In the last thirteen years there
has been an advance in the price of
commodities Of exactly ss1 per cent.
This includes not only breadstu6s but
clothing, leather. dairy products-in fact.
everything that enters to any apprecia-
bic extent into the demands Of the house
holders
During this summer there has been
gradual upward turn The whole
saler is paying this month one-half of
ono per cent. more for various commod-
ties than he did in July. and about the
same increase has been made with each
month since the end OF spring. While
the wholesaler has been paying more,
the advance to the consumer has been
progressing to an even greater ex-
tent
Forty-oight articles used by the house,
holder are higher this month than they
were a year ago. and all Of these articles
arc those Of which the consumer buys
the most, such as flour. eggs, pork, NUT
ton, cheese, coffee, tea and butter
Bradstreets Agency has been keeping
track OF the movement of prices for com
parative purposes since 1892, the year be-
fore the big panic. In arriving at the
average increase. the agency takes the
wholesale market prices Of Is different
commodities, ranging from milk, bread,
-four and other articles used in the
household, TO leather. textiles and build
ing materials. The prices OF these COM
/, modltes per pound are added together
giving what is technically called the "in.
dex number''-or what IL would cost 10
buy one pound of all the 106 commodities
The agency has found that the articles
taken for this list. when added together
Z furnish a true barometer OF general
prices.
In 1892. the year before the panic OF
1893, the Index" of commodity prices
was Ss.1sS2. In 1896. when the country
e was in the depths Of the depression
g which followed the panic the index
Z price went down TO s5,70i9. Then can't
an intermediate period, and later, jus
- before the panic of 1907, prices reache,
I their highest point. the commodity aver
age being s9.1293. In the summer of 800
i, the price dropped to S7.7227. and afte
/, that there came a gradual increase. Il
January of this year the index pric
was sS.2e3i, while this month it is
ss.5OSs.
The significance OF these figures to tn
c householder is that while prices hav
s been gradually going up in the whole
o sale market, the consumer has beel
e obliged to pay not only this increase. bu
- IN many instances considerably more.
J. According to Bradstreets figures. ther
= has been an increase in the averag
e group per pound since 1896 from Z
o 10 cents; live stock. IS to IS cents: pro
= visions. s1.s6 to SOS; fruits, y cents I
\ II cents; hides and leather, 50 cents Z
ls25: textiles. Sl.57 TO s2.45; oils, cent
to Al cents.
In thirteen years the Wholesale pric
OF eggs has increased from y cents
" dozen TO 2S cents; mutton. cents 10
cents; bacon, 4 cents to IL centss but
ter, Is cents to q cents. and potatoes
rs cents per $50 pounds to si.75.
In the markets there is an impressio
that there will be further advance
L wholesale prices and that before the en-
OF tho year the cost Of living will
II up another notch.