The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-11-19

New York, Nov. 19-The part
played by the high cost of living in
the recent political campaign may be
problematic, but figures collected
here this week show that it has a
very decided influence upon the week
" budgets of the great majority of
persons. For example. it is shown
that the people of this city are paying
half million dollars day more for
food under present prices than they
would if the average prices of ten
years ago still prevailed. This figures
up to the tidy sum of $500, 1000 900 a
year which the advance in all food
commodities is costing the people of
this city. Some of the items max
ing up this increase are $65,00O,0 900 a
year for milk with other food pro-
ducts contributing in proportion.
These figures of course represent on
" the increased cost and not the to-
tai expenditure. That is estimated at
s2,500,000 a day which makes the ex-
penditure of the residents of New
York for food alone amount to the
lrrposing sum Of more than sS00,000,-
600 in the course of a year. If the
expenditures for drinks be included
with those for food, the total outlay
OF New Workers for this one division
Of their living expenses is found to
amount t" q billion and a quarter dol
lars annually on the basis of pre-
vailing prices. While similar condi-
tions and similar advances O. course
prevail in all parts os the country,
II IT, unreasonable that in the ag-
gregate Greater New York feels the
higher cost of living more keenly than
any other single community.
One result Of the great express
strike that tied up business here for
nearly three weeks and cut off the
city's supply of fresh vegetables, fruits
and many other articles has been to
give renewed strength to the pro-
posal for a parcels post. The exper-
fence that business houses and indi-
viduals have had in being unable to
obtain or ship money, merchandise
and all kinds of commodities tied UP
in the express warehouses here be-
cause Of private quarrel between
several thousand drivers and their
employers have convinced many per-
sons of the desirability of a service
not liable TO such Interruptions. Rep
resentatives Of the Postal Progress
league and the various merchants as
sociations supporting amendments to
the postal laws that will permit the
carrying of parcels by the government
have not been slow to take advantage
of the recent object lesson and have
been pointing out the advantages that
would come from the federal handling
of some part of the business now left
entirely in the hands of some private
agencies. AS to whether the support
ers of the plan can induce congress
to grant their demands at the coming
session may be open to doubt, but
unquestionably the movement has
gained great strength here within the
past few weeks on account Of the
strike and the annoyance it has caused
to almost all residents of the city.
New York Is soon to have the most
remarkable Zoo" in the world. II is
being established at the Museum of
Natural History in this city and is
planned to contain every known var
iety of germ, the microbes that have
been identified as the cause of var
ious infectious diseases and others
that are known to be harmless. The
germs will be classified and arranged
by families and will be propagated
under the conditions that have been
found most favorable to the growth
Of the different classes. Members of
the lay public visiting the museum
will be permitted to look through the
microscopes and to view in magnified
form the bacilli that are the active
cause Of typhoid fever, tuberculosis,
pneumonia and many other common
diseases. The main purpose of the
collection, however, is to enable sci
entifc workers to study the structure
and habits of bacteria without being
compelled to obtain supply of their
own and to furnish germs to expert
mentors in medical and other scienti-
fic laboratories. Such a collection
never has been made before it is as
serted and it expected that it will
prove of rare scientific value Per-
haps the word Zoo" is q misnomer
for this unique gathering since scien-
lists assure us that the great majority
Of microbes are of vegetable rather
than animal origin. In that case no
doubt the authorities will be equal to
the occasion and will invent a new
title for the assembled micro organ
isms
The question as to how far New
York is really a fireproof city is one
that has been discussed frequently
and with wide opinions. It is adj
mitted of course that there are many
sections occupied by old buildings
among which costly fires are likely to
occur at any time. In regard to the
principal business sections, however.
which are now almost entirely filed
with buildings of modern construction
including the great skyscrapers which
are the city's most distinctive feature,
many experts have held that New
York is protected from serious damage
by fire. Other authorities contend
that in the face of really serious
outbreak these so-called freproof
structures would succunb and that in
fact the many tall buildings Of the
metropolis are likely sooner or later
TO be the scene OF one Of the worst
CONGREGATIONS in the history of the
world. There was an opportunity for
a test of these rival theories this
week when a fire started on one Of
the floors of the unfinished Broadway
building which is to be the home of
the Hotel Rector. Being uncompleted
the structure is still without ordinary
equipment for fighting fire, but ii has
IL.