The Detroit times., 1910-01-19
Mckinley

NEW YORK. Jan. 18.--The World
prints the following from Washington
In expressing his deep interest In
the subject OF the Increased and ever
increasing cost of living President
Taft was speaking from personal as
well as from a national viewpoint. His
own pocket is affected just as are the
pockets OF the. eighty million and more
citizens of the country. Day by day
on the White House table. he had be-
fore him object lessons that speak
more eloquently than words or than
tables OF statistics. His bills from
4 the butcher, BAKER and candlestick-
maker" furnish all the written evi.
dence necessary.
The Taft family Is not extravagant.
Its members live well. but plainly.
Neither do they do much entertain
ing. When President Roosevelt occu-
pied the White House there was din
ner or function OF some kind daily.
The present routine OF life In the
executive mansion approximates more
TO the Mckinley order OF things than
TO the Rooseveltian. Nevertheless.
even living economically, the expel-
ditures for the table OF president
are considerable. so the question OF a
constant increase in food prices is a
very live one for Mr. Taft.
Mrs. Jeffreys Close Buyer.
In purchasing edibles for the White
House table. Mrs. Jeffreys, the house
keeper, 10 whom this duty is assigned,
has only one instructions: Buy the
best" Being a shrewd purchaser she
does what other clever housekeepers
do-buys the best al the lowest price.
She distributes her trade among sew
eral merchants, getting this or that
article where IL can be bought TO
advantage. In President Roosevelts
time, Pinckney, the colored function
cry, who did most OF the buying. dealt
with one man, the same who had sup
piled Mrs Roosevelt when her hus-
hand was a civil service commits.
sioner
Nevertheless. even with this advan-
tage. President Taft finds that he Is
paying an increase over the prices
which obtained during the earlier
days OF the Roosevelt regime and the
latter days of President McKinley's
administration OF from 90 per cent up
ward to 300 per cent. To take specific
instances, for the eggs which he eats
for breakfast Mr.. Taft has to pay at
least As cents dozen, sometimes
more, where less than ten years ago
his predecessors could obtain them for
rs cents. For the bacon which some
times accompanies the eggs he fs
paying 22 cents a pound against the l5
cents OF McKinleys time. Or, II he
should have n slice or two of Smith
field ham II has cost him at the rate
of 30 cents a pound, while President
Roosevelt once enjoyed the same dish
al IS cents pound. The creamery
butter on the table costs him 45 cents
a pound. as against 35 cents, and any
fruit he may have Is assuredly cost
ing anywhere from % to so per cent
more than II cost his predecessors.
Hs Lesson at I p. m.
At his lunch he may have a steak,
chop or pork loin. for instance. IL tho
first. then he Is paying somewhere In
the neighDorhood of 80 cents a pound
for Il. an increase OF seven cents a
pound over the earlier period. III a
lamb chop II figures at 30 cents a
round against % cents, and IL por-
ton of pork loin at 20 cents as against
the 1914 cents a. pound OF the McKin-
lev and Roosevelt eras. His potatoes
are costing him 90 cents peck, where
the others had paid only 80 cents, aud
his asparagus, radishes, celery and
other vegetables, while fiuctuating In
price. certainly make more OF strain
on the presidential pocketbook now
than formerly.
At dinner the oysters will repre-
sent an increased drain on his re-
sources of 40 to so per cent, and the
materials OF which the soup is made
about half that increase. The roast
beef has cost 90 cents a pound. as
against the 1S cents paid by Mr.. Nc
Kinley or Mr.. Roosevelt. IL chickens
grace the board In any form % cents
a pound had 10 be paid for them, where
formerly they could be had for 20
cents. Quails will appear on his pro-
vision dealers bill at So dozen.
against 80, the former price. Vir-
ginia pheasants and canvasback ducks
show the largest increase OF all the
daisities. now costing $3.50 a pair for
birds similar to those bought for only
Sl.5O by his predecessors in office.
Turkeys will have cost 35 cents a
pound, and the earlier presidents
presidents thought they were paying
quite enough at 20 cents.
Practically everything else that Is
on the table will represent further evi-
dence of the increase in the cost of
living. The wines, cheese and liquors
are much higher in price than a few
years ago and even the flowers that
decorate the festive board cost con
siderably more. SO II may be assumed
that President Taft certainly meant II
when he said he had deep interest
in tho suhfect