The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-01-28
THE COST OF LIVING
IS AT ITS HIGHEST
Some Cold Figures as Submit
ted BY Bradstreet's.
NECESSITIES HAVE GONE WAY UP.
Recent Upward Advances In Prices
OF Ninety-Six Commodities That
Enter Into Daily Consumption
Have Made The Wholesale Cost
On January 1 Higher Than In
The Flush Days Before The 1907
Panic-Figures Submitted.

tSuASS DuoAahttSNs
New York Especially .-Bradstreet's
has compiled a record of prices on
sc commodities that enter into daily
and direct consumption by the peo-
pie, and the result shows that the
cost of living has now reached an
absolutely high record, exceeding
even that of March l, 1907, when
prices went soaring in an anticipa-
ton of the panic which came in the
fall of that year. The figures for
December / last were below the
previous high record of 1907, but
the continuous skyward movement
of prices in the last month of 1909
had established a new high-water
mark by January l.
The figures compiled by Brad
streets are known as Index Num-
bers" They are based on actual
wholesale quotations per pound for
the commodities in question, which,
to make them comprehensive, are
averaged over a wide area of mark
cts. When it is said that the in
deX number for January /, 1910,
was $9.2310, it means that man
buying at wholesale one pound each
of the SO commodities on that date
would have to pay that sum as a
total. No attempt is made to COM
pute retail prices because of the
wide fluctuations.
The new number" surpasses the
previous high record of March l,
1907, $9.1293 by IL per cent. This
ratio also measures the advance that
was made on the sc commodities in
the month of December last. At the
same time the present index number
reflects a gain of III over January
1, 1909, which means that the prices
of the SO articles rose approximate
ly 81 cents within a years time
The lowest point for commodity
prices for which Bradstreet's have
any record was touched on July l,
1896, when the index number was
S5.7019. The latest figure shows a
gain of more than 81 per cent. over
this number, indicating, of course,
that. for every dollar you spend then
for living expenses you are spending
$1.61 cents now.
A Comparative Table.
The new index number mirrors an
increase of 1875 per cent. over the
comparative low point reached on
June l, 1908, but it is only SO per
cent over January l. 1907, also a
time of ascending prices as forerun-
ners of the panic. The gain over
January 1, 1908, is 1913 per cent.
while the rise over the same date
in 1905 is 1872 per cent, and in
crease of January, 1904, is 1915 per
cent.
Here is table showing the i'm
portant swings in the index number
on the SO commodities since Janu-
airy /, 1892:
High. January 1, 1892. :. $S.1SS2
Low. July l, 1896. 5.7019
High. February /, 1907. S.2307
Low July l. 1901. ...... 7.41S1
High. December 1, 1902. Slab
Low. July /, 1904. ..... 1918
High. March 1, 1907. -. 9.1293
Low. June l, 1908. ..... 1927
High. January l, 1910. 9.231O
The SO commodities included in
the tabulation are divided into 10
general groups as follows: Bread
stuffs, livestock, provisions, fruits,
hides and leather, textiles, metals,
COdl anu COKE, OILS, naval STORES,
building materials, chemicals and
drugs and miscellaneous.
Necessities OF Life Gone Up.
While all of these enter into the
cost of living to greater or less
extent, the higher cost is more pro-
nounced when the groups are select
ed that enter more directly into per-
sonal consumption. Take these sew
en- groups, embracing SO commodi-
ties:
July 1, Mar. 1, Jan. 1,
O0G 1OnZ 1n1n