The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-03
THE COST OF LIVING
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

TeiETilnB Price at tHe CORNER kTcSSFy
is $3.50 bushei. The best country
sausage brings twelve cents pound
on the farm and from twenty to TWEEN
five cents in the Washington grocery.
John A. Stewart, of New York, re-
lates how asparagus raised in north
ern New York sold for three cents a
bunch on the farm. six cents a bunch
in the neixhboring village. and forty
five cents a bunch in New York.
Figures on Groceries.
1T is the same with the other things
the grocer sells, The January quo
tation for matches, retailing at two
boxes for Ave cents, was $3.50 per
144 boxes. The highest grades of
Java and Mocha coffee were quoted
at twenty-slx and twenty-four cents
a pound, respectively. Extra fancy
dried peaches were priced at nine
cents pound; the finest salmon at
eighteen cents per can. the best baked
beans at Sis dozen cans, ten-cent
bottles of horse-radish at sixty-two
aud half cents a dozen: ten-cent
bottles of petroleum jelly at seventy
tive cents a dozen; twenty-five cent
bottles OF laudanum at $3.50 per
dozen; EPSON salts at two cents
pound, and so on without end.
IL liz plain, therefore, that the re-
tail food dealer gets a large gross
profit. He lays heavy tribute upon
the consumer, but what about his
net profit? One sees but little evil
dence that he enjoys much OF that.
Few grocers ars getting rich, and
many OF them go into bankruptcy.
Aye, there is the rub. Competition,
supposed To be tae lite of trade, has
broken up the food retailing business
into such little bits that each retailer
must make an enormous pront u
get Il living out of his business. He
must live. whether he sells $4,000
year or $4,000. The smaller his sales
each dollars worth of business, ana
the larger his business the closer mar
gin he can give.
The situation Is the same in other
things which the consumer uses n
country merchant went to Baltimore
to buy goods. He bought suit OF
clothes at $450. which he retailed
at $40; Panama hat for 81, which
retailed at SIS. Collars at eighty-nine
cents a dozen, which retaileo at sl.oV
per dozen. Dolls bought for thirty
nine cents d dozen were to be re-
tailed at ten cents each. Toys which
would bring twenty-five cents each at
retail were bought at sl.3s a dozen
Statistics show that the best sewing
machines cost only about fourteen
dollars to make, and bicycles even
less Shoe strings that are sold Tor
five cents a pair cost sixty Genus
gross.
But with all these figures the aver
age merchant is not growing fich.
The retailer must pay his rent, ms
helm and his delivery expenses, Hts
rent Is higher because the lot on
which the building stands Is worth
twice as much as ten years ago. Inc
landlord had to pay six dollars a oaV
for the bricklayer and the plasterer,
AnII Ia
penter who erected the building. And
SO IT goes all down the line. the
| farmer must have more for his beei
cattle than he realized twenty years
ago, for the corn he feeds them Is
worth twice as much. He must get
more for his wheat than he did TWEEN
" years ago, for the labor he hires
costs him as much again. The labor
or must have twice as much as htt-
had twenty years ago for his clothes.
his food and his rent have douhied
in price. Relative prices have IN
creased relatively everywhere, hnt
what difference does 1t make TO the
average Individual If he earns thou
sand dollars year and has to spend
nine hundred for living, or whether
he earns two thousand and has to
spend nineteen hundred?
This thing OF prices works some
strange anomalies. Secretary Wilson
/ N
| food products are being sold cheaAsF
| abroad than at home, and that the
glory of having the cheapest food
stuffs in the world has passed from
/ us. A. r. Cahill, representative OF
| the London Board OF Trade. VINO ls
| investigating prices In America, SAYS
that he has discovered riddle ne
cannot solye--the American pays nFc
| cents for fourteen-ounce LOAF OF
| bread. while the Britisher. with MS
| bread made of American wheat. gets
sixty-four-onee loaf for ten cents
1t il difficult to predict the OUT
come of the present hue and cry
against the increase in the cost or
living. The national protest OF the
consumer would undoubtedly be eR-
fective If II were carried forward with
the same enthusiasm that marks ifs
start. But as rule the dear public
after being driven TO desperation in
some such matter. suddenly sits un
on its hind legs and howls to the
moon It makes the welkin ring for
a space, then as suddenly forgets its
crusade and lapses into forbearance
and inactivity. 1t is to be hoped than
In this instance the consumer viii
prove TO he long-windeS that he win
continue to ''holier'' Justify and at
length. hut II this crusade does not
prove to be a flash In the pan. II will
be contrary to the history of such
movements.
Observation-Disclosures Of tho
law.