The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-07-01
COST OF LIVING STEADILY IN
CREAslNG, SAYS THE
COMMITTEE.
Salaries Do Not Show Corresponding
Increase-Wages Have Gone Up in
Some Cases Where Unions Have
Forced Fight, but Otherwise In
comes Have Been About Stationary.

living between 1900 and 1910.
The majority report of the special
senate committee which has been in
vestigating these questions was sub
mitted to the senate by Senator Lodge,
chairman of the committee A meet
ing was held prior to the presentation
of the report and the minority mem
bers of the committee protested
against the character of the findings.
Concerning the advance in the cost
of food, the report says:
"The supply of government avail
able land for general farming has
been materially reduced and the
ranges are being rapidly cut up into
homes for settlers The cost of pro-
ducing live stock has materially in
creased with the disappearance of the
range. which necessitates producing
cattle on domestic pasture and high
priced lands.
Concerning retail prices, the report
shows that in the United States in the
spring of 1910 they were at the highest
point in many years.
Dome comparisons.
AS compared with the spring of 1900
prices for bacon were more than 10
cents higher, ham 80 per cent higher,
flour about per cent higher, butter
about As per cent higher, sugar about
IL per cent higher. and eggs 100 per
cent higher.
A few articles, such as coffee and
tea, were about the same price as in
1900, but few articles of food were low
er than in 1900.
Furniture was about the same as in
1900.
Shoes and clothing were considerably
higher.
Wage Troubles.
wages have not advanced as rapid
ly as have prices" the report says,
"and practically all labor difficulties
that have been the subject of media
ton in the United States during the
last two or three years have had as
their basis the advanced cost of liv.
ing"
It Is shown, however, that the adj
vance in wages has been more rapid
in the United States than in European
countries.
The report says:
wages in the United States adj
vanced in about the same degree as
did prices until 1907.
Salaries the Same.
Salaries have been advanced but
little during the last ten years"
Hours of labor in practically all
wage occupations are shown to have
been reduced. This reduction affected
the weekly earnings OF employees for
the reason that the large majority of
wage earners are employed on the
piece basis or at an hourly rate. From
1900 to 1907 full time weekly earn
ings advanced 17.6 per cent. There
are no figures fer years subsequent to
1907.
Tariff Not Factor.
The tariff is discussed at great
length and the conclusion was reached
| by the majority of the committee that
"tariff had been no material factor in
causing the increases in prices in the
last decade"
Few figures are available to indi-
| cate what had been the effect OF the
recent tariff revision.
The majority report says there are
many industrial combinations that are
not trusts in the sense of being organ
lied to control prices in restraint OF
trade, but that by manufacturing or
controlling q percentage OF the output
they are able to exercise some control
over prices. The committee says:
"The prices of many Of the trust
produced commodities have not ad-
vanced as rapidly as have other COM
modities. In some cases where pro-
lduced commodities have advanced
greatly, the advance appears 70 be
due largely to other causes, such as
short supply"
It was found that labor unions had
not been serious factor in contribute
| ing toward advancing prices.
| Consumers TO Blame.
Advanced cost is laid to no small
extent to increased expense OF distrlb-
uting food by wholesalers ana retail
ers. ;.
The committee found from the testi-
mony Of the retailers that housewives
bought ia small quantities and upon
rush orders, practice that had great
/ 10 incroaaed thu expense OF doing