The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-01-26
Living On Low Wages
In Time Of High Prices
Experience Of Several Cedar Rapids Families Do it
by Living Down to the Bare Essentials

Cedar Rapids Republican,: For the
past month the one question which
has overshadowed every other
throughout the United States is How
are we to live with wages at Just nor
NAL and the prices of almost every
thing necessary to eat and wear at
from 80 to so per cent above normal?"
On the streets, in the clubs and
lodges and in every office that ques-
ton has been the same. Either that
or something else has caused a wave
of near socialism to sweep over the
land that has included almost every
one from the bankers and merchants
down to the lowest paid clerk or la
boring man. With butter at from thir
ty-eight to forty-five cents, eggs at
from thirty-five to forty cents a dozen,
lard from eighteen to twenty-five
cents pound and -four up to as high
as 81 barrel, the situation has be-
come really serious and makes the
man who draws less than SIS per
month sit up and take notice. The
man whose salary is considerably less
than SIS is the most interested from
every viewpoint.
Saturday night three men were to-
gether who draw about the average
wages. The natural question arose as
to the increase in the cost of living.
One man of the three happened to
have an old-fashioned mother who
furnished uhe table stuff, and as she
was able to spread out dollar over
almost twice as much ground as were
the other two mems wives he was al
most out of consideration.
The other two men insisted that, in
with hand and brain they were en-
titled to a fair living. That they
should not be obliged to scrimp and
save merely because combination of
men controlled the supply of food
stuff in the United States. They waxed
eloquent in abuse of the present stu
alton and as one of them happened to
be a Bryan Democrat and the other
progressive Republican, it is to be
supposed that the Republican party
was blamed for the entire situation.
Living on $3.50 Per Week.
Actuated by curiosity, reporter for
this paper interviewed a number of
people whose weekly wages are
| $3.50 per week and less. One man
works in local lumber yard Asked
| as to how he lived on the wages he
| drew, he said: Live, well would
| hardly call it living; it is more an
existence than living. 1t keeps both
myself and wife with our noses to the
grindstone to spread my wages out
over the week.
Meat, ! must have at least twice
a day. That costs us at least forty
cents. On Sunday this is usually fifty
! cents. This makes our meat bill every
week $3.50, at the least. Butter we
use about two pounds each week;
there is eighty cents more, sack OF
-four costs us S1.T0 and our other groc
cries average about 49, Then have
/ rent to pay. that costs me s14 month
or $3.50 each week.
THAT leaves ME sixty cents or, has
so far, for the past couple of months
since prices have been so higa. PEG
i pie may say they could get along with
less and perhaps | have placed the
figures trife high for some of the
details, but it is approximately right
We rarely use an entire sack of -four
in week, one sometimes lasts us two
weeks. but if my wife does not bake
then we must buy bread, and then il
costs even more"
They Live on So Week.
A widow with one son, was inter
viewed This woman works In a laun
dry and receives in wages IS PEI
week. Out of this she pays DOM rent
s4 per month, or 81 per week. He
grocery bill viii average close 10 $.
each week and her meat bill at leas
So. That leaves her a single dolla
with which to clothe herself and tn
boy.