The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-05-28
LIVING COST ALSO
ISSUE IN ENGLAND
London Board of Trade, Con.
ducts an Investigation in
This Country.
BY SIDNEY esPEY

Washington, May 27.-The cost Of
living is an issue not only in the I'm
tied States but In Great Britain as
well. In order to make comparison
between rents paid by working clas-
ses. housing. retail prices, and rates
of wages paid in certain occupations
In the two countries, the Board OF
Trade Of London has cause d an ex-
tensive inquiry to be made into con-
ditions whihc prevail In the principal
cities of the United States.
Tho Investigation, which was con-
Guided not long ago, Is quite as thor
ough and far-reaching as any which
has been made by this government,
and throws much light upon living
conditions In this country.
The English inquiry was conducted
In 2S American towns, practically all
OF them lying east of the Mississippi,
representative of the industrial cen.
tiers Of the United States, and having
an estimated population in that re-
gfon of three-fourths OF the entire pop
ulation OF the country.
Concerning the basis upon which
the investigation was made, the re-
port which has been submitted to the
London board OF trade, and which has
just appeared In this country. says:
East Like Europe.
1T Is In the states laying east OF
the Mississippi that American condi.
lions most nearly approximate to
those OF the Old World. and ade such
therefore. as can be most usefully
compared. Even In the restricted ar
ca Of investigation, however, various
circumstances have made the inquiry
one intod Conditions that are In some
respects international and continental
rather tina national In character. es'
pecially In regard to the great area
covered, to differences In climate and
physical environment which 1t EN-
braced. to the federal constitution OF
the United States, TO the absence of a
commend body Of labor legislation
and to the cosmopolitan character OF
tho population.
The English investigators found
that the weekly hours of labor In the
building trades In the United States
were IL per cent shorter than in En-
gland and Wales. Z per cent shorter In
the printing trades, but 6 per cent Ion
ger In the engineering trades.
Speaking of the hcaracter Of labor
the report says. Accompanying the
influx Of foreign labor, mainly unskill
ed, and an extensive demand for labor
OF this description largely used In Q
comparatively new country a rapid ex
pansion Of manufacturing industries
has been taking place, accompanied
with or without the introduction OF Ia
Dor saving appliances. by a very ex
tensive subdivision Of labor. These
two influences combined-the large
external demand for uuskilled labor
and the opportunities for It's ABSORB
tion not only In unskilled but In semi
skilled employment-have' resulted II
IN abnormally large proportion Of un
skilled and semi-skilled to skilled
workers In the community as a whole
q fact which would effect apprecia
bly, any general weighted compari
son between the level of wages II
the two countries"
Regarding rents, the commission
ers found that the American workman
pays on the whole little more thai
twice as much as the English work
man for the same amount Of house &C
commodations. The minimum OF tn
range Of rents for the United State
towns as q whole exceeds by from III
~ to seventy-seven percent the maxi