The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-08-13
THE high COST OF LINlN'.

do with the tariff, or to the ultS
II the tructs and monopoIies on the
cash If the people. Nor has 1t to
do with the matter Of extravaganza
in spending money for unneceSsarIes
OF anything Of That sort. 1t is the
real thing in the high cost Of living.
AZ opposed to the cost of dying that
is here TO be discussed. And 1t all
comes about from the new scale OF
prices adopted by the doctors Of CHAR
lotte. Not the doctors Of Miss Char-
lotte. please. but Of Charlotte, Neck
enburg county. North Carolina.
The doctors Of that thriving city
have agreed to climb up on prices IN
their business Of keeping folks alive,
and they assert that as it is a case OF
high cost Of living to them the folks
whom they aid in living must give
them more Of the coin of the realm,
thus bringing down to a brass tack
proposition the genuine matter or the
high cost OF living. The doctors say
that medical fees are now about ne
same as twenty-five years ago, that In
the twenty-five years the cost OF HV
ing has doubled, and that there has
been more than doubled the time and
cost Of medical education. Therefore,
be it resolved, that there should be a
higher cost of living to those who call
on the doctors to keep them living
and to relieve the various ailments to
which mortal kind is subject.
The Charlotte doctors begin by
making their working day from 8 a.
m. to 8 p. M, and their more or less
working nights from 9 2. m. to 9 q. M,
these hours. SO that, in these days
when the sun is way up EOnder at six
o'clock, if a Charlotte doctor gets a
call from six to nine O'Clock in the
a. M, he just muItiplies by two his
high cost Of living and makes it twice
IS costly for his patient TO live. Thus
j. means double the cost to live dur
ing these night hours as compared
with the day hours.
Here are some Of the new high cost
~ 49, 49, li AI'' iiS -
its. $3.50 for laborerS and mechanics:
$50 for the better classes. the Char
lotte doctors agreeing That the fellow
With the fat pocket book should he
swatted the hardest. There is no re
duction for two or more visits a day
and the multiple Of two gets in its
work from 9 p. m. to 9 n. m. Office
calls are fixed at one and two dol
lar bills. These are charges in or
binary diseases, like troubles Of the
tGmny, ct cetera, but if its dIphrncri.
or scarlet fever or small pox, the high
cost Of living doubles again and it
twice as much for day visits and
twice as much for night visits. SO il
d better class patient pay $3.50 fol
a day visit, and diphtheria come:
u. m. to 9 a. M, it costs him $40 OF
to get the doctor to drop in to Sc,
him.
These are only some Of the figure;
of the high cost of living for the Char
lotte folks. in the published list o
diseases measles is not lnentiune1
but editorially the Charlotte Observe
includes this in the double price fig
ures, saying: Five dollars for a da,
visit to a case Of measles, and $40 70
a night visit is & movement that ma,
be expected to add its share to tn
cost Of living in Charlotte. Honestly
The Observer does not believe the doc
tors mean it And doubtless thos
folks who want to live in Chariot
will hope the doctors don't mean il
At any rate those of US outside O
Charlotte hope for q safe d]eliveranc
Of the sick in Charlotte, and tha the
! may be able to keep on terra firm;
: despite the high cost Of living. Sc
Z lah.