Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-05-14
AND THE COST OF LIVING.

Most OF the teachers in the IH+teu
States have in effect had their sa!aF-
tes reduced since 1897. Despite an
apparent increase N money received
the high cost Of living has cut INTO
their salaries just as definitely as i
a school board had sliced them. a
reaching position which paid $500 sal
arv in 1897 IS paying in purchasing
power the equivalent OF about sil' To-
aav if measured by 1897 prices: the
teacher on the $1,000 salary gets no
more for his money today than ne
would have procured fifteen years ago
for s6s3. This Is what tie high cost
of living has done to teachers ana
others on a fixed salary schedule, ac-
cording to report on teachers sal
aries and cost of living distributed by
the United States bureau Of educa-
ton.
DR.. Robert c. Brooks, executive sec
retarv for the y. E A committee
which prepared the repor.. shows by
bureau OF labor figures that whole
sale prices in 1911 were AL per cent
higher than in 1907; that retail Prices
had Increased 500 per cent in the
same period: while in june, 1872. re-
TAIL food prices were 6l.. per cent
higher than in 1895. With these fig
ures as a basis he analyzes teachers
ni1 - IN ri
of the United states and demonstrates
the plight of the teachers IN the PROB
lem Of increased cost Of living.
According to the Brooks report,
teachers do not receive enough sala-y'
even in the cities, to have money TO
carry adequate life insurance or TO pro-
coed with further professional train
ing. Out Of the 800 teachers in
vestigued, only thirteen were found
who possessed property over sl5,0e9.
and practically every one @ these
thirteen owed their good fortune to
sources other than their salaries o.
teachers. Nearly ali OF the men teach
ers carried life insurance, but few
OF them TO sufficient amount Only
four out. OF 13s married teachers would,
II they were to die now. leave in In
surance or any other property as much
as ten times their annual salary-tae
lowest sum that might be expected 70
provide for the family.
How the high cost OF living affects
particularly the teacher who seeks g
marry and have g, home is strikingiy
demonstrated In Denver, q city Of rel
atively high salaries, fourteen married
women with no others dependent upon
them had an average salary Of s1,212 &c
meet their own needs exclusively: six
teen unmarried women with others de-
pendeut upon them had an avera &c
from salary of 1901 TO spend on eacH
adult person In the family including
themselves: but the married men
teachers had an average from salary
Of only Sab for the equivalent Of each
adult person including themselves.
Teachers spend more than working
men for some things. tho their pay Is
about the same. Rent and clothing are
bigger items in the teachers budget
than in the laborcr's, indicating more
exacting community demands. Teach
ers also spend relatively more thar
workingnen for life insurance, religious
purposes, charity. amusement vaca'
lions, and care OF health. They spenc
less for chiIdren's cIothing-havins
fewer children. Not all OF them econ
on1ixe in this way. however. I believe.
writes a Denver principal. that teach
ers should attend concerts and gooc
plays and take trips. SO does my wife
but salary necessitates choice be
tween these things and raising fam
INV. We chose the latter"
epRlNc SEATS