The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-07-23
FOREIGN FOOD PRICES AS
AFFECTED BY WAR


the European war upon cost of living
following the outbreak of hostilities
IN August, 1914, is the purpose of
Bulletin No. 10 of the bureau of la
Dor statistics, department of labor
Just issued under the title Foreign
Food Prices AS Affected by the War"
Much of the information of the report
was obtained through the consular
service of the department of state,
and in the main covers the period
from August to December, 1914. Prices
are given for Is countries and repre-
sented by reports from over 100 cities.
towns, and consular districts.
The report shows that the first eff
feet of the war was the same practi-
cally throughout Europe It's out
break was followed by a sharp rise
| in prices due mainly to panic and I'M
certainty In some countries legisla-
tive measures were at once taken to
check this rise. In others the gov
! III ASblJ eullCICu W d uduuS-
off policy and trusted to the natural
course of events for readjustment.
Within a fortnight the first panic was
over and except in the actual war
zone prices began to fall. In most
places, however, prices did not drop
to the July level and after an interval
| aoaiD took n, nrl 1, ;olo
probably not yet reached it's climax.
The price figures available are
somewhat incomplete, but almost ev-
erywhere the upward tendency of
prices appears. Potatoes was one of
the few articles which SOLVED a fall
in prices in most of the more import
ant countries. Meat, also, was anoth-
er important article which in many
places increased but little in price.
Flour, on the other hand showed de-
cided changes. Russia is the great
est wheat exporting country in Eu-
rope, and the war practically shut off
its foreign markets. 1t is not surpris-
ing, therefore, to find that the price
of wheat flour had actually fallen in
Moscow In Germany and Austria the
rise was marked, prices compared
with the July level in Germany show
ing an increase of 25 per cent by De
cember and 81 per cent by January
In Vienna the increase by December
was 73 per cent and by January 80
per cent. In Switzerland, the Neither
lands, and Great Britain flour prices
in December were IS or II per cent
above the July level, but later figures
show a continued increase in Febru-
airy, reaching "a per cent in the Meth
erlands and 33 per cent in Great Bri-
tain. Bread prices in most cases fol
lowed those of wheat flour. In Ger
many and Austria however, the in
creases in the prices of bread were
somewhat less than those in the price
of wheat flour.
Sugar prices showed marked differ
ences resulting from the war in diff
ferent localities In France the best
sugar beet fields lie in the northern
parts, which were early invaded, and
as result the price of sugar rose
sharply. Germany and Russia are
sugar exporting countries, and in Ber
change in price. England imports its
entire supply, and in London the price
rose 70 per cent.
Administrative and legislative mea-
sures to check the rise in cost of nee
essaries were very generally taken.
Denmark, Egypt. Great Britain, Italy,
Russia, Spain and Turkey prohibited
the export OF practically all foodstuffs
France, Norway and Sweden listed
certain articles which must not be ex
ported, and Holland placed an en-
barge on butter and cheese.
The Importance and full sgnif-
canoe in the increases in prices which
occurred would not be fairly present
ed without reference to the fact that
increased cost of living, and especial
ly the increase in food prices, has for
several years been a question Of seri-
GUS concern in practically all of the
European countries. The upward
movement in prices prior to the war
had in fact been world wide. An in
quiry of the British Board of Trade
in 1900, ranging from IS per cent in
Great Britain and France to 16 per
cent in Australia, to 80 per cent in
Germany, to 80 per cent in Belgium.
and 35 per cent in Austria. In Can
ada and in the United States the in
crease shown was even greater than
the highest of these figures. Thus, it