The Washington times., 1916-10-29
Commission Merchant Says 49,
gregate Expenditures Re-
. main the Same.
MANY FAMILIES DO WITHOUT
Hundreds Cannot Afford. Meat,
Butter, and Eggs-Further
Increases in Prospect.

Hundreds OF families IN the city are
going without meat, butter. and eggs.
a. result Of high prices In these lines.
Commission merchants. butchers. and
consumers declare that to a great
many families butter and eggs appear
The high level of prices has materially
reduced the living plane OF n large
section OF Washington's population. II
10 contended by authorities.
= fair income. is illustrative. Her fam
tV In past years was very fond of
eEGs, meat. butter. and similar articles.
Tney had them, too. But now she
states I'VE haven't had an egg for
weeks. except the other night when I
bought some broken ones cheap"
Many tell the same tale of butter.
Hggs have risen Ill per cent over last
years prices at a corresponding time.
ana are scarce. at that.
Merchant Has Theory.
One commission merchant advances.
- a theory that deprivation OF GER
tain families IN due to the fxity of
the community-income. Whether prices
are high or low we get about the
same amount Of money In every year."
he declared. Price advances simply
mean that people will buy less. They
cannot buy more-most OF them are
Government clerks. and their incomes
do not grow. with demands on them.
That is why Washington does not
respond proportionately to the pros
pertU of other cities. It's real wages
have shrunk, not kept pace with price
rises. Washington might almost be
said to have a certain budget to spend
Tor food, and to vary but slightly. from
IL. no matter what prices are. In my
opinion, this works a great hardship
ON thousands OF families, as Il keeps
them from being as we'll nourished all
the time as they should be-"
The soaring of prices has not begun
70 stop however. Turkey. always the
Thanksgiving standby. Is up over SO
per cent: a pound Of the gobbler used
To- 20 c9st is cents; Now It's going up
flour. butter, sugar-the ingredients
or the tasty pastry or roll-have adj
vanced %. Ill. 28. IS, and 50 per cent,
respectively. Lard has Increased 81
Per cent.
Bread May Rise Again.
In addition to this. scent bread 10
looming up on the foreground for
washington. All that Is needed IL
for ,, some some, one concern to start. All
olered. 1t Is the contention Of the
baking fraternity that even Scent
loaves are losing proposition due TO
the constantly increasing cost OF ma
AT the rate It is being sold now, the
1e-ounce loaf would have to be sold
for cents for q profit" President
Herens, of the Berens Bakery, stated
today. AS we have raised prices only
70 per cent since the beginning OF
tho war. we are still operating at a
considerable loss.
Since the beginning of the war all
costs have risen more 100 per cent You
can see where our loss comes in
Say Raise Is Justified.
officials OF other bakeries are in ac-
cord with Mr.. Berens' statement, and
contend further that a charge of z or 8
cents loaf would DO justifiable here
at the present time. Such prices are
In effect at Chicago and at winnipeg,
where conditions are no worse than in
washington. II Is commended.
Nor Is living now the only EXPENSIVE
matter; the cost of dying has gone up
likewise that of being sick, according
to the figures of DR.. J. o. Skinner, head
of Columbia Hospital here. '"The prices
or retail medicine have jumped from
per cent to AS per cent since the year
1905" he declared. These figures were
arrived at from statistics kept for a
period of many years by DIR. Skinner.
An average increase Of 10 per cent was
shown In prices of ffty-three drugs
~ random from the hospital list.
Borfc acid, best known as q mouth
wash for children, jumped 100 per cent.
pty1talis sold for ITO per cent OF what
n did. and similar increases all along
the limo wero found.