Evening star., 1916-11-10
HIGH LIVING COST
HITS THE SCHOOLS
Price of Materials and Size Of
Pie Slice Emphasize the
Conditions.
NEED OF STRICT ECONOMY

From the size of the piece of pie to
the cost of sandwiches. and from the
cost of paper and ink to the price of
saws. the high cost of living has hit
the public schools Of the District Of
Columbia a terrific blow. From so to
400 per cent increase has been noted In
a large proportion Of the cost Of ma
terials used.
At the present rate Of increase it may
be necessary to take few steps back
ward over the years and resurrect the
old-time slate, which was long since
abandoned as insanitary; cherry pit bags
NAV be substituted for bean bags in the
lower grades, and thrift may have to De
carried to the length where 1t Will De-
come what might earlier have oeen con-
sidered parismony.
Increase in Expenses.
Paper supplies alone register an in
crease of more than $500 for this
wear on a total expenditure OF the pre-
ytotis year of $3.50, and this does not
represent the total advance, inasmuch
as some paper was SO high that it was
not purchased. Also. because OF the
increase in the total expenditures. pur-
cbases of certain other kinds could not
he made-for instance. children tnis
wear will have to cover their own DOCKS
unless teacher happens to have little
paper left over from last year.
Prices at the luncheon at 7Achfniey
Manual Training School, may be con-
SUI y Sood is concerned. TIE Kinds Of
sandwiches, which used to sell for 9
cents now cost cents, with the eX-
cenfion of hot dogs" These may take
q rise at any time, however. Pie is
still selling at the same price per Slice
hnf six slices instead OF dve are be-
ing cut from pies. This same system
is used in many other lines. The price
has remained the same; but .n,ors iess rs re-
One Of the results Of this, 1t may oe
noted. is that a greater number OF
children are carrying their lunches to
school.
domestic science departments, where
market commodities are used extensive
ly. Goods needed for domestic art pur-
poses also have gone UP In price.
Chemicals "out of Sight"
Chemicals have gone "out of sight
and platinum articles cSnnot be bought
at all unless as much scrap platinum is
returned as is used in the article pur-
chased, Mechanical drawing instru-
ments. which are imported. have jump
ed from 81 to SIS set Certain quail
tiles Of iron and steel used in mechan-
tcal work are unobtainable, while others
show an increase Of 400 per cent In
cost
,st Textbooks furnished the children
have not yet risen in cost. but 1t is
expected they will do so next year
This will mean the expenditure OF sew
eral thousand dollars additional.
Ink. of which 1000 quarts are used
annually in the schools. was formerly
15iA cents quart. The lowest bid
which has been received this year so
far is so cents u quart. A special brand
OF ink for duplicating purposes. used
hy the teachers greatly. has risen from
I cents to So cents for two-ounce
bottle. Steel pens. of which 1000 boxes
a wear are used. show comparatively
small increase, however-only cents
q box
Typical Jumps in Price.
Here are few typical jumps in
prices:
Examination paper Of which about
2 600 packs are used. from s0.49 to s1.156
pack.
Composition paper. of which about
Il, 900 packs are used, from s0.042 to
so OCT pack.
Practice paper. of which about $4,000
packs are used. in grades l to ), from
so O293 to $00515 a pack.
Drawing tablets from $17.58 per thou
sand to SIS per thousand.
Articles used in manual training
work:
small screws, from $.11 to $.25 a gross.
Three-quarter-inch auger bits. from
SIS to $3.47.
| Ten-inch back saws, from $50 to $50.
reiected as the prices were excessive.