The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-18
By O. F. BERTEIdA

days of tho Napoleonic wars ana
the subsequent raising Of the none
tary unit from the sou to the franc
have the French people had to crap
Pile 20 seriously with the high cos; d
living as now. The present ntuAton:
not only for Paris. but Tor the enu'
country, Is . grave problem thas -
ready receiving the closest atIensAV ..
Of statesmen and economists anu
recognized a. much tho most so''o""
Of all the after-war QuestionA
In fact. 20 seriously have cApi.As
ana labor begun to regard tho 1uluIo
that numerous conferences nave -.
held with a view to smootn,hs
sxistinw difY1culties and obv'atihe pos-
sible Disturbances when once peao'
has 0een declared.
The purchasing power OF tne HsnS
has dwindied . full % per cen'. mr
a glance At some o, tho nsu,oo
fellow. in many cases ac.ua. go
a market sales both at wnolesaie anu
refaii Nth the accompanying maxi
mum prices fxed by the prefect OF
noIics win show specifically why.
Fnr the vell-to-do families, aocus-
tanned to spending. tho cost OF iV,ns
80 Increased by i41.0e per cent for
,ha man Of moderate means, the mid
ale class, the increase IL los.iS peF
cent, while for the poor man the 30
solute necessaries OF life, nsurins ON
the most economical basis. have IN
creased 1901 per cent NO iu1"
whatsoeycr have been figured In TINS
49, oaterory, Blu. only the thin8s
which must Be found on the poor
mans table to preserve life itsei1.
rho staples of life are bread. meat
ana veretableA To these must %
added vino In Franco. Tor there -
no table, no matter how poor '
family. where ordinary wtne-not W
- confused with the more sxpensive
vines for export-is not to b fouho'
bread has not increased In pr1ce'
but it, quality has been greatH
,recaated TO effect economics IN VIZ"
aour, and tho Ordinary bread ~ no~
made Of q mixture OF wnits ~
m.sS cnrr. The amount Of nourisn-
ment contained IN lo@i n~1 Va
slty been cut down.
Before the war potatoes. the mos.
ard,nsrv article Of household di.es
might DO purchased for III cenu
no,nd This price has now been IN
rrea.cd TO il cents . pound. ana even
:. that nrure potatoes are dimcuN 70
ana Those In tho market are NV
potatoes, but m they are the only one'
ohtsInabie their price mus 90 oon
,adered In comparison Win ~
tatoes could Be- had Tor eS'o''
war. sao
ro~ cen. but this has not been nS-
,,re.a In the general casting mp oe-
canse II represents an extreme cN
The increase WAS averaged py nsu
,nr I'm green and staple vese.@o~
n,,t,er. cggu. milk. meatA cneeso'
,orfec wine sugar. coal and tne
eheapest articles o: wearing app 81
before tho war butter fetcheo sS
oents a pound IN the cry Oh s.a.
Sow at tho market places oo,.S.
WHOLESALERS for 81 cents Louno, 80
,,a,,unm price nxed by the polce
asnsrtn,ent. but the housewife wno
a,.smnts 70 purchase at that nsuN
an either be told that there Is no
utter to be had or that the suppS
ar the day has bean sold ouI
The rxures for the imports OF Du.-
,a ,r.o in. CITY OF Paris Will explain
~ These show that In 1914 inc
average amount OF butter .eoA
aa,Iv at the great market piace -
ce.dea 100000 poundA one - "
warfare had reduced this ns"1o "
yer cent. 1918 showing An ave1
-, importation Of only eo.ooo
an,.. The present year shows =
III fur.her reduction OF 80 per oent
-. ,ats or n daily arrival OF only
"a ma no,nds. with the figures 1Aiiins
of weekly. .,. nut.sr
!. h.ra 70 obtain. The fixing OF maxi
I'm nrioes BY the city Of Paris mas
S,ut both ways When . ponce ~
rerrnits 4 farmer Or mAnufActus
c6tain only 81 cents pound tcr ~.
nroduct In the municipAiity OF ~
4 In sold in another comnunS
80 nr.ca IA either higher or not ~
strsctad. Maximum prices nave eIso
go tha effect OF enabling some pro-
srr.r. n sell their cheapest wars a
the best hgures- IT..
- ~haeae 4 staple to be founo ON
~s>riv every French tablA Maximum
1900 have juss come into foros ON
- pertcuiar brands OF onssss'
camenbert and Point fEvedus.
The result was Immediately nou
able. While other cheeses conunueo
sannaratiyeiy abundant the importa-
a.. =, camemeert and Pont lEve-
80 aropped down to next TO nothing
rneeces that sold 1t ~ CENTS before
-. war now cost exactly 100 per cent
rncrA. or as cents apiece. MIX IN lsI1
nv. cents a quar-. It's present price
!. 10 cents a quart, or - cents quart
,sAelivered 70 ones home. Eggs that
.cid for - cents q doxen IN prs-waf
times (best quality now cost IN sven
100 per cent more. . cents apisoe. On
80 cents . dozen
Tnose ~suarantssd new faad. ~
49, ~ invalids or very partacua<
rsonIc. fetch from 10 cents to II cents
each. The price in the markets
;mmned only week ago. wnolssa!e
r.ts 70 $50 . thousand. or 3 cents
snssce. The cheapest egss oofaina-
ria those shipped in from Morocco,
were quoted at 80 . thousand. or
ina ordinary table wine mat costs
- cents Q quart In 1914 now brings
81 cents . quart. Coffee that was -
ent. pound now costs ~ cents-
,.,,-ar has more than doubled In price
am, Is hard. to got at any ngure-
Won, the cents pound OF BEFORE
.he war II has advanced to IL cents
mound, with the quantity limited
~ law to a trifie less than pound
ana three quarters for each person
per month.
4 bunch Of carrots or soup green's