The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-08

statement made today by the national
industrial conference board. This sup
p1ements a study made last year,
which placed the increase from July.
1914, to June. 1918. at 500 to $50.
The increases in cost between July,
1914, and November, 1918, of the sep
arate items entering into the family
budget were:
Food $3.50
shelter .-...-..... .20I
ClotnlnS 1870
Fuel and light. $3.50
SundrleS 1910
The budget of the average work.
ingman's family, according to careful
Investigations by government and
other agencies. is distributed among
the different items approximately as
follows: food. 1870 of the total: shell
ter. 1So: clothing. 1880: fuel and
light, go; sundries. 20fo. Applying
the percentages of increase up to No
vember, 1918, as indicated by the
boards study. to these respective
items, the average increase in the cost
of living as a whole is $500
If food be allocated as much as 45To
/, Of the total family outlay, rent and
clothing, 1870 each, fuel and light,
$50, and sundries. 201c, the increase
tained percentages of increase for the
separate items, would be 5S.1 90. Or,
if food be taken as representing 40Go,
shelter, 20fc. clothing, 1870, fuel and
light. SEC. and sundries, 1879, the total
increase would be 64.9Ge, With prac-
tically any other reasonable arrange
rlent of the budget of the average
wage -earner's family the Indicated In
crease in living costs during the war
period is $3.50 to 709o. For families
just at or below the minimum of sub
sistence level the increase is prob
ably nearer the higher figure.
Differ In Families.
It should be recognized that no sin
gle average will apply to all communi-
ties or to all families in the same
community. The increase here shown
is, however, broadly representative. In
certain communities where there were
abnormal increases in rents, the esti-
mate of the entire budget would have
to be raised somewhat. AS each 20
increase in rent adds about 10 to
the budget as whole, this ADJUST
+ ment can easily be made. Local varia-
tions in the cost of fuel would have
only slight effect on the complete
budget.
For food, figures collected by the
| United States bureau of labor Statis-
tics were relied on entirely. since they
| are representative and the most COM
plete available. covering over 1000
stores in As cities. Any independent
study of food prices therefore. would
| be duplication of effort.
The advance Of $3.50 in the cost
| of food reported by the United States
bureau of labor statistics is based
on average prices for the year 1918,
! which have been taken as a satisfac-
/ tory pre-war standard This figure
marks the highest point reached by
food prices within the period of the
war.
The greatest increases in the five
year interval from November. 1913.
to November. 1918. were in the prices
of lard, bacon, corn meal, flour sugar.
and pork chops, each of which ad-
vanced 1000 or more No article of
! food for which prices were collected
i showed an increase of less than 500
for the five-year period.
| The average increase in the cost
! of food is generally applicable to the
different communities, so that ordi-
narily not much allowance for local
variations need be made.
/ Cities Not Alike.
/ The estimated rise of 20 per cent
in the cost of shelter is derived from
data furnished by chambers of COM
merce, real estate boards and brokers
and charitable and civic orga MIA tions
in nearly 100 cities. In New York and
Pittsburgh, the average advance was
somewhat less than 20 per cent. In
Detroit it was more. In Philadelphia,
! Baltimore and Cleveland it was about
Z L.
St Louis no appreciable change in
! rents paid by wage-earners had oc-
] Cured since 1914. Similar variations
occurred among the smaller cities.
: In some communities where earlier
! in the war there had been abnormal
increases in rents a tendency toward
) a decrease was noted in November.
On the other hand. in some cities rents
had advanced since June.
/ The opinion was general that in
! / orrnal communities no decrease in
rents could be expected until there
was a decreas Sc in the cost of labor
and materials
! Because of marked differences in
rent changes. it should be repeated
I that in determining how much the
cos of living in any given community
has advanced, this item especially
must be studied from the local stand
F.: point
Clothing Up Greatly.
/ Information secured from 112 re-
tail stores in 46 cities thruout the
country indicated that average prices
{ of common articles of wearing ap-
parel had advanced since July. 1914.
all the way from 81 per cen in the
I; ,ase of women's blouses to 1857 per
cent in the case of mems overalls-
: November. 1918, prices were re-
! quested for goods selling at a speci-
fled price in 1914 in order to mini
mize the variability as to quality. ?
I, Increases in the cost Of WOODEN
1 Continued ON Page Two.l