Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1920-01-20
THE PRICE OF CLOTHES.


In the number of dollars it takes to
purchase a suit they are. But meas
ured in the prices of things which the
producer has to sell, or in the wages
paid for service performed they are
no higher than they were before the
war In many instances, as a mat
ter OF fact, they are not so high.
compare clothes prices, for in
stance, with that of corn, the great
american money crop. In 1914 the
iowa farmer had to haul fifty bushels
OF corn to market in order to pet the
money to pay for a $25 suit of
clothes. Now he can get a SEQ sn;t
and $40 pair of shoes for his fftv
bushels of corn.
1t may be that he dosen't haul
corn to market but feeds it to his
hogs. On December 3Oth, 1914. he
had to sell four hundred pounds of
hogs at the top price of the Chicago
market to get the money to paw for .
go suit and SO hat. On December
50th, 1919, if he sold four hundred
pounds OF hogs at thetop price of the
chicago market he came within 81
OF receiving the money to buy a $50
suit and there have been long periods
IN the last two years when he would
nave got from $50 to $92 for his
four hundred pounds of hogs.
II, on December Both, 1914. he
marketed thousand pound corn-fed
steer at the top price of the Chicago
market ne got $91.5O for it. If he
marketed it on December 3Oth, 1919.
Tor the top price, he got $195 for it
money enough to buy pretty nice
outht of clothes even at present
prices.
Wheat is raised in very wide sec
tons of the country. Official gov
eminent reports tell us that the aver
| age farm value of wheat on Novem-
Der lst, 1914, was TIC. bushel.
The farmer who sold fifty bushels of
1t got $3.50, or just about enough
to buy $25 suit, SIS pair of shoes.
SO hat, two or three good shirts.
and then some handkerchiefs. The
farm value of wheat on November
LIST, 1919, was $2.13 bushel and the
farmer who sold fifty bushels at his
home station received $106.50, or
enough to buy him fine $50 suit
and big thick overcoat. If farm
er happens to live in the Northwest
and to have held his wheat until now
he can get somewhere near SO bush
ell for grain of good quality.
While we are talking about the
| Northwest, it may be we'll to mention
the farmer who raises fiax-seed. The
/ government tells us that on the first
| of November, 1914, he received an
average of S1.1S7 per bushel at the
farm stations for his seed. For
twenty-five bushels he got just about
enough money for his $25 suit and
a hat. If he marketed his hax-seed
on November LIST, 1919, he got on an
average of 1882 bushel at the home
station. For twenty-five bushels he
got $95.50-enough to pay for his
so suit and leave $3.50 for hat,
shoes, and furnishings for the winter.
"You may think the Northwest is
particularly favored territory but
let's look at the South where they
raise cotton. We all remember how
in the fall of 1914 the "Buy a bale
of cotton" campaign was on to save
the producer from ruin.
'The price of cotton in the fall of
1914 was down to cents pond for
a time, but that's hardly fair COM
parison. Let's go back to November
LIST, 1913, when the average farm
price was 13c. pound. The farmer
then had to market 1913 pounds of
cotton to pay for $25 suit. On
November LIST, 1919, the average
farm price was 36,5c. a pound and
the grower could pay for $50 suit
by selling only 165 pounds of cotton.
'The average price paid to the far
mer all over the United States for
butter on November LIST, 1914, was
26.4c. a pound, while on the same
day in 1919 he got see. a pound for
it, For his eggs he got 25.3c dozen
on November list, 1914, while he
got SAC dozen for them in 1919.
''The sheep raiser who produce,
wool for his money crop naturally
has quite keen interest in the price
of clothes. The government tells us
that the average sheep raiser all over
the United States got 1850 a pound
for his wool at the country stations
on November 1st, 1918. He had to
sell 161 pounds to get money to pay
for a $25 suit of clothes. On No
vember LIST, 1919, the average price
paid to the producers for wool was
50.6c a pound. He only had to sell
1881 pounds of wool to get enough
money to buy $50 suit of clothes
"On November LIST, 1914, while all
Europe was at war and we were not,
the farmer received on an average
Il L..
Fifty bushels left him a very narrow
margin over the price of $25 suit.
On November 1st, 1919, he was get
ting an average of 81 SIS per bushel
for his potatoes. The price of fifty
bushels bought him $50 suit of
clothes and a fine pair of shoes, and
left him a few dollars for sundries.
''But how about the working man?
Let's start with the man who husks
corn for the Iowa farmer. In 1914
he got &c. bushel for the work and
the crop was of such a character that
he did well if he husked on ehundred
bushels a day. He had to work
twelve and half days to pay for
$25 suit of clothes. Last fall he de-
manded and, in most instances got
&c. bushel for husking corn. The
ears were so big and plentiful that it
was no trick at all for hi INTO husk
one hundred and twenty-five bushels,
earning $40 day. 1t took him just |
six days to earn enough to pay for a
$50 suit
"The government tells US that the |
average pay for farm laborers hired |
by the month in 1914 was S21 05 and |
board. In 1919 wages went up to a
minimum of $40 and ran to even $50 |
or sos in many instances. The going |
day wage for harvest hands in 1914 |
was $1.55. In 1919 they were hard |
to get at SIS day.
workers in the cities do all most
as well. The Baltimore bricklayers,
who in 1913 got As cents an hour,
had to work fifty-fve and one-half !