Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-06-11
LIVING COST 90 49,
I, Still! SCARS
u
wholesale Prices of Staples
\ Show Average Advance Of e
7 = Per Cent for Year.
Up 100 PER CENT SINCE 1918
Minneapolis Leads in Increase Of Re-
tail PrIces-only II Commodities
Have Declined-Greatest In
vns crease is In Building Ma.
terials.


Washington.--The cost Of living Is
still on the increase, according 10 re-
ports received by the bureau of labor
statistics OF the United States depart
ment of labor from retailers In 10 cit
les. The average family expenditure
for food was 2 per cent higher on JAN
uary Is, 1920, than on December Is,
1919, and the cost in December was
20 per cent higher than 1t had been
in any previous month.
These figures show an increase Of
per cent since January, 1919, and an
increase of 104 per cent since Janu
airy, 1913. The comparisons are based
on the average retail prices of the
following articles, weighted according
to the consumption OF the average fam.
fly: Slrloin steak. round steak. RIB
roast. chuck roast, plate beef, pork
chops, bacon, ham, lard, hens, Hour,
cornmeal eggs, butter, milk, bread.
potatoes, sugar, cheese, rice, coffee
and tea.
During the months from December
Is, 1919, to January 49, 1920. % Of the
A. articles Of food for which prices
we're secured in 1919 increased as fol.
lows: Cabbage, 33 per cent; pota.
toes, 20 per cent; graduated sugar, ~
per cent; onions, IL per cent: lamb
and rolled oats. per cent each; hens,
per cent; plate beef, 8 per cent;
flour, per cent; srloin steak, rib
roast. chuck roast, bread and cream
Of wheat. 4 per cent each; round
steak and raisins, 3 per cent each;
canned salmon and rice, 2 per cent
each; ham, evaporated milk, maca.
roni, baked beans, tea, coffee and
bananas, per cent each.
Eleven articles decreased In price,
as follows: Strictly fresh eggs, s per
cent: butter, s per cent; lard and
canned tomatoes, 3 per cent each;
pork chops, storage eggs and oranges.
2 per cent each; fresh milk, canned
corn, canned peas. and prunes l per
cent each
Increases In One Year.
From January, 1919, to January,
1920, 25 of the 40 articles for which
prices were secured on both dates in
creased in price as follows: Onions,
100 per cent; cabbage, 09 per cent;
potatoes, 60 per cent; graduated SUI
gar, 65 per cent; raisIns, 50 per cent;
prunes, AZ per cent; coffee, Al per
cent; rice, 81 per cent; -four % per
cent; canned salmon, 1G per cent;
crisco, 10 per cent; cream Of wheat
and bananas II per cent each; oieo-
margarine and strictly fresh eggs, 10
per cent each: bread 8 per cent
evaporated milk and storage eggs, 4
per cent each: lard, 2 per cent, and
lamb and tea, per cent each.
Articles which decreased in price
during the year were navy beans, ~
per cent: plate beef, 10 per cent; ba-
con. IA per cent; canned tomatoes. IL
per cent; chuck roast and baked
beans, 10 per cent each: pork chops.
8 per cent; ham and canned corn, OF
per cent each; round steak, per
cent; rib roast. 4 per cent; cheese and
canned peas, per cent each sirloin
steak, nut margarine and oranges,
per cent each. The price Of cornfakes
was the same as in January, 1919.
Potatoes increased 23S per cent and
granulated sugar c07 per cent for the
seven.year period from January, 1913,
to January. 1920. This means that the
price In January Of this year was more
than three times what 1t was in 1913.
The price of nine other aticles more
than doubled during this period: Pork
chops. 101 per cent; lamb, 2o2 per
cent: rice, 40 per cent cornmeal. 100
per cent: lard, 121 per cent; strictly
fresh eggs, 1913 per cent; storage eggs,
1a3 per cent, and -four. 145 per cent.
The statistics show that the average
expenditure for % articles of food in
creased from December, 1919, to Jan
uary IS, 1920, in Al cities and de-
creased In 0 cities.
Largest increase In Minneapolis.
For the year period January, 1910,
to January, 1920. the greatest increase,
or TO per cent, was shown in Minneap-
oils. The next largest increase, or II
per cent was In Chicago, Detroit and
Springfield. The other cities showed
increases ranging from ! per cent in
Baltimore to 10 per cent in Cincinnati,
FAN River. Omaha, Peoria, st. Louis
ana st, Paul.
Wholesale prices in general showed
m Increase Of - per cent in January
of this year over January last year.
The greatest Increase In this period Is
shown for lumber and building mate
rails, which advanced GGh per cent
In price in the II months. Cloths and
clothing articles and housefurnishing
goods followed next, with increases of
491a and ASA per cent, respectively.
Food prices as a whole rose over %
per cent In the year. spsts. .ssaa.,,.
A.