The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-01-01
NEW YEAR PROMISES HIGHEST
LIVING COSTS THIS COUNTRY
HAS EVER KNOWN EXPERT SAYS
Old Year Boosted Prices Faster
Than 1t Raised Wages in
Three Occupations
STEELWORKERS AHEAD
Average Increase in Cost Living
Is Up SS Per Cent While
Labor Advance IL.
fRy Georae 3. Waters.l

The American people face the new
year with higher cost OF living star
ing them in the face than that which
confronted them u months ago. De-
spite fair price committees, food ad-
ministrators, the Lever law and pro-
secutions, it costs 3.S per cent more to
eat this New Year day than it did
Jan. !, 1919.
Legal minds say laws are 'to punish
crime and deter others from commit
ting like offenses." The amended
Lever law Is an exception 70 this rule.
Despite a few prosecutions, and much
talk, food increased in cost ? per cent
the first month it was in effect.
Food is 90 per cent higher now than
before the war. The bureau of labor
statistics furnished this figure. 1t af-
fects all who eat. 1t is based on the
weighted average Of essential foods
that make up the daily diet in Ameri-
can homes. The. smallest increase since
1913 was in plate beef. 43 per cent, and
the largest in eggs. 135 per cent.
Other Expenses Up ss Per Cent.
But food is only one item. People
wear clothes, live in houses, burn fuel.
use furniture and have miscellaneous
expenses. These are necessities. Con-
sidering these with food, the general
cost of existing has jumped ss per
cent since before the war. This fig
ure is based on statistics taken by the
labor department in the District of
Columbia.
Figures for the nation aren't avail
able-Congress cut the appropriation
for such work. But statisticians say
these tally pretty well with conditions
elsewhere. In the shadow Of the White
House, the stately Capitol and the
Department of Justice-where a.
Mitchell Palmer holds forth-generaf
living costs went up s per cent from
April to November. On this Day OF
Our Lord. January I, 1920, they are
fstilI soaring.
Wages haven't kept pace with living
costs. But they are not so far be-
hind. / learned that the bakers are
getting Sc per cent more than in 1913.
What are known as index numbers are
too complicated to explain here, but
this means that when the bakers get
an increase of 1.22 per cent OF their
present pay, their wages VIII catch up
with living costs. This figure is right
up TO now, and Is the first and only
one Of its kind that has found its way
into print. The labor department viii
soon publish more figures that viii
reflect the similar Conditions In other
trades.
There are other figures moi so opti-
mistic from the workers standpoint
IN eight trades the simple average in
crease in pay to about the middle OF
1919 was IL per cent. Steel and iron
workers had been increased 121 rar
cent hosiery and underwear workers
81, silk goods WORKERS 81, mems cloth
ing workers II. sawrniil workers "a,
sash and door mill workers ST. furni-
ture workers 81. cigar workers 50. Only
two. silk goods and steel, are ahead
of H C. /. When these figures were
made living costs We're up about 75
per cent Since then some Of these
wages have been increased, but the
odds are still in favor of II. c. L.
In Chicago "a dollar an hour was
the slogan and that is the approximate
scale in most trades now. There the
workers are far ahead Of the hounds.
But Chicago can hardly be classed as
representative of the country generally
In Kansas City building laborers have
been increased 100 per cent. Kansas
City is said to reflect conditions gen.
orally and It IS true common laborers
have Jared better than skilled wor-
kers. When these figures were made
carpenters there were getting only 81
per cent more. In Cleveland carpen-
ters were getting so per cent more on