Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-01-29

let's look at the South, where we
raise cotton. We all remember how
in the fall of 1914 the Guy Bale
of Cotton" campaign was on to save
the producer from ruin.
"The price of cotton in the fall Of
1914 was down to 6 cents pound
! for a time, but that's hardly fair
comparison. Let's go back to Nov. 1,
/ 1913, when the average farm price
was 13c a pound. The farmer then
had to market 1913 pounds of cotton
to pay for a $25 suit. On Nov. I,
1919, the average farm price was
36.5c a pound, and the grower could
pay for a $50 suit by selling only
165 pounds of cotton.
Butter Price Doubled.
'The average price paid to the far
mer all over the United States for
butter on November l, 1914, was
26.4c a pound, while on the same
day in 1919 he got SEC pound for
it. For his eggs he got 25.3c a dozen
on November I, 1914, while he got
Sac a dozen for them in 1919.
"The sheep raiser who produces
wool for his money crop naturally has
quite a keen interest in the price of
clothes. The government tells us that
the average sheep raiser all over the
United States got 15.5c pound for
his wool at the country stations on
November list, 1918. He had to sell
161 pounds to get money to pay for
$25 suit Of clothes On Novem-
Der /, 1919, the average price paid
to the producers for wool was 50.6c
a pound. He only had to sell 118 1-2
pounds of wool to get enough money
to buy a $50 suit of clothes.
Spuds Buy More Clothes.
"On November 1, 1914, while all
Europe was at war, and we were not,
the farmer received on an average
of 528c a bushel for his potatoes.
Fifty bushels left him a very narrow
margin over the price Of SIS suit.
On November 1. 1919, he was getting
an average Of $1.53 per bushel for his
potatoes. The price of fifty bushels
bought him a $50 suit of clothes and
3 fine pair Of shoes, AMI left him few
dollars for sundries.
"But how about the working man?
Lets start with the man who husks
corn for the Iowa farmer. In 1914
ne got &c bushel for the work and
The crop was of such a character that
ne did we'll if he husked 100 bushels a
lay He had to work twelve and a
half days to pay for $25 suit of
,lothes. Last fall he demanded, and |
n most instances got SC bushel for
corn. The ears were so big
md plentiful that it was no trick at
Ill for him to husk one hundred and
bushels, earning $40 a
lay. 1t took him just six days to
earn enough to pay for a $50 suit
Laborers Can Buy More
"The government tells that the av-
erage pay for farm Taborers hired by
the month in 1914 was $2105 and
board. In 1919 wages went up to
minimum of $40 and ran to even $50 .
Or S65 in many instances. The going
lay wage for harvest hands in 1914 (
was $1.55. In 1919 they were hard
to get at SIS day.
workers in the cities do almost .
as we'll The Baltimore bricklayer,
who in 1913 got As cents an hour, had .
to work ffty-fve and one-haH hours
to earn money for a $25 suit of ,
clothes. Now he gets S1.00 an hour
and works sixty hours for $50 suit ,
of clothes. However, he gets in lot
of overtime and is not idle nearly so
many days, so he is relatively better
off than he was in 1913.
'FThe New Orleans blacksmith in
1913 received sec for an hours work /
when he could get work. 1t took him
70 hours to earn his $25 suit. Now
he earns his $50 suit by working
seventy-five hours at soc an hour and
has all the work he wants, regular and
overtime.
Prosperity Everywhere.
"The Buffalo boilermaker got 36.1c
an hour in 1918; he gets 72.5c now.
The unskilled laborer in the building
trades at st, Louis gets 25c an hour,
six years ago; he now gets 62.5c. In
Jacksonville, Florida, the carpenter
who earned sic then, gets Csc now.