Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-05-13
York. S. c., May 12.
From the Textile World.

At a recent meeting of the Lancaster One
Hundred Per Cent. Club of the Lancaster. rs.
c. Cation Mills the chairman. ]. o. Edwards.
asked F. Gordon Cobb superintendent, to give
a talk on the high cost OF living. and during
this talk he brought out the following inter-
esting wages; that the purchasing power OF a
days work represents wngcs that groceries
in Lancaster have gone down more than SO
per cent. in the last year: that the purchas-
ing power of days work has gone up in
stead OF down in the past twelve months.
For the purpose of proving and making
clear the first two points, Mr. Cobb gave the
following example:
1--WE will say that last year there was a
farmer living in the backwoods from Lancas-
ter who knew nothing about wages being paid
in the>mill. nor the price Of cloth. But after
laying-by his crop he came TO the mill and
said that he wanted some cloth to make his
wife and children clothes, etc. lie had no
money, but said he had worked in the mill ~
section man. and wanted to work day and
be paid of in cloth.
"He was put to work and at the time the
job he ran was paying $500 per day After
working the day and on being asked what
kind Of cloth he wanted he said. some Of
that so 80 At that time 80 X 50 SELL
ing for 3lc per yard, so he was given Si.0O
divided by Bic. equals / 3-4 yds Of cloth. He
put it under his urn and went on back home.
I'VE will suppose that he should come back
today and say I'm in the same fx wis last
year. want 10 work day and be paid off IN
cIuth.' He is pu: to work on the same job rs
las: year. The job is now paying $500 per
day. though he does moi know it.
'.He wants the same S0xS0 this time. 1t is
now quoted at &c per yard and you can't even
sell it for that. He does his days work and
is given his cloth, which is $500 divided by
&c equals 22.2 yds. He is very much surprised
ut receiving 90 yards Of cloth fer the same
days work that We only gave him II I'D yds.
for last year and says. Goodness! haven't you
raised wages, though? You gave nc nearly
double the amount Of cloth this year that you
did last year for the same work
Have dollars anything to do with that
mans wages? Does he even think Of that :
No--he is thinking OF the purchasing power OF
his days work.
Cost of Living.
Mr. Cobb had Carl r. Hurris 20 10 all the
principal stores in Lancaster and find out the
prices they were gctIIng for groceries in July.
1920, which was about the time everything
reached its peak. and also get prices they arc
getting in March. 1921. The prices proved IN
themselves that groceries have gone down over
so per cent.
Mr. Harris then went through the mill and
village and found out about how much gro
ceries it would take to run the average family
of five or six for two weeks In July. 1920.
such list Of groceries would cost S2S.81. In
March, 1921, the same list OF groceries would
cost Sl3.6I.
A section man who was getting 81 Lee per
hour in July, 1920. is getting 81 1-2c per hour
now. Dividing s28S7 by 81 l-2c equals 50.2
Therefore. section man would have to work
5O2 hours in July. 1920, TO pay for the above
bill of groceries. Now divide sl3.6i by 81 l-2c
equals 43.3 He would only have to work 43.3
hours in March, 1921, to pay for the same bill
Of groceries.
The section man who in July, 1920, work
ed 502 hours ut 81 1-2c per hour to pay Tor
q bill Of groceries can now work 50.2 hours at
81 l-2c per hour and pay for the same list OF
groceries and have seven hour ut 81 l-2c or
SEQ left.