Evening journal., 1921-01-19
COST OF living
AGAIN SLUMPS
Decline From July to No
vember Last Reported by
Industries Board
FOOD AND CLOTHES
MUCH CHEAPER

NEW YORK, Jan. i9.-The cost OF
living decreased SO per cent in the
four months from last July to No
vember, and the decline was brought
about by drops in the average prices
OF number OF important food and
clothing articles so great as TO offset
concurrent increases in many other
Items the National Industrial Confer
ence Board reported recently.
This four months decrease, how
. ever, left the cost Of living higher
than In July, 1914, Immediately before
tine war by the following percentages
, Clothing. i2S; fuel and light, 100: food.
95; sundries, %, and shelter. &C.
In its eighth report Of living costs.
p the board let ray OF hope shine on
its assertion. by stating that mer-
chandise dealers seemed to expect
b. further drop in prices early in 1921
The decline OF sc per cent in living
expenses from the figures Of last
q july, when. the board says. the peak
or nigh prices was reached, followed
a steady rise which began in 1914, il
1. was explained. except for a per cent
drop in the four months period in
f9le-i9i9 Immediately after the armis-
. tice.
THE average price OF food dropped
nearly ~ per cent between last July
. aud November" the report said. but
The average price Of potatoes dropped
63 per cent and that OF sugar 81 per
cent The average price Of eggs rose
81 per cent.
THE drop in clothing prices from
last July to November was over "a
per cent. but average prices OF many
Items fell more than this. Cotton yarn
goods dropped PC TO a. per cent
Hosiery, mems shirts, Women's
blouses. muslin underwear and mems
coats fell 20 to p per cent. Shoes.
mems and womens suits and mems
coats, knit underwear and hats de-
creased less than % per cent. Gloves
scarcely changed at all.
Other Items increased. but not
enough to- onset -the decline in food
and clothing. According 10 figures
furnished by iji coal dealers in fifty
cities, the average price OF coal con-
tinued TO advance between July and
November in every city except Law
renee, Lowell and Springfield Mass.
. Newark and Trenton. n j., and New
York city, where bituminous coal
dropped somewhat.
. In these same places, the average
cost Of anthracite rose 10 per cent or
more within the same period. and in
. number OF cities the advance was
20 per cent OF over.
Increases in the cost Of gas were
4. considerably less than the rise in the
cost OF coal. although a number OF
important rate increases were noted
In Boston, the increase between July
and November was 22.7 per cent. In
Jersey City, Newark Camden, pater-
son, Trenton. BayOnne, Elizabeth and
HOboken. n. j.. 2i.7 per cent: In Roch-
ester and Albany. n. Y. 30.i per cent
in Dallas and Fort Worth, Tex. 20 pei
rent. No change within this period
was reported from many OF the larg
esi cities.
- "The average fcost OF eleciricity fol
domestic use decreased in Boston
Milwaukee and Racine. Wis, Louis
. Nillc. KY, and SOmerville. Mass.
Rent increases continued TO ap
pear. but were less sensational thar
in preceding periods. and for the frs
time in many months decreases wer,
reported The industrial cities OF De
troii. Lansing and Flint. Mich.
Akron. o., and Elkhart. Ind. reported
a falling or in rents up to 20 per cen
in soue cases. The largest advances
noted were in Sacramento, Calf, anC
Bellingham. Wash, where the risl
was somewhere between 81 and 40 pei
cent.
The average cost OF all sundriel
rose slightly between July and No
vember. Rate increases were allOwe,
traction companies in important cen
ters, such as Philadelphia, Cincinnati
New Orleans. Portland. Ore. ROches
ter, n. Y, and smaller places. Vir
tually no decreases In carfares wer
, reported
Occasionally newspapers advances
their prices Church and organization
budgets were increased. Notably de
crcases were reported in the cost O
furniture, housefurnishings and sup
plies"
There are many ways 10 turn a
suto into cash. secure a new car o
-