Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-09-09

increase in the cost of living.
These instances could be multi
piled almost endlessly. The country
is flooded with novelties in the way
of new foods, new sorts of wearing
apparel, new amusements n a
thousand and one other rev things
totally unknown to and unused by
the man of only n generation ago.
The magazines furnish an inter-
esting example. There are thous-
ands If periodical publications in
the United States today most of
which have large cjNulations; most
of them so large as to stagger the
imagination. A large circulation
means that the people are buying
the papers and magazines. Ninety
per cent of this circulation Is addi-
tional. 1t represents, not an in
creased eXpence, but an added ex-
pense, compared with what people
disbursed a generation ago. Ihe
prices of the commodities have not
so much increased the people buy
more commodities and, especially, a
created variety of them.
What Automobiles Cost
Perhaps the single biggest sddi-
tioll ~ tiiC Coot vi INii6 1 LIN az
tomobile. Not so many years ago
the horseless carriage was a Curl
osity regarded as practical only by
Missionaries. Today every tenth per
son in the United States has one. A
low average cost of running an auto
mobile is 81 a day. This means that
the American people spend 100000
600 a day for automobile upkeep as
there are 10000, 600 automobiles.
This amounts to $3.50, 900 900 a
year, admittedly a conservative fig
ure.
A fair average price for an auto
mobile is $1,000 and an automobile
will last, on an average five years
Then, if a $1,000 car lasts five years
it costs 5000 a year, in addition to
the upkeep. There are 10000, 900 in
use. This makes $4,000, 100000 a
year. Add this to the upkeep cos
and you have total of $3.50, 000, 00(
a year automobile cost for the Amer
lean people. This, of course is no
} a nincrease in the cost of living
but an addition to the cost of living
On the other hand, some of thu
important commodities have de
creased in value. Electric light Il
a wholly new and added expense
Before its advent oil lamps wer'
:, used. Kerosene oil costs rs cent
a gallon. 1t was not nearly so goot
as that which now costs from ; t
Z cents a gallon. White sugar
throughout the country, was a lux
ury which not every n could pro
: cure, brown sugar being the a b
staple and molasses or long sweet
ening, as 1t was called being widel
I used. But where white sugar wa
r pr%ocurable, it cost from 25 cents
pound up. During the war, 1t ros
to that height again for a br1e
n period but Immediately before tn
war and shortly after it was Pre-
x durable at from 4 to 10 cents
pound.
r What the economists point out
e that the American standard OF Twin
6 is so high that it misleads man
: people. Our people spend a lot bu
they get a lot. Recently two Scar
dinavian-born Americans met. On
: had been to his old home and wa
e telling the other of the good for,
une that had befallen mi of the
= mutual friends. He said that IN
: man had become rich. He had dor
n so well, the nan explained, that u
had bought himself a bicycle!
There is a concrete example {
= what is meant by saying tina
e the cost of living has not lnereas
! ed in America so much as the sea
It of living has increased. American
u have more than any other people !
e the world: they are
i with a bew!ldering variety of good
n most of which are within reach {
q the comparatively deep purses !
e the wage workers. 1t Is an OF
% adage that hv who pays the plps
l. is entitled to call the une Amer
n leans call an expensive tune.