The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-04
Frederick Haskin's Letter
LIVING COSTS AND STANDARDS

spend approximately $l,oOO,OOel
QUO q year on the movies. This
SO a piece for every man, wom,,I
and child in the nation. This is I,
addition to, not an increase in NJ
cost Of living.
These instances could be muln
piled almost endlessly. The com.
try is flooded with novelties in n.
way of new foods, new sorts h
wearing apparel. new amusement
and a thousand and one other nsJ
things totally unknown to and nal
used by the man of only one gepl
Grafton ago.
The magazines furnish an inte,
esting example. There are thoa]
sands of periodical publications \
the United States today most n
which have large circulationl
most of them so large as to stappaa
the Imagination. A large circnlaY
ton means that the people are buyI
ing the papers and magazine,I
Ninety per cent of this circulatio,
is additional. 1t represents nal
an increased expense, but an adds1
expense, compared with what peoI
pie disbursed a generation aro|
| The prices of the commoditiel
have not SO much increased: MI
people buy more commodities anil
especially. a greater variety a
them.
| What Automobiles Cost.
! Perhaps the single biggest addII
ton to the cost of living is the an
tomobile. Not so many years Al.
the hOrseless carriage was a curl
osity regarded as practical only b
visionaries. Today every tentl
person. in the United States hal
one. This means that every secoDH
family has one. A low ayeraeI
cost of running an automobile 4
81 day. This means that I'll
American people spend $4,000 GOD
a day for automobile upkeep, al
there are 100000 automobileJ
This amounts to $3.50, 900 900 4
year, admittedly a conservative
figure. l
A fair average price for an suI
tomobile is $1,000 and an automcI
bile will last on an average, fiVI
years. Then, if a $1,000 car lastI
five years, it costs 5000 a year,
addition to the upkeep. There al
100000 cars in use. This mako
i $4,000, 100000 a year. Add this !
the upkeep cost and you have I'd
f, tai of $5,650,000,00O a year automa
bile cost for the American peopl4
This, of course, is not an increaJ
in the cost of living. but an add
tional to the cost of living.
| On the other hand, some Of d
important commodities have a
creased in value. Electric light
a wholly new and added expens}
Before its advent oil lamps wei
i. used. Kerosene oil cost % cents
gallon. twas not nearly so zoo
; as that which now costs from i
~ cents gallon. White sugsj
throughout the country, was lul
} ury which not every one cou}
procure, brown sugar being u
. table staple and molasses or Tod
sweetening, as it was called, BEN
widely used. But where, viii
sugar was procurable, it cost fro
rs cents a pound up. During u
war, it rose to that height aga3
for a brief period but Immediate
before the war and shortly aft :
lit was procurable' at from 4 to !
, cents pound.
: What the economists point out
5 that the American standard Of III
, ing is so high that it mislea1
, many people. Our people spend
5 lot but they get a lot. Recent
two Scandinavian-bo born Americal|
met One had been to his old hon
3 and was telling the other Of u
' good fortune that had befallen N
l OF their mutual friends. He sal
that the man had become rich. II
e had done so well. the man Cd
= planned, that he had bought ha
4 self bicycle!
r There is concrete example 4
Y what is meant by saying that tf|
r cost Of living has not increased l
= America SO much as the scale Q
t living has increased. American
3 have more than any other peopl;
|. in the world; they are surrounds
= with bewildered variety Of goods
most of which. are within reach 9
n the comparatively deep purses
D the wage workers. 1t is an OF
). adage that he who pays the pipe
: is entitled to call the tune. Amen
5 cans call an expensive tune.