The Semi-weekly leader., 1922-11-22
LUXURIES BOOST
COST OF LIVING
Taste for New Foods, Garments
and Amusements Acquired
by the Public.
PROBLEM SUBJECT OF STUDY
Prices Have Not Risen 50 Much az the
Number Of Commodities Regarded
as Necessities Has Null
tipiled.

Washington. d. C.-Nearly all the
strikes In recent years have been to
obtain higher wages or to prevent the
reduction of existing wages. In some
strikes only issues Involving hours Of
labor and other working conditions
have been involved. but, generally
speaking. the strikes have been wage
strikes
Since prices Of commodities started
to go up with the outbreak of the
European war especial stress has been
laid on the elements Of the cost of
living as the principal argument for
wage increases or for retention, rather
than reduction, Of established wage
scales.
This has led to special studies Of
the problem Of the cost Of living. One
fact established Is that prices have
not risen so much as the number Of
commodities regarded as necessities
has multiplied. In truth, the prices
sof some staples are substantially low
er than they were years ago. Further,
many commodities are within the
range Of comparatively low-waged
workers which, because Of rarity or
high price, were formerly wholly out
of their reach. The net result Of the
study is that the whole question Of
the cost of living is relative.
Exact Comparisons Can't Be Made.
There is scarcely any one who does
not agree that the people should have
the additional things which they enjoy
under modern conditions, but there Is
a desire to emphasize that exact COM
parsons cannot be made and that to
say that the cost of living has in
creased Is not wholly fair. The more
precise statement is that the cost Of
modern living has increased.
Take the single item of ice cream.
Formerly 1t was altogether a luxury.
Today, every urchin on the streets
has an Ice cream cone daily and some
times several day.
Every American city spends several
thousand dollars a day for Ice cream.
This is an entirely new addition to the
cost Of living. and 1t may be pointed
out that II Is not fair to call this an
increase In the cost of living. It
merely is an addition to the, cost OF
living. If given city spends $4,000
day for fee cream the citizens OF
that city have added $4,000 day to
their cost of living by making this ex-
penditure. This Is an addition, not an
Increase, in the cost Of living of $780,
600 a week; S1092O.0OO a year. We
spend, in addition, $1.0o0,0O0 day
for Ice, comparatively modern con-
venience
Another Immediate comparison Is
the motion. picture show. Two dec.
ades ago movies were scarce. A. few
were operating. but the universal adj
mission charge was 5 cents. Today
the American public spends approxt-
mately $1,000, 100000. year on the
movies. This is $40 apiece for every
man, woman and child in the nation.
These instances could be multiplied
almost endlessly. The country is food
ed with novelties in the way of new
foods, new sorts Of wearing apparel,
new amusements and thousand and
one other new things totally unknown
to and unused by the man of only one
generation ago.
What Automobiles Cost
Perhaps the single biggest addition
to the cost of living is the automobile.
Not so many years ago the horseless
carriage was a curiosity regarded as
practical only by visionaries. Today
every tenth person in the United
States has one. This means that every
second family has one. A low average
cost of running an automobile is 81 a
day. This means that the American
people spend $10,000O00 a day for
automobile upkeep, as there are TO-
100000 automobiles. This amounts
to $3.650,0 100000 year, admittedly a
conservative figure.
A fair average price for an automo-
bile is $1,000 and an automobile win
last, on an average, five years. Then.
IL a@$1.000 car lasts five years. 1t
costs $200 a year, in addition to the
upkeep. There are 100000 cars In
use. This makes $1,000, 100000 year.
What the economists point out Is
that the American standard of living
is so high that It misleads many pe0.
pie. Our people spend lot but they
get lot. Recently two Scandinavian
born. Americans met. One had been
to his old home and was telling the
other Of the good fortune that had
befalIen one Of their mutual friends.
He said that the man had become rich.
He had done so well. the man ex-
planned, that he had bought himself a
bicycle!
There Is concrete example of what
{ is meant by saying that the cost Of
living has not increased in America
so much as the scale Of living he's In
creased Americans have more than
any other people In the world; they
are surrounded with a bewiider4ng
variety Of goods, most Of which are
within reach Of the comparatively
deep purses OF the wage workers II
is an old adage that he who pays the
piper Is entitled to call the t'sne
americans call an extensive tune