HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING

Thames Star, Issue 14664, 19 April 1915, Page 7

HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING

We constantly hear the assertion made that the cost of everything has gone up, and I believe that many people are satisfied that such is the case. I have in my possession store pass books which show the prices actually charged me and others in 1877, 1894, ami 1897, and the current retail price list of a prominent firm and tfc prices work out as follows for,the articles named, vis. ■:— ©©© r"lrH©rH©© J3° S©'©^© o'-i©rH©©"O^O £•©"©©■ ©i-l©»-4©©©©© rl . ■ t4 *©"©"o"rHC0OCilOlHO«:5'0 :•::.: -^jd: ::• ::•::: 12 " i ::: A careful study of this tabU will show that, compared with forty years ago, prices are now much lower, while for the later date the (advantage is still decidedly in favour of the latest price list. Adding the items together for each period we find that in 1877 a man buying one oi' each would pay 34/3, dn 1894 ho would pay 17/04, in 1897 21/H, and in 1911 20/ of. On 3 wonders how the family man got on in 1877. Wages were not n?arly as high as now, yet the cost of living was then 75 per cent. hi£h;r that it is now ; bread, butter,' candles, tea, sugar, and fiour being at what we would now almost consider famine prices. Another writer says :—lt is apparent that Great Erikaiti's free trade policy is of little use to har when the demand for foodstuffs is greater than the supply. We have overlooked the fact that we have introduced European ideas as regards foodstuffs into the Orient, and as Great Britain's producing areas have not increased correspondingly, higher prices prevail in Great Britain. The correspondent's list of prices published a few days ago is quite correct, but he could have made a much stronger case if he had included the following items, that have been reduced quite 60 per, cent. :—Keroscn?, salt, potatoes, onions, fruit, fish (fresh and preserved). Coal and gas are also much lower.