Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 270, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 November 1918 — PRICES OF WHAT THE FARMER BUYS AND SELLS COMPARED [ARTICLE]

PRICES OF WHAT THE FARMER BUYS AND SELLS COMPARED

From the Committee on Public Information. Wholesale Prices of Selected Articles, 1914, and June, 1918, With Per Cent of increase.

average price Price in Per cent of Commodity. Unit 1n 1914 - June 1918 - increase. Food. $ .0816 $ .0841 3.1 Coffee, pound*...... • 4.7294 10.1625 114.9 ; Flour, wheat, barrel... .0471 .0731 55.2 Sugar, granulated, p0und............. 6,6250 13.0000 96.2 Herring, pickled, barrel 4171 - 6 ® oo 44,8 Molasses, New Orleans, gallon Boots and Shoes- 1.0710 1.700 59.7 . Youths’, gun metal, pair 2.1208 Men’s, gun metal, pair 2.2746 4.1500 82.4 Women’s, gun metal, pair... Clothes and Clothing— -1400 4000 185.7 Denims, yard 8467 1.8500 118.5 Hosiery, men’s cotton, dozen pair 0848 .2500 Shirtings, bleached Lonsdale, yard 1.0781 3.1500 192.2 ! Sbitings, serge 11 oz., yard 4.2500 13.5000 217.6 Men’s cotton shirts and drawers, dozen.. .1862 .5145 176.8 Women’s dress goods, cotton warp, yard.. 1.0157 2.6560 160.6 Blankets, all wool, pound Fuel and Lighting— 120 a iron 41.? ■ Petroleum, refined, gallon ..... • , g ' 42TO 20.9 , Coal, anthracite, chestnut, ton I Coal, bituminous, Norfolk, ton • ’ 2400 gg 4 i Gasoline, gallon .\. •••• Lumber'and Building Materials— 15300 2.5920 544 Cement, barrel ..♦.•••••• -kaa aooooo 40.3 j Lumber, pine, yellow flooring, M *2.7500 Window glass, 50 sq. feet ™ ™ U 4.4 Nails, wire, keg . ■ Other Commodities- .8400 ' gl 3 Plates, white, d0zen...... • 3100 158.4 Tumblers, dozen ■ 10800 89.4 Cups and saucers, d0zen...,.-. ■ UOO(X) 106.5 Cutlery, gross • .7457' 58.7 - Tobacco, plug, p0und.......... 5.4500 52.8 Soap, box 3C.4375 ' 53.5000 75.8 Cottonseed meal, ton ..

That the price of wheat, despite the control exercised by the food administration, shows a greater per cent of advance than the prices of many other commodities bought and sold by the farmer is Indicated, by facts made public by the department of labor and by the department of agriculture. This condition was exemplified vividly when the changes In the price of products bought by farmers were traced. The price of wheat by July 1, 1918, had increased 164 per cent over the price for July 1, 1914. In other words the price on July 1 last was nearly two and two-thirds times that of four years previous. Farm machinery, it was seen, had increased very much less during the years of war. Figures based on representative reports from county agents to the farm management bureau of the department of-ag-riculture revealed percentages of advance ranging from 44 to 98. Plows had enhanced in price 85 per cent. Disk drills Increased in cost 71 per cent. The increment in cost for cultivators was 77, while that for springtooth harrows was 81 per cent. Building materials, according to the wholesale figures assembled by the

bureau of labor statistics, have advanced much less than the prices of wheat during the war period. The average price for 1914, when compared with that of June, 1918, demonstrated a rise of 40 per cent for yellow pine flooring. Wire nails increased 114 per cent. The cost of food generally was augmented very much less than wheat. Coffee increased only 3 per cent, showing the smallest change In price of all articles tabulated. Granulated sugar, in contrast, went up 55 per cent. Flour Increased 115 per cent. Pickled herring showed it rise of 96 per cent. Molasses was 45 per cent higher. Only certain articles of clothing increased more rapidly than wheat. Both wool and Cotton goods advanced greatly. Shoes were more nearly stable in price. Women’s gun metal shoes increased in cost 82 per cent; men’s, 87; and youth’s, GO. But men’s cotton socks advanced 110 per cent. ■ Refined petroleum cost 42 per cent more. Gasoline registered 66 per cent. White household plates went up 81 per cent while cups and saucers increased 89 per cent Cutlery showed, a sharper rise with 107 per cent. Soap revealed a 53 per cent increase. J •'■ Weighted averages based on prices assembled from a list of ab(\ut 7,000 county buyers show that on July 1, 1914, the price of wheat as sdld by the farmer had increased .164 per cent over the price for the same day of 1918. Corn, according to the data supplied by the same county crop reporters, increased within the same period 104 per cent in price. Oats showed 197; hay, 42; and cotton, 131. Hogfl advanced 107; beef cattle, 65; and lambs, 132 per cent within the four years. z The tables showing the detailed price variations of what the farmer buys and of what he sella are as follows:

What the Farmer Selle—Average Prices Received by Producers of United States for Selected Articles. (dompiled from data published in Monthly Crop Report of Department of Agri-, culture, July, 1918, pp. 82 and 88.) July 1— ■ Pct of inCommodity. 1914 1918 crease. Wheat bu. ...»80.769 82.032 1M.2 Corn, bu 755 1.837 103.8 Oats, bu. .388 .783 196.8 Hay. ton 11.290 16.07 42.3 Cotton, pound 124 .286 130-6 July 15— Hogs. 100 1b«...87.43 ' 815.37 106.9 Beef cattle, 100 1b5.... 6.32 10.40 64.6 Lambs, 100 1b5,6.47 14.98 131.5 What the Fanner Buys—Per Cent of Increase in Retail Prices of Farm Machinery in 1918, as Compared With 1914. (Based on 100 representative reports from county agent* to the Farm Management

Bureau of the United States Department of Agriculture. Nearly all states are represented by at least one report.) Pct. of increase 1913 Name of Article. over 1914. Binder, grain 70.8 Cultivators, walking 76.9 Drills,- disk ....... 71.1 Harrows, spring tooth 80.5 Plows, walking 84.9