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Show a- . PRICE COMPARISONS. Prices thirty-three years ago for most commodities sold at the grocery gro-cery stores were very much higher than now. R. E. Burdick of Cleveland Cleve-land has submitted in evidence to a newspaper man a bill dated May 14, 1874, for groceries furnished his family. The bill was rendered by W. P. Southworth & Co., a leading grocery gro-cery house. The bill shows that flour at that date was sold at $9 per barrel. It was not as good as the fancy patents which now sell at about $7. Flour of the quality which was considered first-class in 1874 can now be bought for less than $6. Prices named for sugar, salt, raisins rais-ins ,tea, coffee, lemons, peaches, primes and pickles arc all quoted in the bill at prices 50 to 75 per cent higher than those now prevailing. A few farm products arc quoted at lower prices; eggs at 16 cents a dozen, doz-en, butter, cheese, lard and ham at lower prices than now rule. The year 1874 was the one following follow-ing the worst financial panic that this country ever knew and prices were low as compared with those ot H 1870. Present prices follow a long H scries of prosperous years. The story is an apt illusttation of H the fact that in discussing and com- H paring prices people often cover short H periods of time for camparison. The H price of yesterday is compared with H that of today instead of a general H average being taken to cover a rca- 'H sonablc amount of time. The gov- icrnmcnt's method of estimating crops with reference to a five or ten H year average might well be followed H in studying price movements. Inland H Grocer. H 1 |