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Show GRASSROOTS Dollar Less Elastic; Yet Farmer's Fare Improved By Wright A. Patterson THE figures used in this column were provided by the Home Economics Bureau of the Northwestern North-western Life Insurance Company. That is an assurance of authenticity. The individual incomes of the American people have doubled and trebled during the last fifty years, since 1900. But in 1950 were we better off than in 1900? Did we live better? In 1900 the cash income of the American farms averaged $350. The farmers of that time had in addition addi-tion to that amount of cash, the greater part of the family food, produced on the farm, and the family fam-ily fuel from the wood lot of the farm. The cash income of the average av-erage farm to-day is fully three times that of 1900, and the farm still provides the greater portion of the family food, and much of the family fuel. In the matter of clothes, and home furnishings and farm equipment, equip-ment, the cash receipts of today will buy but little, if any more, than did the cash receipts of 1900. The farmer, while he receives more cash, is not much better off than in 1900. More of them own more automobiles, auto-mobiles, more farm equipment but farm life and farm living is much as it was half a century ago. In 1900 the hourly wage of the average Industrial worker was 16 cents per hour, with an average working week of 53 hours in 1900. and only 41.5 each week in 1950 Despite the high prices for every thing he buys the industrial worker is better off today than he was half a century ago. The money he receives now buys more at to-day's prices than did his wages of 1900 buy at the prices of that day, and in addition he enjoys more of today's to-day's conveniences or luxuries. Far more worker's families have automobiles, auto-mobiles, electric or other forms of refrigeration, more telephones, radios, and in sections where it is available, more television. In addition to greater wages, most factory employees are paid for annual vacations of from one to three weeks, are allowed for sick time, have group life insurance, and several sev-eral millions are assured of Industrial In-dustrial pensions after reaching reach-ing 65 years of age. Both workers and farmers are living better, the homes of both are equipped with more conveniences and what In 1900 were considered luxuries, despite de-spite the high prices they musf pay for commodities. Electricit has done much to modernize the homes of both classes. There is another class of Americans who are not as well off as in 1900; whose living standards have been lowered. That class Is compscd of those who must live on a fixed income, the thrifty ones who saved for their old age. and whose savings were Invested In securities. There are many mMlion of sorb people, peo-ple, eppc'gil wnmen. whose -(- (.--a .. nt tje con stantly increasing costs, go np, but who have no corresponding Increase in Income. For Industrial workers the average aver-age earnings have increased from $8.73 in 1900 to $64.15 in 1950. While the cost of living index has grown from .55 in 1900 to 178.4 in 1950, food prices have raised from .59 in 1900 to 215.4 in 1950; pork chops from 119 in 1900 to 715 in 1950. Every item on the food index list has shown a heavy increase. Much of the increase has been the result of political action. Technological Tech-nological improvements in production produc-tion in industry has offset much of the increased wages and taxes, and prevented what, would have otherwise other-wise been much greater increase in prices. But because of the increasing in-creasing costs, caused by increased wages and taxes, federal, state, county and municipal, manufacturers manufactur-ers have had to add to the prices of commodities, and all consumers, including both workers and farmers, farm-ers, have suffered from inflationary prices. When the new federal tax ' tislation is enacted it will mean another increase in taxes to be paid by consumers. While our dollars do not buy as much, by approximately 50 per cent, as they did in 1900. increased income in-come for both farmers and workers have kept pace with inflationary prices, and both are better off now, enjoy a higher standard of living, more conveniences and luxuries than they knew at the beginning of this century. ' |