Show THE HE POLITICAL POT PUT THE COST OF CLOTHING keady ready made clothe no dearer in the united state states than in oilier other countries to THE EDITOR A neighbor of ours who he nent went to england last summer bays says that a u bitof clothes which cost fifteen dollars in enc kneland land costs fifty dollars in this country of course courso be he isa la a tree free trader can you inform me whether this statement Is true 0 IV n D ready made clothing of a substantial quality such as isborn is worn by well to do working people ia is ag as cheap in the united states as it is anywhere in the world tailor made clothing which is probably the kind that the neighbor of our correspondent has in mind since ho he is wealthy ve althy enough to travel to euro europe PC is dearer in ili this country than in eng laud land although the difference in cost is not nearly BO so great as per cen cent american wages are twice and throe times as high as wages in england and as hand labor is the chief factor ia in clothing that is made to order it is nat ural that this clothing should bo be dearer but working people can clothe themselves as cheaply and as well in till united states as the working people of E england or any other country in this statement we are borno bome out by the reports of united states consuls who have made this n special subject of investigation E E lano lane former consul at tu tunstall n england says in view of these figures what becomes of the constantly repeated assertions that the cost of living to the workingman in the united states is double what it is in england the truth is that the only item in which there is any considerable advantage in the work ingmans cost of living in this country is in the matter of rent in plain clothing for men women and children there is scarcely any advantage if indeed there is any at all As good a suit of clothes can be purchased in that city chicago for ten dollars as can be obtained in this country for the same money J consul at the same place during the administration of grover cleveland and an enthusiastic free trader says everything made to order in the way of clothing except shirts perhaps 8 Is is considerably cheaper here while machine made or factory made goods show disappearing differences only in workmanship and finish I 1 find corresponding 9 articles of the wholesale process of manufacture superior in the united states this is true of clothing as well as of collars cuffs and like articles these pretty conclusively wo we think that the price of good ready made clothing is no higher in this country than in england after all however the question of price is not the most important the real point to be considered is does a given amount of labor hero here purchase more clothing than the same labor will purchase elsewhere and judged by this standard the ame american I 1 laborer is far more comfortably cheaply clie aply and neatly dressed than the laborer of england or any other country |