The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, August 01, 1941, Image 2
PAGE TWO .
Rise In living Costs
Appears Near
Advancing Costs Seem Near As Ex
penditures for the Defense Pro
gram Mount
Washington, July 26.—Sitting on
the price lid grows tig'hter.
The government started early in
this war to thwart the' return of the
hated monster of World war No. 1
days, old H. C. L.—high cost of liv
ing.
Latest statistics indicate that what
it takes for the average man’s
bread, board and normal require
ments has not increased drastically—
not yet.
But food easts alone have taken
a pronounced jump since spring;
sensitive raw material prices gen
erally, despite government pressure
against individual items like steel
and copper, have leaped upward, and
government officials are freely pre
dicting that from now on, drastic
measues will be necessary.
Figures Hard to Set
Cost of living figures, statisti
cians admit, are pretty sketchy, be
cause conditions very widely in differ
ent localities, and requirements of
persons in different walks of life dif
fer sharply.
The most recent figure, the cost
of living index for wage earners is
sued by the national industrial conf
erence board in New York, a private
resealch organization which began to
study such problems in the late World
war period, shows for June a rise of
i 1.3 per cent over May, and a gain of
! nearly 5.4 per cent since August,
1939, or since the World War No. 2
; started.
j Actually this brings the cost of
what it takes for board and shelter
and other essential items only back
to where they were in 1937. It only
cancels the slump from 1937 to 1939.
Furthermore, it still leaves the cost
of living a good 11 per cent under
which it was in tre supposed palmy
days of 1929.
What is more, government statis
ticians estimate that factory pay
rolls, the whole national income, for
that matter, is running at rates very
substantially in excess of 1929. The
national income is said to be running
at an annual rate of about $86,000,-
000,000, some five per cent higher
than in 1929. Of course, the popu
lation has increased a bit more than
that, but when ft is considered that
a dollar earned will still but much
more than in 1929, the comparison
with trat year is scarcely black, even
if prices rise some farther.
Food Prices Up
Food costs have set the upward
trend recently, as it is shown in the
charts and figures of the U. S. Bur
eau of labor “'statistics.
The latest bureau report of food
market from midMay to mid-June
said that food costs had advanced!
10.4 per cent in seven months and
that the general level was 13.3 per
cent above the level for August, 1939.
Trere was a flurry of retail buying
in the first month of the war that
hiked the retail cost of food. House
wives, mindful of the pice rises in
the first World war, rushed out to
buy certain table items. But the in
crease was short-lived.
The cost of living level, including
food, dropped during the fall of ’39,
but turned slightly upward again
early in 1940. From then on through
the first quarter of 1941 the cost of
living fluctuated within narrow lim
its.
Defense and Rents
An upward trend became more
noticeable in the late winter and
spiring of 1941, especially in food, al
though rents in some places boundi-
ed upward with the influx of workers
for defense manufacturing and con
struction.
Last spring food prices began to
move faster and from March to May
jumped 3 1-2 per cent. In that per
iod the general level of rents moved
up less than one per cent, housing
furnishings about 1 1-2 per cent and
clothing about 0.5 per cent.
Wholesale price advances for food
—regarded as the most important
item in the wage-earner’s budget—
are being increasingly reflected in the
retail markets.
The retail price of eggs on the
basis of reports from fifty-six cities
increased 10.7 per cent from mid-June
and was 34 per cent higher than in
June, 1940.
Index Shows Climb
Pork chops advanced 9.1 per cent
in the month and 30.3 per cent in
the year. Coffee gained 3.2 per cent
for the month and 7.5 for the year,
utterwas up 1.9 from May to June
and 25 per cent over June, 1940.
Round steak advanced 1.1 for the
month and 5.3 during the year. Po
tatoes were up 31.8 per cent from
May to June which was party sea
sonal and partly due to smaller sup
plies.
The bureau of labor statistics cost
of living index adjusted in relation
to the average of 1935-39 prices as a
base of 100 shows that living costs
in 1923 and 1929 stood slightly above
122.
By June 1933, the figrure hit bot
tom at 90.8; climbed to 104.3 in Sep
tember, 1937, fell off to 98.6 in June,
1939, and climbed up gradually dur
ing the subsequent war months until
it reached 102.9 last May. It has not
yet been issued for June.
At the 102.9 level, the cost of food
was 22.2 per cent below what it was
in June, 1929; clothing 11 per cent;
Thinking of
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Or
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Hot Point Electric Stoves
Wear-Ever Aluminum Ware
Washing Machines
Electric Refrigerators
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1409 Main Street Phone 13
LITTLE MOMENTS IN BIG LIVES Kessler
WaRUTUERFORD EX-PmOPOT OF m RUBBER'
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THE NEWBERKY SUV
All Phases American Life To
Be Affected By Trade Ban
Washington, July 26.—The punch
landed in Japan’s trade basket by the
United States is liable to jar the
American girl all the way from her
silk stocking's to her hair curlers.
Even the ardent patriots who al
ready avoid American flags made in
Japan, don’t drink green tea and wear
cotton or nykm stockings are due for
a shock with this government refus
ing to let Japanese money out of Jap
anese goods into this country any
more.
From a survey of government
sources tonight showed everything
from the tuna fish sandwich to sew
ing machines, roach powder, sun
glasses, toys, Ohristenas tree lights
and ornaments, kewpie dolls and mink
coats, are American blessings which
are aplt to come with a Japanese trade
mark.
Putting the Japanese beyond the
pale will not be as hard to take for
America, however, as it would have
been a few years ago. A moral em
bargo has been effectively levied by
many United States consumers who |
have refused to buy Japanese goods
and the ingenuity and industry of
American manufacturers have dupli
cated much of the imports ait com
parably low prices and given the
buyer superior quality and work
manship, as well.
Imports Take Drop
Japanese imports, generally speak
ing have dropped off noticeably dur
ing the past few years because of
the anti-Japanese sentiment and the
improved mass manufacturing here.
But there are many things which still
cannot be made here—chief of which
is silk.
Nindty-five per cent of the silk
imported to the tune of hundreds of
millions of dollars is supplied by Ja
pan. All pyrethrum flowers, which
make insect powders and sprays, "re
shipped from Nippon and eigthy .ive
per cent of those inexpensive ana 1 be
loved sundries found in the five and
ten and the comer drug store, until
recently, at least, owned' their exist
ence bo Japanese ingenuity.
A vast supply of toys, dolls, And
adored gimmicks are made in Japan.
Ohinaware and porcelain as well as
many of the housewives’ little help
ers in the kitchen are likely to have
come to her by way of Japan, now
that Germany and Czechoslovakia
are busy with something else. Cam
phor and castor oil, from which low-
yl sources come oils essential to cos-
ettos, perfumes and medicine, have
formerly been imported from Ger
many, France and Spain as well as
Japan; and if Japan can’t export them
now American beauty and allure will
have to alter itself accordingly.
Japs Faster ion Feet
Chinese may be clever, but the
Japanese, judging from the endless
list of imports, are faster on their
feet in world trade.
America is the only country where
feminine millinery is not only chic
but cheap and this distinction and de
light to the ladies is due in no mean
part to the Japanese hat forms im
ported by tne thousands of dozens at
a piddling price. Traders of Nippon
ese also have taken as much as 5 per
cent of all of American cotton, turn
ed it into material and sold it back
be us at prices which allow AmerTcans
to be well dressed in infinitesimal
clothes budgets.
The American vogue for sunglasses
was helped along because Japan made
attractive ones at very low prices. In
the field of twenty-five-cent sunglass
es, Japanese products started without
rival. Many of the miniature incan
descent bulbs that light the path of
automobiles, boy scouts and farmers
and also shine from the Christmas
tree are made in Japan.
Cutting the trade ties between this
country and Japan will have an ef
fect ore manufacturers as well as the
buying public here. When Japanese
silk is gone with the war, synthetic
and nylon silk will be used or such
defense necessities as ammunition
bags, and parachutes. Present manu
facturing setup of these synthetics
is not large enough to fill both de
fense ad civilian orders and the cur
rent shortage in certain textiles will
be heightened to a point where many
Americans may welcome hand-me-
downs.
Flatware is Cheapest
Even as every American family
owns or is in the process of owning a
radio so does almost every home
boast a few pieces of sbining silver
ware. Even those with very small in
comes have been able to brighten up
life with a little silver in the past few
years, because of the importation of
extremely cheap tfnd effective silver
plated bowls, vases, platters, and
flatware from Japan. With careful
handling the low priced Japanese sil
ver plate gleams handsomely a long
time and if not as durable as cheap
est British and American counter
part looks like it, which is more than
half of the point.
Sewing machines and-bicycle parts,
pencil sharpeners, compasses, fancy
tinned crabmeat, rice, inexpensive
vegetable oils, lily-bulbs, linens,
gloves and imitation velvet are just a
few of the other hundreds of niceties
imported from the land of the rising
sun and sold in the land of the free
or sensationally low prices.
And let us not forget all the tea
in Japan—which we import by the
millions of pounds, artificial lowers,
Obic “junk” jewelry, and all those
thing® given proudly as bridge prizes
and birthday presents which didn’t
set the donor back much more than a
dollar and looked like a five-spot
rent 25.2 per cent; fuel, electricity
and ice, 9.1 per cent and house fur
nishings 7.9 per cent.
The government’s cost of living
index for Minneapolis, to take an in
terior city, stood at 103.7 in May, as
compared with the national average
of 102.9. Since December, 1937, the
Minneapolis index has been slightly
higher than the national average.
The bureau of labor statistics of
fers a cross-section picture of the
annual outlay which a four-person
manual worker’s family must make
in & year for the necessities of liv
ing.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL AND
PEACHING MISSION AT MT.
TABOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Vacation Bible School and
Preaching Mission of the Mt. Tabor
Lutheran Church will be held from
July 27 to August 3. The school will
begin at seven-fifteen o’clock each
evening with a brief devotional and
song period. The study period will
follow with classes for all ages.
Those serving in the school as offi
cers and teachers are: Prof. J. W.
Ballentine, Otis Shealy, Benson
Shealy, Lester Bowers, Rev. D. 'M.
Shull; Mrs. Sara Lou Shealy, Mrs.
Anna Shealy, Miss Mamie L. Shealy,
Mrs. Ruth Counts, Mrs. Rosine Shea
ly, Mrs. Hettie Lindler, Mrs. Mary
Shull, Mrs. Wennie Boland, Miss
Marie Shealy, Mrs. Rosabelle Shealy,
Prof. Clyde Singley, W. D. Shealy,
Prof. F. E. Metts, Franklin Mayer,
Herman Kibler and Martha Mayer.
Certificates will be awarded.
At eight-thirty o’clock preaching
services will begin. The Rev. J. Le
Grande Mayer of Clinton will bring
the messages. Pastor Mayer will use
the following sermon themes: "The
Christian and His Bible”, “The
Christian and His Home”, "The
Christian and His Church”, "The
Christian and His Country”, "The
Christian in Need of Prayer”. A
question box will be held in connec
tion with the service.
All our members are urged to at
tend every evening, visitors are most
cordially invited.
K)2JDEFENSE
BUY
UMTED
STATES
SAVINGS
BONDS
AND STAMPS
ON NAIF AT WIR PUNT OFFICE OR HANK
AMERICA ON GUARD!
Above is a reproduction of the
Treasury Dept i tment’s Defense
Savings Poster, showing an exact
duplication of the original "Minute
Man” statue by famed sculptor
Daniel Chester French. Defense
Bonds and Stamps, on sale at your
bank or post office, are a vital part
of America’s defense preparations.
SICMNERVOUS
PDAUlfV“ EVERY 9
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 1841
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