HAS THE COST OF LIVING INCREASED ?

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPRCTATOIL") SIR,—In your issue of December 9 Mr. W. Guise Britt= writes as follows : " I have not been able to obtain actual figures showing the cost of living, say, fifteen years ago as compared with the present time." He can now obtain them by reading what follows. The undermentioned table has been compiled from the 14th Abstract of Labour Statistics of the United Kingdom published by the Board of Trade. It gives the various differences between the prices ruling in 1896 and those in 1910 in London. The prices quoted are in each case for the same quantity bought in either 1896 or 1910. Odd

fractions are omitted.—I am, Sir, &c., FAMILY MAN.

1896. A s. d.

Bread ... ... 4 13 0 Flour 8 0 Beef, British and

Foreign ... 4 12 0 Mutton, British and Foreign 0 0

Butter... ...

Tea ... Cocoa Treacle, Marmalade, and Jam Currants Raisins... Bice Tapioca ... Oatmeal Potatoes ...

565 3 6 5103 7 0 £1812 0 Deduct decrease ... 8 6 1910. Increase. A s. d. Lad.

514 ... 1 1 0 60 1120 0 0 0 50

43 3 17

4 12 40 50 48

49 4 14 3 18 4 15 4 11 40 4 10 4 13

50 5 13 5 5 6 5

5 12 fi

50 64 59 66 55 4 13 55

5 13

40

5 18 6

11 15 11 so 11 11 10 10 7 14 90 2 3 0 1 8 0 10 1 5 0 13 0 —Decrease 8s. 6d.,

••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• •••

£18 3 6 (Increase over 1806, 201 per cent.)