DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR CHAS. P. NEILL, Commissioner RETAIL PRICES 1890 TO AUGUST, 1912 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LABOR WHOLE NUMBER 108 RETAIL PRICES AND COST OF LIVING SERIES No. 3 OCTOBER 1, 1912 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1912 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS. Retail Prices, 1890 to August, 1912: Page. Introduction........................................................................................................ 5,6 Food..................................................................................................................... 6-21 Bread weights..................................................................................................... 21 Coal...................................................................................................................... 21-24 Gas....................................................................................................................... 24-26 Explanation of scope and method.................................................................... 26-36 Food................ .............................................................................................27-34 Bread weights..............................................................................................34,35 Coal............................................................................................................... 35,36 Gas................................................................................................................ 36 Explanation of tables......................................................................................... 36-40 T a b le I.—Retail prices of the principal articles of food on the 15th of each month, July and August, 1911, and July and August, 1912, by cities and by firms......................................................................................................... 41-113 T a b le II.—Bread weights: Scaling weight (weight of dough before baking), in ounces, of the principal brands of wheat bread on the 15th of each month, July and August, 1911, and July and August, 1912, by cities and by firms and brands......................................................................................... 114-123 T a b le III.—Per cent of increase or decrease in retail prices of the principal articles of food: Price on the 15th of July and August, 1912, compared with price on the corresponding date in 1911, by cities and by articles.. 124r-130 T a b le IV.—Relative retail prices of the principal articles of food, January, 1911, to August, 1912, by geographical divisions..................................... 131-138 T a b le V.—Retail prices of coal, for household use, on July 15, 1911, and July 15,1912, by cities and by firms......................................................... 139-154 3 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LABOR. w h o le no. 108. WASHINGTON. october i, 1912. RETAIL PRICES, 1890 TO AUGUST, 1912. PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF FRED C. CROXTON. INTRODUCTION. This report presents for each of 39 of the most important indus­ trial cities in the various sections of the United States the retail prices of the principal articles of food, the weight of principal brands of baker’s bread, the retail prices of anthracite and bituminous coal for household use, and the net pric6 of gas for household use. This report summarizes data published in previous retail price reports of the Bureau of Labor1 and thus furnishes a comparison of retail prices of food from 1890 to August, 1912. Actual retail prices of the principal articles of food and actual bread weights are shown in this report for July 15 and August 15, 1912, and for purposes of comparison for corresponding dates in 1911. Actual retail prices of coal for household use are shown for July 15, 1912, and for the corresponding date in 1911. Actual prices of gas for household use are shown for April 15, 1912, and for the corresponding date in 1911. Prompt cooperation on the part of retail merchants, bakery offi­ cials, coal dealers, and officials of gas companies has made it possible for the Bureau to issue this report showing practically current prices throughout the United States. Data are furnished to the Bureau by 668 retail stores, 142 bakeries, 163 retail coal dealers, and 64 gas companies. The 39 cities included in this report are important industrial cities representing 32 States. In a general way the city selected in each section of the country was the city having the largest popu­ lation in that section; but, in addition, two smaller cities were included—Fall River, which is a textile center in Massachusetts, and Scranton, which is situated in the anthracite coal region of Penn­ sylvania. Within the 39 cities live one-fifth of the total number of people, two-fifths of the urban population, and approximately one- third of the total number engaged in gainful occupations (not includ­ ing those in agricultural pursuits) in continental United States. The grade of articles of food quoted is that sold in each city in stores patronized largely by families of American, English, Irish, German, and Scandinavian wage earners. The Bureau has not 1 Eighteenth Annual Report and Bulletin Nos. 59,65,71, 77, 105, and 106. Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 6 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR. attempted to quote prices for an article of identical grade throughout the 39 cities. For almost every article this would be absolutely impossible, as the grade varies not only from city to city but also from firm to firm within the same city, and the grade varies to some extent from month to month even within the same store. Stores which vary in a marked degree from day to day or month to month the grade of articles handled have not been included, but in every store there is necessarily some variation in grade. FOOD. Fifteen articles of food enter into the relative prices in this report. These 15 articles represent approximately two-thirds of the expendi­ ture for food by the average workingman’s family, as shown in the Eighteenth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor. Eleven of these 15 articles were higher in price on August 15, 1912, than on December 15, 1911. The only 4 articles (of the 15) lower in price were eggs, butter, potatoes, and sugar, and the prices of 3 of these 4 are normally lower during the summer months than during the winter months. Thirteen of the 15 articles were higher in price on August 15, 1912, than on August 15, 1911. Potatoes and sugar were the only articles showing a decline in price, and the change was 26.1 and 7.7 per cent, respectively. The per cent of advance varied from 0.1 per cent for bacon to 20.8 per cent for round steak. Seven of the 15 articles advanced more than 10 per cent. The table which follows compares for each of the 15 articles the price on August 15, 1912, with the price on August 15, 1911. PER CENT OF INCREASE OR DECREASE IN THE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRIN­ CIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD: PRICE ON AUGUST 15, 1912, COMPARED WITH PRICE ON AUGUST 15, 1911, BY ARTICLES. Per cent Per cent of in­ of de­ Article. crease in crease in price. price. Potatoes, Irish.................... 26.1 Sugar, granulated............... 7.7 Bacon, smoked................... 0.1 Ham, smoked..................... .7 Milk, fresh.......................... 3.6 Hens................................... 6.1 Butter, creamery............... 6.2 Flour, wheat...................... 6.9 Corn meal........................... 10.6 Eggs, strictly fresh............. 11.1 Lard, pure.......................... 12.4 Pork chops......................... 13.7 Rib roast............................ 17.8 Sirloin steak....................... 18.5 Round steak....................... 20.8 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis RETAIL PRICES, 1890 TO AUGUST, 1912. 7 The next table compares for each of the 15 articles the price on July 15 and August 15, 1912, with the price on the corresponding date in 1911. Of the 15 articles of food the prices of 13 were higher on July 15, 1912, than on July 15, 1911, and as stated above the prices of 13 were higher on August 15,1912, than on August 15,1911. PER CENT OF INCREASE OR DECREASE IN RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD: PRICE ON JULY 15 AND AUGUST 15, 1912, COMPARED WITH PRICE ON THE CORRESPONDING DATE OF 1911, BY ARTICLES. Price July 15, Price August 15, 1912- 1912- Article. Higher Lower Higher Lower than than than Au­ than Au­ July 15, July 15, gust 15, gust 15, 1911. 1911. 1911. 1911. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Sirloin steak....................... 17.3 18.5 Round steak....................... 19.1 20.8 Rib roast............................ 17.2 17.8 Pork chops......................... 10.2 13.7 Bacon, smoked................... 0.9 .1 Ham, smoked..................... 1:0 .7 Lard, pure.......................... 12.0 12.4 Hens................................... 3.9 6.1 Flour, wheat...................... 10.0 6.9 Corn meal........................... 11.4 10.6 Eggs, strictly fresh............. 11.0 11.1 Butter, creamery................ 11.3 6.2 Potatoes, Irish.................... 31.6 26.1 Sugar,