A correspondent of the "Japan Chronicle" gives a tragic account of the way in which cost of living has gone up in the past five years. Here are his figures '1915. 1920. House Rent ¥.40.00 Y.150.00 Electric light 3.80 7.00 Water 40 red Cook's Wages 150 20.00 Amah's Wages 12.00 25.09 Compound cleaner 1.00 3.00, Groceries 16.00 40.00 Butcher 14.00 40.00 Milk 4.00 14.00 Baker 400 80 Coal (and ton) 8.00 33.00 Leundry 4.00 "7.00 Gas (bath heating) 2.006.) Total of Cook's daily Sundries 10.09 30.00 Account 26.00 50.00
¥.169.20 ¥.443.70
This certainly puts altogether into the shade the profiteering in houses in Shanghai of which we were speaking yesterday. The great question is, will prices recede as the world settles down and production improves. Or will incomes rise to the level of prices? And what will be the position of salaried classes?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.