164 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 944 



The various movements to extend agri- 

 cultural credit, to improve systems of dis- 

 tribution and to furnish instruction to the 

 agricultural classes are doubtless in the 

 right direction. But, it is difficult to see 

 how these movements, beneficial as they 

 may prove, can much more than keep pace 

 with similar movements making urban 

 work more productive, such as rapid trans- 

 portation, trade schools, night schools, etc. 

 In fact, the simple economic force to in- 

 crease the relative production of foods is, 

 after all, a continued higher level of food 

 prices which will tend to raise farm wages 

 and to stimulate increased production gen- 

 erally in all of the land pursuits. 



In order to make comparisons, Sauer- 

 beck's index number for England and the 

 index number' for France are reduced to 

 percentages of their own averages for the 

 years, 1890-99, respectively. Thus, the 

 three numbers for each year are simply 

 percentages of the average price level of 

 the decade, 1890-99, for each of the coun- 

 tries. Diagram No. 2 represents the fluc- 

 tuations of the index numbers of the three 

 countries. 



This method affords a system of compar- 

 ative measurements of the changing cost of 

 living for different countries, but does not 

 necessarily afford a basis for the measure- 

 ment of the absolute cost of living in dif- 



We come now to the second part of this 

 paper, the comparative measurements of 

 the changing cost of living, geographically 

 considered. In the following table, illus- 

 trated by diagram, we may contrast the 

 changing cost of living in the United 

 States, England and France. 



ferent countries. The latter is, also, an 

 important problem which should be under- 

 taken, the solution of which will require 

 patient critical work in the determination 

 of equal grades of commodities in various 

 countries. 



' Published monthly by La E6forme Economique. 



