HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1973-06-28, Page 120SHOE AND DOCTOR'S OFFICE — The store in the picture above is the
same one where Dr. Fletcher's office is now. The picture was taken in
the late 1890's or early 1900's. At this time, the left side was Dr. Hynd-
man's office and the right side was a boot and shoe store owned by
Herb Walter's father. It has since been remodelled with a new brick
front and Dr. Fletcher's office occupies the whole building. Left to right
in front of the store are W. J. Carling, Dr. Hugh Hyndman and A.
Walters.
Now look!
You'll find the Grigg family history
elsewhere in this issue. Who knows,
they may even print some of ours in
the next centennial issue!,
MacMillan's
Stationery
and
Gifts
For Every
Occasion
EXETER
Torn and Del MacMillan, Marg Murky, Jane Condon and Cathy Holtzman
Section 1, Page 32 THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE JUNE 28, 1973
We've made a few
changes . . . but never lost
sight of the original goal
to provide a complete line of
stationery and gifts.
Prices of 1939
looked good in '51
MARCH 8, 1951
When it comes to paying for the
weekly food bill, the lowly dollar
makes about as much impression
as a falling cabbage leaf on a
steer's back.
A comparison of Exeter
merchant's advertising between
1939 and today makes fairy-tale
reading for the economical
housewife.
From the prices in those ad-
vertisements, a local family of
four in 1939 was able to live well
on a food budget of $12 a week.
The same menus today will run
$22 if the housewife is to feed her
family as well as she did in 1939.
And a few months from now
that $22 figure will probably be
obsolete if prices rise like they
have in January and February.
The official cost-of-living index
increased by 2.7 points in
January to reach a record 172-5
and wholesale prices showed
even higher trends for February.
Meat is the food which has
risen most sharply in price.
Twelve years ago, a prime rib
roast was 25 cents a pound.
Monday, prime rib roasts were
featured in local butcher shops at
89 cents a pound, 64 cents more
than in 1939.
If Mrs. South Huron spent $2.95
on her weekly meat budget in
1939 she could treat her family to
a five-pound rib roast for $1; half
a pound of side bacon at 20 cents;
a boiling fowl weighing five
pounds for $1; a pound of fillet of
haddock for 49 cents and a pound
of sausage for 21 cents.
This same meat budget today
would have cost Mrs. South
Huron $8.32 according to local
prices.
Canned goods are another item
to hack a substantial slice out of
milady's take-home change.
Food ads in the Times-Advocate
in 1939 show pork and beans
selling for three for 25 cents. Now
it's two for the quarter. For a 17
ounce tin of canned peas, Mrs.
Huron paid 12 cents. Today its 18
cents for a 15 ounce can.
Want some more? Canned soup
two for 15, now two for 25, half-
pound pink salmon 16, now 25;
etc. etc.
California oranges were 20 and
25 cents a dozen for medium and
large sizes. If Mrs. South Huron
wants to put some on the table for
the family breakfast, she'll pay
45 and 52 for the same sizes.
Lemons were about two and a
half cents apiece, now the're over
four.
The 1939 housewife could have
hubby carry home a 24-pound bag
of flour for 45 cents but the
modern woman will have to settle
for $1.34. Dates (fruit variety)
have jumped from six cents per
pound to 18; beans from 3 to 14.
And its expensive for Mrs.
South Huron to serve tea' to her
neighbours this afternoon,
compared to 1939.She paid 39
cents a pound then. Now she's got
to hand the clerk a dollar bill and
four brown coppers. Coffee is
worse. It's jumped from 25 cents
to $1.02 a pound.
But our husband, Mr. South
Huron isn't getting along any
easier either. His flannel work
shirt sold for 99 cents in one of the
local stores in 1939. Now he's
paying $2.95
Forhis Sunday shirt, he might
have splurged $2.00 for one of the
best in 1939. Today he can pick
one out of a wide variety from
$4.00 to $6.00. The stores offered
ties for 39 cents before World War
II. Their "extra-specials" were
one dollar.The splashiest cravats
today are $2.50 but you can get
one for a dollar if you don't mind
wearing one that's been in stock
for a few years.
Meanwhile, the lady shopped
for a house dress in 1939 and paid
a dollar for a "pretty" one. But
the "pretty" ones today cost $3.00
more,
Her silk hosiery has jumped
from 69 cents to $1.50; prints and
broadcloths from 20 to 55 cents;
flannelette blankets from $2.19 to
$6.95.
We could talk about coal and
furniture, cars and rents, but we
think you've had enough by now.
Here's a consolation: Your
news paper had eight pages in
1939 and sold for five cents. Now,
there are 12 pages of news and
the price has only risen one
penny. There's a bargain!