The following interesting comparison between the cost of living in 1889 and 1899 is from “The Miyako”:
(Calculated monthly expenditure of a family of six members—a married couple, a parent, two children, and one servant—living with strict economy.)
| 1889. | 1899. | |
|---|---|---|
| yen. | yen. | |
| House rent (a house containing the furnished rooms of 6, 4½, and 2 mats, respectively | 2.50 | 5.00 |
| Cleaned rice (at the rate of 2 shō per day) | 4.50 | 7.00 |
| (1 to 3 shō per yen.) | (8 shō 5 gō per yen.) | |
| Soy | 0.45 | 0.75 |
| Salt and miso (including 1½ gō of salt and some miso) | 0.40 | 0.70 |
| Oils (3 shō of kerosene and 5 gō of vegetable oil) | 0.45 | 0.69 |
| Sugar | 0.60 | 0.90 |
| Milk (1 gō per day) | 0.90 | 1.10 |
| Newspaper (only 1) | 0.25 | 0.35 |
| School expenses (for 2 children) | 0.80 | 0.90 |
| Stationery expenditure (for the children) | 0.60 | 0.90 |
| Hair dressing | 0.34 | 0.69 |
| Price of bath (every other day for the family) | 0.90 | 1.50 |
| Vegetables | 0.90 | 1.50 |
| Fish food (9 messes for the family) | 1.08 | 1.80 |
| Beef (6 messes for the family, about 2/3 of 1 pound) | 0.60 | 1.20 |
| Tsukudani and other auxiliary foods (6 messes) | 0.24 | 0.42 |
| Tea | 0.40 | 0.50 |
| Fuel | 1.00 | 1.80 |
| Total | 17.21 | 28.20 |
| Security money for rent | 7.00 | 15.00 |
These include necessaries, but if other petty expenses are taken into calculation, a family of 6 members as mentioned above will require a monthly income of at least 35 yen on which to maintain themselves decently.
Wages of Japanese Workmen
Following is a table of the average wages:—
| 1902. | 1911. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| yen. | yen. | ||
| Carpenter | per day | .775 | 1.063 |
| Plasterer | „ | .863 | 1.150 |
| Painter | „ | .860 | 1.238 |
| Tile Roofer | „ | .613 | 1.225 |
| Roofer | „ | .913 | 1.213 |
| Bricklayer | „ | .900 | 1.250 |
| Furniture Maker | „ | .800 | .988 |
| Stone Mason | „ | .925 | 1.250 |
| Gardener | „ | .600 | .838 |
| Paper Hanger | „ | .825 | 1.025 |
| Matting Setter | „ | .900 | 1.175 |
| Sawyer | „ | .863 | 1.088 |
| Compositor | „ | .575 | .750 |
| Printer | „ | .400 | .650 |
| Wooden Clog Maker | „ | .638 | .625 |
| Cooper | „ | .700 | .528 |
| Fireman | „ | .550 | .813 |
| Coolie | „ | .450 | .575 |
| Jeweller | „ | .650 | .650 |
| Tailor, Jap. clothes | „ | .688 | .738 |
| [205]Cabinet Maker | „ | .550 | .888 |
| [205]Lacquerer | „ | .513 | .600 |
| [205]Shoemaker | „ | .750 | 1.038 |
| [205]Harness Maker | „ | .675 | 1.038 |
| [205]Cart Maker | „ | .550 | .588 |
| [205]Founder | „ | .813 | .700 |
| [205]Blacksmith | „ | .813 | 1.075 |
| [205]Rice Pounder | „ | .375 | .483 |
| [205]Dyer | per month | 8.875 | 8.375 |
| [205]Washerman | „ | 10.000 | 7.750 |
| [205]Jap. Sock Maker | „ | 6.000 | 9.500 |
| [205]Eur. Confectioner | „ | 9.750 | 13.000 |
| [205]Male Servant | „ | 2.625 | 4.000 |
| [205]Female Servant | „ | 2.000 | 3.250 |
| [205]Tailor, Eur. clothes | „ | 17.625 | 30.000 |
Railways in Japan
The report on railway development shows that since the government constructed its first line of eighteen miles from Yokohama to Tōkyō in 1872, a great trunk line of 1,200 miles has been built, and the total mileage in the country increased to 6,042, which in 1910 handled 153,088,066 passengers and 25,815,000 tons of freight. Of this entire mileage, 506 miles are owned by private corporations, and 5,536 by the government, which was the pioneer in the movement to give the country modern land transportation. No private construction was done until 1883, when the government had 181 miles of railway under operation; and it was not until 1889 that private enterprise for a time led the governmental effort. The state railways to August, 1905, cost the sum of 85,573,511 yen, while the private systems represented a cost for construction to the same date of 191,230,291 yen. In 1910 the grand total had reached almost 577,000,000 yen.
