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CURVE PLOTTING 105

sibly obtain by two months of reading the reports of transportation companies and the pages of railway journals, and of asking questions from railroad executives.

A heavy line in Fig. 95 shows the relative average prices of fifteen articles of food used in workmen's families. Since the fifteen articles of food are not consumed in equal quantities, or in equal value, it was necessary to take into account the actual quantity or value used of each kind of food. This was done by the method usually designated by the name "weighted averages". It is obviously of less importance to the workingman if the price of salt should increase 500 per cent than if the price of bread or meat should increase 50 per cent. When the fifteen articles of food are considered by simple averages, all foods are considered as though used in equal quantities and a very great increase in the value of some one food would seriously affect the simple average even though that food is consumed in only small quantity.