The ads in old newspapers show us how prices have changed.
This ad appeared in Newfoundland News-Magazine in 1938.

Classified ads are the ones that ordinary people put into the paper when they want to buy or sell something, or when they want to hire someone for a job. These ads tell us the prices of property and rents, the wages people were paid and about working conditions. They also tell us what people expected from their employees. In St. John's in the early 1900s, many people hired young women to work as servants in their homes. These girls did housework and helped to look after the children. In these ads, many people said "outport girl preferred." This tells us something about the working habits of outport girls and what employers thought of them.