The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1888-03-25

drunkenness mad Also Economy nnd fres-
perity-A Labor Market Oversteeksd.
nom TIE 81 Jamess easene.
While we In England have been discussing
family on f700 a year. the Belgian Government
mas been enIeavot1ng to ascertain how the nr-
}h lisa AN. and iasorers OF Belgium manage to make
year. The results Of the inquiry are extremely
curious, exhibiting as they do great diversity
cessities. and tastes might be supposed not to
vary very greatly. VI course, there are some
struggle In which they are engaged lie homeless.
says q workman who. wrote anonymously to
i ias o 81 prspsrins o. III, fheaq Spss., d scout xo tse
economists to balance the budget Oi u working:
and then he goes on to state that the two ends
can only 20 got to meet by the head. OF the
bread and 2 detection Of ~licorice water. and
~ the children going often. without y break
are ne an9.nsr J; Se %GIIe q 'h 9sird severe aver pr Rr'y ssnnot
naor ris Tm on sandnys Or Tr any other days, his
other cases the struggle seems to be carried on
with more success. though 1t always remains .
very hard struggle indeed.
The kind OF Attenuation got together By the
Belgian government Is always difficult to use
ipr ANALYSIS or comparison. One man Will
e oah.r into 1n an ao ,nf9%i w assti,u %Gnld Rlu Hsca s *.
ample OF this is furnished by a graphic picture
OF two iamiliss in the canton Of Boom. Both
They earned tho same wages and paid the
same amount OF rent. The FIRST. Of the two
ss.sed a nice house and had q fair sum in the
savings ssig bank. The other. q great drinker,
stepped in misery. The family was badly
iedi poorly clad, and possessed neither bed.
had only a lew spoons, and forks,
and an Iron saucepan, which served Tor
At dinner time the saucepan was placed on a
heap OF bricks. and the family sat round It on
other bricks. At night they slept on rags
day. tiSI'tdh they had a a grand md S Sa ss!Hf Ths HUSBAND 1nf pai
drank to satiation; and tho wife entertained
fancy breadl Cases of that sort will be found
and therefore 1t is necessary to
assume that in the instances given us for
amount q industry In earning and frugality In
living. Taken from that standpoint the infor:
the Belgian artisan and laborer is far worse
than any experience that beialls the steady
English workman in fair employment.
lower than IN Ens ssfsI a and the 2e'i hours a4 pr q LABOR fsaa
are longer, The whole income OF q family in
S T,,ish ! b. husband Il sayM,b Il the +, only Y bread 9ss . winner mnS1b Is
ior clSIhes. is; "a Tor washing. - and i 3D. for
food. and, it is expended thus Bread. l2s.;
dripping ar ,nI &c. and vegetables. 5s; I'd. potatoes.
ID. Excluding; the 4 l iGtsr' iie ano the Hs'e amount is IS
81 6s, 3D., which is Just l0hd.. per day for the
family 81 L iiEe personsmor a fraction over ID.
Take smother eSss. wheTs the ssa!e
%orp T ~Ssfma As re si1lfnslaY his aif 'hsome a. l7s A9 "a.
and four children, S.. 5xd.-asain al average
"a. r on tobu ever and md I bssr Pfeedd a1 isav I'm re ss, 81 d.
for clothes. firing. lighting, and washing, OF
meat, and Is. I'd. for butter and lard d" The
family slept on stacks Of straw provided bya
S asrs aSoss 'q esa sIspae.: YET Th here i,. the q s%'essdP q. pss
orally applicable. A prodigy Of thrift and good
was an armorer. "skIlful and Industrious" and
his wife was a good housekeeper They had
at ate a 'hl cost Of an e D Is. iod. no a. meat yesr t Ra,;
t them w sqPa meat pi for q , AMI 81 sh1 seven s s9 pS1St
WAS pse eHsep pHt nilssGin In t Rse large Has; , owns sn nHSe can:
no. be kept and the only mea nnss Of increasing
wife. and three children. The husbands reg
he earns a fair amount by going from place 10
place selling tried potatoes. while his wife and
grandmother make sacks and cultivate a gar
in IsI the year. Of wh ,Tfy they he 'G damage to 10 save aSs; e. q.
Contrast this with the case of a single man
5baiHif n t hhIsf preced, ln' snm a sses and d WIN mus rs.
ports a deficit on the year OF 60 Is. I'd
An enormous difference is made in the cir
cnnmstances OF the Belxian workman when his
cDlidren are able to augment the family in
come. In ono household we find the earnings
mounting, from E44 per annum to SIT. without
expendit ure: the result was that in SIX years
the husband, was able to buy the house he
a wid"we RI and ND s his io ,Mes sons have htaae a t. total nlnf IN.
come OF Gig, which leaves them with a sur
plus Of fSt and among the wool carders 4 Is
These, OF course, are somewhat unusual In
stances. More often the sons when able to
and supplemental assistance from the children
Is n usually "a e con to the period between the
1t is interesting to trace the additions to the
items OF expenditure as the scale Of earnings
rises, Like all poor people. the Belgian begins
substances. ant so on up to the luxury OF fresh
meat. But even the poorest spend a consider
Belgium the place that tea does in England. A
family which can afford s4msthing beyond
i Hiei'0' d nIniii n:'A and i init sHlee' b Snnsrme Th H,I;
como butter. milk, and cheese. with a little
sugar. Bacon is the first meat to be tasted:
chosen. We cannot find any trace OF the use OF
peas, %lentils; or hominy: oatmeal seems to be
given as an article Of food. from which We
gather that the people grind or bruise It into
nnxa bl,s nsssr aDn ai ran, may ~ 6 6s eaten on fast
One curious fact. not altogether unobssrved
In England; is that many Of the workmen were
Just MS badly OIL when wages were more than
ons-third higher, Thon they spent more in
drink. never worked on Mondays, nor some- |
times on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, so that al
though the rate of wages was higher. the &C.
tual earnings were lower, 1t appears that
there Is no law against truck in Belgium. A
scandaious practice is disclosed by a workman.
who makes his statement anonymously. He
says that u great m Der OF the overseers own
public houses, and force the workmsn to ire.
quent them. Not only so. hut they give credit
by means Of counters" on which inter-
est ut tho rate Of 100 per cent. Is frequently
charged. Ono would think the Government
might easily protect the workmen against such
But for the general condition OF the working
classes in Belgium there appears to be no rom
wages are dictated by. the employers: that is to
say. the men are obliged to accept. whatever
they NAV be offered: for. as q rule. there Is no
attempt at organized ombipation. and 4 there
were II would be- OF very little use. 1t Is clear
that they have to bear prlvations which the
employed English artisan has no need to ex-
perience, and that tho most fortunate among
them have. to be content with q standard Of
living which he would consider intolorable.