The Lamar register., 1893-01-28
THIRTEEN CENTS A DAY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE IN NEW
ORLEANS LIVE CHEAPLY.
usefuincss OF n Coin Which Is Purely I'm
aginary-Dany Expenses OF "a T,pi-
cal I.abore--rhr Corncr
Groceries.

1herc is truism peculiarly ap.
plicablc to New Orleans that one hall
tho world does not know how the
other lives says the Times Democrat
There Is no half world in this city.
however as it is composed OF so
many different nations In its many
fractions the poor German does not
know how the poor Italian manages
to get along. the poor Frenchman
how the poor English. the poor negro
the poor Chinaman.
Poverty has its following here.
whether OF foreign or native born
residents In the native born comes
u population OF poor people compos-
ing every trade who from different
causes are not wage earners in the
strict sense but dependent on capri
cious fortune for their daily bread.
They are the ne'er do wells tho i'm
provident the lazy washerwomeu.
idling servants hard drinkers the
sick and the vast horde filing into the
city from country and sea and the
many making up the city population
who do not know how to do ANYTHING.
The growth OF the corner grocery
in tho past three years Is something
marvellous in New Orleans They
may spring up in the night mush.
room-like in rs unexpected places
and apparently as little called for,
appearing rs useless as that fungi
sometimes does 10 themselves
there seems no prospect OF trade in
the districts surrounding them yet
they stay there and thrive Were
statistics attainable the number OF
Eew stores opened all over the city
would be very surprising.
In time these little places enlarge
and some reach respectable proper.
tious- Here is where tho impovor-
ishcd obtains the smallest quantity al
the smallest outlay Nearly every
thing is sold for quartie
The quartie is aH imaginary coin
worth two and hall cents of goods
1t Is said TO be n term remnant OF the
Spanish dominion. The twenty dve
cent piece or quarter was one coin
the quartillo or half quarter twelve
and half centsl another and the
quartie. (siN and quarter centsl
an othe-. \ quartie then. properly
is six and a quarter cents 1t is not
in circulation in New Orleans aud il
it ever did circulate as piece OF
money. it mas become member Of
coin collections now. The nickel j.
the small coin holding sway at pres
ent with the poor.
Some eutcrprlsilE grocerS rccor-
nizing the want OF some smlli med
ium OF money change have had brass
tags the size of a nickel STAN pod
with the nUmeral q. Perhaps the
initial OF the issucr is also put on.
4! These tags are not redecmabie so
cash. but one grocer frequently nc
cepts the tag Of another gcucog which
is refunded eth in interchange OF
tugs or cash The quartie then OF
to-day is brass check. represen ting
that u certain grocer will give goods
for it The majority OF shops how
ever. insist that the whole i've cents
be expended. This rulc also applies
to vegetable dealers ia the markets
who viii divide onions potatoes and
the like for five ccutS
1t is unsatisfactory. for reasons
| explained. 10 take one mans expeud.
tture against another rs basis Of
what it should cost to live This con
elusion was arrived at after several
| inquiries aud the r..nge OF amount OF
be so varying. The fairest case pre-
sented was that OF colored gardener
who worked at 81. so day. There
is no consideration OF the number of
! lays employed nor the revenue
brought in by two daughters ono OF
whom works at s. and the other at 81
per month. nor OF the mother who
takes in washing. The man does not
eat at homo nor do either Of the
daughters They add slightly to the
I fare by broken bread and meats but
a consideration OF the food purchased
and consumed shows vigorous appe-
tites The family is composed o; the
mother and four children aged re-
spectiyely nine seven. five and four
years The house rented has three
rooms and yard.
q For breakfast a quartic of ground
coffee gives two cups a hall quartIe
furnishes sugar a quartie buys half
! loaf of bread and cents gives a half
pound OF salt meat; making a total of
Ill cents
For dinner. fresh meat 10 cents:
one pound of beans ) cents: three
pounds OF rice. 10 cents; one quart OF
California wine 10 cents; one loaf OF
bread > cents; charcoal for cooking
breakfast and dinner. 10 cents; house
rent per day. at 81. so per month of
thirty days cents. amounting to 80
cents making the cost OF the day Col
cents for five people. or l3l cents each.
To the ingenious n further reduc-