The Jersey City news., 1904-12-17
COST OF LIVING
What Wage-earners Spend
in New Jersey During
Il the Year.
EXAMPLES oF THRIFT
The Proportion Of Children at
Work in the stats-Jersey
Home Dwellers.

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WASHINGTON, Dec. "A, 19o4.--The
Department. efs 6 Commerce and Labor
has issued volume on ,he cost of re-
tail prices of food in all the States and i'll
lnslAy Of Tie ciries throughout the coun-
try 1t is hnhfful of statistical matter
of great value.
The Investigation for the preparation
for this REPORT was limited to the famii-
les of wage workers and persons on sal
aries hot exceeding 81 300 per year, DO
attempt being made to cover families of
persons engaged III business on their own
account. Both tile native and the for.
eign born elements of the population
were COVERED, rhe nativity Of the hus-
hand efpfAe family. for the purpose Of
this iavasuga1ioh, being accepted as de-
termnitlg shelhatjvity of the family. All
sclelsilss e1ivefl u period of one year
In New jersey 1874 families were in
vestigated. 639.of the'heads of these fam
lies we're natives of the limited States
and 355 of.fereign birth The data here
prs.s@asal was gathered by evepcrieace'i
special agents sent to New Jersey by the
department., the Information being given
generally by the housewife, who was
often assisred by other members of the
family. ,srhe agents began this work in
the localities of the State TO which they
were assigned by making themselves
thoroughly acquainted with the prevail
ing prices of afl staple necessaries. thus
eFlahlingl shem to verify. toga certain ex-
tent. thna statements as to cost of living.
In New Jersey during the year there
was 50.5Is per cent. of the heads of fam
lilies not idle and 49.49 per cent idle.
This is much better showing for New
Jersey than New York State. The En-
pire State having only 1882 per cent. of
the Aeasls of families not idle and 561S-
PEI. cent. Idle. New Jersey is also above
The average shown for all the States.
5019 per cent? of the heads of families
in the thirty y-tllree States investigated be
ing not idle.1lwlrile 1880 per cent. were
idle washington State makes the best
showing in this respect the number of
employed being 1881 per cent. and idle
2l.69 per cent 70
In New Jersey s2.TO per cent. of the
families occupy homes that are rented
and 1T.30 per cent own their own their
homes. Colorado makes the hest show
ing in this respect: 56.:'5 per cent. of the
families there dive in rented houses. while
43.65 per cent own their homes. Georgia
makes the lowest showing only 6.3S per
cent. of the people there own their
homes. Louisiana ranks next lowest.
and Rheae Island third, with 9.33 per
cent. and 9.6S per cent, respectively,
DNHlll4 &lHHns uOiutb. new 0tIStt 10
slightly. below the average Of the thirty
three States investigated, which is 1897
per cent of the families owning their
homes. a.
OF thoselin New Jersey:who own their
homes. sS3.72 per cents have them unin-
cumbenea and only 16l2e,per cent. have
their homes mortgaged. 81 In New York
State ALA per cent. of this class of
wage-earners, who ownetheir homes, have
them mortgaged!S In Wisconsin 6374
per cent. of the same class have their
homes encnmbered. Itiwill' be seen that
New Jersey by comparison makes a
magnificent showing. OF the great man
ufacturing States New Jersey is far in
the lead in fhis respect. In Rhode Isl
and, for instance. 43.4S per cent of fhe
homes that are owned By working peo-
pie of the class considered are mortgage
ed, in Connecticut 1916 per cent. are
mortgaged. IN Massachusetts 1872 per
cent. are mortgaged. New Jersey in this
respect ranks along with nle agricultural
States. In Iowa as. .3s' per cent. of the
homes of this class that are owned are
encunbereas 1895 per Cent! in Colorado,
1854 per cent. in Kentucky and 1909
per cent in pNaw Hampshire, against
NewssJ efsey's 1928 per cent. Of owned
homes that are encumbered.
LACKAygANNA AS LOW RATES
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