New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-06
MAKING ENDS MEET
In HARD TINES
CHIEF ECONOMIES IN room
AND CLOTHES.
One Woman Remained IN Red .r5tb
Children Until Late IN the
Morning.

Exclusive service Charities and III. Common. Pres,
Bureau
One Oh the stock questions in classes in high
- pOitLeaI economy used to be, IF the DIFF
eIece IN the cost OF two articles Of practically
me same nature were five cents would Won hesI-
tate In purchasing the most expensive?" That
question mas become extremely practical during the
0se Ae" months and there has been little hest
'aulon In families of the poor about it's proper
answer The bureau of social research of the
New York School Of Philanthropy started an in
curry last winter TO find how some of the peo-
PIE whose income had been considerably lessened
during the hard times have basn ab1a "a mako ends
meet
The results OF this investigation by Miss Zaida
4 Udell were compiled from the records of fifty
FAMILIES whose heads were accustomed to a certain
amount Of privation. These families located
through churches settlements and other reliable
sources il close enough touch with the families to
have known their circumstances for several years
Thtrty-six trades occupations were represented
only six Of which were unskilled. Ali but five
OF the men, that is, four-ffths skilled work
men whose wages are grouped follows: Those
earning SO or less a week. IL; 81 to SIS week
q; SIC to $50 a week, s; $40 week, l.
The wages, however, do not give correct esti-
mate OF income. for several of the men are work
in season trades. and may $50 to s25
week during the busy season and then be idle for
several weeks at time
In the last winter in only eighteen were
the heads Of families the sole wage earners. The
chief economies practised were in food and cloth
ing. Sixty-eight per cent spent less on food than
they accustomed TO. One head Of family
stated:
We used TO think we must have meat three
times day. Now glad if we get it once
Most families had depend on bread. cereals
and a few of the cheaper vegetables. including
peas, beans and lentils.
About the same percentage of families saved on
clothes In few cases clothes were given by
relatives or other people. but most Of them had
to make otherwise manage to get along
almost entirely with what they had One mother
would not allow her boy to play in the street be-
cause he would out his shoes. Another
woman inserted pieces of pasteboard IN the chill
drens shoes when they gave out, so that the
children need not stay away from school
Only four of this group Of fifty families re-
duced their rent expenditures-three by moving
to cheaper quarters and fourth by obtaining
Mace as 1anitor Fuel like rent. was considered
q necessity which must be reckoned with very
few bought wood. but each day there was an ef-
fort to get together q supply large enough 10
carry them through The day One woman econo-
Inized by staying IN led with her children until
late in the morning. Another one discovered that
by putting a brick in the stove not so much fuel
would be needed One couple both over NIFTY mad
no fuel throughout the month Of April except |
broken boxes which they used In heaths "a'eF
for tea and coffee.
At least three-fourths Of these families carry |
life insurance and twenty-five Of the thirty-eight |
managed TO keep 1t paid up. Ten faHhes were |
ab TO along entirely without OUTSIDE help |
The others were obliged to apply in some form |
or other 10 churches. settlements or other tnstf-
tutIons People with small incomes willing |
TO receive free medical advice who object 10 |
charity in any other form, and in this group ten |
families went 10 the church doctor. dispensary or
hospital Thirteen had their own physicians, |
four had both free and paid treatment while |
tvrenty-three either needed or there was no
report A large proportion Of the families were
Obliged TO depend on other resources than tenn
porary work Five were helped by relatives; /
seventeen borrowed money and about twenty
four OF nearly one-half, had to go in debt only /
one received a benefit from a lodge. While the |
records indicate only thirteen Of the families
were helped by church settlement, It is prob /
able that the proportion is larger Strange as ii |
NAV SEEM in almost none Of the families visited /
could sickness be traced the hardships expert |
enced.
In one case expert Judge OF gems was
obliged TO get a place a streetcar conductor; |
in another q young woman who had her trunks |
packed to go to Europe lost much in a bank |
failure that she obliged to skirmish around |
TO find work While she waiting she nearly |
starved but was too proud to let her friends |
know that she in want. Another instance |
was told of a Dutch girl who held several dipIo-
mas and finally Obliged to take up house
work.
On the other hand, the consequences Of the |
hard experiences were not all bad. Several of |
the women visited ackno wledged that they had |
learned much by the experience, for they dis |
covered what they could do in emergency. |
The climax reached when one woman said:
If my husband could So a week we could |
get along. We had TO pawn most or our Iurnl-
fure ana we have managed without 1t and we |
could continue to do so if he had work