The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-28
Have More Pay and Better
Food Than Toilers of
Europe.
ENGLISH EXCEL
GERMAN COUSINS
Social Conditions, Too, Are Better
on This Side of the Water,
According to Reports.

The practically simultaneous publ
cation Of reports Of Investigations into
the cost OF living in Germany, England.
and the United States has furnished the
first official basis for a comparison of
the wages earned, the housing and the
kind and quantity Of food consumed by
working men and their families in the
countries named.
The comparisons form an interesting
study Of conditions in the three coun-
tries. where the standard Of wages and
living is probably higher than in any
other countries Of the civilized world.
N every instance the American work
in EmAn and his family are shown 10
be In a far more fortunate position In
every way than the workgingmen and
their families Of Germany and England.
Especially is this true of the food con
sumed, as the figures show the table of
the average woTkingman of America 10
be more abundantly supplied and with
far greater variety of foodstuffs than
either the German or Englishman, and.
although the American worldngmaH
pays a higher average price for his
food, it does not require nearly so large
a percentage Of his wages TO supply III
as the English or German workman
has TO spend.
Report of Inquiry Board.
The report OF the board Of inquiry or
dered by the Board Of Trade OF LONDON
and presented 70 both houses Of Parlia-
ment has just reached this city, and sup
plements OF the recent report Of the De-
partment OF Commerce and Labor on
the same subject The English report
furnishes a comparison between the
English and German wOrkingmen in the
matter OF wages, rental and food, which
shows the English worxingman to be
IN better position than his German
cousin. While the third comparison of
the two countries, made possible by the
report OF the bureau OF labor shows the
American workingman's social status
20 be on a plane above that Of men
engaged in the same pursuits in Eng
land and Germany.
One Of the unexpected revelations Of
the report is that the family Of the
American workingman living at home
IS even larger than that of the Ger
man or EngIishman. The American I
workingman's family averages slightly /
more than five persons. or three chill !
dren 70 a family living at home, While 4
the German and English families do 1
not quite average three children living
at home.
Greatest Beef Eaters.
Another is that, although the English /
have long borne a reputation as the |
greatest beef-eaters on the globe. the I
American workinEman and his family /
eat a greater amount Of fresh and pre-
served meats than the EngIishman.
For a family Of five the average Amer |
lean workingman in the building trades
will receive as wages S29.76 per week
for bricklayers, $3.50 for carpenters, SIS |
for masOns, SIS for plumbers. SlS46 for /
painters, and SO for laborers.
In England the wages are as follows: /
Bricklayers, $3.50; masons. S. %: carpen-
tiers, g: plumbers. $50; painters. IS: |
ana .aoorers, S.. 81
In Germany the wages are as follows: !
Br' 2klayers, S6.75; naasons, S6.75; carpen- 4
teIs, 500; plumbers, S., painters, So .;
and laborers, s..
Expenditures For Food.
From his earnings the average Ameri-
can laborer spends 1925 a week for
food, the EngIishn,an $40, and the
German $204. Thus, while the highest
percentage of the american working
mans expenditure ror food from MS
earnings IS about = per cent among
those earning the least wages, the fol-
lowing table shows the percentages Of
earnings which the German and British
working-nen must spend for food: