The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1909-07-27

Foundation Enable Conclusions
to Be Drawn AT Least 22 Cents
Day For Food is a Necessity
Wives Are the Mainstay In M aking
Incomes Go as Far as Possible
X 4 X X
In volume just issued by the Rus
sell Sage Foundation, Professor Rob
ert Colt Chaplin, of Beloit College.
presents the results of study of
Inc Standard of Living Among
Workingmen's Families in New York
city Full and intelligently handled
returns were secured from 391 fam
HES out of the thousand to whom
schedules were sent. These families
were OF the average size-from four
10 SIX persons, and represented aver
age workingmen's incomes. These
comprehensive and infinitely detailed
schedules were tabulated and very
carefully studied and analyzed. and
from them Professor Chaplin reaches
the conclusion that a workingman,in
New York City can maintain family
OF average size i'm decent fashion on
5000 year.
Even this amount. which is, per
haps, $500 larger than the gross aver
age wages of workingmen, appears
to be sufficient to maintain a physical
standard, to provide enough food and
clothing and fairly sanitary and
comfortable dwelling. but will not
suffice to give much chance for recre-
alton and the higher life"
rTTN
The report states that 1.-The results
or the investigation indicate that
while the personal factor operates I'm
the case Of every family, both, as re-
CARDS the habits of the father and the
managing ability of the mother. the
limits within which it may affe It the
actual sum total of material comforts
that make up tie living of the family
are set by social forces.
How Standard is Set.
"These social forces find express
sion, ON the one side. in the income
which the family receives-that is. i'm
the rate of wages received by the
rather and others who are at work;
on the other side. they are expressed
In the prices that have to be paid to
the actual standard that prevails is
set primarily, therefore, by the wages
paid and the prices charged"
This study upholds the conclusions
reached by former investigators. that
when incomes increase, expenditures
for rent and clothing remain static
Tor some time, while the amount for
food is increased The expenditure
Tor rent Is found to remain the same
through quite considerable increase
In the income, indicating that the
amount spent for food under the
smaller income has been less i'm pro-
portion to the total expenditure than
is normal. OFTEN family will con
tinue to live in poor quarters while
spending larger amount for such
food and clothing than may seem
necessary, failing to recognize the
Importance of sanitary apartments
even when within their income.
The average amount spent for
clothing is found to be 500 This
viii barely suffice TO provide decent
covering for a family of five. In the
majority of cases the small expendi-
ture is made possible by the fact that
the mother is dress-maker, tailor and
cobbler for the family. Very often
clothes are bought at secondhand
stores and rummage sales for very
small sums.
Expenditures For Food Alike.
The expenditure for food is singu-
larry alike in the budgets of the same
groups of incomes. Even in the
groups of high incomes the main diff
ference is in quantity rather than va
riety. Necessity may be said to be
the mother of domestic science The
thrifty housewife is forced TO work
out for herself a budget that will
yield the biggest results in nourish
ment for the smallest amount of
money.
Even when the housewife is I'm no
way a dietician, the laws Of supply of
money and demand of appetite work
out results that prove to be almost
identical in scores of family budgets
of similar resources. Nearly half of
the total expenditures of the 39t fam
HES is for food The $500 families
spend ON an average of S2gC.1O a
'N"i anu Nht idUlilieh OF the QUO
group average $451.46. An analysis
OF the budgets by Professor Under
hill. OF Yale. would indicate that suf-
hcicnt nOurishment cannot be OBJ
tanned for less than twenty-five cents
a day per adult man.
The families with incomes between
$500 and $500 spend twenty-seven
per cent of their incomes for rent
Those with incomes from $500 TO
5000 average twenty-six per cent.
while the average from $500 to $1,000
is only nineteen per cent The rents
are higher i'm New York I'm proportion
to the number and grade OF rooms
out Of 1t5 families with incomes
from 5000 to $500. seventy-one Der
cent. have only three rooms: of tho
htty-cight families I'm the $500 group.
forty-eight per cent have not more
than three rooms. and of the seventy
families with incomes between 5000
and $1,000, thirty-nino per cent. have
three rooms or less.
Can't Afford to Be Sick.
The average expenditure for health
ranges from $13.7S for the families
with incomes between 5000 and
500 to $3.50 for families with I'm
comes between 5000 and S11OO. The
lower fucpuoro do mot ore-.. e.