The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-15

While the salt Lake citizen whose
income is 500 n week Is wondering how
the man who gets $50 week can carry
ON his night for existence, the man who
WORKS Tor 500 n month hands his sym
pathy on down to his neighbor who is
apparently supporting a family on $50
q month. The 500 a week man knows
ne could not keep the wolf from the door
IL MS income should be cut in half and
on down the line there Is q general Ig-
norance OF "how the other half lives" In
! competition with the various comblna-
uons which keep prices on the upward
path while salaries and wages fall to ad :
| vance to n corresponding degree.
rake for instance ono Salt Lake man
VINO is at present employed as janitor for
| ior the support of himself. his wife and
| one child only few months old This
| mans battle for existence has not bcen
| without Its romantic features, His name
is 20 be no part of the following story
which has been substantiated in most
| OF It's details.
! Coming from Holland a few years ago
with a fair education, youth. health and
strength and fair knowledge Of garden
ing as his only assets. this man worked
night and day, for q year in order to save
enough to bring his father and mother
and several small children to this coun-
uy Ihen Tor two years or more he
supported ths family. his father being
unable TO find work ho could do in that
time. Then the young man met re-
1ned and highly educated girl from his
home home country and their marriage soon
rled. however, he was obliged to give up
MS position to his father In order To
provide for the care Of the family and
me young man found employment AT
about SIS n week.
They started housekeeping by buying
about $3.50 worth of furniture on the In
sta!!iiment plan and signing title retain
Ing note for about 5000. agreeing TO pay
$40 month on the bill. Everything went
well for about year and 500 had been
paid on the furniture when he lost his
" hot l,.. Il nd
that he owned no interest whatever i'm
his furniture and. because he failed IN
his payments. II was all swept away.
After few weeks OF transformation he
obtained his position as janltor for $40
month and the couple began over again
This time they bought their furniture on
title retaining" note and their payments
are IS n month on Just enough 10 furnish
two rooms Here is where the $40 goes
each month, according to the wife:
Rent OF two-room cottage ......s 90
Groceries. OF which flour. rice.
beans. potatoes. cheese. oleomar-
garinc are the principal Items, Sl2. 90
Meat. consisting of a small piece of
flank steak or other cheap cut
every second day and a pot roast
or small boiling piece ior Sun
DAYS ........-........ .............$ 3 90
Milk, one quart day being neces-
sary on account OF the baby......s Z. .25
Coal at Sc a ton delivered calls for
an average of half a ton month
during the winter ..........S 3 90
Payment on furniture ,............S 500
This makes a total OF S33.25 a month
and leaves a total Of 1915 for all Incl
dental expenses including clothing doc
tor bills and the like.
clerk in a local dry goods store.
drawing $40 a month salary, was asked
how he managed to keep his family on
that amount In these days Of high priced
iHrh ~1n md
orally Increased cost OF living,
Well, In the first place, l want TO say
that my family gets along very nicely on
the salary l receive" said the clerk by
way of prefacIng his story There are |
a number OF conditions which enter into |
my case, however. which are not TO be !
found IN those OF many others in SINH !
lar positions and drawing similar salary, /
| am now 81 years Of age and nave a
family OF two grown-up daughters and |
a son about 10 years Of age. During my
less money than l do now and at a time |
however, when living was much cheaper !
than IL Is now. / managed 10 save a |
neat little sum out OF every months pay
check. With the money saved l Invested |
in lot out In the northwestern part OF !
the city. At that time property was |
much cheaper than II is now.
Soon after / bought the lot ! made !
arrangements for the erection OF a lit I
tie cottage. / employed one carpenter .
and assisted him in the erection OF .
than II is now. and was able 10 com
plete 1t at considerably less cost than .
l could possibly do at the present time.
MY place is beyond the city water
MAINS so that l was compelled to make |
provision for water for culinary purposes. |
| had an artesian well-driving OUTFIT /
bore for water and at little depth a good
flow was encountered. This made me /
Independent OF city water mains and fur
nished the family with supply OF the
purest water.
owning my home and having small prop
erty taxes and no water taxes TO pay.
that | have decided advantage over
many men drawing the same wages that
rent out OF their pay check each month.
about the only expense outside of
actual living expenses Is street car fare,
and, as take my lunch with me, this Is
small item, requiring only two tickets.
or eight cents day.
Even with the advantage OF owning
pay, ! found out short time ago that
the cost of the necessaries OF life wan
getting so high that TO be able 10 live
as we had been accustomed In past years
saving some way
How TO save a few dollars a month
was the question that confronted me.
We were taking ice at the house from
4 local company for refrigerator use at
a cost on an average of about $3.50
month during the spring. summer and
water serve for refrigerating purposes
was the thought that came into my mind
Then / went to work after / came home
from the store In the early evening and
made a refrigerator. am not plumber
out / knew enough about the job 10 run
pipes In coil shape through the wooden
box After this had been completed l
the pipes up with the artesian
we'll with the result chat had a stream
of cold water running near the stored
'oodstuffs all the time. II served the
purpose as well as ice almost, and l had
saved $3.50 n month,
Now. you can SEQ how ] managed TO
get along nicely on SIS a month and
my family In comfortable cir
cumstances. 1 am free 10 confess that
do not understand how n man draw
ng S75 a month can support family ot.
say. four people when he has TO pay rent,
ce. gas or coal. and telephone bills, in
addition to buying groceries. meats and
In addition to saving on the items ]
nave mentioned. l utilize the space back
of my house and raise all the early
vegetables used by the family Then. we
nave little chicken run and during the
greater part OF the year the hens sup
,lY ls with all the eGGs we need for the