The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1913-12-25

hands" The rural cottages we Sc,
are the homes of old people. In
half-dozen visited In Oxfordshire ther,
was not a man under sixty years o
age. The young flee to the towns, t.
Canada, to the British colonies or t
the United States. No farm laborel
wishes his son to remain on the land
Houses are difficult to obtain. Low
wages and the dearth of cottages dis
courage young people from marriage
The young laborer may get only $46(
a week IN the big town, which is the
ordinary wage in this locality. but he
has the chance OF a home for hif
young wife. society and the oppor
tunity Of being something more thar
"a farm faborer,
$3.50 Weekly for Family Of Five.
As a working woman's weekly bud
get Of housekeeping expenses, has
been given, let US examine some
specimen budgets of the living Of the
rural laborer. For this I am indebted
to Mr.. Seebohm Rowntree. The bud
get is from Oxfordshire, where the
historic and beautiful university city
of Oxford is the .county-town. It is
the budget of a family of five, a farm
'laborer, his wife and three children.
The total weekly earnings are $3.50.
The rent of the cottage and garden
is SIS a year. The man Is "a thor
oughly sober fellow, who neither
drinks nor smokes and who bears a
good character for industry" The
wife trusts to charity for the chill
dren's clothes and makes and remakes
anything given to her with great,
skill" She has not had a new dress
herself in the thirteen years Of her
married life. In times when work is
not to be had the family Is forced
on the parish poor fund. Condensed
milk is used. eve haven't had any
new milk in the house for seven
years." said the wife.
This is not an exceptional case.
The,cab driver at bennington pointed
out his tiny home. in which had
grown up eleven children. four now
out In service, he proudly said, and
counted himself fortunate because his
earnings averaged six dollars a
week. my wife helps out a lot with
sewing and washing and I work in
the garden after dark"
Budget for Railway Workers Family.
Here is another housekeeper's
budget. Her husband is a railway
a washer earning $3.50 for SIX days
ur0rlr onJ QE OK Gov cA,1z IL xro rr1~1~
He pays all he earns to his wife. There
are three children. This is how the
$5.25- is expended: Rent, s1.75; cloth
ing 1.-TWO weeks). so cents: insurance
1.-TWO weeks), 81 cents; coal and
wood, 38 cents;s coke. six centsj gas,
20 cents; soap and soda, 10 cents;
matches, two cents; balance for, food
for five persons, two dollars a week.
How al five persons live on two dol
lars a week for food? This is the bill
OF fare with its weekly cost:
Eleven loaves, 10 cents; -four, II
cents; meat, As cents; potatoes and
green's, 10 cents; butter, IL cents;
jam, 6 cents; tea IL cents; sugar,
8 cents; cocoa, s cents; suet, 4 cents;
and condensed milk. s cents.
Women Made Insane on Farms.
1t is the women who have to bear
the largest share of this burden in
Great Britain as everywhere. - TN
nine cases out of ten where there Is /
poverty" said Mr.. George Ed
wards, the secretary Of the Agricul-
tural Laborers's union, "the woman
first. She thinks irst OF her
husband and her children. AS a re-
suit of chronic undertaking we have
very large percentage of insanity
among the mn on the farms. l
I'M on the asylum committee of the Z
Norfolk county council and we have
than 300 farm wives in our care.
attribute this large number to the
necessitated in making both
ends meet and to the poor food" A
Yorkshire woman, whose husband
$3.50 a week. said: when I
seen other children In warm
clothing and mine jealous. then I
haven't known what to say. l know
'ur master wasn't rich. We have
,ot a roof to cover us and he hadn't
where to lay his head, SO l. dare
ay it's all for the best. But they say
people ought to be strong and
rave and l don't know how they ex- \
ect them-living as they .do-to be
trong and brave and cheerful" /,
1T may be taken as an established (,
act," said Mr.. Rowntree, that aefam- ]
of five persons. whose total weekly 1
does not exceed FIVE dollars I
nd whose rent is so cents, is living I
Glow the poverty line" Which :
leans, if the government figures are {
orrect, that the majority of English !
lrm laborers do not receive wages 8
Efficient to maintain their families :
physical efficiency. The able-bodied !
ale laborer's wage throughout Eng
at present averages about $3.50 +