The Washington times., 1915-10-08
Monday Evening Club Demands
Increase Of $1.50 a Day
! Salaries.
WOULD SOLVE BIG PROBLEM
Family Of Five In Capital Must
/, Have $15'a Wek to Keep
Alive, Miss BeaII Says.

Following INQUIRIES in New YORK
which show that S15 Is the least amount
on which a family Of five was main
tained, and similar investigations here.
which Indicate that Sl2 is the deadiine
- which this can be done. the Monday
Evening Club. backed by other social
service organizations. 10 to undertake
a campaign this year to have the Dis
trict raise the pay Of day laborers. who
now get only $50
This announcement was made today
by Walter q. I'fford. secretary OF the
Associated Charities and president OF
the Monday Evening Club. 1t Is hoped
that a raisins OF the pay for unskilled
labor by the District may be followed
by Q general increase of this wage.
A survey Of records Of the Associated
Charities showed that many Of the de-
mands made upon It are not by the
sc-called down and OUTS. or even by
the unemployed. but by families that
incomes ssa s's too small foT
Miss Louise Beall. of the Associated
Charities, today explained that much
Of the work of her department was
concerned with families that could not
maintain a proper living standard be-
cause they do not receive enough wages.
Children Are Put To Work.
zone OF the greatest problems Is with
those families that through no fault
Of their own" she said. cannot make
erds meet. This Is because the wages
paid for certain labor Is too small. The
daily wage Garner. the street sweeper.
for example. finds $50 too small to
Maintain q family to begin with. ana
then there are frequent layoffs because
Of the weather.
THE result of this condition is that
children in those families are either
sent out to work, and fail to get M an
prove their condition. or they are kept
at home and are poorly fed and suner
physical consequences.
TO show concretely that at least IL
and senerally tlS is needed IN Wsshms. s.
Bsali cited specific cases Of families
where the budgets had been pared down
TO tho closest possible figures:
One Of these families Ii that OF q
widow with four children under thfr'
teen years. In this case. the income
per week, in actual cash. Is only $loIb
and this has to be supplemented D.
gifts Of clothes. The way this $lo.75 Il
spent weekly follows:
Rent. s2so: food. &6; clothes. H;S; rue
and light, 10 cents; insurance. Is cents
incidentais including car fare. N.4S.
Self. Supporting On SIS.
Another family was that Of q man
and wife with four children under fif'
teen. Three years ago this family wal
found in a condition bordering on star
walton. and the wife was about to com
nit suicide. The father got on his
feet" and has been earning &l3 week
By having friends send gifts OF cloth
ing and sometimes groceries. this famil,
Is maintained in the following way:
I, Food, $3.50: rent. $50: clothing. ir
, cash. $50: fuel and light, so cents; In
surance. 20 cents: incidentals. H.io.
A third family. with SIS. consisting oi
. man and wife with four childrer
Sunder sixteen. Is entirely self-support
ing. This Ia accomplished by careful
buying Of remnants for clothing and o
marketing at auspicious times. TIT
budget OF this family follows:
,ef rGoai ana IL" Sb, rent m cents s Insurance
cents. and incidentals, 81.