The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-04-30
Wants "Decent" Salary
Paid Federal Clerks

People who do not live in Washington
want to see the thousands OF Govern
ment workers here paid not only a living
salary but a decent" salary, in the
opinion OF "a Visitor" from Pennsyl-
vania. who has watched with interest
the hearings In Congress on the Heating
minimum wage bill.
THE Visitor declares no man who
has wife and two children can live
on less than 81, 100 or 81, 500 a year and
have any OF the little Injuries that
help to soften up ones soul and make
him feel that. yfter all. this old world
Is worth while. and that his life is OF
some account not only to this country
but to himself and family"
In telling of his personal experience,
he gives some enlightening figures on
the cost OF living for a small family
In this generation. lie has an itemized
list OF expenses for a year.
Cost for Family of Fec.
The Visitor" having read The Times
editorial. 1T Means Existence, Not
Living" was reused to interest. In his
opinion. no family OF five can possibly
live on $500 n year in Washington or
any other city. as in the case prepared
by Prof. r.. X. Kern. Here Is his per-
sonal experience:
MY wife. two boys-seven and eleven
land myself constitute our family. one
less than la the case, your editor speaks
Of. An iteinized account OF what 1T
cost us TO live last year would be illu-
ininatlng 10 the committee and to The
public AS well.
II have very modest salary. I
have noticed that It Is very difficult to
| save anything ont of that salary l
have included in my table of expenses
cluded- in our yearly expense account.
| Not cent Is allowed for a couple of
bad investments. which we people who
work at other things than making
money are very apt to make.
bills that / should not have paid but
/ did pay arc not included. In fact. more
than $50 actually paid,out in the sort of
expenses any ordinary man Is liable to
run across, are not included.
Enjoyed Life Fairly Well.
During the year we enjoyed life
fairly we'll. We had all we needed to
cat, but not too much. We have had
our soda water. our grape JUICE. our
| cake. our candy. in limited quantities.
| One will notice that not a cent Is in
| cluded for booze or for tobacco In any
form. We tld have the Sunday paper,
| the photopay. and the thcater. and
even the county fair.
What item could he left out? What
litem In the list could be counted lux
| ury, and not a necessity? Isn't the
theeter. the county fair, the little recre-
ation trip just as much a necessity as
Is the doctors bill or what was paid
| the dentist?
"Isn't the one preventative and the
other a cure?
There Is the item OF clothing for
myself and wife which wonld not al
low of many Easter bonnets OF the
latest styles, and certainly the two boys
could not be counted expensive In the
way of clothing when they got along
for a whole year on $3.50. There Is
the item OF 1870 for washwoman
| that could have been saved had my
wife been as strong as some others.
mo hospital bill Is provided for, ex-
cent the interest on bill previously
| Incurred, The doctors bill might have
been much larger, as II was the year
| previous we got through last year
| without any serious sickness, whereas
| the year previous we had far larger
| share. ,...,.....
Not One Auto Trip.
"Not an automobile trip was taker
| during the METRE year, and We owr
no automobile, and can not at ouI
| pI esent salary, which Is at least larger
| tkan your clerks here seem to get. MOI
! even q livery WAS hired. But little