Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-01
Thirty CENTS DAILY
LEAST FOOD QUOTA
Dietary Study Of Thirty-0ne
Local Families Reveals
Living Costs.
TOO LITTLE MILK USED

To0-LITTLE MILK USED
Thirty cents Is the least sum per day
Upon which IN adult male could be fed
properly ut the prices prevailing in the
spring Of 1917. according to q dietary
study Of thirty-o local families made
by the bureau of labor statistics Of the
Department Of Labor in cooperation
with the Office Of home economics Of the
Department of Agriculture.
And such a sum. it must be empha-
sized. IL not offered as a guide to prop
ersfsading." comments the report Of the
investigation The report is in the
third installment of the general report
OF the probe Of the cost of living in
tbs District, carried on last spring by
the bureau of labor statistics. The
present installment on the feeding of
families appears in the December num-
Der of the monthly review of the bu-
reau.
Agents of the two departments of
the government went into the thirty
one FAMILIES, twenty-three white and
eight colored. with incomes ranging
from $500 to $500 a year. and care
week. Garbage was weighed each day.
and al items of expenditure and con-
sumDtton checked up.
uee Of children. the large consump-
tioa Of meat and the comparatively
oznAU use made Of vegetables were
100 the points noticed by the in
~ oecond article Of the serfes pub-
liqAod In November, brought out the
1aee mat q very large proportion OF
the iow-income families were not
eDeudtng enough money upon food to
maintain the family members in good
health. This conclusion was based On
the assumption that an adult male
less expenditure than 80 cents per
dsy tor raw food
Thtg sum. the present report brings
out, sis no more than the theoretical
properly be maintained provided that.
the housekeeper has q perfect scientific
knoWledge Of food values and food buy
Ing. that there is absolutely no waste
In cooking and eating. and that eating
b . mere mechanical process of stok-
ing yae stomach with food to keep the
dres of life burning.
Assumption Is Incorrect.
AS q matter Of fact" says the re-
port. ut II wildly incorrect to assume
scientific knowledge of food on the
paxt Of the average housewife. since
rome waste Is absolutely unavoidable.
and eating itself is inevitably. and per-
ssgs dssiras,y; 49,. source n Of much gnao en-
the pleasure associated with daily eat
fnGs 10 ono Of the most important in
ecenkives for keeping alive at ALL
fe6d per adult. male. is thus extremely
low continues the report But the
startling fact. as was pointed out in
the earlier article. II that. even when
1owance- u made for waste and igno-
ra1ces . very large numebr OF the tam;
Nee covered by this investigation fall
hsloE the minimum OF subsistence
sWould Have Little Interest.
.sr6r all Of the families falling below
tie 1e-cent- per day minimum, an an
a1Ynis Of diet would have little interest.
Most OF them were spending as much
- they could on food and better
barring would make possible the OBJ
tG1ninE Of diet adequate to health
fuI living. To preach to such families
the gospel Of the clean plate or to
OMAR them dietary advice. would be
nut undernourishment and bad
uc0ftHhment Ii not entirely a mat
t96 OF 10Dumc1eut expenditure Ior 1000.
Wuch Of 1t In due to a bad distribution
81 the amount expended. to lack of
kDowledge of food values and of the
H6edg Of the human body.
with this fact in mind, the investi-
ration Of the cost Of living In the Dis
h5St of Columbia was made to include
aDocaal dietary study of q group of
fantlies- From the data obtained 1t Ii
poGsfble. BY comparison with recog-
N11ed standards. to Judge whether the
families were undernourished or over
nourished aud whether the housekeep-
ero were wise in their selection of
Aeod- Also II Is possible in some in
stances to point out wherein q different
0oloctton of food would have furnished
more nutritious diet for the same ex-
peudfture, or one equally nutritious for
1ea1 expenditure.
Study by Statistical Bureau.
The study was made by the bureau
Of labor statistics in cooperation with
the ONCE Of home economies of the De-
p4rtment of Agriculture. In such an
fnQutsitorial and difilcult undertaking
e z dietary study the value of the re-
suits obtained depends entirely upon
ehe intelligence displayed in gather
Ing the facts. the raw material for
fsoulations. and generalixations Three
special agents of the bureau of labor
DGwfiItcfR- chnaan ha~,r~a -