Evening star., 1919-12-02
SHOWS THE AMOUNT
Of INCOME NEEDED
BY THE UNMARRIED
Bureau Figures on Living
Expense of Single Man and
Single Woman.

LOT a single man ana single woman
in the clerical service of government
in Washington. show that a total bud
get of $1.061.1S is necessary for the
man and a total budget of S1,15l.15 is
necessary to maintain level of health
and decency for the single woman, &C
CCrding to announcement today by the
bureau of labor statistics. These fig
u1es include an allowance of 10 per
cent of the total expense of each en-
ploye for savings. and have been used
by the joint congressional committee on
reclassification as basis for consid-
ering increases to this class of govern
ment workers.
Items in WOmnn's Expense.
The figures for the women include
an item of $46.50 for carfarS at Ga
cents per ride. as against former fig
ures at a fiat scent rate of 1920 a
year. The largest items in the\budget
made public today are, of course.
board and room and clothing. The
bureau in an investigation covering fifty
houses in various sections of Washing
ton. including commercial boarding
houses and private homes. found that
the approximate minimum cost of "a
room in a house with bath facilities
for two in a room was SIS per month
per person. This item amounts to
$3.50 year. 1t is pointed out in the
report, that an allowance of SIS a
month is considerably lower than the
rate for rooms at the government dor
mitories, where $40 per month per
person is charged. The bureau found
that the approximate cost of regular
table board. including two meals on
week days and three on Sunday was
at the rate of 1912 a year Clothing
the other large item in the hist of eX-
penditures, cost $240.15 per year.
Cost of Lunches.
Lunches at 25 cents per day cost the
woman government worker S7S25
per year, and this expense is supple
menteds by an item for other food.
fruit. confectionery. etc, amounting
to S13 year. The cost of belonging
to labor organizations averages S.
a year and an item for subscription
to a daily newspaper of $S.40 is in
cluded. For amusementS and recrea-
ton it is estimated that the govern
ment woman worker spends $40 per
year.
An outstanding feature of the re-
port is the fact that there is no al
lowance made in the budget for Vaca-
ton expenses and none for books and
magazines. The former item is eX-
plained by the fact that the regula-
tions of the government departments
permit a reasonable amount of an
nual leave with pay and it is assumed
that a vacation would not exceed the
salary paid during the leave period.
Difference in Occupation Cited.
The report points out that on ac-
count of the difference in occupation
the woman employe of the govern
ment is required to buy more and
better quality of clothing than the
woman who stays at home. The unit
price of the clothing necessary for
the woman government worker is
therefore given as a total of $3O5.15.
while it's annual replacement is placed
at s24O15. This does not make allow
ance for any special clothing. The
report states that since the study of
the wage earners budget in 1916,
clothing prices in Washington have
undoubtedly increased not less than
100 per cent and points out that lin
the light of such an increase the
clothing budget appears sufficiently
niggardly.'
An allowance for laundry at s1.25
per week. or s65 per year, is made and
an item for health maintenance of s43
per year is included in the report. No
reliable data existed at the time of
the compilation of the report as to the
use of transfers. for which an addi-
tional charge of cents formerly was
made. An amount equivalent to 10
per cent of living expenses is held
by the bureau 10 be reasonable
basis for computation of savings of
both men and women.
Figures for Single Man.
The figures for the single man in
the clerical service of the government
do not vary greatly from those of the
women. The figures FOR the men in
cIude greatly reduced items for cloth
ing. health and laundry, making the
mans budget smaller than that of the
woman. Increases in the amounts
spent for amusement by the rneE ball
ance the above decreases.
Room and board for the man in gov
ernment employ cost him exactly the
same as that for the woman, the bu-
reau reports, while the items of news
papers, labor organizations and car
fare are the same in cost.
Allowance is made in the report for |
the single man for annual clothing ex-
pense of $15S.36, in which he is allow /
ed two suits at $2O each, two hats at
50 each. one overcoat every four years |
at $40, 4 raincoat every four years at
SIS. five shirts at 81 each and = total /
budget of S17.25 for footwear