Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-13
LIVING COST is
INQUIRYSUBJECT
Department of Labor Canvassers
- Arrive to Make Check On
Wage Farmers Expenses.
FILL OUT MISSIONARIES
Information to Be Forwarded to
Washington to Aid In Read
justment of Salaries.

What did it cost the average Rock
Island wage earning family to live
during the last year? That ques-
ton will be asked so families here
during the next week by represen-
tatives of the bureau of statistics
of the department of labor in Wash
ington.
Offices were opened today in the
federal building by Miss l. D. Ed
dingfield, special agent of the
Washington bureau, and ii assist
ants. A canvass of the city is to
be started at once. The agents be
gin their work equipped with ques-
tionnaires which they will fill out
and submit to Washington.
The canvass is being made in
Rock Island at the direction of Dr.
floral Meeker, commissioner of la
boz statistics, as 4 basis Of future
wage adjustments. Like canvasses
have already been conducted in
Chicago and in the extreme east and
west.
The work was started in August
of last year as a war measure af-
ter the department of labor had re
ceived innumerabIe complaints to
the effect that wages were not suf-
ficient to sustain the average fam
lily. The canvass was started and
the results of the findings will be
used to determine what the aver
age family can live on.
Questionnaires used by the can
vassers have spaces for entering
the cost of every item deemed nee
essary to the average wage Garner
with a family
Asks Cooperation.
I'VE choose no special families"
Miss Eddingfield said today. "One
of our representatives calls at a
home, places her purpose before
the head of the family and requests
the information We have expert
>snced very little trouble in the 9TH
eT cities that we have covered and 1
hope that Rock Island residents
will realize that in the end
they will benefit by the information
they furnish US now.
THE questionnaires are sent to
Washington. After the nationwide
canvass is completed, averages are
made on the costs of living for var
ious sized families and then the
wage adjustment will be possible.
IF it is found that Rock Island
wage carriers are not receiving suf-
ficient money to sustain them and
their families, the fact will be taken
into consideration in due time.
Il sincerely hope that the mem
beIs of the families we call on will
cooperate with US, because We are
doing the work for their own good.
h. Iyf OF aCI
seem personal, all names are kept
private and only our workers here
and the Washington authorities will
see them"
One-week canvasses are also to
be made in Davenport and Moline. |
Fifty families in each city will be
solicited and the missionaries for
warded to Washington. Headquar-
tiers of the Representatives is to re-
main in Rock Island.
Meeker Explains Purpose.
Speaking on living costs. DR..
Meeker recently gave an address
before the American Health asso-
SSSLion in Chicago, in which he
AN idea of the work He said:
Examination of the family sched-
ules obtained in the Washington
d. c., study shows that in 1916 the
typical white family, consisting OF
father, mother and three children
below the age of IA, was not able
to make both ends meet with an in
come of less than $1150 per annum-
This would indicate that minimum
of comfort budget, according to the
practices and standards of domestic
economy prevailing in Washington
in 1916, must be about $1,000. Since
1916 the cost of the necessities of
decent living weighted according to
importance in the family budget
have advanced approximately so
per cent. This indicates that an
Identical standard of decency can
not be purchased for less than
$500 today. 1t may be that with
out injury to the health of the fam
lily expenditures could be cut down
for food and clothing by better
planned dietary, by wiser purchases
OF clothing and especially by more
careful wearing of clothes and use
of household furnishings.
Set Standards.
Fairly acceptable standard of |
food requirements have been work |
ed out by dieticians giving the cal
cries needed by men, women and |
children of different ages and oc-
equations and providing a proper !
balance between foods rich in pro- !
teins, fat, starch, sugar. mineral |
salts. vitamtnes and ceIlu1ose tbs |
sue for bulk. If we accept tenta-
lively the standard for food expen-
diture worked out by Prof F. P. !
Underhill of the Sheffield Iabora-
tory and applied by r. c. Chaplin in
his study of Standard of Living in |
New York City, we will certainly
not err on the side OF too great lib
crafty. Chaplin found that at the
prices of food in New York city in |
1907 an adult male required for his
maintenance in health and strength