Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-11-28
Bureau of Labor Statistics Show
so Per Cent Don't Eat
Enough.
STUDY The FAMILY BUDGETS
Gather Considerable Data Showing
Relationship Between the Budget
and the Health Of the Family
Half Are Well Nourished.

Washington.-The bureau of labor
statistics Of the United States depart
ment of labor. in its countrywide in
vestigation of the cost of living in
1918-1919, secured itemized budgets
from approximately $4,000 families.
Special intensive studies Of each of
the major items of expense in the fam
lily budget have been, or are being
made. Considerable data showing the
relationship between the family bud
get and the health Of the family are
already available.
Detailed dietary analysis of the food
of 9S3 families, selected at random
from IL representative cities, indicates
that 21.2 per cent of these families
purchase less than $500 calories of
food per man per day; 40 per cent Of
these families less than 5000 calories,
and 74.5 per cent less than $500
calories.
Allowing for considerable variation
from the recognized standard of 3,oOO
calOries purchased per man per day,
these figures point to the fact that ap-
proximately 20 per cent Of the fam
lilies are purchasing food entirely in
sufficient for the maintenance of
health, 80 per cent are on the border
line between sufficient and insufficient
nourishment, and so per cent are IN
all probabilities well nourished.
study Of the total yearly income in
relation to the food budget also bears
out these conclusions, 44.6 per cent of
the total number Of white families in
cluded in the investigation were re-
ceiving annual incomes of $1,000 or
more, and were probably getting an
adequate and reasonably balanced
diet, 22.7 per cent of the families were
receiving annual incomes of less than
$1,000, which is wholly inadequate to
permit of the purchase of sufficient
food for family of average size, leav-
ing 1927 per cent of the families in the
income group Of 81 200 to $500, where
the food necessary for an average FAM
fly would be subject to serious curtail-
ment.
Deficient In Milk, Eggs, Fruit.
A sufficient number of calories, how
ever, does not necessarily mean we'll
balanced ration. Many of the diet.
aries in which $500 calories were pur.
chased, were seriously deficient In
milk, eggs, green vegetables and fruit
From a cursory examination of the
clothing expenditures reported in this
Investigation, it was estimated that 6
yearly average Of 800 per adult male
would probably result Further study
has shown that this estimate was toe
liberal. During the last two years
clothing purchases have been cut.
A careful study Of the clothing bud
gets of GAL families having children
under fifteen years of age, and Twin.
in Northern cities, shows an averag,
yearly expenditure of $6S.33 for tn,
clothing of the husband and $55.75 TO
the wife. In Southern cities, the aver
age for POT families, similarly chosen
shows $3.50 for the husband and &c.,
for the wife. While the clothes pur
chased for these sums may be stuff
cient to keep the wearer warm, it /
certain that decency and health car
not be maintained on such small ou1
lay for clothing.
Judged by the standard that ovel
crowding begins when there Is NOR
than one person per room. a consider
able proportion of the families inclut
ed in this investigation must b
classed as overcrowded. A study ha
been made of 2,455 families living |
rented houses In "a different cities.
Fifty per cent of these had less tina
one room per person, II per cent ha
less than OF of room per person
and per cent less than 0.5 of a ROOF
per person. Very little informatio
was gathered which will give concl,