Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-03-16
ems FORMING BUDGET
CIOSEN TO REACT BASIS

The items which form this budget
arc chosen in line with a medium view
OF the meaning of the term cost OF
living This is taken neither at its
narrowcst meaning, which might be in
tcrprctcd as the minimum expenditure
neeessary to keen soul and body to-
which might have been taken 10 in
clude the total personal expenditure OF
each member of the household. All
strictly personal expenditures of indi-
vidual members of families have been
excluded, except so far as such eXpen-
ditures. e E. tram and railroad fares.
a livelihood. Beer, tobacco and re-
creation have not been taken into &C
count. however deply these. items may
enter into the ordinary habits OF life.
The amount spent on them varies loo
much with the individual
The method adopted in getting at the
subject has been the collection OF ac-
tual budgets from working class ram
lilies in numbers suycicnt TO minimize
error and eliminate pecuiiari,ies, ami
over an area sufficiently large to make
local variations unimportant.
On the basis Of the returns made
to the committee. the word family
has been defined as consisting OF 4.of
persons. including IL wdgc-earncrS
GREATEST EXPENDITURE
SHOWN FOR FOOD
The greatest increase in the weekly
food. The increase throughout all
roughly, 90 per cent. y number OF
strange facts are discovered in con.
nection with the increased price Of
food. There are fewer paupers IN
Great Britain than ever before. de-
cline which is still going on Alike
in the metropolis and in the other
July. 1918, to two-thirds what Il
was in July. 1914, There are also r
fewer ill-nourished children The
families of unskllcd workmen in par
ticular. the committee finds. were bet
fcttcr fed in 1915 than in 1914. Medi-
cal officers employed by the educational
eonf 9pieti this is hndins. From London,
ii is officially reported. after !nspcc-
tior of all the children entering school,
in poorly nourlshcd condition is con-
sidcrahly less than half The percent
age IN 1914" :, similar Improvements
in figures IS shown from Bi-min E ha m.
Bolton. Bradford, Bristol. Glasgow and
CHILDREN OF POOR
GET LIBERAL SUPPLY
The genera: Impression. especially Q.
the I-co-e- children. = favorable. The
view M: 3'a-sa1s z-e noa better able
food is e'o---s -; - Information re,
garGins me NUMBER o. meals provided
II 'neccssi:tgs ca.o-ea ny thc local
school authorities. !; = only III very
thoritics are supplying anything Ike
as many meals as before the war. IL
u abou, a half and quarter. and in
some places fnotsply B!rmiN CHAM and
Liverpool i i ha:d!% necessary 70
provide meals at all. The las, avail
able hgurc 10y England and wales, the
committee says q. e. the 1917 heurcs).
when compared with the estimated
number In ~ k.i. show; decline by
about four-atths IN the country as
whole;
for children. tho committee finds that
n m
London contains so large proportion
OF the population "s inc country that
clothing. cupboards. from which OK
ceptionally ncccssitcus children used
to receive garments before the war. arc
no longer. resortcd 20. and. on tho
other hand that parents who pay as
sessmentS 10 tho numerous school boot
clubs arc found 10 be AZ least as well
obtain boots At tho present high prices
as. tho much smaller sums required
before tho war.
NUMBER or WAX GARDENS
ARE GREATLY INCREASED
a main factor IN this curious food
They have very greatly increased in
number during tho last two years Of
the war. and by, them thousands Of
acres have been brought under intcn-
stve cultivation. Thoso who have cui-
tivated allo;ncntS have hccn compli.
the committee declares. have matcriaiiy
supplemented tho national food sup.
ply. and nave substantially helped to
steady and 10 Standardiye the Drico
of Eardc n produce. The work has much
that is valuable from The oconomi r.
the social and the hyCicnic points q.
view"
The changes which the war has
wrought in the dict OF the average
working class Family arc OF interest
This is the table which the committee
presents:
1914 1915
weekly weekly cham.
pounds pounds pounds
5 Bread rice,