The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-11-28
MANY FAMILIES
ARE UNDERFED
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.

Relationship Between tne 6uooeS
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
ily 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 II representative cities, indicates
that PIP 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 3,5OO
Galleries purchased per man per day
these figures point to the fact that ap-
proximately 20 per cent of the fam
flies 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.
A 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 $500 OF
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 1921 per cent Of the families In the
income group Of $1,000 to 81 500, where
the food necessary for an average fam
ily would be subject to serious curtal'
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
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 641 families having children
under fifteen years Of age. and living
In Northern cities, shows an average
yearly expenditure of $6S.33 for the
clothing Of the husband and $55.75 for
the wife. In Southern cities, the aver.
age for POI families. similarly chosen,
shows $75.59 for the husband and $62O5
for the wife. While the clothes pur.
chased for these sums may be suffi'
cient to keep the wearer warm, 1t Is
certain that decency and health can.
not be maintained on such small out
lay for clothing.
Judged by the standard that over.
crowding begins when there Is more
than one person per room, consider
able proportion Of the families includ-
ed in this investigation must be
classed as overcrowded. A study has
been made of 2,455 families living in
rented houses in "a different cities.
Fifty per cent Of these had less than
one room per person. II per cent had
less than OF Of a room per person.
and 3 per cent less than O5 of a room
per person. Very little information
was gathered which will give conclu-
sions as to housing conditions from
sanitary standpoint. In New Orleans,
however, 81 per cent Of the lat white
families included in the investigation
lived in houses without bath rooms.
Miscellaneous items which include
expenditures for care Of health, educa-
ton, amusements, insurance premiums
and numerous other items Of miscel-
laneous nature, comprise from II to "a
per cent of the family budget, the
amount increasing uniformly with in
crease in income.
Details From Thirty Cities.
Detailed data on miscellaneous ex-
penses for 80 representative cities
have been compiled. In these various
cities the yearly expenditure per fam
lily for health. which includes doctor,
dentist, hospital, oculist, medicines,
ranged from an average of 1927 to
$92.77, the mean being approximately