The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-01-19
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.

ment of labor, in its countrywide in
vestigation of the cost of living in |
1o18-1919, secured itemized budgets |
from approximately 1900 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 983 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
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.
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
Guided In the investigation were re-
ceiving annual incomes of $500 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
81 200, 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 81, 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 a 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 a
yearly average of 800 per adult male
would probably result. Further study
has shown that this estimate was too
| 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 $68.33 for the
clothing Of the husband and 5000 for
| the wife. In Southern cities, the aver.
age for 2O7 families, similarly chosen
| shows S7559 for the husband and $62.Os
| for the wife. While the clothes pur'
| chased for these sums may be sut1'
| cient to keep the wearer warm, it 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 room per person
and 8 per cent less than 05 Of a room
per person. Very little information
was gathered which will give conclu'
sions as to housing conditions from q
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
Ianeous nature, comprise from II to p
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 cite:
have been compiled. In these variou:
! cities the yearly expenditure per fam
ilv for health, which includes doctor
( dentist, hospital, oculist, medicines
ranged from an average Of 1927 &
S92.77, the mean being approximate!
SIS.
The corresponding figure on amuse
ments. which includes movies, plays
concerts, excursions. vacations, ranged
from an average of $9.95 to $3.50 pc
year per family, with a mean Of be
tween SIT and S18.
The average yearly expenditure pc
family for education and uplift, which
! includes newspapers, magazines, books