Catoctin clarion., 1920-02-12
MANY FAMILIES /; !! |! les
ARE .uNDEREED
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 laDOr
statistics of the United States depart
ment Of labor, in Its countrywide in
vestigatiOn of the cost of living IN
191S-1919, secured itemized budgets
from approximately $4,000 families.
Special intensive studies of each yot
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 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 1900 calories,
and 74.5 per cent less than 3,5oo
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.
A study of the total yearly income In
relation to the food budget also bears
out these conclusions, 446 per cent OF
the total number of white families in
cluded 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
$1,000, which is wholly inadequate to
permit Of the purchase of sufficient
food for family of average size, leav-
ing 32.7 per cent of the families In the
income group of 81 200 to 81 800, where
the food necessary for an average fam
lily 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. 1t was estimated hat
yearly average of 500 per adnlt mH'e
would probably result. Further study
has shown that this estimate was too
lilnral. 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 5000 for
the wife. In Southern cities, the aver
age for 207 families, similarly chosen,
shows $3.50 for the husband and $62.OS
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
uOI Ue VII SuNh Out-
lay for clothing.
Judged by The standard that over
crowding begins when there is more
than one person per room, a. consider
able proportion of the families includ-
ed In this investigation must be
classed as overcrowded. A study has
been made of 2455 families living in
rented houses in "a different cities.
Fifty per cent Of these had less than
one room per person, IL per cent had
less than OF of room per person,
and 3 per cent less than 0.5 of 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 IL 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
j 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 $31.27 to
$9277. the mean being approximately
S58.
The corresponding figure on amuse-
ments, which includes movies, plays,
concerts, excursions, vacations, ranged
from an average of $9.95 to $3.50 per
year per family. with mean Of be-
tween SIT and $18.
The average yearly expenditure per
family for education and uplift, which
includes newspapers, magazines, books,
school tuition, music, ranged from
$S.87 to $27.57, tile mean being aps
preximately SIT.