Evening star., 1936-10-25
Twentieth Century
Standards of Living
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

There is an old observation 10 the erect
that half the people do not know how
the other half lives. This statement is
believed to be in error because of its ex-
tremely narrow conservatism. The d.
vision is not so simple as by halves.
The real fact is that scarcely any one
really knows how any one else lives.
How other people live is matter OF
enduring curiosity to others One is
tolerably (or intolerably) familiar with
the manner in which dwellers in small
towns pry into the affairs of their neigh
bors. Sir James Barrie's description of
the track of the minister OF ThrumS is
not peculiar to Scotland. 1t would fit
any American town. Indeed, small towns
are but little different from large cities,
for each large city is cut up into neigh
borhoods, and this same consuming curi-
osity persists.
One can carry the story even farther.
From the days of Herodotus people have
been travelling to far lands to find out
how other people live. No tales are more
eagerly listened to than the tales of re-
turned travellers. In all parts of the
world, and in all times. the story has
been the same; this abiding curiosity has
persisted.
It Is only in relatively modern times
that what might be called scientific
methods have been adopted to find out
some of the facts. What is modernly
called the survey was unknown in earlier
days. Nowadays the effort to satisfy
curiosity has become a part of social
study. Perhaps it would be difficult to
show just what good the information
elected serves beyond meeting that age
old curiosity, but at least vast deal OF
such information is gathered every year
at the expense of the American tax
payers.
The United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics is one of the most inveterate
gossips and locker into other peoples
affairs in the country. 1t does the job
in a thorough fashion. 1t sends repre-
sentatives right into the households and
practically insists that the family secrets
be laid bare-not, perhaps. all the family
secrets about marriage, birth and bury
ing-but the secrets about how much is
spent for this and how much for that.
To be sure, the bureau does not betray
the secrets of individual families. They
are guarded in an impersonal. statistical
manner But it does find out how large
numbers of people live.
X **
The bureau is primarily interested in
wage earners and persons of small SAL
aries. The manner of life of the rich is
left to other investigators. Labor is the
bureaus province.
1t has Just reported on how large num-
berS of families in several American cities
spend their money, and there is enough
material in the survey to form the basis
for a novel. To make the survey better
understandable, what is called a con-
sumption unit has been created. That
is one member of a family. Because of
the varying sizes of families, family fig
ures would not mean so much, so the
consumption unit was conceived. 1t con-
sists of the theoretical amount of food,
clothing. shelter and all other things
which an adult male would normally
consume Women and children are given
graduated values in accordance with age
sex and the like.
The outstanding fact which appears
from the study is that the lower the in
come per consumption unit the higher
the percentage of income spent for food.
Food comes before everything. but as the
scale of income rises the relative money
Importance of food sinks.
Take the city of Detroit, for example.
It is shown that in families where the
income provides not more than $500
year for each consumption unit, 400
per cent of the whole income goes for
food. With every $l00 year advance
the percentage spent for food goes down.
The top class studied is one in which
there is s700 year or more for each
consumption unit. In that class only
252 per cent of the total income goes for
food. What seems a little hard is that
the survey reveals that when one reaches
the higher income classes, more food and
much better food is obtained, even
though the family needs spend so much
smaller a percentage of total income.
In the lower groups the market basket
is laden with flour and meal, with only
the cheapest types Of meat. and little
Of that. Fresh vegetables and fruits are
in small supply. Potatoes are important
because they usually are cheap. The
amount of milk is much governed by
local prices. As the scale goes up the
consumption of fresh vegetables and
fruit is more than doubled. Consump-
ton of fresh meat, poultry. fish and eggs
is actually increased by so per cent.
Percentages of income spent for cloth
ing are more constant than percentages
for food. For instance, in Detroit, the
$500 level spends Ill per cent of income
for clothing, while the s700 class spends
but 119 per cent. But while there is
no appreciable difference in percentage
there is the difference between about S33
a year and SIT a year per consumption
unit in cash outlay.
The same general rule is true of hous-
ing, which, as rule, means amount OF
rent paid. In Detroit. in the $500 class,
14.3 per cent of total income goes for
rent, while in the top class 1873 per cent
is so expended. This means more than
twice as much is spent per consumption
unit on rent in the top class than 10
spent in the lower class This does not
quite tell the full story. The average
number of members of the higher in
come class families Is much less. In
Boston. for example, the difference is so
great that the $500 class shows 5l-3
consumption units per family, while the
500 class shows only % units. Obvi-
ously the living quarters are even better
in comparison, as between the classes,
than the percentage figures indicate.
In some cities the number OF families
In the $500 income class living IN resi-.
dences having such conveniences as In
side toilets, running hot water, gas ana