Evening star., 1945-02-25
BY Manry Maverick,
Who Used 10 Be . consressman Himself.
thing which might be called luxurious

thing which might be called luxurious
or wasteful way Of spending.
None Of the figures included in this
report include campaign expenditures.
These vary, but are more than any
Congressman can afford. Some Con-
gressmen try to show they had no CAM
paign expense, but this is usually i'm
possible. Certain positively essential ex-
penditures OF perfectly legal nature
some of which might technically be
called "social'-surely run for the tight
est Congressman from 81 900 to 81 500 a
year as minimum. In any event, a
Congressman has many expenses, call
them Campaign" or what you will, that
he would not have as judge or a pri-
vate citizen. Perfectly legal and moral,
but heavy extra.
My study shows the living costs of the
average Congressman. 1t rests upon
two sources of information:
(a) The wartime budget of an $4,000
a-year executive in 1914, as prepared by
the Heller Committee for Research in
Social Economics Of the University Of
California, and (b) the extra expenses
incurred by Congressman. as obtained
by personal interviews with a group of
Congressman, such interviews being
made by others who never served in
Congress. Added to this is knowledge
of my own, based on actual experience.
The report shows that the living costs
for a Congressman, not including cam
paign expenditures. average $l6.2ls.
This study was developed by adding
to the normal expenses of the typical
executive earning 5000 . year the ex-
ira expenses which Congressman reg
ularly incurs. The base Of the study
that is. the expenditures OF the s,ooo-a-
year executive-were obtained from the
published report, wartime Budget for
the Family of an Executive-March,
1914" issued by the Heller Committee for
Research in Social Economics at the
University Of California and published
by the University of California Press.
1t is a recognized, authoritative and
standard work in the field of cost-of-
living statistics.
Compared to $1,000 Executive.
The way in which the Heller Commit
tee develops this budget is, briefly, as
follows:
/. 1t selects q representative sample
of executives in the 5000 income group
from people who live in San Francisco,
Calf.
2. 1t obtains from each Of these ex-
ecutives and their families by personal
interview, the quantities of each item
consumed during the year. For ex-
ample. the average executive was found
to purchase one straw hat year.
g. 1t then goes on to the various stores
where these items are sold and deter
mines their prices.
The Heller Committee budget is for
family Of four. Fortunately, by COIN
cidence, there are four persons in the
average Congressman's family, as indi-
Gated in the Congressional Directory
While the Heller Committee budget
provides for an adequate standard of
living for family OF four, can't find
any single item In the entire budget
which would be considered excessive
or wasteful.
Roast Pork for Dinner.
For dinner the executive and his fam
cold sliced pork on Monday, liver loaf
on Tuesday, Drowned hash made OF
leftover pork on Wednesday, veal stew
on Thursday, baked halibut on Friday,
beans and bacon and tomato on Satur-
day.
Similarly, the wife OF the family is no
buyer Of expensive clothes. In 1874
she bought only one-.winter hat, one
wool suit, one afternoon dress. one rayon
and one cotton casual dress and bought
one-hah of a dinner and one-half OF
street dress. (The purchase of one
half Of dress means simply that she
purchases only one of the items over
a two-year period.)
The purchase of clothes by the exec
utive, himself, are even more modest
since his principal expenditures are
for one business suit . year, one-hali
dozen shirts and dozen pairs OF socks
and two pair OF shoes.
Extra Expenses sf Cengressmen.
II 1t is accepted that the expenditures
In the Heller Committee budget for IN
| $8.000-a-year executive are reasonable
| an estimate can be made OF what II
costs = Congressman to live In Wash
| ington. These extra expenses involved
relate primarily to the cost and main.
tenance OF = home, rail and plane
transportation, automobile operation
and upkeep, taxicab fare. telephone toll
calls, lunches for constituents, extrs
clerk hire, gifts, newspapers and other
expenditures necessary to his occupation
took into consideration the fact tha,
congressman get travel pay which i
substantial Tor sns round txiD, but ~