Evening star., 1947-02-09
CutinD. Relief Threatens
Food Budget of Poor Families
Mothers Already
Having Hard Time
Making Ends Meet

Mothers who give their children
water instead of milk and still have
to borrow from kindly neighbors-
or 60 without necessities-before the
next relief check comes, are looking
toward March / with dread in their
hearts.
The Board of Public Welfare. has
decided to cut relief grants by 20
per cent on March /. Since fixed
items in the budget, such as rent,
will have to be paid in full, the blow
will fall hardest on the food budget
And food, Star survey revealed
yesterday, is where the mothers are
having the toughest time making
ends meet now. A visit to some of
the homes where families exist on
relief grants showed they can afford
only the cheapest foods-and only
enough of those to keep them alive.
Most of them live on beans, fat
back, cabbage and flour. They make
their own bread. In some homes a
cereal is the entire breakfast. None
Of the homes boasted the luxury Of
coffee or tea. Only on occasion does
budget stretch far enough to pro-
vide milk for the children. Most
of the families drink only water.
Welfare officials say the cut was
necessary because more persons are
applying for relief. The welfare
board has asked Congress for sup
Elemental appropriation of $184, 900.
Thousands Worried.
Meanwhile thousands of persons
on relief are wondering how they
will live after March /.
In Southwest, for example, a
mother and four children who went
on relief because their breadwinner
deserted them are now getting $50 25
month. When the 20 per cent cut
goes into effect their income will
be lowered to $64.20 a month. This
is their present budget, from which
20 per cent will be cut:
The family is allowed $40 for
food. Their house, which the well
fare department lists as four room
dwelling, costs $3.50 month.
Although 1t is a four-room house, it
is in such bad repair that the family
has to live in one room. The others
are uninhabitable and the landlord
refuses to make repairs. For heat
ing they are budgeted at Sc a
month. With this they buy coal at
80 cents a bushel for single stove.
They use kerosene lamps, for which
they are allowed IS cents a month.
Under the heading of household
supplies and services they are
allowed IS, and $12 month is
allowed for clothing. The family
consists of the mother, three boys,
5, 8 and IA, and a girl years old.
For breakfast yesterday they had
a hot cereal, on which was placed
a tiny piece of oleomargarine, and
with little canned milk poured
over it. The meals for the rest of
the day, the survey showed, would
consist of cabbage, in which would
be placed small piece of fatback,
some beans and corn-meal bread
which the woman of the house
planned to make during the day.
Money Often Runs Out.
When asked If the money ran out
toward the last of the month, she
said it frequently did. Asked what
she did then, she replied that they
borrowed from some kindly neigh
Dor or went without-mostly they
went without.
In another house where a family
consisting of four children and their
mother is supplied food and shelter
by the Welfare Department, the
five persons are forced to live on
$68 a month from relief plus $13
which the mother earns. This is
budgeted at $45 a month for food;
$3.50 for house rent; Sc for heat
ing fuel; 65 cents for kerosene; SIS
for household supplies and services,
and $12 for clothing. Because the
woman of the house is able to go
out once in a while and earn lit
tie money doing cleaning, the well
fare had deducted $13 from her
grant leaving her $68 net. If this is