Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-04-15
Food in France Takes
Two-1hirds Of Income
In White-CoIIar Group
By Fred Sporks
Foreign corresporden, Of The s'uf and

shechieoso Dolly News
PARIS, April 15.-As the Amer
lean budgeter would have 1t. rent
should not exceed one-quarter of
income.
One -fiftieth of his income Is
the Frenchman's rule of thumb.
But wait before you scream:
1.-THE lucky dog" Food costs
from two-thirds to three quarters
Of the French income.
Step up two flights Of stairs
with me to a drab three-room fiat
cold water. toilet in hall-at SO
Rue Jacob and meet Nine. Andree
Bonniol. I want you to see how
she gets along. It'll help you
understand the problems Of the
people you-via the Marshall
Plan-are helping support.
White Collar Family.
The Bonniols are white-collar
family and they're getting a posi-
lively shabby deal in postwar
Europe where the farmer is king.
want you to see Mime. Bon
niol's budget. so III break down
all the figures at the legal rate
Of $40 to the dollar.
Mr.. Bonniol shuffles papers In
the Finance Ministry. He earns
$50 a month. His wife's brother
who is in wretched health-lives
with them, kicking In his s35-a-
month. Because they have three
kids, the Bonniols get $15-a-
month bonus from the govern
ment.
This bonus is practically gift
from America. Without that gol-
den flow of Marshall Plan green
backs, the French government
could no more afford to pay these
bonuses (Which lift millions over
the subsistence leveD than you
could afford to wear mink
pajamas.
Live Below u. s. Standard.
One of the kids lives with
grandma in the country, leaving
five mouths to feed. Out of their
800 monthly income the Bon
niols have living standard
slightly under what an American
family of five on identical income
would enjoy today IN New York,
Chicago or San Francisco (al-
though prices vary. as you can
see below.
How the Bonniols spend their
monthly income:
65.00-Food.
5.50-Clothing.
1.95-Rent.
6.40-Gas. electricity and wood
for heater.
1.65-To grandma for keeping
daughter Lillian.
305-Allowance for brother.
4.65-Kids' parochial school
fees. books.
4.0o-Medicines doctors, dem
fists.
3.3o-Newspapers, entertain
ment.
.35-Hubby's allowance (he
lunches home).
i6S-Horne upkeep, soap. etc.
$4,000
Food, you can see, is the head
ache. and Mime. Bonniol insists.
1--WE only eat to our hunger"
which means no one is getting fat.
Ichecked the Bonniol food bud
get for one day. Mime. Bonniol
bought potatoes. vegetables. a
small slice of cheese, two oranges
and two bananas. liver, three
eggs, endive salad and bread.
Eggs were about cents apiece,
bread for the day Is cents. Meat
is highest-enough liver for five
portions for 10 cents. These pur-
chases took $1.75 out of a daily
food allowance Of $2.16. The rest
was filled in by sugar, spices, cof-
fee, etc.
Generally, there Is plenty of
food In the markets-it's the price
that hurts.
Because of these rough times.
the Bonniols have completely cut
out wine-almost as unpleasant
for q Frenchman as an anteater
cutting out ants.
It's easy to see how . terrific
readjustment must be made to
bring the price of food in France
down to a more sensible level
by local comparison-with other
items.