CHAPTER X

AMOUNT SPENT A HEAD ON FOOD—PER WEEK, PER DAY

The remarkable thing about these budgets is the small amount left for food after all other necessaries have been paid for. When it comes to a pinch, food is the elastic item. Rent is occasionally not paid at all during a crisis, but the knowledge that it is mounting up, and that eventually it must be paid keeps these steady folk from that expedient save at the very last resource. A little less food all round, though a disagreeable experience, leaves no bill in shillings and pence to be paid afterwards. Down to a certain low minimum, therefore, food may sink before leaving the rent unpaid, or before pawning begins. That low minimum differs in different families. It is a question of the standard to which each has been accustomed, but that it is possible to be accustomed to an extraordinarily low standard these budgets amply prove.

The following are a number of weekly budgets taken at random:

Mr. A., whose house was visited from January, 1911, to February, 1912, was a railway-carriage washer, and was paid 18s. for a six days’ week, alternately with 21s. for a seven days’ week. His wife was a good manager, but was in delicate health. He was an extraordinarily good husband, and brought home to her his entire wage. There were three children born, and three alive.

_A 21/0 Week._

s. d. Rent 7 0 Clothing club (for two weeks) 1 2 Burial insurance (for two weeks) 1 6 Coal and wood 1 7 Coke 0 3 Gas 0 10 Soap, soda 0 5 Matches 0 1 Blacklead, blacking 0 1 ----- 12 11

_Left for Food, 8/1._

s. d. 11 loaves 2 7 1 quartern flour 0 5½ Meat 1 10 Potatoes and greens 0 9½ ½ lb. butter 0 6 1 lb. jam 0 3 6 ozs. tea 0 6 2 lb. sugar 0 4 1 tin of milk 0 4 Cocoa 0 4 Suet 0 2 ------ 8 1

Average per head for food all round the family, 1s. 7½d. a week, or less than 3d. a day. But a working man cannot do on less than 6d. a day, or 3s. 6d. a week. This reduces the mother and children to 1s. 1¾d. a week, or less than 2d. a day.

Mr. B., whose house was visited from July, 1911, till September, 1912, was a printer’s labourer, whose wages ranged between 20s. and 26s. a week. He usually allowed 20s. for household. There were six children born, and six alive.

_November 23, 1911._

s. d. Rent 8 0 Burial insurance 1 8 Boot club 1 0 Coal 1 0 Gas 0 8 Wood 0 3 Soap, soda 0 4½ ------ 12 11½

_Left for Food, 7/0½._

s. d. 14 loaves 3 2½ Meat 0 10 Suet 0 2 Dripping 0 6 3 ozs. tea 0 3 2 lb. sugar 0 4 2 tins of milk 0 6 1 quartern flour 0 5 Potatoes 0 6 Greens 0 4 ------ 7 0½

Average per head for food all round the family, 10½d. a week, or 1½d. a day.

About December, 1911, the household allowance was raised to 21s. 9d., with occasional grants of 1s. towards clothes.

Mr. C., whose house was visited from November, 1910, to July, 1911, worked in a pottery. His wages were 22s. He allowed 20s. There were four children born, and four alive.

_February 15, 1911._

s. d. Rent 6 0 Burial insurance 1 2 Coal 1 3 Gas 1 2 Soap, soda, etc. 0 5½ Wood 0 2 ------ 10 2½

_Left for Food, 9/9½._

s. d. 14 loaves 2 11 Meat 2 9 3 lb. sugar 0 6 8 ozs. tea 0 8 Butter 0 10 17 lbs. potatoes 0 10½ 1 tin of milk 0 3 Pot herbs and greens 0 4 1 lb. jam 0 4 2 haddocks 0 4 ------ 9 9½

Average per head for food all round the family, 1s. 7½d. a week, or 2¾d. a day. Putting the father’s 3s. 6d. on one side, the mother and children average 1s. 5d. a week, or 2½d. a day.

Mr. D., whose house was visited from June, 1910, till July, 1911, was a pottery packer, making 25s. a week. He allowed 23s. There were six children born, and six alive.

_November 7, 1910._

s. d. Rent 7 3 Burial insurance 1 3½ Boot club 0 6 Slate club 0 7 Gas 0 8 Coal 1 5 Soap, soda 0 5 Wood 0 1 Coke 0 2 Lamp oil 0 0½ Blacking 0 0½ ------ 12 5½

_Left for Food, 10/6½_

s. d. 14 loaves 2 11 Meat 2 8 20 lbs. potatoes 0 10 6 ozs. tea 0 6 Sugar 0 5¼ Butter 0 6 Jam 0 4 Vegetables 0 8 Suet and lard 0 2½ Vinegar, pepper, and salt 0 1¾ 1 tin of milk 0 3 Flour 0 5 Cheese 0 4 Haddock 0 4 ------ 10 6½

Average per head for food all round the family, 1s. 3¾d. a week, or 2¼d. a day.

Putting the father’s 3s. 6d. on one side, the mother and children average 1s. a week, or 1-5/7d. a day.

Mr. E., whose house was visited from June, 1910, to October, 1912, was a painter’s labourer, who never would tell his wife what he made. She had 22s. a week in summer-time, and what he could give her in winter; never less than 20s. when in work. The eldest girl had just got into a soda-water factory, and was allowing 4s. a week. Owing to a period of almost entire unemployment in the previous winter £3 4s. was still owing for rent when the visits began. There were seven children alive, three dead. One son had left home.

_December 7, 1910._

s. d. Rent (of which 2s. is back payment) 10 0 Boot club 0 6 Burial insurance 0 7 Mangling 0 2 Coal 1 4 Gas 0 9 Wood 0 1 Soap, soda 0 4 Linseed meal 0 1 Pinafore and bonnet 0 8 ----- 14 6

_Left for Food, 11/6._

s. d. 20 loaves 4 2 Meat 2 10½ 2 tins of milk 0 6 Sugar 0 4 Margarine 1 0 Potatoes 0 9 Tea 0 8 Fish 0 4½ Vegetables 0 6 Pepper, salt 0 1 Jam 0 3 ------ 11 6

Average per head for food all round the family, 1s. 3¾d. a week, or 2¼d. a day. Putting the father’s 3s. 6d. on one side, the mother and children average 1s. 1¾d. a week, or nearly 2d. a day.

To take now groups of men in the same trade without giving the budget of each in detail will give a more general idea. Eight carmen form the first group. Their wages are extraordinarily dissimilar. They, at the time their budgets passed into the hands of the investigation, were working for private firms, for L.C.C. contractors, and Post-Office contractors on every kind of terms. Paid by the day or by the week, they were on night work or day work, driving one horse or two, continuously at work, or with long stretches of waiting in a yard with no shelter. One Postal van driver, who was a night worker, drove all Derby Day in between two of his nights, and got 1s. 6d. overtime for it. The case of the carman in a big West End private firm who got two days a week has been already mentioned.

The cases are as follows:

1. Wage, 26s. Allowance, 23s. 6d. 6 children; none dead.

Rent, 5s. 6d.—2 tiny rooms. Clothing as wanted. No burial insurance.

Average left for food on 6 weeks’ full pay—14s. 5d., or 1s. 9½d. per head a week, 3d. a day: man, 3s. 6d.; mother and children, 1s. 6¾d. a week, or 2¾d. a day.

The week that 4s. had to be spent on new boots these figures became for mother and children 11¾d. a week, or 1¾d. a day.

2. Wage, 25s. Allowance, 21s.; girl’s wage, 4s.; total, 25s. 7 children alive, 1 dead, 1 away.

Rent, 7s.—2 rooms. Clothing as wanted. No burial insurance.

Average left for food, 12s. 4½d., or 1s. 6½d. per head a week: man, 3s. 6d.; mother and children, 1s. 3¼d. a week, or 2-5/7d. a day.

3. Wage, 24s. Allowance, 22s. 3 children alive, 1 dead.

Rent for 3 rooms, 7s. Clothing, 6d. Burial insurance, 8d.

Left for food, 9s. 4d., or 1s. 10½d. per head a week, 3¼d. a day: man, 3s. 6d. a week; mother and children, 1s. 5½d. a week, or 2½d. a day.

4. Wage, 24s. 9d. Allowance, 24s. 4 children alive, 1 dead.

Rent, 8s. Clothing, 2s. 2d. Burial insurance, 10d.

Average left for food, 10s. 2¾d., or 1s. 8½d. per head a week, or almost 3d. a day: man, 3s. 6d.; mother and children nearly 1s. 4d. a week, or 2¼d. a day.

5. Wage, 20s. Allowance, 19s. 4 children; none dead.

Rent, 4s. 6d. for one room. No regular clothing. Burial insurance, 3½d.

Average left for food, 9s. 11¼d., or 1s. 7¾d. per head a week, less than 3d. a day: man, 3s. 6d.; mother and children, nearly 1s. 4d. a week, or 2¼d. a day.

6. Wage, 20s. Allowance, 18s. 4 children alive; 5 dead.

Rent (2 rooms), 4s. 6d. Clothing, 1s. 6d. Burial insurance, 8½d.

Average left for food—8s. 9d., or 1s. 5½d. per head a week, 2½d. a day: man, 3s. 6d.; mother and children, 1s. 0⅗d. per head a week, less than 2d. a day.

Two cases where the weekly wage was less than 18s., owing to the men taking temporary work in unemployment:

7. Wage, 15s. Allowance, 12s. 6d. 2 children alive, 2 dead.

Rent, 3s. 9d. (1 room). No regular clothing. No burial insurance. Has since insured.

Average left for food—4s. 9d., or 1s. 2½d. per head a week, 2d. a day: man could not have his 3s. 6d. a week here, as that would leave only 1s. 3d. a week between mother and children. He probably manages on 2s., leaving 2s. 9d. for mother and two children.

8. Wage, 10s. Allowance, 8s. 6d. 1 child.

Rent, 3s. 6d. (1 room). No regular clothing. No burial insurance. Has since insured.

Average left for food—3s. 10d., or 1s. 3⅓d. per head a week, 2¼d. a day: here again the man cannot take his 3s. 6d. a week, but probably manages on about 2s., leaving 1s. 10d. a week for nursing mother.

The general average for the 8 women and 30 living children is 1s. 2⅗d. per head a week, or 2d. a day. Ten children have died, and 1 has left home, making the total of children born 41.

Another group is 3 printers’ labourers, where the average for 3 women and 18 living children is 10¼d. a week, or 1½d. a day. Only 2 children have died in this group, making the total 20.

The average for the families of 2 horse-keepers is 1s. 4d. per week, or 2¼d. a day. There are 9 children living, 2 have died.

Three plumbers’ and painters’ labourers form another group, where 3 women and 15 living children average 1s. 1½d. a week, or almost 2d. a day. In this group 7 children have died, making a total of 22.

In the families of 2 potters’ labourers, out of 10 children none have died. The 2 women and 10 children average 1s. 1½d. per week, or nearly 2d. a day.

Two theatre hands out of 14 children have lost 6, and the 2 women and 8 living children average 1s. 3½d. a week, or 2¼d. a day.

The average for all the women and children within the investigation is 1s. 5½d. per head a week, or 2½d. per head a day.

This average is worked out under the supposition that the man has a uniform expenditure on his food of 3s. 6d. a week, or 6d. a day, except in about six cases, where the total amount left for food was so small that it was obvious that the man had to share more or less with the others, or they could not have lived at all. An average of six weeks was taken in each case, as the amount spent on food varied very much from week to week in some families. When clothes or sickness made an inroad on the budget down went the food.

Here is a case in point:

Mr. M.: Wage, 25s. Allowed 23s. Three children.

_April 29, 1910._

s. d. Rent 6 6 Coal 0 9 Wood and oil 0 6½ Club 0 3 Soap, soda 0 4½ Boy’s knickers 0 8¾ Burial insurance 0 10 ----- 9 11¾

_Left for food_, 13/0¼, which means 9/6¼ between the mother and children, or 2/4½ per week, or 4d. a day.

_May 5, 1910._

s. d. Rent 6 6 Coal 0 9 Doctor 1 0 Nurse 5 0 Club 0 3 Burial insurance 0 10 Soap, soda 0 4½ ------ 14 8½

_Left for food_, 8/3½, which means 4/9½ between the mother and children, or 1/2¼ per week, or 2d. a day.

Another way than that of reducing the food of hungry children is to pawn clothing when some expense must be met.

Mr. R.: Wage, 25s.; allows 21s.; six children. Daughter (partially fed at service): Wage, 4s.; allows 4s. Total income, 29s. Total allowance, 25s.

The daughter was told by her mistress where she was in daily service that she must come in better boots. The average amount left for food was 11s. 3d. for the whole family of man, wife, and the five children fed at home, which means 1s. 7½d. per head a week all round the family. Taking the usual 3s. 6d. for the man’s food, there is left 7s. 9d. for the mother and children, which means 1s. 3½d. each per week, or 2¼d. per day. The food allowance being already as low as seemed safe to go, rent being payable to a personal friend who was in difficulties herself, the pawnshop was chosen as the way out.

The statement of income given above was altered as follows:

s. d. Mr. R. 21 0 S. 4 0 Made a parcel own boots 2 0 Tommy’s boots 2 6 ----- 29 6

While expenses other than food ran:

s. d. Rent 7 0 Gas 1 6 Coal 2 1½ Soap, soda 0 2 Boots for S. 6 6 ------ 17 3½

Which leaves for food all round the family, 12s. 2½d., or an average of nearly 1s. 9d. per head a week. The average for mother and children is almost 1s. 5½d., or 2½d. a day. The sum of 4s. 6d. which was received for the boots appears later as “4s. 8d. for boots out of pawn” in the expenditure of maternity benefit.

The sum of 3s. 6d. which is deducted for the bread-winner’s food before calculating the average for mother and children is in many instances well below the actual sum spent on the man’s food. This amount has been chosen as the very least the women feel themselves justified in spending. The cases where men take 3s. or 3s. 3d. for week-day dinners are those in point. The sum of 4s. 6d. or 5s. would be nearer the mark by the end of the week, when the man has had his share of the Sunday joint, and his share, with or without “relishes,” of the teas and breakfasts. In no single instance did the man seem to be having more than enough or even enough. It was evident, however, that in order to keep one person almost sufficiently fed all the rest in nearly every case had to live permanently on less than 3d. a day.

It must be remembered by those who are convinced that the working man can live well and easily on 3d. a day, because middle-class people have tried the experiment and found it possible, that the well-to-do man who may spend no more than 1s. 9d. a week on food for a month or more has not also all his other expenses cut down to their very lowest limit. The well-to-do man sleeps in a quiet, airy room, with sufficient and sanitary bedding. He has every facility for luxurious bathing and personal cleanliness. He has light and hygienic clothing; he has warmth in the winter and change of air in the summer. He can rest when he is in; he has good cooking at his command, with a sufficiency of storage, utensils, and fuel. Above all he can always stop living on 3d. a day if it does not suit him, or if his family get anxious. When his daughter needs a pair of 6s. 6d. boots he does not have to arrange an overdraft with his banker in order to meet the crisis, as the poor man does with his pawnbroker. He does not feel that all his family, well or ill, warm or cold, overworked or not, are also bound to live on 3d. a day, and are only too thankful if it does not drop to 2½d. or 2d., or even less, should under-employment or no employment come his way. It is impossible to compare the living on 3d. a day of a person all of whose other requirements are amply and sufficiently satisfied, with the living of people whose every need is thwarted and starved. Food is only half the problem. Air, light, warmth, freedom from damp, sufficient space—these, for adults—go to make up the other half, and these for young children are even of greater importance than sufficient diet.

In the households of well-to-do people two kinds of diet can be used—one for adults, the other for children. In the household which spends 10s. or even less on food, only one kind of diet is possible, and that is the man’s diet. The children have what is left over. There must be a Sunday joint, or, if that be not possible, at least a Sunday dish of meat, in order to satisfy the father’s desire for the kind of food he relishes, and most naturally therefore intends to have. With that will go potatoes and greens. The children share the meat, if old enough, or have potatoes and gravy. For those children too young for cold meat there may be suet pudding; but probably there is only bread and dripping, and so on and so on, not only through the week, but through the months and years. Nursery food is unknown for the children of the poor, who get only the remains of adult food.

It was reckoned by a young mother of the writer’s acquaintance that the cost of _special_ food used for two children in her nursery was 10s. a week—mostly spent on milk, cream, and fruit, items of diet hardly ever seen by children of the poor.

That the diet of the poorer London children is insufficient, unscientific, and utterly unsatisfactory is horribly true. But that the real cause of this state of things is the ignorance and indifference of their mothers is untrue. What person or body of people, however educated and expert, could maintain a working man in physical efficiency and rear healthy children on the amount of money which is all these same mothers have to deal with? It would be an impossible problem if set to trained and expert people. How much more an impossible problem when set to the saddened, weakened, overburdened wives of London labourers?