ON LESS THAN £200 A YEAR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 948, 15 October 1910, Page 11

ON LESS THAN £200 A YEAR.

IS MARRIAGE POSSIBLE? In view of tho fact that members of Parliament have been feeling their way as to whether the Government will introduce legislation, if necessary, to 'prohibit the banks from preventing their employees getting married before their salary reaches- £200 per annum,- it may be of interest to learn- that-a controversy: has been carried on in the columns of the English. "Daily News" as to what constitutes a living wage. The question is asked: "Is marriage on £200 a year?" 'Many of the letters which have been published are revelations of the incomes upon which an exceedingly largo proportion

ofpeople at Home.manage to live, and to bring up a 'family, though,: of course, the;,di&rence, between-.the icost.iof "Jiving :in. New Zealand, as compared witli England, must -be remembered.' i Still, it leaves one filled with-a strong, sense of . the-.bravery with V: whioh' they plunge into ■ unknown; depths,; and the resource-.' fulness which, so many of them display. Almost the. tales of the pioneers, whiqli show, life devoid of , so* -much .-which people; now think absolutely necessary, pale, beforo them. .. ;

One man writes that, having read, or one. estimate of. expending; £200; he thinks .it extravagant. ..'He himself has had thirty-five years': experience; ' and has brought' up; and educated (not-at Board schools) five boys , and': five girls', all living.- Let him put rent and taxes at £40; domestic. ■ servant, £14;. foo.d for. three,. £70dress, etc., >£15 j. season ticket,'£6; t0ta1,,£145; leaving £55 in hand for.-whatever 'may!.turn up." •'■ It does seem as though it'must have been a fearful 'scrape, - but it is absolute wealth compared .to .the statement of.! accounts .given by another writer; As may' be imagined, when, the total, income'of this'latter contributor does not exceed .£9O ; a "year,.i Mr. Lloyd George does not'trouble him;.- The-working outi of the weekly budget of expenditure is interesting, and is as follows:— •••"•: ■ ' - s. 'd.- ■ Rent ; 7 0 .•Weekly sum towards annual • i premium ; endowment policy 3 0 Trado' ; TMon levy 1.........; 6 ■ ..-.Widowed mother .......2, 6 .. : Total : for housekeeping (excluding clothes) ................17 0 Amuselnents :.... 0 0 Holidays'...... > 0. 0 Possible sickness 0 0 , 30 0 Then he says: "Yet I. claim ;to be happy and- ' fairly ~- of course, through the noble efforts of my "hoirie-raaker"—and I strive to maintain: the ■ three virtues - which R. •L. Stevenson asked for in bis. prayer— "Courage, gaiety, and-a quiet mind;". Observe; - he' putsdown among' his accounts: Amusements, 'nothing 1 Holidays, nothing IPossible' sickness,, nothing! "Can. one.find many' New Zealandersj living like that. . Another correspondent (a woman this time), 'says:,

I wish the correspondent who thinks it would be-poverty to marry on" £200 a year could 'spend a few days'.in our'little home, which has, alas ! no £200 a year to keop it going; but n'modest £35. Out of that .we pay £10 ; rent, £1 10s. rates, and the remainder has to find us food, coals, light, and clothes,.' and the hundred ■ arid-. one' littlb necessaries. We have one ■ little girl, who is worth' all the ; plans and contrivances that, are needed to' make ends meet. It has been our hope ever since wo married to lay up sufficient to'keep ns: in years ,to come, and we had got together enough to bring us m £40 a year, but owing to an accident my husband has just lost £350; so now wo .must start again. Although it will be a work of years, I shall be, when it is accomplished, one of the happiest women ,in the world.

It soems absolutely startling, to read of what is done on so little, and somehow one is inclined to think they must be entirely a different race of people. Many of these, contributors are professional people, with appearances to keep up as well, yet they. do it on so much less than the average working man gets hero sometimes.