FAMILY BUDGET

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 107, 2 November 1937, Page 10

FAMILY BUDGET

INQUIRY IN BRITAIN

COST-OF-LIVING INDEX

(From "The Post's" Representative.)

LONDON, October 6.

Thirty thousand selected householders throughout Britain will be called: on to answer questions concerning the family budget when the Ministry of Labour begins its inquiry later this month. The inquiry is being made to provide an up-to-date basis for the cost-of-living index figures. The thirty thousand people, who have been selected .at random, are adult wage-earners and small-salary earners distributed over all districts. They include manual workers who pay unemployment insurance and nonmanual workers whose incomes do not exceed £250 a year.

"On the cost-of-living index figures the wages of millions of workers are raised or lowered, and the'present inquiry is being made in their interests," said Mr. R. A. Butler, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour. "We hope that all those familis who are being asked to give us the desired information in strict confidence will co-operate with us in making it as exactly as possible.

"The inquiry is not an inquisition. Everything is being done voluntarily, and we, hope it will result in our cost-of-living figures being the best in the world. The inquiry is fully justified, statistically, scientifically, and socially, and its success will depend upon, the co-operation we receive from members of the public": ' ■

The budget form is an , impressive document of fifteen pages, and is known officially as "C.L.1." The name, age, and occupation of each member of the household are required; together with details of the rent, house pur-chase-payments, rates, and gas and electricity. ...-.'

Food, however, is the most important item on which detailed information is required. A full page is devoted to each day's expenditure for one week. Not only does Whitehall want to know the quantity of food bought or how much is spent, but also, in the case of milk, whether it is liquid or condensed. •

Items apart from food include every household requirement — furniture, fuel, clothing, laundry, boot- repairs, etc. For these only the total weekly expenditure is required. The same applies to money spent on journeys to work, holiday fares, newspapers and books, theatres and cinemas, doctor's and dentist's bills.

To the thirty thousand who are being asked for information, the Ministry will pay 2s 6d for each completed budget "in recognition of' the time'and labour" spent.-