WOMAN'S PART

Evening Star, Issue 17320, 7 April 1920, Page 2

WOMAN'S PART

t —, — ;. • IN THE COST OF LIVING. ; AN EVERYDAY TRAGEDY. WHAT SOME WOMEN HAVE DONE. ** - v ■ ; HI. In this series of articles the anxiety of women in connection with the Cost of Living has been emphasised. The facts disclosed to the writer, and the additional facts which are available to any person .interested, more than justifies'the emphasis. Elsewhere women are also suffering disabilities. In our issue of Saturday ■ • last, for instance, this paragraph appeared:— An tmfort'unate sign of the- hard times le noted in Auckland in the increased number of married. women forced to _seek work on account of the high Cost of Living. "We have had quite 'i number of mothers of families asking for a few, days' work a week," said .one employment agent, *' women whose JjiS- • bands are not earning enough to keep the family going. It seems to me a sad thing that mothers-should have to leave 2 their own homes and children for days together in order to earn the few shil- *-■ ■ *?" lings needed to keep the familv from want." ' s An examination 'of the facts would probably show that at least some of the husbands of those mothers were earning higher money wages than at any previous time. Incidentally that would emphasise the apparent foollshnefs of forcing up money wages and reglecting the Cost of Living. That phase of the question is outside the scope <A this series, however, and is worthy of separate treatment. v V Oman's part in the Cost of Living has ; so far been mainly considered from the - housewife's point of view. But the wage- ' earning woman is also embarrassed. The •' very interesting evidence tendered before the Commonwealth Basic Wage Commission, has been referred to. The basic * \», wa § e °f working wc/men, as well as that of men, has been under consideration. -The everyday needs of working women \have been discussed for many days, and the evidence has been voluminous. Here, for instance, is a very interesting item showing the claims and the employers' offer in reply with respect to the annual feminine expenditure on clothing : Costume, winter -. Claimed, half, total £6 6s per annum; offered, half, £2 2s per annum. Costumes: Summer, claimed, one, £5 5s par annum; offered, ,one, £2 5s Skirts : Claimed, two, £5 9s per annum; offered, three in ytwo years, £1 17s 6d per annum. Blouses: Claimed, six, £4 4s lOd per annum; offered, four, £3 per annum. f Camisoles: Glaimed, six, £2 6s per annum ; offered, four, 19s 8d per annum. Combinations: Claimed, six, £4 Is per annum; offered, four, £1- 15s 8d per annum. Nightdresses: Claimed, four, £3 2s pet.annura; offered, three, £1 3s 9d per annum Underskirts : Claimed, tt\ r o, £2 3o 6d per annum: offered, two, ' 19s lOd per annum. Cornets: Claimed, two. £2 15s per annum; ' offered, two,£1 5s per annum. Stockings : Claimed, six pairs, £2 13s 6d per annum; offered, six pairs, £1 2s 6d per annum. Topcoat : Claimed, half of £3 13s 6d per , . annum; offered, one in three years, £1 per annum. It .is very safe to say that thousands of , housewives in the Dominion do not have the equivalent, of the employers' minimum offer—£l7 10s lid for personal attire. The union's demands for clothing, covering prices for 'an average family," worked ti'ut as fotlowsj—Man, £SO Is; woman, -■ £63 9s Id; bov, £22 4s 8d; girl, £3B 9s ..9d, baby, £lB 19s. The addition of some sundries added to the list made the total claim, including household linen, . £193 12s 6d. Fortunate, indeed, would the .' working family be with an exchequer ' • whfch would stand that annual outlay on those items. To-day's «family standards in the Dominion are very much below those figures, and even then the treasured ■ nest-egg is being dissipated in the attempt io preserve that lower standard. \ It would be idle to suggest that our « age is free from extravagance. In many cases past extravagance is the cause of present comparative poverty. Bad household management is also at the bottom of « * much of the suffering, and there is, unfortunately,- a proportion of incompetent house wives. There are also husbands

who are not exactly perfect in,all reJspects, and possibly 'Mrs vPoyser' summed up' even present-day. human nature in the terse words : "I'm rid! denyin' the women are foolish —God Almighty' made 'em to match the men," * • * Can women do anything as women to steady the Cost of" Living? ' Attempts have been successfully made in many places by collective abstention from purchasing 'where prices are obviously inflated by artificial methods. In Melbourne recently, according to the •' Sydney, Morning Herald,' the potato market collapsed. Carmens dropped within a week from £l9 a*ad £2O to £9 and £9 10s. At the same time potatoes werj offered .in Sydney at £23 per ton. The drop in the price in Melbourne was due to housewives, cutting potatoes out of the mena and using pump* kins, squashes, and tomatoes instead. Sydney housewives then followed the Melbourne lead, with the that potatoes dropped in price" by over £l2 per ton within a fortnight. / r The elimination of all waste iu household .management and, domestic economy would affect the Cost of Living advantageously. The position in America is yif\J on all fours in all respects with that ' in the Dominions, but the effect of the combined action of housewives in the City 'if Berkeley ■■ :iCalifornia) is interesting. Ow of the protagonists of the movement which was led by a mother of six children through the organisation of club, puts the principle of combination to housewives in these words : e Producers act together, packers act toirether, distributors act together, retailers act together. Why don't you act together, too? In this mother's view "the housewife is to _ blame for hiah prices as long as she submits to them. When even a few housewives refuse to submit-, and tell the world'about it, high prices .will drop." All that has been found necessary is to refrain-from buying the article of food. which has been raised in pric«, and \' pass the word around so others will 'do it too." The organisation of housewives in Berkeley claims to have accomplished the following among other things: On thr.ee different occasions, when bread was increased- £d to l£d per loaf, thev have driven 'the price back to the old figure again. . They nave held milk to 6id per quart while nearby cities pay Bd. Egg prices were reduced in two weeks from 4s 2d to 3s per dozen, and thev have caused a reduction of 7£d in eg""prices ;n a single' week. a Compelled steam laundries to withdraw a threatened 25 per cent, increase in Tates. Scared off an announced rise in price of 4s 2d per sack of potatoes. ' They have reported to* the Press the police the Federal authorities, and the Legislature various illegalities, such as destruction, hoarding, and illicit combination. Some of their campaigns and the : r methods are quite American, but- as they '"get there" {to use. an Americanism), thewomen claim success. "It was found desirame. says one writer, "to keep the names or committee members =ecret because in several instances these women were the victims of underhanded and even social pressure. Food sharks were not above resorting to the wellknown 'whispering campaign.'" The campaign for cheaper bread was in some respects unique. The bakers of, Berkeley recently announced that bread would be, increased from 7£d to per loaf. The women's organisation decided to resist, the increase and economise on bread. One of the women leaders detected and spread broadcast the fact that nearly 2,000 loaves of unsold bread were being shipped across the bay to hocranchers at a nominal price. "If the bakers can afford to give awav bread to swine," said the lady,." they "can afford to^ sell it at 7£d a loaf to- housewives." "When we 'start* a campaign." says this mothers' leader, "help and information .pour in from most unexpected and j often unknown sources. I receive anonymous tips by telephone. Courage is demanded though, and it is no easy thing to be known nc, the antagonist "of the powerful interests that are to-dav- reap ing a harvest due to housewives' 'lack of determination." _ One _ inevitable and disturbing conclusion arise.-; from the investigations made as a bns : .<? for thee articles—the increasing ! Cost of Livine: hj having an indelible and j harmful effect on a- large .proportion of j housewives, and the most serious results of this may be discernible in the rising ! generation. c