THE TAX ON LIFE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9821, 19 November 1917, Page 7

THE TAX ON LIFE

LOT OF SMALL WAGE-EARNER HARD CASE OF A GOVERNMENT SERVANT. Details of a hard struggle on the part of a Government servant to make ends meet are given in the course of an article on the high cost of living by the Dunedin “Star,” which says:— Lately we have been at some pains to inquire into the condition of people living upon a small wage. M e take the following as typical of a multitude of oases. The facts are given plainly, without any embellishment, because they are drawn from actual life; A married man with four children (employed in the Public Service and residing in some navt of the Dominion) receives a salary of £l4O a year. Two of his children are twins, horn ten months ago, and big wife is far from robust. The man is a hard-working, faithful servant of tho State. After paying his contribution to- tho superannuation fund and his National Provident levy ho has £lO 16s 10d a mouth with which to face the problem of living. His rent is 8s 6d for a very humble dwelling indeed. Milk at 2id a pint costs him Hid a day—an allowance which cannot very well be reduced with four small children to feed. Moat costs between 30s and 40s a month, coal 15s, bread and groceries £4 15s. The arrival of tho twins forced upon him an ex/ocptional which he could ajofc .meet out of his current wages, and ho was consequently thrown into tho hands of the money-lender. ■ Interest and instalment repayments of principal absorb ios a month. He indulged in what was perhaps a luxury—namely, a “pram”—which, purchased <on the hire 'system, costs him 10s a month. These;items added up amount to nearly. £l2 a month. Thus thero is a deficit of £1 a month on food and rent, without making any provision for clothing and -boots and all the incidental expenses associated with care for the health and education of children. The man has been -unable to make £lO 16s lOd a month meet the needs of his family, and he is sinking further and further into debt. M 7 e felt a lump rising in our throat when, after relating these things and pointing out the never-ending demand for small coins for school requisites, he told tho tale of an accident that had befallen one of his children, necessitating an operation, and sympathy was not lessened when ho spoke of the strain upon his wife. “It is the constant worry and anxieties arising out of onr struggle to make ends meet that are slowly but surely undermining her health, and are handicapping her already in the management and maintenance of,her young family,” Such ia the story of a man who has been in the employment of the Government for - JO years. If ho had not married he would have been receiving £l2O a year. An extra £ls, cr even- £2O. a year will not meet the extra cost' of a -wife and four children. One hundred and forty pounds a year is a starvation wage for such, a man.- It is not possible, to bring up a family properly on such meagre earnings, and with the cost of living at its present level. Many more pitiable .cases than this one. exist; hpt'we purposely take an instance that will exemplify tho condition of ! thousands of families. Ik it not urgent that the pest of living be eased to such people? Are the members of the Government not meet subject .for the utmost wrath, of the people, when, they aggravate tho wants of . the. poor by bestowing gratuities like the £SOO on -the retiring Public Trustee and scatter £4OOO in bonuses to highlyjpla.ced reivil ■ servants, who draw from. £I,OOO to £3009 per annum, because they are “colonels” and; help the Defence authorities in some mysterious way ? ’The. Government love “colonels.” M T e wish thev loved the common people instead. But w© must return to this matter shortly.