HOW THE LONDON POOR LIVE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 2, 18 August 1911, Page 8

HOW THE LONDON POOR LIVE.

MRS. REEVES INVESTIGATES. ASTONISHING FIGURES. For the past two years Airs Pcraber Reeves, of the Fabian Society executive committee, and wife of Air AV. Pember Reeves, for some time High Commissioner for New Zealand, and now director of tho London School of Economics, has been conducting an important inquiry into tho domestic life of the working, classes. The investigation was prompted in the first instance by a gift of money to a small committee of "'which Airs Pember Reeves is a member, made by a lady who desired to sec whether a way could not lie found to diminish the high death rate among infants under one year. While engaged on tiffs task Airs Reeves collected a great deal of valuable infomation. Each mother kept a “budget” for.ua period of at least one year, showing" exactly how much money there was to he spent and tho manner in, which it 1 was spent. This is taken down weekly by All's Beeves. Tho following is a typical one. Tho husband in,.this case earns 25s per week, of which; sum lie hands 23s to his wife. For Airs Reeves’s purpose the family is treated as seven persons, the baby being disregarded. In considering what follows, however, the baby’s existence should not bo overlooked:—

Average per head, during six weeks, for food, Is 7d. In another case, in which tho family numbered seven, excluding tho oaby, the weekly income was 20s 9d, and the average amount spent on food per bead was Is When it was pointrd out that this allowance i : d not include fresh milk for tho baby, Mrs Reeves exclaimed: ‘French milk costs 4d per quart! A child of one year on. 1 ro-ds at least one quart of milk {■ 1 lay That means 2s Id per week for that child for milk alone. It can’t be done.” “And what is done?” she was asked. “Condensed milk, potatoes, and bread! The ‘budget’ you have just cm. includes two tins of condo.is ;d 1111 kof the third quality. Th me u, ahi el on each tin, ‘Not Fit f>.r Tiffin's’ Food!’ ,That ns the milk on much the nation’s babies are being foci i One of the most urgent needs of tu-day is an adequate and cheap milk, -.apply < Dim living stock will steadily decline until we get it. 1 have got wane for the elder girls in some of iheso families, but they are so anaemic and ill-con-ditioned through bad an 1 insufficient feeding that they cannot keep it unless it is mere mechanical drudgery. When stinting lias to lie done it is tho wife and children who do it; ns tho women say, the husband’s strength must bo kept to enable Iffm 10 work at all. lam astonished,” concluded Airs Reeves, “at the patience and perseverance of those women, and the real decency and self-suppivssmn of their husbands. They are surprisingly good to one another, but their vitality is starved and cramped, ai d their intelligence is dulled by sheer want of proper food from tho time they arc born. Remember, these are not the slum people ; they are :lie* ordinary, respectable, lower working class. It is a very large class, and its persistent deterioration must have a serious effect on the health of die nation!”

Rent, light heat, clothing, cleaning, Food. Food allow’o insurance. per head. 11s 2d 11s lOd Is 8Jd 11s Old 11s 5i}d Is 7;|d 11s 9id 11s 21d Is 7rjd 11s 7Id 11s 41 d Is 7kl 12s 10Jd ibs lid Is Or(d 12s 8Vd 10s 3id Is old