LIVING ON RELIEF PAY

Taranaki Daily News, 7 July 1931, Page 5

LIVING ON RELIEF PAY

HOUSEKEEPING WIZARDRY DEBT AND CHARITY LAST RESORT. ELEVEN PERSONS EXIST ON £2 as 6d. BABY PUT TO BED TO KEEP WARM. I How do two adults and nine children pay rent and feed themselves on a weekly income of £2 2s 6d? It sounds impossible. Yet it is being accomplished in New Plymouth to-day.

Necessity, cold and unrelenting, is today pressing heavily on most people, forcing them, as never before, to cut the coat according to the cloth. But, even so, the cutting is still a matter of degree. Among the wage-earners the married man has to cut finer than the single man, and finer still is the cutting done by the man with a family or property commitments. Eew of these, however, have even touched the fringe of hardship, actual want, and penniless poverty; that experience is reserved almost exclusively tor the families depending for roof, food and clothing upon the meagre earnings from relief work. It was among these unfortunate people that a reporter made inquiries regarding their mode of life.. While all those interviewed were plainly feeling the strain imposed by their reduced circumstances, none failed to recognise that the local unemployment

committee was doing its best and that

but for the efforts of the relief associa- \ tion the position for some would be very much worse. Indeed, several made a point of impressing their gratitude upon the reporter. He ( found a great deal to admire in the way these men, women and children, too, were facing their troubles and trying to preserve their pride. But most oi the facts disclosed were sad, even heartbreaking. For instance, there was the business man .who lost his life savings and his shop in the slump. Since February he has tried to keep a wife and five children oh his earnings as a relief i worker. He is entitled to. four days’s work a week at 12s 6d a day, but, in common with the rest, has to stand down one week in four. Thus his wages of £2 TOs for each four days worked average out at £1 17s fid a week when spread over a month. He has to pay £1 a week in rent. He is three weeks behind in his payments. The oldest cnild is id and the youngest two. “For over a week , and a half we had no coal or wood in the house,” said the mothel-. “One morning the baby cried with the cold and I had to put him to bed with a hot water bottle to keep him warm.. Then, in desperation, I went to the charitable aid office and they gave me an order for coal and groceries. It was during my husband’s ‘stand down’ week. I put my pride in my pocket and did what I hated to do —hut the children were hungry. BOILED MACARONI FOR LUNCH. “Last week we had hardly anything in the house. One day the children had bread and butter for breakfast, plain boiled macaroni for lunch and baked vegetables for tea. Other times we give them cocoa at breakfast and bread and cheese and sometimes porridge for lunch. I can’t say how long it is since there was an egg in the house —the last three were given to us—and some weeks if it had not been for vegetables given us by neighbours we should have had nothing at all.” •• ■■ The mother related how she had obtained three meals from 3d worth of bones. The first was vegetable soup, the second meat from the bones made into a pie, and the third the bones flavoured with an onion. Sometimes the children cried for milk and she had to tell them to drink water. She obtained a quart of milk a day and was terribly afraid of getting behind with the account.

In normal times she took two small loaves a day and three at the week-end. Lately she took one a day and two at the week-end, and from these she had to cut her husband’s lunch and, when there was nothing else, take her children a bread-and-jam lunch to the school. It did not seem so bad for them to eat it in the playground as it did at home. Insurance policies for two of the children had lapsed. If she were not handy with her needle the whole family would be in rags. “Last week was the first time I had to get charitable aid,” continued the mother. “Oh, if only they would not have this ‘stand-down’ week we could manage to scrape along somehow, but with no money for seven days the rent gets behind and there is the terrible feeling that there will soon be nothing to eat and no firing! I sometimes lie awake at night, and wonder what to give them in the morning.”

Of 10 children nine are at home, the oldest 17 and the youngest two; their father lost his position in a skilled trade 18 months ago and now supports his wife and family on his earnings as a four-day relief man, plus 5s a week contributed by the eldest girl. Such was the situation that confronted the reporter in another house. Provided the weather is fine, the man earns £2 10s a week for three weeks, and then nothing during the “stand-down” week; thus his wages average out at £1 17s 6d a week. Sometimes the girl receives back part of her ss. Yet the mother assured the investigator that she paid rent, provided food, and even clothing, and did not overspend. ENOUGH BUT NOT TOO MUCH. “I give them enough,” she said, “but I do not let them have more than enough. Of course, everything is used. Even a mouse would find it hard to live on what is left. But we keep going and don’t get into debt.” 7 Approximately the following are the daily bills of fare:— Breakfast—Pcrridga (which neither the father nor mother eats); bread and butter, or dripping ( to which the children are partial). Lunch —Soup (in cold weather) ; bread, butter, jam and scones. . Dinner— A. little meat, two vegetables; either milk or boiled pudding; milk to drink.

How is it done? Apparently by supermanagement, continual scheming, buying in the cheapest market and, an important consideration, buying in bulk whenever possible. “Lots of people make the mistake of buying a shilling’s worth of flour, or sugar, or other groceries,” said the housewife. “I could never manage if I did that.” Being a mere man, the reporter, despite detailed explanations, could not fathom the secret of this financial wizard. However, he was somewhat comforted by the fact that her husband could not either. He tried to work it out on a weekly basis and achieved the following unsuccessful result:—<

The problem was to reconcile the receipts with the expenditure. But the housewife explained she did not work it that way at all. She did not budget on a weekly basis, but on the basis of three weeks with money and one without. In the week before the “stand down” she saw to it that she had enough coal and wood, flour and sugar to last. She reckoned on receiving £7 10s a month and having to pay £4 10s in rent. She let the rent go in the moneyless week and made it up the next week and the two following weeks. _ The expenditure figures given are probably the maximum. It was explained that sometimes less bread was bought and scones substituted. Other items were cut when necessary. There was continual skimping and'saving. For instance, the reporter saw one grocer’s receipt for 12s and another for about Bs. But he was assured that approximately the following groceries were required each week:—2Blbs of potatoes (Is 9d), 251bs flour (4s 9d), 121bs sugar (Is lOd), 21bs butter (2s), baking powder (Is 3d), rice and sago or sago and tapioca (51bs each at lOd, Is 8d), tobacco (Is 3d). This makes a total of 14s 6d. In addition, 251bs of oatmeal is purchased every three months at' 4s lOd and candles and matches are obtained when required. BUYING VEGETABLES AND MEAT. Four or five cabbages and some carrots are bought in bulk at the mart or the cheapest shop for 3s, and they suflice for a week. On Mondays the housewife buys a forequarter of mutton for 2s. This lasts for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Meat for the next two days costs 2s and the week-end meat bought on Saturdays costs Is 6d.to Is 9d. Bones for soup are given with the forequarter. Stews are relied .upon to a considerable extent. Skim milk is obtained free each day and this is mixed with 2s 8d worth of whole milk. “When Saturday comes I sometimes have sixpence or ninepence in the house but more often no money at all,” eaid the mother of 10.

“And what about clothes?” “Well, I make and remake the children’s clothes, but when I want new ones I buy £1 worth from a draper, paying 2s 6d down and 2s 6d a week. Fortunately we still have a fairly good stock of bedclothes from the good times, but sheets are getting short and I am waiting for better days to buy them.” “But don’t you receive any help from outside ?”

“I have only obtained two charitable aid. orders since we have been in New Plymouth. The last time was during the six months before my husband went on relief, 12 months ago. I never ask for help, but I take things if they are offered. I never reckon on gifts to help us out. .The Salvation Army has given us one oi - two things, but such gifts are not regular.” Thanks to a recent change in the relief policy it is now possible for the father to make up time lost through wet weather during his “stand-down” week. Only twice has he obtained private employment during such periods, the remuneration being £1 4s and £2. For six months after his loss of his position through retrenchment he walked the town looking for work and wrote to other places without success. The only money coming in was that earned by his wife for casual days at race meetings and other functions. They just managed to struggle along. Then he obtained six • weeks’ relief work from the original committee under the local scheme. 0 His wages "were 14s a day for 5J days, a week, but owing to wet weather he received only two full pays of £3 17s and the others varied from £2 9s to £2 12s 6d. Nevertheless, those were rather good times, comparatively. MOTHER HAD TO WORK. After that ho was “stood down” for seven weeks. His wife, who was not in good health, left the children with their father, and obtained work on odd days—with race meeting caterers, cleaning offices, “taking in” washing. She had several bad turns, fainted six times in one day, and spent four days in bed. Her husband could not leave her to look for work. At this stage they went back with the rent, which was then 25s a week; they owed £l6, but eventually, when relief work was again obtained, managed to pay up all but £6.

About nine weeks ago the husband strained himself on relief work and had to spend five weeks in bed. Once again his wife had to go to work. “Well,” said the reporter, “it seems incredible that you manage to pay your way as you say, I fear people will not believe it.” "’‘‘Oh, I’ve met people like that before,” replied the woman. “But just you bring them along to me and I will explain, and show them all my receipts, too.” “And if you hear of a steady job at about £4 a week I should be glad to know of it,” said the man as he opened the door. “Anything at all will do.” Bather sad circumstances surrounded the next case investigated. A baker aged 66 had a wife and a girl aged 13 to support. For about a year he had been receiving three days’ relief work a week with the exception of the “stand-down” week, equalling £1 17s 6d a week or an average over a month of 25s a week. “But now,” he said, “although I am' still physically fit, I have been asked to stand down for good because recent regulations class me as over the age limit. I have been a month idle, and we depend on orders from the charitable aid committee. We have no money at alh I have applied for a- pension, but it has not come to hand yet and, in any case, how could we live on that? If only they would allow a pensioner two days’ relief work a week it would not be so bad.” “BARING THE SOUL.” His rent was £1 a week and was about £2 in arrears. Recently his landlord had given him two half-days’ gorse grubbing and credited the wages against the rent. “The charitable aid people don’t , pay rent,” he said. “I don’t know what we. are going to do. My wife is not eligible for a pension, or it would not be quite so bad.”

There is not a fireplace in the house. There are electric points, but no radiators, so the occupants have to go cold. Cooking is done on a gas stove, and so far they have managed to scrape up a shilling for the slot meter when necessary. Last month’s electric light bill is not paid. “Until I get some workwell, it is baring the soul all right,” said the man.

This family of three depends for food upon charitable aid orders amounting to 5s a week for groceries, 2s 6d for meat and am order for four large loaves. “The relief pay was not much, but it was better than the nothing we receive now,” said the former baker. “If only they would give us a bit of land and a cow we could grow nearly all we need. My wife is good on a farm.” “And about how much are you in debt?” asked the reporter. “About £lB would clear us,” said the man.

A fourth man interviewed is an electrician, who since January has been trying to keep himself, his wife and a child of nine on relief pay averaging 25s a week. He cannot pay his rent and is a month in arrears at 16s a week. During his “stand-down” week they depend on charitable aid orders. Since Christmas school books have cost about 16s. It is a continual struggle to scrape together the 7s 6d for the levy, a shilling for a gas meter about every five days and money to buy fuel for the copper and for heating. HELP FROM FRIENDS. “If it had not been for friends I don’t know where we should have been,” he said. “The Red Cross have given us a little assistance now and then. I’ve so far always been unlucky during my ‘stand-down’ weeks, though I have tried to get work at the wharf and other* places.” “And clothes?” he was asked. “When these wear out we will have to go without or get into debt,” he said. A middle-aged man, who had been nine months on relief work, admitted he was not so unfortunate as some. He had had his share of work and could not complain. In his household were his wife, and a boy, also on relief, who contributed 10s a week for the three weeks he was working. Another son in regular employment gave his mother 25s every week. Thus on a weekly basis of computation the income was made up of 255, plus 18& 9d, plus 7s 6d, it total of 51a 3d. In ad-

dition, during his “stand-down” week the father earned about £2 10s for two days’ work at the wharves.

They just managed to scrape along without going very far into debt for food, but they were £2O behind with their rent. "But my boy in regular work is getting married shortly,” said the father, who neither smokes nor drinks and has never been to the pictures in his life. “After that we shall lose his 25s and I don’t know what we shall do.” He said his sole extravagance was the expenditure of • Is a week, on football. “You are not . one of the worst off,” said the reporter. He admitted it. He had. seen, men arrive at their relief work without food. One married man had gone there without breakfast and had nothing with him for his lunch. Others took a piece of bread scraped with butter ’ for their midday meal.

Received.—£1 17s 6d, plus 5s .. £2 2 6 Spent— £1 o 6 15 0 Meat »,. - 5 6 4 6 5 0 Milk 2 8 9 3 0 £2 IS 11 Plus 7s 6d unemul<w"-’~e every «*trd