COST OF LIVING

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160737, 25 August 1920, Page 6

COST OF LIVING

now much to board adult. At nearly every day’s session of tho Arbitration Court when it was last in Wellington the question of the cost of living was argued from every point of view, and many figures were quoted from all sort of sources. A ray of light camo from another judicial source last week. In the course of evidence in a. Supremo Court case, interesting evidence was given by Mr J. E, M'Clnne assistant officer in charge of the industrial arid special schools branch of the Education Department, as to tho cost of maintaining persona at the present time in food and lodging. He said that at the Wellington Receiving home there was a staff of four, and fifteen inmates. The estimate for the feeding of adults, based on actual experience, was 14s per week per head for maintenance alone. The cost worked out daily as follows; Meat 4d, bread 34d, groceries, Id, milk 2ld, vegetables and fruit 3-ld, lighting, cooking, and firing 6d — a total of 2e a day. If Is a day were allowed; for rent, then tbe (cost of upkeep of one adult individual —board and lodging would be £1 Is per week. Tbe institution in question was supplied with vegetables and fruit from Weraroa and Nelson institutions. Supplies vrere generally distributed from a central source. The question was then raised by counsel for the plaintiff as to how it was possible for a family of nine adults and one child to live on an income of £5 13s a week. Out of -H--" its a week was paid for domestic help, and -8s for rent, leaving £4 for, maintenance —under 10s a week per head for food. The witness declined to express any opinion upon the point. Bin Honor the Judge (Sir Bassett Edwards) remarked that these people probably lived better than he did. “Nothing is more modest than my housekeeping,” he said. ,“I can’t get service, and it has to be modest.” He was surprised that in a household of nine adults they kept a servant.