Wages.
Some sell their lives for bread;
Some sell their souls for gold;
Some seek the river bed;
Some seek the workhouse mold.
Such is proud England's sway, Where wealth may work its will;White flesh is cheap to-day, White souls are cheaper still.
-FANTASIAS.
WHEN I LEARNED THAT IN Lesser London there were 1,292,737 people who received 21 shillings or less a week per family, I became interested as to how the wages could best be spent in order to maintain the physical efficiency of such families.Families of six, seven, eight, or ten being beyond consideration, I have based the following table upon a family of five, a father, mother, and three children; while Ihave made 21 shillings equivalent to $5.25, though actually, 21shillings are equivalent to about $5.11.
An analysis of one item alone will show how little room there is for waste.Bread, $l: for a family of five, for seven days, one dollar's worth of bread will give each a daily ration of 2 6/7th cents; and if they eat three meals a day, each may consume per meal 9 1/2mills' worth of bread, a little less than one cent's worth.Now bread is the heaviest item.They will get less of meat per mouth each meal, and still less of vegetables; while the smaller items become too microscopic for consideration.On the other hand, these food articles are all bought at small retail, the most expensive and wasteful method of purchasing.
While the table given above will permit no extravagance, no overloading of stomachs, it will be noticed that there is no surplus.The whole $5.25 is spent for food and rent.There is no pocket money left over.Does the man buy a glass of beer, the family must eat that much less; and in so far as it eats less, just that far will it impair its physical efficiency.The members of this family cannot ride in buses or trams, cannot write letters, take outings, go to a 'tu'penny gaff' for cheap vaudeville, join social or benefit clubs, nor can they buy sweetmeats, tobacco, books, or newspapers.