REARING A FAMILY ON 37s 6d A WEEK.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2450, 15 March 1909, Page 2

REARING A FAMILY ON 37s 6d A WEEK.

Giving evidence in a labor dispute at Sydney last week, several .women, the AA-ives of coal carters, shoAved how they lived and kept house upon their husbands’ wages, of 37s 6d a week. One woman produced bills which showed that her accounts for the week were —For groceries, 14s 4Jd; bread, 2s 3d; butcher, 6s; milk, Is 6d; wood, Is; vegetables, 2s; rent, 8s; and % for clothes purchased on time-payment orders. If anything else was wanted, she said, she had to pawn something to buy it, and she would never be able to redeem what she had pawned unless the _ Wages Board gave her husband an increasein Avages. She did not get her groceries from the cheapest shop she knew, but she had to deal where she did to get credit. She had four children, whose ages Avere from eight years to one year. Another women said her grocery bill was 12s lid per week; rent, 8s; meat, 4s 6d; AA-ood, Is; bread, Is 9d; vegetables, Is 6d; milk, Is s£d; oil, 4d; time-payment clothes, 3s. She had three children, aged from ten down to one year, and before on© order for clothes were paid for, more Avere Avahted. Another Avoman, Avith two in her family., Avas just able to make ends meet from Aveek to u'ec-k, paying cash for her supplies. Her .grocery bill Avas 15s Id for the week, and rent Bs. To counterbalance, her thrift, however, she had a lot of sickness in her family, and OAved 25 guineas in doctors’ bills and £3 to the chemist.