Cost and standard of living -- England -- London; London (England) -- Economic conditions; Working class -- England -- London
Terror of using up the fund completely kept Mrs. U. spending an average,
all round the family, of under 1s. a week for many weeks, though the
earnings increased again slowly, and the fund mounted by pennies and
sixpences to £1 6s. 0d. Then the baby was a year old, and the case came
to an end. Mr. U. eventually got work again at a very low but regular
wage. During this time of unemployment two of the three children of
school age were fed at school for one term. The care committee of the
school to which the other child went did not consider the case bad
enough, and the two who did get fed were only received after weeks of
application. The mother’s very virtues told against her. Her rooms were
spotless, the decent furniture, the tidy clothes of better days inclined
the school visitor to believe that food could be forthcoming did the
mother choose.
Mrs. X., a deserted wife with three children, fell out of work owing
to a dangerous illness after the birth of her baby. When she recovered
sufficiently to work again, the parish relief, which she had been
receiving in kind during her illness, stopped. She took in sewing and did
days’ washing and cleaned doorsteps.
October 11, 1911, received 5s. 6d.
Rent (4s. a week) Went unpaid.
s. d.
Coal 0 5½
Gas 0 3
Fares to work 0 1
Soap, soda, blue (she supplied her
own blue and soap when she did
washing) 0 4
-----
1 1½
FOOD.
5 loaves 1 0½
Meat 0 11½
Margarine 0 4
Potatoes 0 3½
Greens 0 1
Sugar 0 2¾
Quaker oats 0 7½
Tea 0 3
Fish 0 4½
1 tin milk 0 2
Salt 0 0¼
-----
4 4½
The baby was receiving six quarts of milk a week from friends, so we have
4s. 4½d. left to feed three persons—an average of 1s. 5½d., or 2½d. a day.
October 18, amount received 7s. 6d.
s. d.
Rent 4 0
Gas 0 3
Coal 0 7
Matches 0 0½
Soap, soda, etc. 0 3
Camphorated oil (child with a cough) 0 2
-----
5 3½
FOOD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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