LIVING ON £3 WEEKLY

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5323, 8 February 1947, Page 6

LIVING ON £3 WEEKLY

Provisos In Mind When Oificer Made Report AUCKLAND, last night. When the Probation Officer, Mr. C. E. Mexted, stated in the Supreme Court xhis week that a young single rnan could live in the city on £3 a week, he had certain provisos in mind and realised that living within fliis figure would involve sorne degree of austerity. Mr. Mexted entphasised this point to-day when asked liow he budgeted for the amount stated. The ruling factor tvas the eost of board, and, although he was aware of the difficulties in this direction, he said he was putting this down at 30s. a week, and was allowing 5s. a week for lunehes and a similar amount for fares. On that calculation there would be a balanee of £1 on which a young •nan shouhl Be able to manage. However, to get along 011 that one could not be ^'down and out."; for instance, it would be necessary for a young inan to have an adequate wardrobe, for he could not buy mttch clothing and have a reasonable amount oi" pucl.ct-money o'ut of that sum. A lot of "young ehaps" with whom he was conc'eri^d in his capaeity of Probation Officer were living in rooms for which theyt!"paid 12s. 6d. a week, a'nd wero allowing- themselves 25s. a week for meals. Others living at liome wero paying £1 a week for full board. Generally speaking, it was fhose eases he had in mind — young people who required to be taught the value of money. At-. the t. same tinte, provided board -could be found at somewhere in the \icmity of 30s., it was not unreasonable for a young raan to live on £3. "When Mr. Justice Callan and I went into this matter we were looking at it from the point of view of probationers who had to be taught the value of money," Mr. Mexted said. When the seeretary of the Y.M.C.A. was asked if he thought a young man could live on £3 a week, he said it depended entirely on his luek in nnding board. Permanent boat'ders at the Y.M.C.A. were paying 35s. to 37s. Cd. a week, and could arrange quite satisfactorilv, but where youths had to pay £2 10s., which -was being asked hy a great number of boarding-house j keepers, thev were up against a prob- ! lem. i Young men were making good ! wages these days, he said. At Westj field they were getting as much as £6 | a week, but there were a number of | other lads — apprentices — netting only i 30s. If these were not assisted by their parents they could ■ not exist. There were very few places which catered for this seetion.