LIVING ON A SMALL WAGE.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 November 1917, Page 2

LIVING ON A SMALL WAGE.

We have been at some pains to inquire into the condition of people living on a small wage, (says the Dunedin Star), and we take the following as typical of a multitude of cases. The facts are given plainly, without any embellishment, because they are drawn from actual life. A married man with four children (employed in the Public Service and residing in some part of the Dominion) receives a salary of £l4O a year. Two of his children are twins, born ten months ago, and his wife is far from robust. The man is a hard-working, faithful servant of the State. After paying his contribution to the superannuation fund and his National Provident levy he has £lO 16s lOd a month with which to face the problem of living. His rent is 8s 6d for a very humble dwelling indeed > Milk at 2£d a Pmt costs him ll§d a day—an allowance which cannot very well be reduced with four small children to feed. Meat costs between 30s and 40s a month, coal 15s, bread and groceries £4 15s. The arrival of the TwTffs forced upon him an exceptional expense which he could not meet out of •his high current wages, and he was consequently thrown into the hands of the money-lender. Interest and instalment repayments of principal absorb 15s a month. He indulged in what was perhaps a luxury—namely a "pram"—which, purchased on tSe hire system, costs him 10s a month. These items added up amount to near ly £l2 a month. . Thus there is a de ficit of £1 a month on food and rent, without making any provision for clothing and boots and all the incidental expenses associated with care for the health and education of children. The man has been unable to make £lO 16s lOd a month meet the needs of his family, and he is sinking further and further into debt_ We felt a lump rising in our throats when, after relating these things and pointing

out the never-ending demand for small coins for school requisites, he told the tale of an accident that bad befallen one of his necessitating an operation, and sympathy was not lessened when he spoke of the strain upon his wife. "It is the constant worry and anxieties arising out of our struggle to make ends meot that are slowly but surely undermining her health, and are handicapping her already in the management ano* maintenance of her young family." Such is the story of a man who has been in the employment of the Government for 10 years. If lie had not married he would have been receiving £l2O a year. An extra £ls, or even £2O a year will not meet t!Te extra cost of a wife and four children. One hundred and forty pounds a year is a starvation wage for such a man. It is not possible to bring up a family properly on such meagre earnings, and with the cost of living at its present level. Many more pitiable cases than this one exist; but we purposely take an instance that will exemplify the conditions of thousands of families Is it not urgent that the cost of living be eased to such people? Are the members of the Government not meet subject for the utmost wrath of the people when they aggravate the wants of the poor by bestowing gratuities like the £SOO on the retiring Public Trustee and scatter £4OOO in bonuses to highly-placed civil servants, who draw from £IOOO to £3OOO per annum, because they are "colonels" and help the Defence Authorities in some mysterious way? The Government love "colonels." We wish they loved the common people instead.