I.—: Wages and the Cost of Food.

I am now going to check these results by the information supplied in a Blue Book published in 1902 by the Labour Bureau on Wages Returns, containing the results of an inquiry made among instructed experts as to the monthly board paid by unmarried workmen and the cost of living of families of four.

The following tables give the cost of board and lodging, per month, paid by single workmen:—

It averages, then, in industrial towns, from £2 16s. to £3 11s. Taking wages, in Paris, as 3s. 111/2d. a day for 25 days—rather a high figure (£5 per month)—this cost represents 65 to 70 per cent. of the wages; for the skilled workman, who earns 5s. 101/2d. a day (35s. 3d. per week), it is 50 to 55 per cent. In the provinces it is more nearly 80 per cent.

Turning to the cost of maintenance of a family, the type selected is that commonest in France, the family of four. It has been shown that for a family of this class necessary foodstuffs are represented, per month, in the following quantities:—

In addition, drink consists, according to the district, of 10 gallons of wine, 19 of beer, or 22 of cider.

Dividing these figures by three, to give the consumption per head, and multiplying by twelve, to find the annual figure, the amount of bread is 440 lbs., instead of the standard ration of 790 lbs., that of meat 122 lbs., instead of the standard of 360 lbs.

Now to discover the cost of this food relatively to wages. Taking the quantities given above as fixed and the current local prices, a table of results can be given for four groups:—

Of course there are variations between towns, but the average variation, for the smallest boroughs and the largest towns is not more than 15 per cent. In the figures neither sugar, coffee, grocery, nor vegetables (except potatoes) are included.

Taking now the Labour Bureau average for manual labour, fr. 2·75 a day (2s. 21/2d.): multiply it by 300—though this is an exaggerated estimate, for it makes no allowance for unemployment, stoppage, seasonal disturbance, or illness; and take as the average cost of food per month 55 fr. (44s.). Then:—

Adding for the cost of drink £6 16s. a year, the total is:—

Therefore the wages of a labourer, even if he were never out of work, would be inadequate for the insufficient budget returned by the inquiry.

The results for skilled labour are as follows:—