The working girls I talked with who were not living in their own families were, with the exception of those living in the Kaiulani Home, either with relatives or adopted parents, and were paying no board. Two women occupied tenement rooms, but both were married, and had come to Honolulu from the country for the canning season.
Girls who do all their own sewing say their clothing costs them at least $1.25 a week to maintain a sufficiently good appearance to take any part in the social activities of their associates. This is distributed as follows in a yearly allowance:
| 3 | Hats:— | ||
| 2 for Business, at $2.00 each | $4.00 | ||
| 1 for Good wear | 4.00 | ||
| $ 8.00 | |||
| 4 | Dresses for Business, at $2.00 | 8.00 | |
| 2 | Dresses for Good wear, at $5.00 | 10.00 | |
| 4 | Pair Shoes, at $3.00 | 12.00 | |
| Underwear | 8.00 | ||
| 3 | Pairs Silk Gloves for good wear | 3.00 | |
| 1 | Dark Skirt for bad weather | 2.00 | |
| 2 | Shirt Waists, at 75c | 1.50 | |
| 1 | Coat | 5.00 | |
| 1 | Umbrella | 1.00 | |
| 2 | Pairs Rubbers | 1.50 | |
| Incidentals, handkerchiefs, collars, sewing materials, etc. | 5.00 | ||
| $65.00 | |||
The fact that the same wardrobe does duty in Hawaii the year round is a very great saving. The girl who has not been taught to sew (and this girl is in the majority) must allow at least 25c a week additional for clothing.
Board, lodging and clothing can therefore be had at $3.75 or $4.00 a week; carfare is 60c; the cheapest lunch, 5c for coffee and rolls, is another 30c, which brings the total cost to $4.65 or $4.90, without any allowance for incidental carfares or amusements.
On the other hand living expenses in the community, when reduced to their lowest rate, bring the total expense to $2.00 a week each, provided two girls share a room.
I have followed up numerous advertisements in the daily papers, investigated “Furnished room” signs, etc., and found in the first place that no furnished room house will permit cooking to be done in the rooms, and secondly that the lowest rate for a furnished room for two girls was $2.00 a week. If two girls together rented a tenement room at $2.00 a month they would need to buy a bed, dishes and cooking utensils, costing at least $15.00. The cost per week of maintaining such a room would then be for each:
| Rent | $ .25 |
| Fuel and light | .25 |
| Food (fruit, poi, coffee, rice, fish, etc.) | 1.50 |
| $2.00 |
I have made a sufficient allowance for food to provide a nourishing diet.
After a girl has worked ten or eleven hours, however, I fear the temptation would be either to eat in a cheap restaurant or to neglect cooking a substantial evening meal, especially in the case of the Hawaiian girls, who are prone to omit meals when fatigued unless food is placed before them. In the eating place provided by the Libby, McNeill and Libby Cannery, which serves wholesome, nourishing meals at ten cents each, the girls eat everything placed before them. The sea air blowing through the workroom constantly undoubtedly has its share in creating this appetite.