(a) Reliability of Budgets. Tests.
As a test of the reliability of the budget returns several sets were taken at random and were arranged in two groups having a common factor of approximately equal numbers of persons and equal total income. It was found on addition that the proportion of total expenditure spent on each description of food, clothing, etc., was approximately the same in each family and income group. Thus we treated the first 30 budgets from households with small and large incomes in this manner, dividing them so that each lot of 15 would have about the same number of persons and the same income. The selection was made without any reference whatever to expenditure, and the following were the results:—
Percentage Expenditure.
| 1st Lot of 15. | 2nd Lot of 15. | |
| Food | 54.3 | 53.2 |
| Clothing | 20.9 | 20.3 |
| Rent | 6.6 | 6.7 |
| Fuel and Light | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| Sundries | 11.5 | 13.1 |
| Under 4 | 8 | 3 |
| 4 to 13 | 30 | 31 |
| 14 and over | 57 | 59 |
| Total | 95 | 93 |
| Total Weekly Incomes | 1597s. | 1543s. |
The Household Budgets in the "S" Group were separately tested and the following results were obtained:—
| Income of Household. | |||||
| Proportion of Expenditure under each of the following sub-divisions:— | Under £3 | £3 | £4 | £5 | £6 upwards |
| Food | 61.1 | 60.4 | 56.3 | 48.0 | 41.4 |
| Clothing | 15.7 | 13.7 | 19.3 | 19.4 | 17.7 |
| Rent | 5.3 | 6.6 | 5.0 | 8.8 | 12.4 |
| Fuel and Light | 8.7 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 8.1 | 9.0 |
| Sundries | 9.2 | 11.7 | 12.1 | 15.7 | 19.5 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
This test showed that the budgets we used conformed with common experience, and is, therefore, evidence of their reliability.
(b) Comparison of English and Irish Weights.