August 31. The food average all round was just under 1s., or 1¾d. a day, and the fund sank to 17s. 11½d.
Terror of using up the fund completely kept Mrs. U. spending an average, all round the family, of under 1s. a week for many weeks, though the earnings increased again slowly, and the fund mounted by pennies and sixpences to £1 6s. 0d. Then the baby was a year old, and the case came to an end. Mr. U. eventually got work again at a very low but regular wage. During this time of unemployment two of the three children of school age were fed at school for one term. The care committee of the school to which the other child went did not consider the case bad enough, and the two who did get fed were only received after weeks of application. The mother’s very virtues told against her. Her rooms were spotless, the decent furniture, the tidy clothes of better days inclined the school visitor to believe that food could be forthcoming did the mother choose.
Mrs. X., a deserted wife with three children, fell out of work owing to a dangerous illness after the birth of her baby. When she recovered sufficiently to work again, the parish relief, which she had been receiving in kind during her illness, stopped. She took in sewing and did days’ washing and cleaned doorsteps.
October 11, 1911, received 5s. 6d.
| Rent (4s. a week) | Went unpaid. | |
| s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 0 | 5½ |
| Gas | 0 | 3 |
| Fares to work | 0 | 1 |
| Soap, soda, blue (she supplied her own blue and soap when she did washing) | 0 | 4 |
| 1 | 1½ | |
| Food. | ||
| 5 loaves | 1 | 0½ |
| Meat | 0 | 11½ |
| Margarine | 0 | 4 |
| Potatoes | 0 | 3½ |
| Greens | 0 | 1 |
| Sugar | 0 | 2¾ |
| Quaker oats | 0 | 7½ |
| Tea | 0 | 3 |
| Fish | 0 | 4½ |
| 1 tin milk | 0 | 2 |
| Salt | 0 | 0¼ |
| 4 | 4½ | |
The baby was receiving six quarts of milk a week from friends, so we have 4s. 4½d. left to feed three persons—an average of 1s. 5½d., or 2½d. a day.
October 18, amount received 7s. 6d.
| s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | 4 | 0 |
| Gas | 0 | 3 |
| Coal | 0 | 7 |
| Matches | 0 | 0½ |
| Soap, soda, etc. | 0 | 3 |
| Camphorated oil (child with a cough) | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | 3½ | |
| Food. | ||
| 4 loaves | 0 | 10 |
| Sugar | 0 | 2¾ |
| Dripping | 0 | 2 |
| Meat | 0 | 4 |
| Potatoes | 0 | 3 |
| Fish | 0 | 1¾ |
| Tea | 0 | 1 |
| 1 tin milk | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 2½ | |
We have here 2s. 2½d. left between three persons—an average of 8¾d. a week or 1¼d. a day.