TABLE 2: MORE LIBERAL WEEKLY FOOD BUDGET FOR A MAN, WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE IN FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS, OCTOBER, 1919
(National Industrial Conference Board)
| Item and amount |
Cost, October, 1919 | Item and amount |
Cost, October, 1919 |
| Meat and Fish | Fruit | ||
| 2 lbs. flank | $ .32 | 3 qts. apples | $ .27 |
| 1 lb. hamburg | .25 | ½ doz. oranges | .24 |
| 3 lbs. leg mutton | .75 | ½ doz. bananas | .23 |
| ½ lb. bacon | .21 | ½ lb. raisins | .12 |
| 1 lb. dried cod | .20 | 1 lb. prunes | .24 |
| 1 can salmon | .27 | Bread, Cereals, etc. | |
| Dairy Products | 12 lbs. bread | 1.28 | |
| 1 doz. eggs | .61 | 2 lbs. flour | .16 |
| 1 lb. butter | .66 | 1 lb. corn meal | .07 |
| ½ lb. oleomargarine or lard | .18 | 1 lb. macaroni | .16 |
| 1 lb. cheese | .41 | 2 lbs. rolled oats | .14 |
| 14 qts. milk | 2.10 | 1 pkg. cornflakes | .15 |
| Vegetables | ½ lb. tapioca | .08 | |
| 2 pks. potatoes | 1.02 | 3 lbs. sugar | .33 |
| 2 lbs. carrots | .08 | 1 pt. molasses | .12 |
| 4 lbs. onions | .26 | Tea, Coffee, etc. | |
| 2 lbs. cabbage | .09 | ¼ lb. tea | .15 |
| 2 lbs. dried beans | .23 | ½ lb. coffee | .23 |
| ½ lb. cocoa | .22 | 1 can tomatoes | .15 |
| Condiments | .17 | ||
| Total weekly cost | $12.15 |
The more liberal food budget, covering a week's supply for five persons, worked out in co-operation with the visiting housekeeper of the League for Community Welfare of Fall River and given in Table 2, was planned so as to include foods in particular demand among wage-earning families. From this it appears that to feed such a family according to a standard somewhat above the minimum, $12.15 a week would be required.
These food budgets have been arranged with due consideration for food values and variety, although of course the tastes of many families might require a somewhat different combination of articles. Nevertheless it is probable that an adequate supply of food for an average family of five could be purchased in Fall River in October, 1919, for $11 per week, while $12.15 is sufficient to insure a somewhat more liberal diet. This would mean an annual expenditure for food of $572 for the minimum standard and $631.80 for the more liberal standard.
Shelter. For information as to rents, the social agencies of Fall River, the Real Estate Owners' Association, the Renting Department of the Chamber of Commerce, individual renting agencies and landlords were consulted. A number of rented houses also were visited.
The ordinary tenement in Fall River contains from three to five rooms with toilet, and the rents range from $1.25 to $4 per week. For the larger sum, a bath would be included. There are very few heated apartment houses and rents for these would be more than $20 a month. The majority of wage-earners probably pay between $1.75 and $3 per week and do not have a bath. The demand for the larger apartments with baths far exceeds the supply. Many families are forced to live in inferior and crowded quarters at the present time because no others are to be obtained.
Two dollars twenty-five cents a week or $117 a year for four rooms and toilet may be set as a minimum figure for housing a family of five in Fall River, according to existing conditions. Three dollars fifty cents a week or $182 a year will secure somewhat better accommodations.