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expenditure on eac-h item of food has been summed up for each
income group and the family co-efficients applied to it to show
the average expenditure per man-unit in that group.
The number of families falling within the several income
ranges is shown in the tables*. An important difficulty in dealing
with many of the returns was the discrepancy between the
total expenditure shown and the understood family income. In
some cases, this, is no doubt, explainable either by a slight exaggeration
of the actual amount spent or by mistakes of calculation,
but in a much larger number of cases the explanation is to
be found in borrowing and pawning. Special enquiry was made
in these cases of discrepancy and a number of the mothers voluntarily
called at the Public Health Department offices to furnish
information. Having regard to the limited numbers and the
inevitably defective character of some of the returns from the
point of view of precise or reliable statements, the data presented
must be regarded as indicative of the position rather than as
finally conclusive in the scientific sense.
Nevertheless, to those closely acquainted with the people
of the district, the facts brought out undoubtedly closely express
the truth about the food supply of a large portion of the population,
i.e., those families whose net income after paying rent is
less than 10/- per head.
The broad results of the enquiry are shown in the summary
which appears as Table A. As will be seen, with the notable
exception of bread, bought for its relative cheapness, the figures
reveal an almost regular increase in the amount spent on the
various foods in proportion to the increase in income. This is
especially marked in the first class protein foods such as meat
and cheese and also in the vegetable and fruit group.
It demonstrates the truth of the statements in the report
on "Workers Nutrition and Social Policy," issued by the International
Labour Office in 1936: "When purchasing power is
provided for the workers through employment and adequate
wages, the workers themselves tend to select the better and more
nutritive foodstuffs and are more amenable to the influence of
education" — "Worker's families with low incomes evidently
find the protective foods too expensive and cannot afford them.
The question of income is thus at the root of the nutrition problem."
♦The 223 families included 1196 persons and ranged in size from 2 to 13 persons, the average
size being 5.3 persons. The average weekly expenditure was £2 6s. 4id.