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of that period. This is reasonable, since rents respond less rapidly 

 than most other prices to fluctuations in the general price level. An 

 extreme example of this type is found in Germany where rents, 

 which are to some extent under government regulation, "at the 

 present time absorb not more than 3>^ per cent of total expenditure 

 as against 20 per cent before the war." ^ 



The percentage distribution of total expenses depends on the size 

 of the family, the income received and the city lived in. Of course, 

 it must be understood that any particular family may differ widely 

 from general averages. Other things being equal, large families spend 

 more for food and clothing and less for rent and sundries than do 

 small families. Large families of the lower middle class accommodate 

 themselves to whatever housing accommodations they can afford 

 after the more inflexible demands for other things have been provided 

 for. Less than one room per person is considered over-crowding 

 and the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics investigation found this 

 condition to exist rarely, except in families having more than three 

 children. Families with one to three children were found to have 

 LO to L3 rooms per person in almost all cities. 



Amount of Income vs. Per Cent Spent for Rent. The extent to which 

 the distribution of expenses is modified by the amount of income 

 received is known only within the very limited range for which data 

 are available. The best recent figures are those of the 1918-1919 

 study of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are given here for 

 12,096 white families in 92 cities and towns: 



TABLE IL 



When the original data are examined in detail, it appears that in 

 almost every city as incomes increase the per cent spent for rent 

 ^ M. Elsas. Economic Journal, September, 1921, p. 332. 



