The Rural Labourer 



proportion — Lady Bell shows it to be 30% in 

 Middlesborough, Mr. Rowntree 25% in York — 

 of workmen, who from one cause or another 

 cannot provide their families with enough food 

 for the maintainance of full physical efficiency. 



" The Belgians eat less meat, but more fish, 

 twice as much butter, but only one quarter as 

 much dripping." 



" The English eat six times as much sugar." 



" The Belgians eat 40% more bread ; more, 

 and a larger variety of vegetables." 



" In Belgium families with an income of 

 14s. 6Jd. per week are, as a whole, better 

 nourished than families in York whose average 

 income is 19s. 8d." 



The former choose their food much better, 

 and whereas is. buys 240 grains of protein and 

 7,124 calories, is. only buys 179 grains of protein 

 and 5,585 calories in York. 



" The Belgian working class spend much less 

 on clothes than do the English, chiefly because 

 the standard of dress is decidedly lower." 



The foreigners are sensibly and sufficiently 

 clothed, but they do not like putting more 

 money than is necessary into clothes or furni- 

 ture, as the money so sunk becomes unpro- 

 ductive capital. This study of the cost of 

 living is most important — " because it may 

 help thoughtful employers to determine whether 

 the wages they are paying constitute a living 



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