﻿82 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Metabolism 
  of 
  Female 
  Munition 
  Workers. 
  

  

  

  Percentage 
  of 
  total 
  expenditure 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  

   purchase 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  1914. 
  

  

  1918. 
  

  

  

  54 
  -8 
  

  

  60 
  6 
  

  

  

  56 
  -2 
  

  

  63-4 
  

  

  Unskilled 
  workers 
  

  

  56 
  -7 
  

  

  64 
  -9 
  

  

  These 
  figures 
  refer 
  to 
  families 
  composed 
  of 
  4 
  - 
  57 
  " 
  men." 
  Let 
  us 
  now 
  

   suppose 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  earning, 
  viz., 
  75s. 
  5d. 
  per 
  week, 
  is 
  adequate 
  to 
  

   maintain 
  the 
  minimum 
  standard 
  of 
  comfort 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  family, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   principal 
  wage 
  earner 
  is 
  a 
  " 
  man 
  " 
  occupied 
  as 
  in 
  our 
  lightest 
  class. 
  Dividing 
  

   the 
  mean 
  income 
  by 
  4 
  - 
  57 
  and 
  multiplying 
  by 
  - 
  6 
  (on 
  the 
  assumption 
  that 
  

   the 
  expenditure 
  upon 
  food 
  is 
  now 
  about 
  60 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  total 
  outgoings), 
  we 
  

   hnd 
  that 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  food 
  per 
  " 
  man 
  " 
  is 
  almost 
  exactly 
  10s. 
  a 
  week. 
  If 
  then 
  

   the 
  wage-earning 
  " 
  man 
  " 
  of 
  a 
  family 
  similarly 
  constituted 
  in 
  all 
  other 
  

   respects 
  is 
  in 
  our 
  heaviest 
  physiological 
  class, 
  the 
  general 
  standard 
  of 
  living 
  

   can 
  only 
  be 
  maintained 
  if 
  the 
  gross 
  family 
  income 
  increased 
  by 
  nearly 
  3s. 
  When 
  

   it 
  is 
  remembered 
  that 
  the 
  subsidiary 
  earnings 
  of 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  

   (which 
  have 
  always 
  been 
  relatively 
  more 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  grades 
  of 
  

   manual 
  labour) 
  must 
  be 
  reduced 
  by 
  the 
  new 
  education 
  proposals, 
  the 
  grave 
  

   importance 
  of 
  taking 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  physiological 
  element 
  of 
  working 
  

   class 
  expenditure 
  is 
  manifest. 
  In 
  any 
  scientific 
  appraisement 
  of 
  the 
  income 
  

   needed 
  to 
  maintain 
  an 
  agreed 
  upon 
  standard 
  of 
  life, 
  it 
  is 
  essential 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  the 
  minimum 
  expenditure 
  necessitated 
  by 
  the 
  occupation 
  of 
  the 
  wage 
  

   earner. 
  This 
  investigation, 
  fragmentary 
  as 
  it 
  is, 
  suffices 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  

   variations 
  of 
  physiological 
  demand 
  when 
  translated 
  into 
  terms 
  of 
  money 
  are 
  

   considerable. 
  We 
  cannot 
  but 
  express 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  devoted 
  to 
  this 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  problem 
  by 
  economists 
  

   and 
  statesmen 
  has 
  been 
  inadequate. 
  Our 
  inquiry 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  extensive 
  

   enough 
  to 
  provide 
  any 
  basis 
  for 
  economic 
  proposals, 
  but 
  does 
  at 
  least 
  demon- 
  

   strate 
  the 
  urgent 
  need 
  of 
  further 
  measurements. 
  

  

  In 
  conclusion, 
  we 
  desire 
  to 
  express 
  our 
  sense 
  of 
  gratitude 
  to 
  the 
  Ministry 
  

   of 
  Munitions 
  for 
  permission 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  the 
  work, 
  to 
  the 
  manager 
  and 
  staff 
  

   of 
  the 
  factory 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  done, 
  and 
  to 
  various 
  scientific 
  colleagues, 
  in 
  

   particular 
  Prof. 
  E. 
  P. 
  Oathcart, 
  Dr. 
  Leonard 
  Hill, 
  and 
  Prof. 
  E. 
  H. 
  Starling, 
  

   for 
  advice 
  and 
  criticism 
  during 
  its 
  progress. 
  

  

  