We now come to the week’s menu of a couple of families where the man was temporarily out of work, and took anything he could get. Mr. T. was carman for a large firm that employed all its enormous number of carmen by the day. The inner ring of men were given a day’s work every day, and earned 3s. 6d., which they were paid on leaving work each night. The less fortunate outer ring were given a couple or three days’ work in the week. No notice was taken or given on either side. A day’s work might mean at Christmas time a day of twenty hours, and no meal-time allowed. It might mean a much shorter day, but usually ran about twelve hours. Mr. T. had two days’ work a week, but he washed down another man’s van every day for 1s. 6d. a week. Occasionally he was lucky enough to have two vans to wash, when his money would amount to 10s. He allowed his wife 8s. 6d. There was one child. The rent for the single room was 3s. 6d., and there was no insurance.
_Sunday._—Breakfast: Bloater for father, 1 teaspoonful of tea between them, 1 teaspoonful of milk from tin each, 1 small spoonful of sugar each, two slices of bread and margarine. Dinner: Six pennyworth of neck of mutton, greens and potatoes given by mother. Tea: Two slices of bread, margarine, and tea.
_Monday._—Breakfast: Two slices of bread and butter, with tea, for every breakfast in the week. Dinner: Cold meat and vegetables left from Sunday. Tea: Two slices of bread and butter, with tea, for every tea in the week.
_Tuesday._—Dinner: Fresh herring each, bread and butter (one slice).
_Wednesday._—Dinner: ½ lb. “pieces” (3d.) stewed with potatoes, which were given by mother.
_Thursday._—Dinner: What is left of stew and potatoes.
_Friday._—Dinner: ½ lb. rashers (3d.), with potatoes given by mother.
_Saturday._—Dinner: The other ½ lb. rashers, with potatoes given by mother.
s. d. Rent 3 6 Gas 0 5 Newspaper 0 1 Candle 0 0¼ Soap, 1d.; soda, ½d. 0 1½ Blacklead 0 0½ Paid off cradle 0 6 ----- 4 8¼
s. d. 9 loaves 2 0¾ 4 ozs. tea 0 4 1 lb. sugar 0 2 1 tin of milk 0 3 4 ozs. butter 0 3½ 1½ lbs. meat 0 9 ----- 3 10¼
It will be noticed that no coal appears. The time of year was summer, and the fire was never lighted during the thirteen weeks of their life on 8s. 6d. a week. The five pennyworth of gas was used entirely for cooking, and light was supplied by the farthing candle. The newspaper was their Sunday treat, and was read solemnly through from first column to last by both young people. It chronicled more murders and multiple births than any paper the visitor had ever seen. Mrs. T. would say in course of polite conversation: “Have you seen the news—five at a birth?” Then she would produce a picture of three nurses and two doctors, each holding a baby, and would murmur regretfully: “They’re most of ’em dead.”