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Show Educate? Says Poorer Classes Are Slowly Starving to Death The poorer classes of the nation are slowly starving to death without realizing it, Prof. William F. Ogburn of Columbia university testified recently in the stock yards wage hearing before Federal Judge Alschuler in Chicago. Professor Ogburn offered figures to show the vitality of many of the present generation is so low there is little hope for a third generation. " "What is the nfinimum wage necessary for the present generation to assure a third generation?" he was asked. "Not less than $1,550 or $1,600," was the answer. Professor Ogburn made his survey of more than 4,000 families in every part of the country and arrived at his conclusions after exhaustive comparisons of living costs in 18 typical cities. He was called as an expert for the workers. In the 4,000 families it was discovered that the head of each house bought a straw hat every three years for an average of $2.19 and one felt hat every two years at an average of $2.70. The minimum comfort wage necessary to keep a family from suffering from slow starvation he fixed at $1,900 to $2,000. The minimum salary upon which the family of five could barely subsist is $1,550 to $1,600, compared to $1,385 in October, 1918. ' The average expenses of the 4,000 families for entertainment was : Movies, $5.03; concerts, $1.09; newspapers, 85 cents; postage, $1.65; magazines, 30 cents. Professor Ogburn said the cost of living had increased 73 per cent since the spring of 1917 and 8 per cent since June, 1919. |