COAL MINER American

Earnings—Of father $250

Condition—Family numbers 7—husband, wife, and five children, three girls and two boys, aged from three to nineteen years. Three of them go to the public school. Family live in 2 rooms tenement, in healthy locality, for which they pay $6 per month rent. The house is scantily furnished, without carpets, but is kept neat and clean. They are compelled to live very economically, and every cent they earn is used to the best advantage. Father had only thirty weeks work during the past year. He belongs to trades union. The figures for cost of living are actual and there is no doubt the family lived on the amount specified.

Food—Breakfast—Bread, coffee and salt meat. Dinner—Meat, bread, coffee and butter. Supper—Sausage, bread and coffee.

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Chapter 2 Using Primary Sources: Industrialization and the Condition of Labor32

Cost of Living— Rent $72 Fuel 20 Meat 20 Groceries 60 Clothing 28 Boots and shoes 15 Dry goods 20 Trades union 3 Sickness 10 Sundries 5

Total $252

No. 130 COAL MINER Irish

Earnings—Of father $420 Of son, twenty-one years of age 420 Of son, eighteen years of age 420 Of son, sixteen years of age 150 Total $1,410

Condition—Family numbers 6—parents and four children, three boys and one girl. The girl attends school, and the three boys are working in the mine. Father owns a house of six rooms, which is clean and very comfort- ably furnished. Family temperate, and members of a church, which they attend with regularity. They have an acre of ground, which they work in summer, and raise vegetables for their consumption. They have their house about paid for, payments being made in installments of $240 per year. Father belongs to mutual assessment association and to trades union.

Food—Breakfast—Steak, bread, butter, potatoes, bacon and coffee. Dinner—Bread, butter, meat, cheese, pie and tea. Supper—Meat, potatoes, bread, butter, puddings, pie and coffee.

Cost of Living— Rent $240 Fuel 10 Meat 200 Groceries 700 Clothing 80 Boots, shoes and dry goods 70 Books, papers, etc. 15 Life insurance 18 Trades unions 3 Sickness 4 Sundries 75

Total $1,415

Sources 33

No. 131 COAL MINER German

Earnings—Of father $200

Condition—Family numbers 6—parents and four children, two boys and two girls, aged two, four, nine and eleven years. Two of them attend school. Family occupy a house containing 3 rooms, for which they pay $60 per annum. Father works all he can, and only receives $1 per day for his labor. He has only been in this country two and one half years and is anxious to get back to Germany. The house is miserably furnished, and is a wretched affair in itself. They have a few broken chairs and benches and a bedstead. Father is a shoemaker by trade, and does some cobbling which helps a little toward supporting his family. He receives the lowest wages in the shaft.

Food—Breakfast—Bread and coffee. Dinner—Bread, meat and coffee. Supper—Bread, meat, potatoes and coffee.

Cost of Living— Rent $60 Meat 36 Groceries 84 Clothing 12 Boots and shoes and dry goods 15 Sickness 1 Sundries 20