16 
de 
Nov. 1925; United States, 1900-1902 and 1918-1919; Finland, 
1 March 1920 to 28 Fébruary 1921; India, May 1921 to April 
1922; Ireland, June 1922; Italy, July 1920; Japan, June 1919 
to 1920; Netherlands, 1923-1924; Russia, first half of 1925; 
Sweden, 1923; Switzerland, 1912 and 1921; Czechoslovakia, 
1925. 
The field of the enquiries varied. In some cases it covered 
the whole country (Argentina, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Fin- 
land, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States); in 
other cases one or more towns (Esthonia: Tallinn, Narva; 
India: Bombay; Italy: Milan, Rome, Florence, Venice, 
Genoa !; Japan : Osaka ; Netherlands : Amsterdam ; Russia : 
Moscow). 
The number of household budgets dealt with by these en- 
quiries varied considerably, as shown by the following figures: 
Esthonia, Narva 11, Tallinn 176; Netherlands, 23 (1910-1911) 
and 76 (1923-1924); Switzerland, 323 (1921); Finland, 437; 
Belgium, 673; Argentina, 1,000; Sweden, 1,400 (1923); India, 
3,076; Japan, 4,850 (a figure obtained by adding together the 
numbers of budgets in each income group); United States, 
11,156 (1900-1901) and 12,096 (1918-1919). 
The various items of expenditure are usually classified under 
the following headings: food, rent, fuel and light, clothing, 
and sundries. It will be noted, however, that important diver- 
gencies occur in the classification: for instance, alcoholic bever- 
ages and tobacco, included in Sweden under the heading‘“ food ”, 
are classed in the United States (1900-1902 and 1918-1919 
enquiries) and in Esthonia under the heading “sundries ”. 
The heading ‘‘rent” (housing) covers, in Belgium and Japan for 
example, furniture, and in Switzerland (1912 enquiry) removal 
expenses, whereas in most countries it only covers the rent of an 
unfurnished dwelling; and so on. The differences between the 
units adopted as the basis of comparison should also be noted: 
in some cases the unit is a family of given composition; in 
others it is a unit of power of consumption such as the “quet” 2. 
In most cases the data for the same country or the same 
city cover various categories of workers, classified by income. 
rm ph +, . 
! In the present study only the enquiries covering Milan and Rome have been used, 
* See on this point: INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE: Methods of Conducting Family 
Budget Enquiries, p. 48. Studies and Reports, Series N (Statistics) No. 9. Geneva, 1926,