62 INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND WAGES

decency below which a family can not go without danger of
physical and moral deterioration. This budget does not
include many comforts which should be included in a proper
“American standard of living.”
Thus no provision is directly made for savings other than
insurance, nor for vacations, nor for books and other educational
 purposes.
On the other hand, a family with the items listed in this
budget should be able to maintain itself in health and modest
comfort. It would have a sufficiency of food, respectable
clothing, sanitary housing, and a minimum of the essential
“sundries.”

Tue Cost oF A BupGeET LeveL NoT NECESSARILY
A Fixep Money Cost

The annual expense of maintaining the budget level above
described may be arrived at by obtaining and totaling the
current prices on each of the individual items entering into
the budget.

In subsequent labor controversies and arbitrations of
wage disputes this budget became of the utmost importance
because of its official character. For this reason it had an
authoritative influence which previous studies, mainly
emanating from private sources, lacked. It therefore
became the center of discussions. revolving around the
“living wage” principle. It was constantly put forward in
the adjustments of wages of railroad employees, mine
workers and other classes of wage-earners during the
highly controversial years immediately following its publication.


OrriciaL SANcTIONS OF THE CosT-0F-LIVING AND
Livine-WAGE PRINCIPLES

In addition to the outstanding precedent furnished by
the budget of the United States Bureau of Labor Sta-