A family of five people needs at least four rooms, which is slightly above the accepted standard of "one and one-half persons to a room," and rents in the tenement districts of New York average $4 per room per person. The amount given in the table is based upon one and one-fourth persons to a room. Car fare is based upon 10 cents a day for 303 working days. In arriving at the expenditure necessary to provide wholesome and nourishing food in considerable quantities, various places where unskilled laborers would naturally purchase food, such as municipal markets, push carts, cooperative stores and neighborhood groceries, were visited, with the result that $7.30 per week was established as the minimum. The clothing estimate was determined in the same manner. The fuel and light estimate is based upon facts submitted by the Consolidated Gas Co. and by public and private relief organizations. In estimating health expenditures no original investigation was made, but it has been demonstrated that the average expenditure resulting from illness and death in workmen's budgets is $27 per annum, and the bureau adopted $20 as a fair average, based upon the fact that there are more facilities for conserving health in New York City than elsewhere. Insurance was found to be an almost universal item in the budgets of workmen's families, and the estimate of $22.88 is based upon the assumption that the head of the family should be insured for $500, the wife for $100, and each child for the smallest amount of insurance that can be obtained. The amount allowed for recreation, reading, church, and other incidentals is thought to be sufficient to enable the family to maintain a happy and self-respecting existence.

The following table is a summary of the family budgets obtained from members of the uniformed force of the street-cleaning department. It will be noted that in several cases the expenditures do not check against income. Inasmuch as some of the data were obtained by letter, it is probably not surprising if a few of these laborers, not being subjected to examination by an interviewer, should make somewhat inaccurate statements of facts as to their expenditures. Moreover, the average person does not keep an itemized account of expenses and would, therefore, find it difficult to give absolutely reliable information. In general, men of various nationalities with families of five (three children under 14 years) are included.

STATEMENT OF LIVING EXPENSES FURNISHED BY 20 MEN EMPLOYED IN THE NEW YORK CITY STREET CLEANING DEPARTMENT.

1 Each of six men reported sources of income aside from salary received. *This is taken from the report; the correct sum of the items is $888.58. This is taken from the report; the correct sum of the items is $1,149.35. This is taken from the report; the correct sum of the items is $1,158.52. This is the average of those actually reporting an expenditure.

This is taken from the report, but is not a correct average of those actually reporting. The amount should be $23.98.

This is taken from the report; the correct average is $1,025.62. This, however, is not the sum of the averages, since those for rent, food, clothing, and fuel and light are based upon 20 men who reported, while the others are based upon the number actually reporting an expenditure for each specific purpose.

In this connection the report quotes the conclusions of two economists concerning the minimum expenditure of a typical unskilled laborer's family of five persons in New York City. Prof. Howard B. Woolston, member of the State factory investigating commission, states as a general opinion that "a single man requires at least $1 per day to live. Upon marriage this budget of $365 is necessarily increased by $200. With each child $100 should be added." Prof. Walter E. Clark, head of the economics department of the College of the City of New York, says that "$800 is the minimum upon which a family of five persons (three children under 14 years) can maintain a decent standard of living in New York City. To provide for any legitimate luxuries, or careful savings, $1,000 per year would be absolutely necessary."

RECENT IMPORTANT COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS.

Some of the collective agreements recently signed are of unusual importance as involving large numbers of employees, or as settling seriously disputed questions, or as bringing under the terms of agreements employees which heretofore have had no agreements. Three

such agreements are given in full in the following pages. These are the agreements of the employees of the Chicago street railway surface lines, of the Chicago carpenters, and of the longshoremen of Greater New York and vicinity.

The first of these agreements, that of the Chicago street railway employees, is the result of certain demands on the part of the employees which were resisted by the companies and finally referred to an arbitration board which determined the terms which were written into the agreement. The agreement, while as of June 1, 1915, incorporates all the details of the arbitration award which was handed down July 16, 1915. The scale of wages prior to the award and the scale as determined by the award are shown in the following state

Mechanics in west-ride shops not under union contract will get a 3-cent-an-hour increase.

The text of the three agreements follows:

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE CHICAGO SURFACE LINES AND DIVISION 241 OF THE AMALGAMATED ASSOCIATION OF STREET AND ELECTRIC RAILWAY EMPLOYEES OF AMERICA.

This agreement, made in duplicate, as of the first day of June, 1915, between the Chicago Surface Lines, representing the

Chicago City Railway Co.,

Chicago Railways Co.,

The Southern Street Railway Co.,

Calumet & South Chicago Railway Co.

(hereinafter for convenience called the company), party of the first part, and Division 241 of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America, of Chicago, Ill. (hereinafter for convenience called the association), party of the second part, witnesseth:

SECTION 1. The purpose of this agreement is to provide the best and most satisfactory service to the public, to provide the best possible working conditions for the men, at the same time having due regard to the economical operation of the company's

cars.

SEC. 2. The company fully recognizes the association as provided in this agreement, and will not directly or indirectly interfere with or prevent the joining of the association by any men employed by the company, and it will be entirely satisfactory to the company if they should so join. The company will neither discharge nor discriminate against any employee because of his connection with the association. The association agrees that it will not in any way interfere with or limit the right of the company to discharge or discipline its employees, where sufficient cause can be shown, except for membership in the association.

SEC. 3. It is hereby agreed that the properly accredited officers of the company shall meet and treat with the properly accredited officers of the association, on all questions and grievances that may arise in the future, and should there be any that can not be amicably adjusted between the properly accredited officers of the company and the properly accredited officers of the association, same shall be submitted to a temporary board of arbitration, to be selected in the following manner:

One arbitrator shall be chosen by the company and one by the representatives of the association. The two arbitrators so chosen shall endeavor to meet daily to select the third, and the three arbitrators so chosen shall then likewise endeavor to meet daily for the purpose of adjusting said grievances, and the decision of a majority of said board submitted in writing to the company and the association shall be binding upon both parties.

In the event of the failure of either party to appoint its arbitrator within six (6) days after arbitration is decided upon, the party so failing shall forfeit its case.

Each party shall bear the expense of its own arbitration, and the expense of the third arbitrator shall be borne equally by the parties hereto.

SEC. 4. The company shall endeavor at all times to maintain an adequate and proper extra list.

SEC. 5. The company agrees that any employee who upon investigation is found to have been discharged or suspended unjustly shall be reinstated and reimbursed for all time lost from such discharge or suspension.

SEC. 6. The company agrees that the officers of the association shall be granted leave of absence on organization business, when so requested. It further agrees that any member of this association who now holds office or shall be elected to any office in said association which requires his absence from the company's employ shall, upon his retirement from said office, be placed in his former position.

The company shall place in the office of each depot of their respective lines an open book, in which the men can register the particular day or days on which they want to get off, and the men so registered first for any particular day or days shall have the preference. It is agreed, however, that officers and committees of the association shall be entitled to get off in preference to others when doing business for the associa tion. Said book shall be dated five (5) days ahead, with the understanding that the privilege is not to be abused by either party.

SEC. 7. Car repairers, motor repairers, inspectors, dopers, terminal men, car cleaners, car placers, body repairers, and janitors shall have the right to be absent from duty every other Sunday, provided those who desire to exercise this right shall register such desire three (3) days before the particular Sunday so desired in open books to be kept by the company for this purpose in the various car barns; and the company shall not require any such employee so registered to work on any Sunday so registered.

In all cases when men are laid off to reduce the force they shall be laid off according to seniority primarily, but consideration may be given to their capacity and fitness, and when men are put on they shall be reinstated according to their seniority standing at the time they were laid off, giving weight to the same consideration.

Trainmen shall be allowed to pick runs quarterly, so as to become effective on the 1st day of January, April, July, and October, and all tables shall be posted not less than two (2) days before the quarterly picking term, or any special picking, except in any emergency picking, in which case the tables shall be posted so as to give the men as much time as is practicable before picking runs.

When men report to their regular stations and are then required to report to a sta tion other than the station at which they are regularly employed they shall be paid for time going to and returning from such other station, and, if not receiving work at such other station, they shall be paid for an eight (8) hour day, which shall include the time in going from and returning to their regular station.

The wage scale hereinafter established shall not operate to reduce the wages of change the conditions of any employee of the company not mentioned or expressly provided for herein below the rate now paid to such employee for the class of work performed by such employee.

All trainmen shall be paid their regular scheduled runs and shall not lose any time on account of shortage of cars, breakdowns, etc., or any condition over which they have no control.

SEC. 8. The hours of service of trainmen shall be on a basis of a maximum of eleven (11) hours and a minimum of nine (9) hours, (except Sundays); it being understood that all runs shall be made as near ten (10) hours as possible; the company shall not operate any runs of less than nine (9) hours, and in case any such runs shall be less than nine (9) hours, the company shall pay nine (9) hours time therefor. This, however, shall not apply to baseball extras, special trolley parties, church extras, or to emergency trips.

All week-day runs shall be scheduled for completion within sixteen (16) conæchtive hours. Within one year from the date of the signing of this agreement, the straight runs shall constitute not less than forty (40) per cent of all runs, and within said year, not less than eighty (80) per cent of all runs shall be scheduled for completion within fourteen (14) consecutive hours. The company will earnestly endeavor during the life of this agreement, to decrease still further the consecutive hours for the runs above mentioned.

The company shall have the right to fix the number of cars running at all hours, and the length of time they shall be on the street, endeavoring at all times to make the work as agreeable to the men as will be consistent with the foregoing,

The company agrees that men held for baseball extras, special trolley parties and church extras shall be paid from reporting time until relieved from duty

When