1 Tires. Includes 0.97 new and 0.21 recapped tires. Estimated allocation for the spring of 1946 was 0.88 new tires and 0.30 recaps for tires owned by automobile owner.

Insurance. The weight of 0.45, 1. e., 45 percent of the automobile owners, is applicable to all cities of 50,000 or more in States where automobile insurance is not compulsory. In cities in States where it is compulsory, a weight of 1 is substituted.

Inspection fee.-Periodic inspection of automobiles is required in some but not all cities. For each city in which inspection is required and a fee charged, the appropriate weight is to be used, e. g., if semiannual inspection is required a weight of 2, etc.

Repair and replacement.-$15.14 is the average cost in 1947 of 34 cities. This total varies for individual cities according to differences in cost of labor and parts.

Parking and garage rent.-Cost of this group is a specified percent of the total of operating costs listed above, as follows: 3.7 percent for cities with populations 50,000 to 1,900,000; and 6.5 percent for cities with populations 1,900,000 or more.

Tolls, fines, etc.-Cost of this group is 1 percent of the total of operating costs listed above.

Trips out of city. The number of miles shown represents one trip, totaling 760 railroad-miles each year, for the following proportions of families: Automobile owner: all cities, 13 percent; nonautomobile ownercities with population 50,000 to 1,900,000, 31 percent, and cities with population 1,900,000 or more, 49 percent. Local moring.-$4.66 is the average cost in 1947 of 34 cities. This total varies for individual cities according to regional differences in moving rates.

Moving to another city.-The number of miles shown represents 1 move of 390 miles each year for 4.2 percent of the families.

1 Radio repairs.-Cost of this item is 45 percent of the annual allowance for radio purchase.

3650

14

34.4

17.3

40

2 Unspecified recreational items.-Cost of this group of items is 28.5 percent of total cost of reading material, movie admissions, and radio purchase.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Additional items included in specified subgroups are as follows:

Paid admissions.

Other...

Subgroup and additional items included

Plays, concerts, sport events: Bowling, dances, tennis, golf, etc. Unspecified recreational items: Hobbies, toys, games, social and recrestia club dues; party favors and accessories; supplies, equipment, and licenses fr pets.

NDARDS

Gifts, contributions, and miscellaneous budgets

Gifts and contributions.-This group includes Christmas, birthday, and other presents to persons outside the immediate family and contributions to church and charities. Cost is 2.7 percent of total cost of goods and services.

Miscellaneous items.-This group includes lodging away from home, music and dancing lessons for the children, legal expenses, and other unspecified items. Cost of these items is 1 percent of total cost of goods and services.

Associations, entertainment

Quantity per year:

As required in each community for boy (in ninth grade) and for girl (in third grade)

Explanatory Notes;

(1) The budget assumes both children attend public school and purchase only those items third and ninth grade pupils are expected to have and which are not supplied free by the school.

(2) Additional items included in specified subgroups are as follows:

Occupational expenses.-Dues to unions, business or professional associations; special clothing and equipment required for the occupation. These items, which are included in the estimated total cost of the budget as an average outlay of $22, should be determined for each individual situation.

Insurance. A life insurance policy to provide for the family during a period of adjustment in event of the death of the breadwinner. The premium should be determined for individual situations by taking into account the group insurance in effect. Insurance is included in the estimated total cost of budget at the average outlay of $85.

Taxes.-Personal taxes, poll taxes, and other capitation taxes, income taxes, Federal, State, and local taxes are included in the estimated total cost of the budget as legally required in each city.

UNIVERSITY OF

MICHIGAN LIKMAHIES

TABLE XIX

The annual c urban family at in Washington, of the City Work alone (exclusive occupational exp ton. Estimates o in the accompan The goods and characteristic of 34 cities, the 195 services of betwe March 1946.

The City Wor costs a 4-person maintain a level the large cities of developed for a f ployed, and 2 chi than the average families reach thi

The budget do Neither does it si total cost of a re urban families to participation in so family actually sp which are made a

Variations in ho accounted for mo from $581 in New dwellings which m comprehensive su between Novembe the 1951 City Wo rates the change in for each city. For most cities, 1950 and October percent), San Fra (7 percent).3

1 Reprinted from the 1 For a full explanatio Budgets in the United S contain all previous esti Review, February 1948

Budgets for city worl the same level of living, a amount spent by a 4-pers and a 6-person family; al

3 Rent controls were li 1951 in Oakland, Calif., ously been lifted as follo Milwaukee, May 1950; June 1950; Los Angeles su

t of gas, electricity, heating fuel, water, refrigerators, and stoves was n the housing estimates. When any of these items was not included in ed contract rent of a dwelling unit, the annual cost of each facility was that the estimated average housing costs are comparable between cities. g fuel included was a kind commonly used in the locality—the amount pending on the climate.

ties with warmer climates require less fuel generally, housing costs in one of the warmest cities, were equal to those in Milwaukee, one of the es, and were exceeded only in Washington and Richmond. However, ns and Mobile-two other cities with warm climates-did have the sing costs.

ast to the wide variation in housing costs, relatively little difference in food costs between cities. Except for local taxes, the factors which prices tend to make them uniform from city to city in contrast to the character of the factors affecting housing. The total cost of the food ged from $1,296 in Milwaukee to $1,409 in Savannah, a difference of 8.7 Cities having the highest food còsts-Savannah, Mobile, Atlanta, SeBirmingham-were among those in which a 3-percent State sales tax as in effect. Of the 12 cities with lowest total food costs, only Kansas sales tax on groceries.

of all other goods and services (excluding housing and food) ranged from hiladelphia to $1,646 in Seattle. This component of the city worker's get includes cost of clothing, housefurnishings, transportation, medical al care, household operation, reading, recreation, tobacco, education, ontributions, and miscellaneous expenses.

nining the specific list of items considered necessary for a modest but vel of living, scientific standards were used, when available, as a starting largest expenditure group, food, was based on nutritional requirements ed by the National Research Council combined with preferences of as observed in studies of family expenditures. The standards for e those established by the Federal Public Housing Administration and in Public Health Association.

s of goods and services other than food and housing which were inhe budget were based on an analysis of family expenditure data obrveys made between 1934 and 1941. Study of these data shows that end of the income scale differences in purchases by families at sucme levels are primarily in the quantities of items bought; in the higher kets these differences are due to the choice of higher quality and more The quantities included in the budget were determined at the income scale where the amounts bought increase proportionately less reases in family income.

ems.

ated budget costs for October 1951 for clothing, housefurnishings, e, personal care, household operation, and other groups combined on prices of a relatively small sample list of items. Therefore, only st could be estimated within a satisfactory degree of accuracy and ts are not available for these groups. The October 1951 estimates of d housing budgets were based on price or rent samples sufficiently separate cost figures could be prepared.

1 preferences play a large part in the way families spend their money, among families at the same economic level, such as the one repree budget, some variation occurs in what is considered necessary for nsportation, recreation, etc.

EUNICE M. KNAPP,

Division of Prices and Cost of Living.

of 1951, the Bureau collected comprehensive reports of urban consumer income, expendi gs in 91 cities throughout the United States. The new data will permit the redeterminaet quantities which will make the budget more representative of current living standards; of budgets for different size families; and the study of possible differences in quantity cities of varying size and character.