1. Select the household with one or more wage-earners for which you can
give the most reliable particulars. You can choose any type of household
you think fit, it does not matter whether it be a household even of
twenty or even of one, whether comfortably off or poorly off, with many
children or with few or no children, with several wage-earners or with
only one, with no men, with no women, with a visitor, with a servant,
etc., provided the household chosen is one of the wage-earning class.
This will ensure that taking the country as a whole the budgets will
represent every day conditions and avoid anything exceptional.
2. If you select a household with a plot or garden in which food is
produced, or one with fowl or pigs, etc., a note to this effect should
be made under "Observations."
3. Make no statement which would identify the household for which you
send an account; as a further precaution the individual returns will be
treated as strictly confidential--your figures will be used only in
totting them with figures in a large number of other budgets in order to
arrive at averages, etc.
4. If you live with a wage earner and give the budget of your own house,
do not state that the household is your own, but you will of course
place the word "teacher" on one line in the occupation column of the
first table (a teacher is not necessarily a national school teacher; in
any case the budget will be treated as strictly confidential).
5. If you can get accurate particulars for the days of the current week,
do so. If not, would you ask the householder to keep an account for the
seven days immediately following the receipt of this communication. Post
your budget so as to reach here by the 30th June, at latest. Spend all
the time you can spare to get the particulars as accurate as possible.
6. Under "Observations" on each page give any remarks that may be
helpful, especially explanations of unusually large or small figures.
The budgets will be closely scrutinised.