Several weeks ago, I went on a quest to discover miners' wages in Northern Ontario in the 1940's and was not successful. This item from Maclean's in 1950 was the closest I came to finding information.
If the average weekly wage was $45.00 per week in 1950, the weekly wage in Northern Ontario was probably closer to $40.00 per week in the early 40's, given that inflation was high, particularly towards the end of the war when labour became scarce. That would have put my parent's mortgage payment of $30.00 per month at more than 20% of their income. If food was 40% of their income, it did not leave very much left for other essentials!
This puts perspective on our own complaints about the high costs of food today. Although it doesn't look like housing has improved much - at least in the Vancouver area!
Below is a list I found in my Mother's old cook book. It was compiled, I think, when my
parents were contemplating the purchase of the house in which I grew up. It is readable once you have clicked on it to make it larger.
If the average weekly wage was $45.00 per week in 1950, the weekly wage in Northern Ontario was probably closer to $40.00 per week in the early 40's, given that inflation was high, particularly towards the end of the war when labour became scarce. That would have put my parent's mortgage payment of $30.00 per month at more than 20% of their income. If food was 40% of their income, it did not leave very much left for other essentials!
This puts perspective on our own complaints about the high costs of food today. Although it doesn't look like housing has improved much - at least in the Vancouver area!
Below is a list I found in my Mother's old cook book. It was compiled, I think, when my
parents were contemplating the purchase of the house in which I grew up. It is readable once you have clicked on it to make it larger.
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