I was clearing out the bookcase, and came acoss an old box full of dried roses. Inside, I found an old account ledger, very small in size, with only a few years of entries, that my Mum jotted down, between 1938-1941. She and my dad had only been married a few years, living in Victoria in a small apartment, eeking out a living best as they could. My dad worked for the CPR Railway and CPR Ships, like the Princess Louise, Princess Mary, in the boiler rooms. These are just some of the excerpts I 've scanned. Really a something to see....so glad I found it.
Not sure exactly what "Moth-tax" or "Fly tax" is supposed to be.....maybe "fly-tox" ?? Take home pay is jotted down at the top right hand corner . Looks like every two weeks. Some weeks I noticed there was no mantion of pay coming in. Mum worked at odd jobs. She didn't start with the Empress Hotel till the late 40's early 50's. Till then she did odd jobs like sewing, cleaning, etc.
Looks like it cost a $1.00 to go to Powell River in November of 1938.
May 1939 reads: "Kay came in. ( Kay was my mother's best friend. She was killed in a car crash about 15 years later) June and July payments to hospital ( my dad was always quite ill, and had numerous operations. No health insurance then. Had to do payments to the doctors) and finished Dr. Lyons. August suitfor Davie, Sept and Oct , insurance, December, Xmas expenses."
"Rest of 1940 just tried to save a bit and went home ( Bethune, Saskatchewan) for a holiday in November ( three weeks). I worked at Terry's during the summer and went back for 3 months Jan, Feb., March of 1941. We were both well until May when I went to hospital, and in June, Davie was in Powell River Hospital"
"I guess I might as well write off 1941 as a complete loss financially, but, considering, Davie came thru one major operation on June 6 for perforatd ulcers, was 16 days in Powell River Hospital.Was poorly until Sept 9th when he was opened once more for infection and after operation twist, recovered and was 21 days in Jubilee. Took yellow jaundice on 26 of Oct and was all better by Christmas 1941. So all in all, '41 was ortunate for us as Davie got happily well again. We spent a wonderful six weeks at home on the farm ( Bethune). We have used $350 in cash, and also wages earned at Willims(?) Amount to about $200 or so, pid rent, storage, and insurnce and sundry, clear except for now outstanding Doctor and Hospital insurance of $488 to date."
Some weeks, in the ledger, I noticed that they borrowed $2.00 from the bank to tide them over to next pay day.On good weeks, when there was work mum and dad would take the ferry t either Vancouver, or Seattle, or both, and stay over to see show and have dinner and stay at a "housekeeping" hotel. All for te rich sum of $7.50 a day. Going to dances they would spend .40 to dance to big band combos.
A list of household items (Not sure of the year. Could be for the cook street house which was in the 40's or for the Fairield House which was in te 50's) Costs have really changed:
Chair and table 8.50
Delivery .50
Wicker 1.65
Shells 1.00
Stove 30.00 ( coal and wood stove)
Chair and ? 130.00
Conge......6.00
oil and cloth 4.50
Bedroom 50.00
pillows 10.0
groceries 10.00
pans, etc. 7.00
clothesline 1.00
rent 15.00 ( last rent of apt, I think)
deposit on water 3.00
coal and wood 6.00
stove and plumbing 2.75
rugs 7.00
curtains 5.00
Total $308.85"
And to think we just paid $250.00 for one drain to be unclogged, and an hour and half of work......
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