Neither wealth, technology nor security penetrated to the interior of the tenements and slums. Vast numbers of Canadians lived hand-to-mouth in conditions such as these. They benefitted little from the wealth or the progress of industrial society. Their incomes were often below subsistence and their security was virtually non-existent. Nor did they benefit from technology. This "home" had neither electric light nor modern cooking and heating facilities. In some cities at the time of the depression more than half the homes used wood stoves for both heating and cooking. Many lacked electricity, running water and indoor toilets. Nor was there much prospect of improvement. In good times, inadequate food, shelter and clothing could be expected; in bad times, not even that. This mother of six children was given her "flat" - an empty store - by the city when she could find no place else to live. Three of the children were placed in an institution after they became ill following a winter spent in the unheated store. She paid no rent as the store was too cold. She had a small, rust-encrusted basin and a toilet, but no bathtub.
Courtesy: Canada Wide Feature Service Ltd., Montreal
