this sum it was stressed was only for subsistence and allowed nothing for the cheering luxuries which gladden life published in rowntrees poverty line he was the first to use the phrase claimed to be the first attempt to fix a poverty line on scientific lines surveying living conditions among working class families in the city of york he proposed a minimum income level to ensure adequate nutrition and other essentials rowntree proceeded to divide those judged poor about into two groups the first group he defined as living in primary poverty because they simply did not have enough income to meet their basic needs those in secondary poverty on the other hand were failing to meet their needs not because their incomes were too low but because they spent money on nonessential items beer and tobacco being judged particularly nonessential