and having had communication upon it with Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Milner Gibson, I venture solicit your co-operation in instituting a wide and methodical inquiry into the earnings of the working classes in the United Kingdom, in order that we may arrive at the closest practicable estimate of the aggregate amount, and be in a position to show the basis on which it is founded, with any other conditions congenial to the subject which our inquiry may develop. I remain, very truly yours, M. T. BASS. Leone Levi, Esq., F.S.S. ESTIMATES OF THE EARNINGS OF THE WORKING CLASSES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. DEAR SIR, IN accordance with your instructions I have instituted a careful and searching inquiry into the earnings of the working classes of the United Kingdom, and I have now the honour to give you an estimate of such earnings, which I have obtained after extensive personal inquiry, and the use of the best and most trustworthy information within my reach. concerning workers. I shall first state the sources of such information, Sources of and the principles I have adopted in pursuing the information inquiry. For the number of labourers employed number of in the different occupations I have taken the census of 1861, adding for the increase of population since that year six per cent. for England and Wales," the increase in the last decennium, 1851-61, having (1) The estimated population in England and Wales in the middle of 1861 was 20,119,496, and in 1866, 21,210,020. Increase in four years 5.42 per cent. Concerning wages. been at the rate of 12 per cent., and 3 per cent. for The wages have been obtained from the following sources. In most cases I have ascertained the present rate of wages by personal inquiries from the employers and the employed. The wages of the agricultural classes have been given in a return to the House of Commons for 1860. The Miscellaneous Statistics published by the Board of Trade give the current wages in different centres of industry mostly supplied by the Chambers of Commerce. Much information I have derived from papers on wages read to the Statistical Society by Mr. Chadwick and Dr. Watts of Manchester, Mr. Purdy of the Poor Law Board, and Dr. Strang of Glasgow; and to the Society of Arts by Mr. Ashworth and others; and I have made use of the information given in the news (1) The estimated population in Scotland in the middle of 1861 was 3,066,633, and in 1865, 3,153,413. Increase in four years 2.82 per cent. papers respecting strikes and meetings of journeymen in different occupations. calculating In estimating the earnings of the working classes Modes of from the number of persons employed and the current annual earn. wages, attention must be paid to broken time, short ings. work, holidays, idle days, wakes, wet weather or frost stopping agricultural work and house building ; time when seamen are ashore, time wasted from accidents or from changes of machinery, and other causes which diminish the sum total annually earned. The time thus lost differs in every industry, according to the state of trade and the habits and character of the working classes. Without attempting to calculate for this item in each case, I have deemed it best to adopt the principle of excluding from the computation all persons of 60 years and upwards. We may assume that at that age the proportion of infirm persons is necessarily great, and any number beyond that thus excluded will provide for those between 20 and 60 years of age, not actually at work, or earning less than 52 weeks' wages.(1) The deductions made by masters for different purposes, such as loan of machine or power, school, and doctors, &c., expenses for tools, and payments made by working men to their piecers, helpers or apprentices, must also be calculated to obtain the net earning. In the earnings of those under 20 a distinction should be made between children and youths; but I have taken an average for the entire period of minority, making allowance where necessary for apprenticeship fees, &c. (1) In 1861, in a total population in England and Wales of 20,119,314, there were 1,460,606, or 7.22 per cent. of 60 years of age and upwards. The time wasted, or during which no wages are earned, may safely be estimated on an average at 4 weeks in 52, or in the proportion of 7·69 per cent. Designation of workers be said as to the classes of persons inMuch may included in cluded within the term "Working Classes." The this inquiry electoral statistics only included in it persons support Artisans and labour ers. ing themselves by daily manual labour. Some have limited the meaning to such as are in receipt of weekly wages, and some would limit the term "workers" to such as are employed in the production of wealth. It might seem also a condition of such appellation that the person should stand in the capacity of servant or worker for others, and not as worker on his own account. On the other hand, we must remember that in many occupations the workers are paid by the month or quarter, as in the case of seamen and domestic servants. The practice is very general also of paying by piece work, rather than by fixed wages; and in many cases the master contracts with one foreman, and he makes a sub-contract with other workers. And though, in a strictly economic sense, we should consider as workers only such as are producers of wealth, we cannot exclude from the general appellation and received meaning of Working Classes" the large number of domestic servants, soldiers, police, &c. For practical purposes, therefore, we must take within the meaning of "Working Classes" all who, whether as workers for others or as workers for themselves, are employed in manual labour, be it productive of wealth or not.(1) 66 In analyzing the statistics of the number of persons employed, it is important first to distinguish between artisans and labourers; great difference exist (When the working classes are designated as the lower, in contradistinction to the upper and middle classes, the term indicating the social position of a portion of the people, might include many general dealers and the lower description of tradesmen. |