Wages and Earnings of the Working Classes. By Professor Leone
Levi. (John Murray.)—This is a report made to Sir Arthur Bass, M.P., supplementing and bringing up to date the inquiries instituted by the author, at the desire of Sir Arthur's father, in 1867 and 1879. He finds that the workers increased from 11,018,000 in 1867 to 12,000,000 in 1881; and that the earnings have increased from 2418,000,000 to 2521,000,000, the proportion to total national income having, however, diminished from 43.50 to 41.40 per cent. Is to the occupations of women, we find that there was about 1,400,000 male agricultural labourers and about 120,000 female ; while domestic servants were numbered respectively at 287,000 and 1,664,000. Among other occupations we find the following given, in order of number :—
Male. Female.
General Labourers 739,200 12,2)0 Builders 736,203 Tailors 147,000 507,600 Cotton Manufacturers 233,003 385,900 Miners 505,400
Amongst the curiosities in this table is the return of 300 women as "railway labourers" and 400 as blacksmiths. More than 3,000 make bricks and tiles, and there are 100 female shipwrights. There are as many as 3,000 printers (the male printers number 48,800). The domestic servants earn £68,516,300 between them, making as average of £41 a-piece (this, of course, includes board and lodging). This figure seems to us rather high.
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