THE BED-ROCK OF IRISH FINANCE.
[To THE EDITOR OP TER "SPECTATOR."]
Sni,—Mr. Murrough O'Brien argues (Spectator, January 7th) that, because the population of Ireland was in 1841 approxi- mately thrice that of Scotland in the same year, Irish are not unnaturally two and a half times as numerous as Scotch old- age pensioners. But in 1871 (the last figures I can find) thirty-two per thousand of the population were over seventy in Ireland and Scotland alike* ; to allow for increasing longevity, assume that in 1910 thirty-five per thousand in both countries are over seventy. The estimated population of Ireland for 1910 is 4,371,1634 In 1901 professional and commercial were 312,2324 leaving on the estimate for 1910 not more than 4,059,000 of the old-age pension class. Thirty-five per thousand of that number is 142,065. I have reached approximately the same result by a more intricate course of calculation. My information for Scot- land omits professional and commercial statistics, hence I cannot apply exactly the same course of reasoning to the Scotch population, estimated at 4,929,251 for 1910.: But Board-school children are broadly of the old-age pension class. The proportions are : Ireland 680t to Scotland 804:. Hence the Scotch old-age pension class for the year should be approximately 4,800,000. Thirty-five per thousand of this population is 168,000. The Irish old-age penSioners for 1910 are 180,974§; the Scotch are 76,889§.—I am, Sir, &o.,
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