BUBAL EOONOMH 9. 



Agricultural cooperation in England, E. Druce (Agr. Students' G 



vol. /. 1905 , No. S, pp. 89-93). — This article discusses i Deration in agriculture, 



t'n.m three standpoints: I I l The purchase of requirements, including machim 

 (2) the sale of produce, and (3) the establishment of agricultural credil ban 



It a believed thai the cooperative purchase of machines for cooperative use may 



be very desirable in communities of .-mall farmers, bul that there is littl ■<■■..- 



for such cooperation among large farmers. The cooperative purchase of anims 

 Bpoken of a- a field in which cooperation maybe extended to advantage. II 

 societies air mentioned. Cooperation in the sale of products is not thoughl to be 

 profitable for the better farmers. It is thought that Buch cooperation tends t«. level 

 prices and that the tendency is for the lower level and not the higher level I 

 reached by this proc< 



It i- believed that the more i 1 1 1 « - 1 1 i -_ r « • 1 1 1 ami energetic farmers can always secures 

 higher price than can the cooperative society. This is thought to 1><- especially true 

 in a country like England, where a dense population make- it possible for the 

 majority o| tin- farmers to -oil their products directly to the retail dealers. The 

 writer does aot seem favorably disposed toward the agricultural credit hank-. In 

 general, it may be said that this paper represents the attitude of the conservative 

 English farmer on the subject of agricultural cooperation. 



Wages, earnings, and conditions of employment of agricultural laborers 

 in the United Kingdom, second report, W. Fox ( London: Bd. of Trade, /."//<<, 

 !>>/,/.. 1905, /'/>. XII 263, figs. ■'■ i.— This report deals with the systems of engagement, 

 the rates of wages, and the cost of living of farm laborers in the United Kingdom. 



In Scotland, Wales, the north of England, and the north of Ireland most of the 

 farm servants are employed by the year, hoard and Lodging being usually provided 

 free in the farmhouses for the unmarried men, and cottages in many districts for the 

 married men. In southern England and southern Ireland laborers are usually 

 employed by the week, and it is very rare for them to be lodged or boarded in the 

 farmhouses. 



In 1902 the average rate Of wages was L9s. 5d. in Scotland. 17s. 7d. in Wales, 17-. 

 \m\. in England, and \^>. 9d. in Ireland. Between 1898 and L902 the average rate 

 of wages increased 6.9 per cent in Scotland, 6.6 per cent in Wales. 5.7 per cent in 

 Ireland, and 4 per cent in England. 



It is shown by means of a map that throughout the United Kingdom the wages of 

 agricultural laborers were higher near the Large industrial and mining centers than 

 in the purely agricultural district. The average weekly value of food consumed by 

 the agricultural laborers, including articles purchased and those produced at home, 

 was L5s. L'.ld in Scotland, 13s. <>.ld. in England, and LOs. 5|d. in Ireland. 



The economic cost of slaveholding in the cotton belt, U. B. Phillips i PolU. 

 s Quart., '<> [1905), No. .\ />/>. 957-275). — This article is based upon a study of 

 slave prices. It deals* with the general economic conditions of slaveholding, and 

 show- the great transformation caused by the opening of the cotton belt and the 

 Closing of the African .-lave trade. 



"From the economic point of view the American system of slavery was a -y-tem 

 of firmly controlling the unintelligent negro laborers and of capitalizing the pro- 

 spective value of the labor of each workman for the whole period of hi- life." Prior 

 to the invention of the cotton gin, slavery was confined to the Lowlands, but the 

 increase in the production of upland cotton after Whitney's invention came into use 

 resulted in the rapid opening of the inland cotton belt. This increased demand for 

 laborers resulted in a rapid increase in the price of -la. 



Between L800 and I860 the price of slaves in terms of pounds of cotton in< 

 from 1,000 to 1,200 per cent. With the rise in .-lave prices slavery became burderi- 

 Bome, because of the enormous amount of wealth which had to be Locked up in the 

 purchase of the labor supply. This investment of large Bums of money in the capital 



