TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS, 149 
or one in four persons had provided for scarcely any thing more than 
future sickness. The higher or lower rate of wages does not seem to 
influence materially the desire to belong to these clubs, or to lay by for 
future contingencies. 210 stocking-makers earned 1ls. a week and 
under, of whom 43 were in sick clubs; 103 earned 192s., of whom 22 
were in sick clubs; 139 earned 13s. and upwards, of whom 39 were in 
sick clubs. Total average of stocking-makers’ earnings, 11s. 63d. a 
week: 176 of their wives averaged ls. 103d. 212 lace earned 14s. 
and under, of whom 41 were in clubs; 72 earned 15s., of whom 21; 
69 earned 16s., of whom 27 ; 143 earned 17s. and above, of whom 52 
were in sick clubs. Average lace earnings, 15s. 1d.; and of 182 wives, 
2s. lid. 93 smiths averaged 16s. 4d., and 34 wives 1s. 9d. a week. 
Totalaverage earnings of 1043 men weekly, 13s.73d.; 392 wives Ls. 113d. 
a week: and of each family when in full work, according to their own 
statement, 17s. 6d. Though the inquiry has been a difficult one, yet 
this amount is found to be somewhat considerably below the actual 
weekly sum received. 304 of the men had an average of 2 children 
each able to work, bringing in together 3s. a week. 661 had 300 chil- 
dren between 11 and 7 years of age, and 1300 below 7, or 23 on an 
average. 
The wages of Nottinghamshire lace hands averaged, 1n 1829, 25s., 
1831, 20s., 1833, 19s., in 1836, 17s. a week, rates established by the 
writer's statistical paper of those years. Those employed on this fund 
stated their earnings at 15s. Stocking-makers’ wages had risen from 
9s. in 1833, to 11s. 6d. in 1836. Neither the past difficulties of the 
_ last class, nor the prospective depression of the first, seems to have 
taught them economy. These papers however show the fact, that men 
with 5 or 6 children have supported themselves as long as the unmar- 
ried, and form the bulk of the contributors to sick clubs, &c. The 
average weekly pay from the fund was 8s. 72d. a man, or Is. 10d. a 
week for each person dependent upon it; yet notwithstanding the 
smallness of this sum, and the whole of the people being unaccustomed 
to this kind of employment, they soon began to assume a far more 
healthy and cheerful aspect in person and countenance, than when en- 
gaged in their ordinary pursuits; and many stated themselves stronger 
and better than formerly. Hay harvest coming on, and the numbers 
(which had been greatly reduced) having drained the resources of the 
Committee, the affair was terminated; having been so managed as on 
the whole to give general satisfaction. 
From these facts the following conclusions are drawn. 
That the number of distressed applicants from one of the highest 
paid trades, the lace, was as large as from one of the lowest, the stock- 
ing-makers; the one having fallen in a few years from upwards of 40s. 
to under 20s., the other having risen from 7s. to about 12s. a week ; 
the numbers employed in each trade in the district in question being 
nearly equal. The higher paid trade had afforded its workmen means 
of effecting considerable savings; but the number who made pro- 
. vision for the future in sick clubs, &c., did not rise with the larger 
amount of wages ; for of the 245 members, 132 were of those who had 
