46 



LABOURERS' WAGES 



for 1837 from Purdy's statistics ; and those 

 for 1850-1 from Sir James Caird's English 

 Agriculture. The striking drop shown by the 

 last-mentioned suggests a different basis of 

 calculation. From i860 onwards the figures 

 are from official returns, and since this is the 

 period which has chiefly been dealt with in 

 previous articles attention may be confined to 

 them. They exhibit a general rising tendency 

 up to 1872, then a fall to 1892, followed by a 

 larger rise. The movement thus shown is 

 broadly confirmed by the following summary 

 but more continuous figures given by Mr. 

 Hirst in the Progress of the Nation (1912) : — 



Average Weekly Wages. 



This table wears a more favourable aspect 

 than Mr. Prothero's. It shows a fall after the 

 prosperous seventies, with a subsequent rise, 

 but the fall is less prolonged, and the rise 



