WAGES 33 



Zealand — a population of one hundred and five millions 

 has at its disposal an area of 10,500,000 square miles, 

 a density of ten per square mile. The consequence of 

 this is that in Europe the inhabitants are obliged to eat 

 into the land at their disposal to the extent of 30 per 

 cent., while in the New World countries the population 

 uses only 5 per cent, of its territory. 



The effect of overpopulation in reducing productive 

 power can be further exhibited statistically as follows. 

 This calculation shows the product of labour in Europe 

 and in the United States of America. 



Table No. VIII 



' The production of food in various countries may be 

 compared by reducing all to a common denominator, 

 that is, considering 100 gallons of wine or 3 tons of 

 potatoes as equal to a ton of grain, and i of meat 

 equal to 8 of grain. In 1894-96 the production on the 

 said basis averaged as follows : 



Europe is obliged in the attempts to feed itself to 

 put seven hundred and fifty-nine million acres under 

 cultivation, while America, a country of the same size, 

 has put only two hundred and fifty million acres of 

 her area to the use of food raising (see Table No. VI). 

 In Germany 49 per cent, and in France 50 per cent, of 

 the surface of the country is used for making food, but 



* Mulhall'B Dictionary of Statistics, 4th edition, p 613. 







