10 



THE RTJEAL PROBLEM. 



total production probably fell only about 10 per cent.* The figures 

 may be given as follows : — 



PERSONS ENGAGED IN AGRICULTURE. 



[Confiuing comparisou with previous Censuses to male and female farmers and 

 graziers and male farm workers (for which the statistics are most reliable), and 

 excluding farmers' relatives under fifteen years of age, we have the following 

 figures for decrease and increase of persons engaged in agriculture in England and 

 Wales.] 



1861 

 1871 

 1881 



Number. Increase or Decrease 

 per cent. 



1,45(),015 — 1-8 



1,2(;4.335 —13-2 



1,148,814 — 9-1 



Number Increase or Decrease 

 per cent 



1891 1,065,494 — 7-3 



1901 939,437 —11-8 



1911 980,340 + .50 



Census of Occupations, Cd. 7018, 1914, p. xlvi. 

 GAIN AND LOSS IN TOTAL PRODUCTION. 



Sheep'... 

 Pigs ... 



1872 

 1900 



1872 

 1900 



20.780 



19,278 



2,.o86 

 2.249 



(000 omitted.) 

 Loss. 



1.502 



337 



Total ... . 

 (Or 6 units of sheep and 



pigs = 1 unit of cattle) 

 Produce of 2,726,000 acres 



of arable land. 



1,839 

 306-5 



Milch cattle 

 Other cattle 



1900 

 1872 



1900 

 1872 



2,187 

 1,774 



3.420 

 2,731 



Total ... 

 Less loss in sheep and pigs 



Net gain in cattle 



Gail) 



413 



G91 



1,104 

 306-5 



797-5 



Up to 1901 the net loss was equal to the difference between the increase of about 

 797,500 cattle and the produce of 2,726,0^1 acres of arable land. 



And since 1901 production has been increasing in the districts 

 in which the most important increases in the number of persons 

 engaged occurred. This increase in the production per man 

 emploj^ed made possible a steady improvement of the lot of the 

 worker, while both total production and prices were falling. In 

 the " eighties " there was a considerable curtailment of hours in 

 many counties, and wages were slowly rising from 1890 onwards. 

 Rise in Weeklj- Cash Rate of Wages. (Index numbers.) 

 (Ordinar}' Agricultural Labourers.) 



This fact is of great importance in the consideration of the 

 future organisation of agriculture m this country. While we 

 complain that the rates of wages earned by English agricultural 

 labourers are low, we do not often remember that thej^ are higher 

 than in any other European country. f In no other European 



* Cf. A. D. Hall ' Agriculture after the War,' p. 23. 



+ For figures see (1) ' Fourth'Abstract pf Foreign Labour Statistics.' Cd. 541.5, 

 1911. (2) ' Recent Development of German Agriculture,' Cd. 8305, 1916 ; and (3) 

 ' Evolution of Modern Germany,' W. H. Dawson. 



