VALUE OF GROUSE SHOOTINGS IN GREAT BRITAIN 495 



By another process it is possible to make a rough calculation of the number 

 of men obtaining permanent employment upon the Grouse moors in Great 

 Britain. On the smaller moors one gamekeeper usually suffices, but for moors 

 of a greater area than 5,000 acres, or producing a bag of four hundred brace or 

 upwards, it is usually found that a permanent under-gamekeeper is necessary. 

 On the largest moors the number of men employed is smaller in proportion to 

 the area, but on the other hand the rate of wages is higher. Generally speaking, 

 it is found that the ratio in Scotland is about one gamekeeper for every two 

 hundred and fifty brace of Grouse, and in England one to every three hundred 

 brace, so that the number of gamekeepers obtaining permanent employment on 

 Grouse moors would work out at three thousand six hundred in the former 

 country, and one thousand two hundred in the latter country. 



After careful comparison of the statistics obtained from every Grouse- 

 shooting district it has been found that the total wages and cash 

 allowances paid to gamekeepers in England and Scotland is about wages paid 



to perma- 



300,000 per annum, including tips. The details of the calculation nentgame- 



T > keepers. 



are not given as the methods of payment vary in different districts, 

 thus making exact comparison impossible. 



Indirectly also Grouse shootings are responsible for a great deal of permanent 

 employment. Gardeners, caretakers, and kennelmen are employed in connection 

 with most shooting establishments, and their remuneration must go 

 far to swell the total wage account; but owing to the different circum- 

 stances which affect each case, it is almost impossible to estimate the 

 annual wages paid to such extra employees. The addition of 50,000 

 or about one - sixth to the foregoing wage account would probably not be an 

 excessive estimate, and the resulting sum of 350,000 should fairly represent 

 the total annual wages earned by those who depend upon Grouse shootings for 

 permanent employment. 



The apportionment of the rent of a Grouse shooting may therefore be roughly 

 stated as follows : 



Net profit to proprietor about 34 per cent. 

 Wages to permanent staff about 35 per cent. 



Cost of upkeep, interest on outlay, value of keepers' houses, wear and 

 tear, rates and taxes, etc. about 31 per cent. 



Temporary employment during the shooting season has to be separately 

 considered, for it does not form a deduction from the rent, but is paid by the 



